Rachel Weisz doubles down with two chilling and unforgettable performances in Amazon Prime’s limited series “Dead Ringers,” which serves up a bold vision of a twisted classic.
It debuts this weekend, and tops our list of what to see, along with the conservationist-themed “Wild Life,” the historical biopic “Chevalier” and “Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant.”
Here’s our roundup.
“Dead Ringers”: It takes nerve to remake a David Cronenberg classic, particularly if you’re taking on the Canadian master of shock’s 1988 psychological squirm-fest about deranged twin gynecologists (Jeremy Irons) mishandling too many patients and too many forceps.
But executive producer and director Sean Durkin has accomplished just that for Amazon Prime with a limited series of six truly horrifying stand-alone episodes. He and other directors — including the incredible Karyn Kusama — and a team of screenwriters have even improved on the original. Their “Dead Ringers” chooses smartly in the departures and asides they make from the original premise — one established in the 1977 novel “Twins.” The best move is a gender switch, turning the emotionally conjoined twins into two genius Manhattan female doctors. It brings up a more complicated set of issues.
As in the original film, this duo is dangerously inseparable. But in the Prime series, the Mantle twins dream of spearheading a new chain of birthing centers. One, of course, possesses noble intentions for wanting this. The other has Frankenstein-like delusions of grandeur.
Rachel Weisz delivers not one but two Emmy-worthy performances (just give her the award now) as the dangerously co-dependent Mantles. Beverly is the more stable, ethically principled sister, but still has some screws loose, while Elliot is the drugged-out wild card, a mad scientist intent on unethical research and achieving the unimaginable.
Added to the mix are Beverly’s new love interest, Genevieve (Britne Oldford), the star of the TV series “Rabid” (Cronenberg fans will get that reference) and the ultra-rich, morally deficient entrepreneur Rebecca (a sinfully evil Jennifer Ehle) who extracts pounds of flesh in order to fund the twins’ swanky but creepy birthing centers.
If you manage to survive the first episode without losing your lunch, you’re in store for a disturbing, supremely well-made horror show that’s written, acted and directed with Ari Aster-like skill. The second episode, in which the Mantles experience a savagely refined, multi-coursed dinner with a rich bunch of cruel profiteers who manipulate and toy with them covers the same ground as “Triangle of Sadness” — but does it better. Details: 4 stars out of 4; drops April 21 on Amazon Prime.
“Chevalier”: In this engrossing biopic on the historically skipped-over 18th-century French-Caribbean classical music figure Joseph Bologne (aka Chevalier de Saint-Georges), Kelvin Harrison Jr. takes ownership of every second of screen time he’s granted — which is all the time. It’s a perfect role for the magnetic Harrison Jr., who’s delivered one impressive performance (2019’s “Luce”) after another (2021’s “Cyrano”). His take on this confident violinist, composer and fencer who made many Parisians either swoon, due to his looks, or sneer, due to his race, and plays up and then tempers the bravado as the film goes on. Richly accessorized in period details, Stefani Robertson’s script thrusts Chevalier into a competition to lead the Paris Opera, in which the goal is coming up with the best opera. During the hustle to get it done, Chevalier falls into a heated romance with the very married Marie-Josephine de Montalembert (Samara Weaving) and it’s an affair that rankles the flighty yet shrewd Marie Antoinette (Lucy Boynton, hamming it up), not to mention his lover’s hubby, Marc René, marquis de Montalembert (Marton Csokas), who has friends in high places. Director Stephen Williams orchestrates all of it with dramatic flourishes, but it really is hard to one-up the opening moments, when the upstart Chevalier shows Mozart (Joseph Prowen) who’s boss. Now, that’s movie magic. Details: 3 stars; in theaters April 21.
“Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant”: The critically lambasted Ritchie thumbs his nose at his detractors with this gripping thriller that has something more on its mind than mere rah-rah military skirmishes and confrontations. Jake Gyllenhaal proves yet again he’s one of his generation’s best and most versatile actors, surrendering himself into the role of Sergeant John Kinley, who develops an uneasy — at first — alliance with his new interpreter Ahmed (Dar Salim, so effective and understated), who goes on to save his life after an ambush. “Covenant” works as both a rousing action feature and survival story — an intense trek through Taliban territory, with Ahmed hiding Kinley’s wounded body in a cart makes up a large part of the film — as well as a look at the critical role that interpreters play. But “Covenant” also shows the tangle of red tape that prevents promises from getting delivered, a reality that forces Kinley to take matters into his own hands. The result is one of Ritchie’s finest films that’s made all the better by two extraordinary performances. Details: 3½ stars; in theaters April 21.
“Wild Life”: There are two love stories that get told well in Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi’s latest inspirational documentary. One chronicles the romance of two renegade adventurers and entrepreneurs, Kristin and Doug Tompkins. He founded the iconic North Face and Esprit labels while she partnered closely with Yvon Chouinard to aid in turning Patagonia into a leading environmentally conscious brand. When their paths crossed after Doug Tompkins wanted to do something less cash-oriented, they fell passionately in love and then pursued another grand passion, to protect and preserve precious lands in South America, specifically in Chile. In this gorgeous and moving documentary from the award-winning filmmaking couple, we follow these move-the-needle conservationists whose altruistic actions sparked misinformation and suspicions. It makes for another breathtaking journey from Chin and Vasarhelyi, one that fits snugly in their canon about indomitable rule breakers who achieved greatness and broke their barriers by persistence and unwavering dedication. Details: 3½ stars; in select theaters April 19.
“Judy Blume Forever”: Documentary filmmakers and Stanford grads Davina Prado and Leah Wolchok’s group hug to YA novelist Judy Blume leaves you with a smile on your face and newfound respect for the envelope-pushing writer. Told in a straightforward, no-nonsense manner, “Forever” captures the evolution of the writer and person who sprinkled in and even introduced issues such as masturbation and menstruation to young readers. Interviews with fans, contemporary authors and Blume herself reflect just how much of a force she was and how much resistance she met due to the subject matter in her books. That last part gets introduced late in the documentary and could have been even further explored, given the tenor of these shrill book-banning times. Overall, this is a welcome reminder of the impact and influence this beloved author wields to this day. Details: 3 stars; available to stream April 21 on Amazon Prime.
“To Catch a Killer”: The opening moments of writer/director Damián Szifron’s first English-language feature are its strongest and its most disturbing. In an all-too-American tragedy, a lone and unidentified gunman picks off 29 New Year’s celebrants in buildings and on the streets of Baltimore. It’s a chilling sequence that is indeed violent but not overly graphic, and pokes at the nerves of an already fearful and jittery nation. Szifron’s film then focuses on the investigation led by the FBI’s extra-sharp, take-no-crap Geoffrey Lammark (Ben Mendelsohn), who wants rookie police investigator Eleanor Falco (Shailene Woodley) at his side. For the first half, Szifron has a firm grip on his story, showing a unique visual flair that was employed to such good effect in his 2014 Oscar-nominated anthology “Wild Tales.” But his storytelling loses its hold two thirds in — when the killer is revealed and an unconvincing connection between him and Eleanor feels not just phony but offensive. And the action at the end feels clumsy and ham-fisted, unlike anything that preceded it. Given how dedicated the performances are and just how effective the first part of this grim production is, that amounts to a huge letdown. But Szifron’s stylish way with the visuals are hard to ignore. Details: 2½ stars; in select theaters April 21.
Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.
