killercharm

This flick is a sharp tale of two women. The chemistry between Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively is strong and engrossing. The two women entwine with each other but nothing is what it seems. One is up to no good, but they both have deep secrets with the depth it takes to hold such secrets. They're great fun to watch and I suspect Paul Feig is much of the reason. Plus the soundtrack is a swinging French time. Two moms, a goody two-shoes and a power-to-reckon-with start hanging out. The two-shoes (Stephanie) is being used by the powerful woman (Emily) but she loves it. One day the Emily asks Stephanie to pick up her child from school and take him home with her, to her house. A week later and Emily still hasn't come to pick up her son.

Bette Davis plays the 1930s version of a femme fatale, in which the fatal part is because of a curse rather than because of her fatal allure. La Davis plays a Broadway actress who has brought her every man, producer and play to ruin because she's cursed. Now no one will cast her in a play so she drinks herself into oblivion. Enter goody two-shoes Franchot Tone who's going to save her, until he falls in love with her. Bette Davis is mesmerizing; she's so fun to watch. The movie itself, though, is so dated that the abruptness of emotions and reactions are false. It's that last scene - the absurdity of the ending is the movie's biggest downfall.

This is a basic b-flat flick if ever I saw one. I'm thinking, these are talented actors, but it seems like they and the whole movie are just going through the motions. It feels like, "Well, we better make a horror now." The flick gave me no fear, no tension, just run of the mill - play by numbers horror. If I've seen the steps gone through in this formulaic horror once I've seen them a thousand times. The characters don't take any logical action in response to their environment. I mean, what Daddy is going to don headphones while he's home alone with his young child who needs to be supervised, especially once spookiness enters the picture. A widower and his young daughter move to the country to get a new start when mommy dies. The twist is so common a twist that it's not even a twist.