"The Housemaid" - No, Not that One

Determined to confuse a blogger with the wild, horny 2010 film of the same name: broke drifter Millie Calloway (Sydney Sweeney) takes a much-needed job at the home of wealthy Nina (Amanda Seyfried), to care for her home, husband Andrew (Brandon Skelnar) and daughter Cece (Indiana Elle). But amongst the chattering, spiteful harpy wives and ideallic middle class veneers, something is wrong...

(Credit: Everyman Cinemas. Check out their cinemas: they're great. I saw "Kid Detective" there and honestly cinema is downhill from that)
Paul Feig continues his trend from the excellent hysterical parody "A Simple Favour" in adapting serpentine Stepford thrillers to the big screen. Based on the runaway obsession novel by Frieda McFadden (obligatory: I have not read it)

This aims for a slightly more serious tone than "Favour" and indeed goes for it, but still remains playful and fun. The cast all get a chance to be hysterical, crazy and campy, and Michele Morrone from the meme-movie "365 Days" appears as a groundskeeper in a cute nod to this sort of thing, and it basically throws back to the "erotic thrillers" of the 90s like "Jade", "Disclosure" and "Fatal Attraction", but adds the twist of being watchable and knowing rather than rinsibly embarrassing (except "Showgirls" - that movie is magical): there are enough saucy shots and titillation to keep it knowing and nudging and rather cheky and tantaising rather than vulgar or crass, and the twists are suitably gasp-inducing rather than making one wince (well, not in that way... there is an effective part with some pliers...); yet the entire affair dances on just the right side of a knife edge. The entire thing is just the right amount of playful, funny, fun and delightful: the cast have fun with it, but not too much. If it were 10% more serious or 10% funnier it would have lost me. Its "Gone Girl"-esque second half (Oh, "Woman on the Train" and "Woman in the Window" are two more there! Only one of those was good) is strong; "A Simple Favour" goes completely goo-goo-bananas off-the-reservation, queerer and crazier and is better for it in my eyes, but this is a far more rock solid, accessible entry to the genre.
Also, between this and drop: don't go to a restaurant with Brandon Skelnar. Even if he's a nice dude, it's going to end horribly.

"Drop" - Review

Violet (Mehann Fahy) is recovering from a traumatic incident in her past and works as a single mother and therapist. She finally manages to snag a hot date with sexy photographer Henry (Brandon Skelnar), and heads to meet him at a fancy high-tower restaurant. But though the pair of them manage to hit it off, Violet starts receiving anonymous messages and images on her phone and before she can attempt to parse who they are from, they start to show pictures of her house, and demand that she murder Henry... Now she must keep the date going, keep it secret from Henry, and figure out who is sending these messages to her...

A fine effort from Mr Landon, as usual! I'm a long-standing defender and advocate of the man's works, and he's been on a tear: from writing the fanatastic "Heart Eyes" and directing a tight, fun little thriller as this, he's been on a tear this year. One heck of a one-two punch. It embraces the inherent silliness, and leans upon the dated memes angle for it all, and stays on course to be a fun little mystery, and a "how shall this character escape the situation?" kind of movie. Fahy (the first thing I have seen her in) is excellent, and Reed Diamond shows up for a little bit, hell yes! Skelnar is lovely too, and has, most essential for this kind of movie, smooth and fluid chemistry with Fahy in this. Everybody who shows up is good: the movie does that thing I really appreciate and respect where it has hired good, solid, experienced and unknown actors to really sell the piece rather than rely on big names and make money disappear, instead saving its budget for some creative little asides and camera angles to show off how far Landon (definitely up for Sweeties this year) has come as a filmmaker. I rather enjoyed it and the mystery's reveal works. Violett Beane is delightful in this as Violet's sister, and everything seems to come together nicely enough and tightly enough that I wasn't picking holes in it, enjoying it so much as I was, which is what it's out to do. Another cracker to the Landon canon, though "Heart Eyes" remains the one to beat this year.