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Netflix subscribers can celebrate the dawn of a brand new day this weekend.
No, Spider-Man: Brand New Day isn’t streaming just yet, but these three new, high-quality films are just as enthralling as seeing Tom Holland shoot spiderwebs out of his hands.
Russell Crowe’s been a bonafide Hollywood star for three decades now, and he’s surprisingly superb as an alcoholic method actor possessed by an all-consuming dedication to his craft – and maybe the Devil itself – in The Exorcism.
Nicole Kidman and Kirsten Dunst deliver some of their most quietly touching work ever in the Civil War-era thriller The Beguiled, while Michael Cera leads an ensemble cast in the indie dramedy Person to Person.
‘Person to Person’ (2017)
There’s a murder at the center of the 2017 film Person to Person, which was just added to Netflix this week, but it’s not a mystery. There’s certainly suspense in tagging along with veteran reporter Phil (Michael Cera) and his trainee, Claire (Broad City’s Abbi Jacobson), as they travel around New York City in a vain attempt to interview the policeman involved in the case, the man’s wealthy wife, the Widow (SNL vet Michaela Watkins). But the film freely slips in and out of this plot to follow characters who may or may not be involved in the case, like teenager Wendy (Tavi Gevinson) or veteran watch repairman Jimmy (Philip Baker Hall). The film features over a dozen characters, but none of them really take center stage; instead, NYC, with its many weird and wonderful boroughs, communities and people, is the drama’s true star.
As a result, Person to Person feels less like a film and more like real life – disorderly, a little chaotic, sometimes boring but mostly fascinating. The film adopts a lo-fi approach (mostly by using grainy film stock) that makes it seem like a lost film from the early ‘80s. It doesn’t have much of a plot, but it has something much more valuable – an authentic-feeling portrait of a day-in-the-life in the Big Apple.
Person to Person is streaming on Netflix.
‘The Exorcism’ (2024)
Anthony Miller (Russell Crowe) is a Method actor devoted to his craft. He’s buried himself researching his latest role as a priest performing an exorcism in a cheesy horror movie, The Georgetown Project. Helped by his teenage daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), Anthony believes this role will revive his stagnant career. But when a series of accidents occur on set, Anthony begins to wonder if the movie he’s starring in is starting to come true in real life. And as he becomes consumed with his role, he starts to question if his intense Method acting is really a disguise for an all-too-real demon who wants to possess his soul.
If The Exorcism sounds like The Exorcist, that’s because it’s clearly inspired by that 1973 film’s troubled production history. The Exorcism takes things further by showing that demons are real, and they’re probably making Anthony do evil things. Subtlety is not the film’s strong suit, but it draws an intriguing connection between the almost-fantastical dedication some actors have to their craft and the mystery of demonic possession. As the washed-up thespian who could be a vessel for pure evil, Crowe is simultaneously subdued and hammy. He’s a bit all over the place, but he’s never not interesting to watch, which is better than the alternative.
The Exorcism is streaming on Netflix.
‘The Beguiled’ (2017)
In 1864, the Civil War is still raging on, and most of the men in Virginia are away fighting for the Confederate Army on the battlefield. That’s why school headmistress Virginia Fransworth (Nicole Kidman) is almost all alone, save for a spinster teacher, Edwina Morrow (Kirsten Dunst) and several students. When injured Union soldier John McBurney (Colin Farrell) arrives seeking help for his injured leg, Virginia reluctantly takes him in until his wounds heal. But McBurney is hiding a secret from them that could expose them all to danger. Will Virginia discover it in time? And will Edwina’s growing affection for John cause her to betray her housemates?
Directed by Sofia Coppola, The Beguiled is a Southern Gothic thriller that is more focused on atmosphere than suspense. The film convincingly conjures a haunting 19th-century America almost entirely abandoned by men – women dominate the school, just as the actresses dominate this film. Kidman is terrific as an authority figure who must make cruel sacrifices to protect her charges, while Dunst is outstanding as a lonely woman who sees the one opportunity for love and takes it. The Beguiled is one of those films that doesn’t impress you that much when you first see it, but it gradually gains in stature the more you think about it.
The Beguiled is streaming on Netflix.
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