Why horror hit Talk to Me will taunt your soul
This year's most hyped horror film hits the big screen. Plus, more highlights from the Film Festival, and why can't we watch Blackberry, the film about the keyboard phone?
Welcome to Rec Room, your must-read Friday newsletter! Theatres are maxed out, advance bookings are stacked and even bung old Sky World is showing signs of life. That’s all thanks to one thing: the hot pink behemoth Barbie. She’s smashing records all over the place and helping Oppenheimer draw record iMax audiences too. It’s great to see, but – I’m going to be that guy here – it’s likely to be shortlived. Writers are on strike; so too are actors. Without them, TV and film sets are on hold indefinitely. Much of this year’s cinematic release slate is being delayed to cover upcoming gaps. So, today, there’s another must-see movie out that we’re going to talk about. You’d better make the most of it: cinema’s unlikely to be this good for some time to come.
-Chris Schulz, Rec Room editor
Talk to Me is tense, terrifying and totally terrific
She didn’t want to go. Wasn’t interested. Wouldn’t even watch the trailer. The answer was a hard pass for four straight days. Then something changed. My persistence paid off. Finally, late one recent Friday night, I drove my partner to a darkened mall in Tauranga, plied her with popcorn and ice cream, and we entered a theatre for an advance screening of Talk to Me. The hyped new horror hit is debuting in theatres at a time when Barbie has seen overwhelming enthusiasm for big screen experiences, so there were plenty of people there wanting to know what all the buzz was about.
I knew exactly what we were in for. Big things are expected from Talk To Me, an Aussie horror from A24 which lands with the same kind of hype that surrounded that other big Oz fright-fest The Babadook. “There’s a refreshing ruthlessness to this cautionary tale that plays like a surge of adrenaline,” is what horror site Bloody Disgusting has to say about it. Reviews like that have helped build hype. So too have those advance screenings. Viewers have reported being shaken to their core by what unfolds, an updated Poltergeist for our times.
My partner knew none of this. She went in cold. I couldn’t tempt her with the backstory, how it was made by two Adelaide YouTubers, then picked up by A24. She wanted none of that. She was there for a night away from the kids and, more importantly, some decent snacks. All she knew was what was right up there on the screen. Within the first few minutes of Talk To Me, someone stabs themselves squarely in the face. Viral videos show teens being possessed by a haunted hand. When someone’s eyes roll back in their head and they make out with a dog – yes, there’s tongue – she turned to me and mouthed: “What the fuck have you done?”
She has a point. Depending on your pressure points, Talk to Me can be a punishing watch. The film follows a group of teens taking turns connecting to the other side, talking to those living in the afterlife. You shake the hand and say, “Talk to me”, then, “Let me in”. Your deal with the devil is done.
From there, it’s anyone’s guess as to what might happen, what you might see, who may possess you, and what they could make you do. As you can probably tell, it all goes pretty horribly wrong. You’re only supposed to stay in touch with the ghosts and ghouls for 90 seconds, but that rule doesn’t stick. Soon, that hand is talking far more than it should. It has some pretty grisly things to say.
Talk to Me is an impressive twist on the seance horror genre, kind of like Flatliners meets Hereditary and anything containing a ouija board. The fact that it’s Australian made it feel more real to me, and having New Zealand actors Miranda Otto and Chris Alosio show up also helps. A star turn by the film’s lead Sophie Wild, in a searing performance that reminds me of Keke Palmer’s unnerving turn in Nope, also contributes to the fright factor. Even my partner admits Wild is terrific, despite the chaos around her.
Crucially, Talk to Me doesn’t devolve into a blood-drenched gore fest. The finale is far more chilling than that, and shows there’s real thought and feelings at play here. It’s a film that has plenty to say about death, grief, what may come next and the impact on those left behind. If they’re questions you don’t want to examine in a depraved way inside a darkened theatre, then Talk to Me may not be for you. It wasn’t for my partner, but it’s been two weeks since we saw it and we’re still talking about it. Grisly stuff aside, surely that’s the definition of a very good film.
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Why you need to see Reality at the film festival…
Sydney Sweeney doesn’t slum it. She’s the glamorous Hollywood starlet known for searing turns in The White Lotus and Euphoria, roles that call for blue eyes, skimpy clothes and high teen melodrama. In Reality, there’s none of that. Instead, she plays NSA whistleblower Reality Winner (yes, that’s someone’s real name), who arrived home one day to find FBI officers waiting on her doorstep. What follows is a blow-by-blow account of that awkward, tense and riveting encounter, with dialogue taken directly from the FBI’s tapes. If you think Sweeney’s a one-trick pony, this will make you think again. It’s a Monster-level about face, a star turn from someone who’s surely in the running for an Oscar. (For screening dates, visit NZIFF.co.nz)
Why can’t we watch Blackberry?
It seems weird to be complaining at a time when there are dozens of new movies on offer at local theatres right now. But I keep hearing good things about Blackberry, so felt like I had to say something. Yes, it’s about the phone. Yes, it’s part of this corporate filmography trend – think Air, Tetris and The Beanie Bubble – sweeping streaming services. (I blame Succession, honestly.) But Blackberry sounds like the best of the bunch. “This is one of those whip-smart, character- and story-driven gems that grabs you from the start and never lets go,” says a Chicago Sun-Times critic, one of many who’ve helped it reach a 98% review rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film hit American cinemas in May. Can’t someone sort this out and bring it to Aotearoa asap?
All the new stuff you can watch this weekend…
Yes, that’s Zach Galifianakis and yes, this is the first time anyone has seen him sans beard. The film that got him to finally shave it all off is The Beanie Bubble, a film documenting the massive rise and epic fall of the late 90s Beanie Babies craze. While it’s been criticised for being yet another corporate chaos caper – like Super Pumped, WeCrashed and The Dropout – it’s also been praised as a nostalgic romp. “A lively, well-told account of a bizarre toy craze gone wrong, and the big personalities behind it,” said a critic for Empire. It’s streaming via Apple TV+ now.
Elsewhere, Netflix fans finally have something to cheer about with the launch of How to Become a Cult Leader, a tongue-in-cheek doco chronicling the connecting tissue between six different cult bosses with narration by Peter Dinklage. Too dark? Try Happiness for Beginners, a hiking adventure rom-com film starring the always watchable Ellie Kemper, the chirpy receptionist who took over from Pam in The Office. And for all you fans of The Witcher, part two of season three is out now.
Elsewhere, Prime Video has the second season of the Neil Gaiman fantasy series Good Omens, TVNZ+ is streaming Twisted Metal, the dystopian TV series based on a Playstation game, and season three of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under. Meanwhile, the first new episodes of Futurama in 10 years are available on Disney+, along with Drag Me to Dinner, a reality show featuring “drag-tastic” dinner parties.
Barbie and Oppenheimer are still maxing out theatres, so Aussie horror Talk to Me has its work cut out trying to compete. All that chilling advance buzz will help. Elsewhere, the International Film Festival continues its run in Auckland, while music fans can seek out John Farnham: Finding the Voice and Elvis: The ‘68 Comeback. On streaming, Resident Evil: Death Island is available for rent through Neon and Apple.
For more try our weekly New to Streaming guide.
Everything you need to know…
It’s been a very bad week for Bob Iger, the Disney CEO, who gave now infamous interview blaming the strike on those doing the striking. The Hollywood Reporter unpacks his “terrible, horrible, no good PR week”.
How hard are writers and actors really doing it? Vulture has a chat with 10 of them for this fascinating (paywalled) piece about how much they really earn.
Here’s everything you need to know about the hit action film Sound of Freedom that’s being embraced by conspiracy theorists, and when it might hit NZ screens.
Is Michael Cera Barbie’s secret weapon? GQ believes so.
The star of Australia’s newest reality show The Summit is New Zealand, says Tara Ward, who tunes into the latest show (after Tracked) set amid our great outdoors.
If you’re after a decent new podcast, I know of a few people now who have ripped through Scamanda, a riveting story about a woman who claims to have cancer. Eight episodes are available now.
Finally, some trailers: Tom Sainsbury has a forest freak out in Loop Track, The Boys gets a spinoff in Gen V, best-selling novel Lessons in Chemistry gets an Apple TV+ makeover, horror A Haunting in Venice has Hereditary vibes, Carrie Fisher’s final film Wonderwell finally gets a release date, and for those still sticking with The Walking Dead, here’s your first look at Daryl Dixon.
That’s it for Rec Room for this week. If you liked what you read, why not share Rec Room with your friends and whānau.
