Woman of the Hour, Short Takes on other cinematic topics
Not a Pretty Picture
Reviews and Comments by Ken Burke
I invite you to join me on a regular basis to see how my responses to current cinematic offerings compare to the critical establishment, which I’ll refer to as either the CCAL (Collective Critics at Large) if they’re supportive or the OCCU (Often Cranky Critics Universe) when they go negative. However, due to COVID concerns I’m mostly addressing streaming options with limited visits to theaters, where I don’t think I’ve missed much anyway, though better options may be on the horizon. (Note: Anything in bold blue [some may look near purple] is a link to something more in the review.)
My reviews’ premise: “You can’t please everyone, so you got to please yourself.”
(from "Garden Party" by Rick Nelson and the Stone Canyon Band, 1972 album of the song’s name)
Here’s the trailer:
(Use the full screen button in the image’s lower right to enlarge its size;
activate the same button or use “esc” keyboard key to return to normal.)
(No Spoiler warning today because this film’s based on real events, easily available for exploration in various Internet sources, although the filmmakers—including screenwriter Ian McDonald—admit some license has been taken as various plot points are portrayed on screen.) Actor Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut also stars her as Sheryl Bradshaw (a somewhat-fictionalized version of the real Cheryl), an aspiring actor in L.A. whose career was going nowhere when her agent got her on national TV as a bachelorette choosing 1 of 3 men for a possible romance on The Dating Game (ABC TV 1965-1973, then in syndication 1973-1974, 1978-1980, 1986-1989, 1996-1999 under slightly different titles, with a brief return to ABC in 2021); however, the guy she chose was serial killer Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto)—unknown to the producers of the show as such, despite being on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list in 1971, jailed twice in the early 1970s for child molestation and assault, but by 1978 he was working at the Los Angeles Times as a typesetter (shown in the film as a photographer based on the reality that he amassed a trove of photos of young men and women, many of whom are thought to be additional victims beyond the ones he was convicted of murdering).
We see them talking for awhile in a bar after the show, but Sheryl begins to sense him as creepy, driving away in a rush, never going on the arranged date. In addition to the extended Dating Game scenes the film focuses on Alcala killing 2 women (although seen from a distance or through an apartment skylight so while the acts are horrid they’re not presented in a lurid manner) and, in 1979, raping a teenage runaway, Amy (Autumn Best)—based on Monique Hoyt—but then keeping her around, leading to his demise when he stops as a gas station-diner to wash blood off his hands in the restroom while she goes into the diner to call the cops who immediately show up to arrest him.
You can read about his extended crime spree at this site and get a visualized account of his life from this video (9:55), although this one (4:12) seems more bothered by aspects of the true story not consistent with what’s shown in the film. Graphics prior to the final credits note how Alcala was convicted of killing 7 women and girls, although speculation implies there might have been as many as 130 from the late 1960s to 1979; he eventually died in prison in 2021. Another notation in this final summary is how many victims who escaped or people with suspicions of Alcala’s actions were not taken seriously by law enforcement (nor did many charges stick against him), allowing him to continue his savage trek through the lives of numerous women, as illustrated in the film when Laura (Nicolette Robinson) is in the Dating Game audience but rushes out when she sees him because she’s convinced he killed a friend of hers, yet when she tries to get the studio security guy to let her speak with the show’s producer he has her wait in a room where he smugly set her up to meet the janitor, so no action was taken against Alcala that night even though Sheryl gave him a phony phone number, immediately moved away from L.A. Kendrick makes a fine impression here, both as director and actor, although at times we’re not really sure where we are in the 1970s as the TV show is constantly interspersed with episodes of Alcala’s crimes; further, the set-up for this film implies ongoing danger for Bradshaw from Alcala even though they’re never together again after the show.
Despite those limitations, I liked Woman ..., not for its content—difficult to watch as Alcala toys with his victims—but for the effective manner Kendrick employs in creating an aura of horror about this degenerate, contrasting it well with the initial sense of professional failure by Sheryl that evaporates as she takes command of her questions to her potential dates, frustrating the TV host who previously told her to not present herself as being too much in charge of the situation. (I have my own sense of discomfort with this character, based on actual Dating Game host, Jim Lange, because here he’s called Ed Burke [Tony Hale], which was my father’s name, a good man totally unlike this sexist jerk.)
The CCAL joins me in encouraging you to look into this one—Rotten Tomatoes positive reviews at 91%, the Metacritic average score at a predictably lower number of 75%. If you’re interested go to Netflix streaming, or, if you’re not a subscriber you can buy in for a month for $6.99 (with ads) or $15.49 (without). I leave that decision to you, just as I’ll leave you with my usual closure tactic of a Musical Metaphor, this time an easy choice of The Doors’ “Riders on the Storm” (on the 1971 [appropriately named for this film] L.A. Woman album) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a ZT_OxPRmSw (despite this being the 8th time I’ve used it; I must have watched some pretty sick films over the years; sadly, it was the last song Jim Morrison recorded, shortly before he died) featuring lyrics about “There’s a killer on the road, his brain is squirmin’ like a toad” with Sheryl, fortunately, not taking the advice of “[…] girl, you gotta love your man / Take him by the hand, make him understand,” because, instead, she got as far away from him as possible. It’s a grim story that may give serious photographers a bad name if their sincere portrait intentions are misinterpreted, but Alcala never had any sincere intentions except to trick women into being alone with him in isolated locales (often out in the desert countryside) so his madness could manifest itself. A gruesome tale, yet well-told nevertheless, which proved quite a big challenge for director Kendrick as she explains.
SHORT TAKES
Related Links Which You Might Find Interesting:
Some options for your consideration: (1) Just in time for Halloween, the true stories behind
some famous horror movies; (2) The Apprentice will not be shown in the
United Arab Emirates and Kuwait just to please Donald Trump.
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