{"id":37527,"date":"2023-09-11T01:39:14","date_gmt":"2023-09-11T01:39:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2023\/09\/11\/woman-of-the-hour-review-anna-kendrick-shines-in-directorial-debut\/"},"modified":"2023-09-11T01:39:14","modified_gmt":"2023-09-11T01:39:14","slug":"woman-of-the-hour-review-anna-kendrick-shines-in-directorial-debut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2023\/09\/11\/woman-of-the-hour-review-anna-kendrick-shines-in-directorial-debut\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Woman of the Hour’ Review: Anna Kendrick Shines in Directorial Debut"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

Woman of the Hour, which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival<\/a>, earns 3.5 stars (out of 4) from Us Weekly movie critic Mara Reinstein.<\/em><\/p>\n

We already know Anna Kendrick<\/strong><\/a> is a talent. For 15 years, the Oscar-nominated actress has flashed her sly comedic strengths in too many movies to list. She turned a cute little ditty<\/a> into a durable pop hit<\/a>, for crying aloud!<\/p>\n

But with Woman of the Hour<\/em> \u2014 in which she stars and directs \u2014 Kendrick outdoes herself by pulling off the deft balancing act of close-your-eyes horror, taut suspense, black comedy and disturbing socio-drama. This is one of the best films of the Toronto International Film Festival as well as one of the most impressive actor-director debuts in recent memory. It\u2019s just that good.<\/p>\n

The based-on-a-true-story premise itself is so fascinatingly bizarre that audiences will surely be inclined to do an immediate Google deep-dive and glean all the details. The basic ones: In 1978, a serial killer named Rodney Alcala was a contestant on The Dating Game<\/em> \u2014 a cheeseball show in which three single dudes would sit behind a partition and give playful answers to a bachelorette\u2019s questions in the hopes of a match. Though he had already served jail time for rape and assault at the time and was using his real name, Alcala won over a woman named Cheryl Bradshaw. She never went on the date, and he\u2019d go on to kill more women. The saga would be perversely kitschy if it weren\u2019t so tragic.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\n\t\t\tRelated: <\/span>The Spookiest Horror Movies Coming Out This Fall<\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n\t\t\tSome people mourn the end of summer, but the rest of Us are looking forward to a chill in the air \u2014 and on the big screen. The arrival of fall always brings at least a few new horror movies, but this year, purveyors of spooky entertainment have really outdone themselves. In addition to new [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

With the help of a compelling screenplay, Kendrick uses a non-linear style to crisscross between the filming of the episode and this sinister man\u2019s evil doings throughout the decade and across the country.<\/p>\n

Alcala (Daniel Zovatto<\/strong>) has a reasonable face, stringy long hair and darkness behind his eyes. He sells himself as a photographer promising various women modeling opportunities. His M.O.: Seduce them by asking if they\u2019d accompany him for a shoot in the secluded desert, where he brutally attacks them. The scenes aren\u2019t particularly graphic yet deeply uncomfortable to watch. Kendrick zooms in on clenched hands and writhing feet. The fact that Zovatto is a virtual unknown adds to the creepiness.<\/p>\n

\n
\"A<\/div>
Courtesy of Tiff<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And then there\u2019s Cheryl (Kendrick), a frustrated aspiring actress and recent Los Angeles transplant ready to go home. Her agent has booked her on The Dating Game so she can \u201cbe seen.\u201d Despite her initial reservations, she goes for it.<\/p>\n

The show boasts a sunny 70s vibe \u2014 yet these scenes also unsettle as Kendrick gets to the heart of the blatant sexism at-hand. In this world, to be seen is to be objectified.<\/p>\n

Host Ed Burke (Tony Hale<\/strong><\/a>) leers over her in the dressing room and encourages her to be dumb and sexy. But after the first round of inane pre-written questions, she goes rogue and calls the guys out on their B.S. Alcala\u2019s Bachelor No. 3 charms her with his levelheaded responses, and the two are presented with a trip to nearby Carmel.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\"New\t\t\t<\/figure>\n

\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\n\t\t\tRelated: <\/span>Aca-Awesome! See the \u2018Pitch Perfect\u2019 Cast\u2019s Sweet Reunions<\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n\t\t\tAca-believe it! The cast of Pitch Perfect has an even tighter bond than the a cappella sisters they play on screen. OG stars Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp, Brittany Snow, Alexis Knapp, Ester Dean, Hana Mae Lee, Kelley Jakle and Shelley Regner won over fans in 2012\u2019s Pitch Perfect as Barden University\u2019s Barden Bellas [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Meanwhile, an audience member (Nicolette Robinson<\/strong><\/a>) recognizes him from an encounter and ID\u2019s him as the man who killed her good friend. She desperately tries to get to a producer, but the male security guard dismisses her.<\/p>\n

The actual Dating Game<\/em> footage is available to queue up on YouTube so the details are easy to fact-check. (The two won tennis lessons instead of a getaway, for starters.) Also, little is known about what really went down between Cheryl and Alcala after the cameras stopped rolling. The two reportedly had a disquieting backstage encounter. Here, the two go for drinks and, in a heart-stopping sequence, he stalks her in the studio parking lot. Though Kendrick doesn\u2019t stray far from her good-girl persona, placing herself amid such terrifying surroundings ramps up the tension.<\/p>\n

\n
\n