Movie Review: An unhinged John Malkovich can't help the cult-horror misfire ‘Opus'
In the new horror movie 'Opus,' we are introduced to Alfred Moretti, the biggest pop star of the '90s, with 38 No. 1 hits and albums as big as 'Thriller,' 'Hotel California' and 'Nebraska.' If the name Alfred Moretti sounds more like a personal injury attorney from New Jersey, that's the first sign 'Opus' is going to stumble.
John Malkovich leans into his regular off-kilter creepy to play the unlikely pop star at the center of this serious misfire by the A24 studio, a movie that also manages to pull 'The Bear' star Ayo Edebiri back to earth. How both could be totally miscast will haunt your dreams.
Writer-director Mark Anthony Green has created a pretty good premise: A massive pop star who went quiet for the better part of three decades reemerges with a new album — his 18th studio LP, called 'Caesar's Request' — and invites a select six people to come to his remote Western compound for an album listening weekend. It's like a golden ticket.
Edebiri's Ariel is a one of those invited. She's 27, a writer for a hip music magazine who has been treading water for three years. She's ambitious but has no edge. 'Your problem is you're middle,' she's told. Unfortunately, her magazine boss is also invited, which means she's just a note-taker. Edebiri's self-conscious, understated humor is wasted here.
It takes Ariel and the rest of the guests — an influencer, a paparazzo, a former journalist-nemesis and a TV personality played by Juliette Lewis, once again cast as the frisky sexpot — way too much time to realize that Moretti has created a cult in the desert. And they're murderous. This is Cameron Crowe's 'Almost Famous' crossed with Mark Mylod's 'The Menu.'
It's always a mistake to get too close a look at the monster in a horror movie and Green makes the same error with his pop star, ludicrously nicknamed 'The Wizard of Wiggle.' Watching Malkovich, in his 70s, make vulgar pelvic thrusts at his visitors while wearing a weird metallic top really doesn't inspire dread. It inspires cringe and an AARP membership.
Costume designer Shirley Kurata has clearly lost the thread, putting Malkovich in Nehru jackets embellished with sprays of crystals, a sarong, gloves with rings on top and platform shoes. He looks less like a superstar than a sommelier at a stuffy molecular gastronomy restaurant: 'This cabernet has notes of chocolate and leather.'
Most egregious is that the music doesn't match the expectations. Hitmakers Nile Rodgers and The-Dream wrote several Moretti songs for the film and they're laughably bad Eurotrash pop. The movie opens with slo-mo images of fans rocking out rapturously to Moretti and yet no viewer will want to hear these songs again. They're very middle.
Part of the problem is it's not clear what kind of artist he is — a guitar hero? A dance savant? A Lady Gaga-like explorer? Fascinatingly, TV on the Radio's 2008 song 'DLZ' is heard over the final credits, nothing original. If you don't have the goods, why even make this film?
As if you didn't already know, not everyone will leave this remote New Mexican compound, where the guests are under constant surveillance, cellphones and laptops have been confiscated, and workers have curious scars. 'This whole thing is a trip,' one says. It gets weirder: Moretti insists all pubic hair be removed. And there's something with oysters.
Green wobbles as he tries to land this plane and what had been an intriguing premise to talk about fame and the parasitic industries that live off it turns into a gross-out, run-for-it bloodfest and a plot that unravels. It becomes what it intended to satirize — a pop spectacle.
'Opus,' an A24 release in theaters Friday, is rated R for 'violent content including a grisly image, language, sexual material and brief graphic nudity.' Running time: 103 minutes. One star out of four.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Tom's Guide
8 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
Pedro Pascal and Joaquin Phoenix clash in A24's new 'Eddington' trailer — and it's already on my must-watch list
Reality is a horror movie in A24's upcoming film "Eddington," which just got a new trailer today. It's a contemporary western set against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic from horror director Ari Aster, the demented mind behind "Hereditary" and "Midsommar." And if its divisive premiere at the Cannes Film Festival is any indication, it's bound to spark heated discourse when "Eddington" hits theaters on July 18. I'm a huge fan of Ari Aster's films, but his last one, "Beau is Afraid," was such a convoluted dud that I've been holding off on getting my hopes up for "Eddington." But this new trailer is chilling in all the right ways, and it just catapulted "Eddington" to the top of my must-watch list. The trailer showed Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal facing off in a fictional small town that becomes a lightning rod for systemic issues in America. When anti-mask local sheriff Joe (Phoenix) decides to take a stand against COVID-19 safety precautions, it puts him in conflict with Pascal's incumbent mayor, Ted Garcia. The clash sets the community on edge until simmering tensions finally explode, turning neighbors against each other. You can check out the full trailer below: A haunting cover of "Home on the Range" in the trailer hammers home the themes of misplaced patriotism, fear-mongering, and paranoia. You know the other (cowboy) boot is about to drop, but wondering how the powder keg will spark is what lures you in. It also helps that "Eddington's" cast is stacked with Hollywood A-listers. In addition to "The Last of Us" star Pedro Pascal, the cast also includes Emma Stone as Joe's religious wife and Austin Butler as a social media figure a la Alex Jones. Deirdre O'Connell, Micheal Ward, Clifton Collins Jr., and "Yellowstone" star Luke Grimes round up the rest of the ensemble. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. This new trailer is the first real glimpse we've gotten of Aster's upcoming film yet. A minute-long teaser trailer went live in April, but it only showed Phoenix's character scrolling through an explosive social media feed. Based on the trailer and early reviews, "Eddington" is shaping up to be the horror director's most divisive film yet. Its focus on hot-button issues — the polarizing effects of social media, pandemic paranoia, and how American identity has twisted into something unrecognizable — is all but guaranteed to spark capital "D" discourse from audiences on all sides. It remains to be seen whether "Eddington" will connect with audiences. While "Midsommar" and "Hereditary" were female-led horror stories about grief that achieved critical and commercial success, "Beau is Afraid" marked a major departure from his breakout horror movies. One that many, including myself, would argue is for the worse. Phoenix's surreal odyssey to confront his anxiety and family trauma ultimately fell flat with critics and viewers alike, with the critics consensus on Rotten Tomatoes describing it as "overstuffed to the point of erasing the line between self-flagellation and self-indulgence." While Phoenix's Sheriff Cross is an entirely different type of character, it does seem that Aster's latest collaboration with the star will take on a more comedic tone in line with "Beau is Afraid." That alone has me holding off on trying to convince friends to see it with me in theaters (watching "Beau is Afraid's" climax together is something I'll never live down), but the trailer is intriguing enough to convince me to scope it out on my own first. I'm cautiously optimistic to see how Aster's idiosyncratic style and surrealism will square with satire on real-life issues. It will be interesting to see whether this new mix of themes and genres successfully comes together in the end. "Eddington" hits theaters on July 18.
Epoch Times
8 hours ago
- Epoch Times
‘State Organs' Film Receives Humanitarian Award for Highlighting Ongoing Abuse in China
A documentary detailing the brutal reality of forced organ harvesting in China has picked up another award, for shedding light on unprecedented human rights abuses sanctioned by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). 'State Organs: Unmasking Transplant Abuse in China' The documentary, directed by Peabody Award-winner Raymond Zhang, was recently The 'After WWII, people kept saying, 'Never again, never again.' Now, it happened again and is still happening right now,' Zhang said in a June 7 statement about his film's latest award. 'The difference is, today, while we still have time to stop this new form of genocide, we still have this opportunity to change the course of history that is happening right now.' Related Stories 5/22/2025 5/14/2025 He said that if viewers can share what they saw and heard in this documentary with family, friends, and lawmakers, 'together we could change China to [become] a safer country and make this world a better place.' The Accolade called the film 'a powerful documentary' and 'a searing testament to human dignity and the urgent need to confront this grave atrocity.' 'Through intimate interviews, rare footage, and evocative storytelling, the film gives voice to those silenced and forgotten, capturing the raw pain, resilience, and courage of families fighting for justice,' it said on its Forced organ harvesting is a practice where organs are removed from individuals without their consent. In 2019, an independent people's panel in London called the China Tribunal Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual practice consisting of meditative exercises and teachings based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. Before the CCP launched its persecution against the group in 1999, the practice was The persecution has continued to this day. According to statistics collected by the Falun Dafa Information Center, millions have been detained inside prisons, labor camps, and other facilities; 'State Organs' had won the Best Direction and Best Musical Score in the feature-length documentary category at the Since last year, the documentary has received positive audience feedback following screenings in Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, San Francisco, and Evalyn Chen, a legislator in Taiwan's New Taipei City, called the Chinese regime's forced organ harvesting 'murder' and a 'challenge to all of humanity,' after seeing the documentary at a screening event in Taipei, Chen urged the Taiwanese not to travel to China for organ transplants. 'Taiwan's democracy and freedoms must not be used to whitewash the crimes of a totalitarian regime, nor can the island be allowed to become a gateway for the black market for organs,' she wrote. The documentary is set to premiere later this month in the Netherlands, Sweden, and France.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Why romance fans are rooting for the rich guy in 'Materialists' — and what it says about dating in 2025
Materialists, the upcoming A24 romance from Past Lives director Celine Song, doesn't hit theaters until June 13, but the love triangle at its core is already sparking heated debate online — with one guy, perhaps surprisingly, coming out as the clear winner. Dakota Johnson stars as Lucy, a New York City matchmaker caught between two suitors: John (Chris Evans), a waiter with a past connection to Lucy, and Harry (Pedro Pascal), a charming finance mogul eager to get to know her. Both Evans and Pascal have worn the crown of 'internet boyfriend,' but social media seems to be heavily favoring one: People want Lucy to end up with the rich guy. 'If she doesn't choose him, it's the greatest misreading of the room in cinema history,' one person wrote in the comments section of a clip of Johnson and Pascal in the film. 'Nobody is choosing the poor waiter in 2025. We're choosing the millionaire who looks like Pedro Pascal.' 'If she chooses brokie, it's literally poor man propaganda,' another added, urging women to 'know your worth.' Meanwhile, a third person accused the film of 'pushing the agenda' of loving a 'poor, messed up man' over the 'handsome, wealthy, polite, loving man.' There's no doubt that both Evans and Pascal are conventionally attractive, not to mention capable of charming Johnson's character in the few clips we've seen from the film. So, why is social media begging Lucy to bag Harry? Here's what romance experts have to say about the preference for Pascal's character — and how it points to a shift in dating overall. What's striking about the discourse around the Materialists love triangle is how sharply it contrasts with the way we talked about previous romantic triangles. Think back to 2004's The Notebook: The film framed Allie (Rachel McAdams) choosing passionate, if impulsive, Noah (Ryan Gosling) over the wealthy and reliable Lon (James Marsden) as the right call, with the two living a long, happy life together. The same dynamic plays out in 2002's Sweet Home Alabama, in which Reese Witherspoon picks her rugged first love over her polished, well-off fiancé (Patrick Dempsey), and again in 1994's Reality Bites, in which Winona Ryder's character gravitates toward Ethan Hawke's brooding slacker Troy — with whom she shares sizzling chemistry — over the more stable and successful Michael (Ben Stiller). In each case, emotional history and romantic spark won out over financial security and predictability … and audiences loved it. Of course, money has always been part of the dating conversation — it's why a wealthy, successful man can be a powerful rival in a romantic love triangle in the first place. We get why it's appealing to be with someone who can jet you off to Paris on a whim — or, you know, foot the bill for dinner. But even as more women are now going to college than men and young women are outearning men in several cities, the desire for financial security in a partner hasn't disappeared — in fact, it may be growing. 'There's always a battle between scarcity and abundance, or security versus passion,' matchmaker Sandra Hatton, CEO of the dating app When We First, tells Yahoo Entertainment. 'People are more leaning into security right now.' But why? One reason: Growing concerns about the economy mean people are more in tune with the importance of stability. (It's worth noting that The Notebook came out four years before the 2008 stock market crash, for example.) But at the same time, women are working hard and earning more — and many 'want someone who matches their ambition,' Hatton says. Wendy Walsh, a relationship expert, psychology professor and adviser for tells Yahoo Entertainment that this desire for security is rooted in evolutionary research. Heterosexual women, she said, tend to look for men who can provide resources — or in the case of Pascal's character, economic stability. 'Having that backup plan — that buffer of having resource potential from a male — is paramount to survival, and survival of one's kids,' she explained. 'So, therefore, I understand all the comments saying, 'Go for the rich dude.'' Successful, financially secure women might be looking for someone even more well-off than they are, even as the pool of such men continues to shrink. And it's worth noting that this conversation is coming around at the same time as talks around the so-called 'tradwife life,' in which women rely on wealthier partners to take care of them so they can focus on domestic duties instead. But even the people the internet has coined 'tradwives' — the influencers who are popularizing a more domestically focused lifestyle — have their own successful, thriving careers online. When we think back on romantic movies of the '90s and early '00s, many of the men whom our heroines chose were still figuring themselves out — not quite as polished as, say, the Lons of the world. In a way, that made things seem more romantic, Julie Nguyen, a Los Angeles-based dating coach working with the app Hily, tells Yahoo Entertainment. 'We used to root for the underdog. We really believed that love conquers all — that it's all we need, that it can overcome every test, every trial, every difficulty, as long as we have each other,' she says. 'But in 2025, the fairy tale has updated. We're not as interested in dating someone for their potential instead of their reality.' And even though the Materialists trailer shows sweet moments with Evans's character — he knows her 'Coke and beer' drink order before she even asks, for example — Nguyen noted that 'his life isn't together.' 'He's still figuring things out,' she said. 'And I think now, a lot of people would see that as immature…maybe even a little toxic, or just not aligned with what we're looking for anymore. He seems sincere but also like someone you have to wait for or really support to get to where you need to be. And energetically, I think a lot of people want to heal and move into relationships where they're met where they are, rather than having to carry or build someone up.'
