The A24 Project - Episode 19 - De Palma & Swiss Army Man

Brian De Palma is the subject of A24's second documentary De Palma as he shares experiences and insight into a career that has spanned over fifty years and in Swiss Army Man Paul Dano is a suicidal young man who encounters a farting corpse played by Daniel Radcliffe in one of their most original films.

In A24 Hour News, Dallas and Lee discuss the breaking news that Robert Pattinson is dropping out of The Souvenir Part II and look at the hype machine for the upcoming Midsommar.

Listen to the episode online here - https://www.thenerdparty.com/thea24project/episode-19-de-palma-swiss-army-man

Alternatively, you can download or stream The A24 Project on Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Spreaker and Spotify.

Horns - review

When people talk about "The Boy Who Lived" it will no longer refer to "Harry Potter" but instead it will mean Daniel Radcliffe, the boy who lived and survived out of the shadow of Mr. Potter and became a legitimate actor and star beyond his most famous role.

Since leaving Hogwarts he has continually impressed with his film and role choices and Horns is no different.

Here he plays a young man accused of the brutal murder of the woman he loved and becomes the town pariah. The people of the town see him as a devil and one morning he wakes up to find he has literally grown horns which provoke strange responses in the people he meets and decides to use this to solve the murder himself.

The film is based on novel by Joe Hill and if the plot sounds a bit like a Stephen King novel (something strange happens in a small town in middle America which causes evil, magic and murder) then it might be down to Joe Hill being Stephen King's son. Looks like some of that skill has transferred down a generation.

Radcliffe is excellent as the tortured man who has lost the love of his life and desires revenge, fuelled by an on-screen chemistry and bond with Juno Temple that is as strong as his American accent.

The premise for the movie has a lot of potential (the horns provoke people to reveal their innermost desires, secrets and thoughts to Radcliffe, sometimes to great comic effect) and for the first two-thirds of the film it is used effectively however it all gets a bit silly come the final act which is let down by the fact that the identity of the real killer will be obvious to many people from the outset (I even guessed it from a shot in the trailer).

It might not entirely live up to its potential but Horny Potter and the Temple Of Doom provides another showcase for Daniel to prove his career will be more Rad-cliffe than Boring-cliffe.

3 stars

What If - review

Daniel Radcliffe has continually impressed in his choices and performances since leaving Hogwarts and his turn as Wallace in romantic comedy What If provides further evidence that he will be able to forge a successful career out of the shadow of "he who shall not be named".

Wallace is single. He meets Chantry (Zoe Kazan perfectly playing the smart, sassy cute pixie girl) at a house party where they have an instant connection. Just one problem. She has a boyfriend who is a UN Lawyer (in copyright law) played by Rafe Spall (refreshingly playing him as likeable and un-douchy).

Cue a funny, well acted but completely unoriginal take on the question everyone has asked since the time When Harry Met Sally, "Can a man and a woman really be friends or does sex always get in the way?".

Radcliffe and Kazan's appealing chemistry leads to the question What If they had been given more original material to work with, as this could have been a rom-com to go the distance rather than a quick rebound fling as you continue to search for the next (500) Days Of Summer.

3 stars