Episode 549: "Wolf Man," "Night Call," and "Back in Action"

This week Megan saw WOLF MAN (2:20), director and co-writer Leigh Whannell's latest trip down the horror highway, starring Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner. Megan likes this new take on Universal's legendary Wolf Man…until she doesn't. A good start, a meh finish. Then Evan and Dave join in when the conversation turns to NIGHT CALL (16:17), Michiel Blanchart's tense and nimble French-language thriller about a locksmith (Jonathan Feltre) who has the misfortune of opening a door…TO CRIME! (See what we did there?) A seemingly innocent call makes a normal shift turn nightmarish as lead character Mady is conned into opening the door, is chased by criminals, chased by more criminals, chased by cops…you get the idea. We all enjoyed this clever, fast-paced, and frenetic thriller. Then we all weigh in on Cameron Diaz's first screen role since 2014, the Netflix spy thriller BACK IN ACTION (44:21), directed by Seth Gordon. Don't let the lazy title fool you: The screenplay is just as lazy as the title! Ho ho! Not for nothing, this movie throws in just about every action trope known to humankind, but it doesn't do anything particularly well. Good thing Diaz cranks the charm to 100, and she has an easy chemistry with her equally charming co-star Jamie Foxx. But otherwise…bleh. Over on Patreon, we talk about Max Eggers and Sam Eggers's 2024 horror flick THE FRONT ROOM, starring Brandy.