A24’s opus review: an elegant symphony of half -cooked ideas

Opus,, The new thriller tinged with horror of A24 From the writer / director Mark Anthony Green, has a lot to say about the symbiotic (and sometimes parasitic) relationship between entertainment journalists and celebrities. In the history of the film on journalists who trip just to be close to an eccentric musical icon, you can feel the green reflecting on how the media landscape has changed with the rise of modern contents of content ™ built on parasocial relationships. A lot of Opus“Ideas are correct on money, and the film is so elegant that it is easy to get carried away in its visual splendor. But apart from its excellent original songs, the film often looks like a new spare of glamorous features that preceded it.

However Opus is fictitious, green – an old style editor in Gq – Clearly poured out a large part of his personal experiences in the overworked musical journalist and underestimated Ariel Ecton (Ayo Edebiri). Conceptually, Ariel likes her work covering pop culture and the way she gives her the opportunity to deeply dig into the life of well -known artists. But she also knows that regardless of the strength of her land, her publisher odiously involving Stan (Murray Bartlett) will not think twice before shooting them down, transmitting them to someone else, or taking them simply for himself.

Like everyone else in the world who knows “Dina, Simone“By heart, Ariel cannot help but feel a little excited when she takes wind that the superstar Alfred Moretti (John Malkovich) is preparing to get out of new music for the first time in decades. When Moretti’s long -standing manager, Soledad Yusef (Tony Hale), confirms rumors via an unleashed YouTube video, Ariel knows that someone in his publication will be invited to one of the customary and very exclusive parties of legend in his distant desert compound. For obvious reasons, Ariel assumes that the mission will go to Stan. But when Moretti’s invitation arrives at the office one morning, Ariel is shocked to see that he and a large gift basket full of unusual books are specifically sent to him.

For the host of Stan and Talk Show, Clara Armstrong (Juliette Lewis), the meeting of Moretti are apologies to Schmooze and strengthen the idea that they are themselves celebrities rather than people with access to the rich and famous. For Ariel, however, the invitation looks like a careful chance for a long time to finally put her talents wisely, which is why she takes on her to really read part of the literature that Moretti sent them all as preparation of their meeting.

Especially once all Opus“ The different characters of journalists are together on a bus, you can hear Green comment on how the appearance and feeling of the entertainment press have moved when new mediums have gained importance and gave birth to personalities like the influencer dependent on the Emily phone (Stephanie Suganami).

Opus Presents Ariel – played with bookish energy and determined by Edebiri – as a woman whose commitment to the fundamental principles of journalism contrasts strongly to that of her peers obsessed with renown. Writing a really convincing story about Moretti is not all that wants Ariel. She also has aspirations to become renowned for her work, which looks like a beat intended to emphasize how journalists of all types have been pushed to Consider and market themselves as brands. But it is becauseiel is so dedicated to the observation of her subjects rather than not to boast of being close to them that she is able to resume how disturbing everything is in the palatial domain of Moretti when they all arrive for the first time.

However Opus“The opening act is full of promises, the film abandons all pretension to subtlety as it progresses. This is one of the biggest reasons why it is starting to look more and more like a project straddling other recent thrillers on people who were walking enthusiastically in dangerous situations like Flashing twice,, The menuAnd The invitation. You do not need training in investigation journalism to understand how there is something in the assistant of Moretti, Jorg (Peter Disheth), who teaches music to the many children living on the complex, or beautiful (a very stony amber in the middle of the head), one of the guards responsible for following journalists around the night and the day.

Opus Leans so much in strangeness around Moretti from the start that he can never create a real sense of mystery or suspense. It has the side effect of making all the journalists, apart from Ariel, seem to be incentively dense to the point of the comedy. But the film manages to become momentarily captivating once it puts Moretti itself on the screen and gives you a taste of what it is the best known.

Although the silent performance and similar to Malkovich’s Sphinx as Moretti the man is good, it is when he embodies the character of Rockstar on stage of the character and the timing of the songs written for the film of the Nile Rodgers and The-Dream That That That That That That. That That That That. That. That That Opus feels completely electric. Between the excellent songs and the design of impeccable costumes of Shirley Kurata, Moretti can be read as an aging amalgam of David Bowie and Prince with a touch of vintage lady gaga to make good measure. This atmosphere is almost sufficient to make you understand why Ariel’s cohort cannot help get rid of his presence.

But this spell is difficult for Opus To maintain, because its story begins to drop foreseeable twists and turns which are telegraphy for more than one mile distance. Despite his promising start, Opus ends up feeling more concerned with the style than the substance and as if he does not know exactly which of his points – many of which are solid – he wants to let you think. This is particularly disappointing because it is easy to imagine that the project works more effectively with a fine adjustment. But his banger of a soundtrack, and the sight of Malkovich in a cape twice the length of the body, could be sufficient to keep you locked up when Opus arrives in theaters on March 14.