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Movie reviews: Emily the Criminal, Bodies Bodies Bodies

Audrey Plaza steals the film.

EMILY THE CRIMINAL

I'm a big fan of Aubrey Plaza. The Indie queen always brings a creative edge to her movies.

But "Emily the Criminal" gets downright dangerous. Her titular character is drowning in debt and can't get a legit job due to a black mark on her record. Opportunity knocks in the form of a credit card fraud ring and what's called "dummy shopping." (No, that's not showing up at a store without your coupon!) 

Her partner in crime, "Youcef," is played by Theo Rossi. Soon the chance ramps up to make even bigger money but so is the risk involved. She and Youcef try to take over the operation themselves, and it gets messy.

Plaza not only stars in the film, she's a producer, too. This is a slick, gritty, fine movie, with a nice slice of satire when she's turned down for jobs. Plaza says she likes to manifest her movies right from the start. She originally imagined it as a big budget movie, but when it was scaled back, it actually added to the pace and realism. She says that's the movie it was meant to be, and she's right!

(Roadside Attractions. Rated R. Running Time 1 Hr. 33 Mins. In Theaters Only)

BODIES BODIES BODIES

"Bodies Bodies Bodies" is a Gen-Z horror comedy. 

A bunch of self-aware, rich young people (along with an older guy one of them picked up on Tinder) get together at a parent's mansion during a hurricane. A party game called "Bodies Bodies Bodies" has participants draw cards. The one with an "X" on the card is the designated killer and is supposed to "fake kill" another partygoer and so on down the line. 

Well, after one round, it becomes a murder mystery when the competitors start turning up actually dead. A decent amount of the film is shot in the dark, adding to some real and not-so-real frights. Pete Davidson is among the ensemble cast. He's always the funniest in a group. Maria Bakalova is also a house guest. (Oscar nominee from the last "Borat" movie.)

I am not the target audience for this film by any stretch, but I found it pretty entertaining. It's not a parody, per se, but they effectively make light of the genre while still offering up scares. A discussion among survivors toward the end features every buzzword in the book and makes for some truly sly social commentary.

(A24. Rated R. Running Time 1 hr. 35 mins. In Theaters Only)

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