Dear Watchers,Sinister, cunning robots are so in at the moment. The playful and spiteful M3gan is returning soon to theaters in a "2.0" sequel. But before that, check out a deliciously cruel little take on A.I., "Companion," which premiered back in January. Now streaming, it is one of our picks on this Genre Movie Wednesday. Below, our horror expert, Erik Piepenburg, praises "Companion" as a robot film with a few extra tricks up its synthetic sleeves. And he pairs it with a fascinating supernatural detective movie that is sure to keep you guessing. Read what Erik has to say about both films, then head here for three more of his picks. Happy viewing. 'Companion'
Where to watch: Stream "Companion" on Max. The less you know about Drew Hancock's whip-smart thriller-comedy, the harder its sinister detours will hit. At first glance, Iris and Josh (Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid) are a model couple. But Iris isn't just Josh's girlfriend: She is also his emotional support companion robot (and sex partner) who is programmed to feel anger, guilt, sadness, pain — "an imitation of a life," as Josh tells her. Iris learns of her condition after Josh frames her in a murder scheme during a getaway weekend with a group of friends, sending Iris on a tortured journey to discover what it means to feel, and kill. Hancock has fun borrowing from other horror-science fiction about humans in emotionally complicated relationships with robots. This film is like "M3gan" with a heart; "Ex Machina" with a sense of humor; "Westworld" with female robots who have had it with bad men. I wish the film's satire, centered mostly on a couple that gets caught up in Josh's scheme (Harvey Guillén and Lukas Gage), had been sharper. Still, as an examination of desire, codependency and survival in a world reckoning with artificial intelligence, the film is a demented joyride. 'Snakeeater'
Where to watch: Stream "Snakeeater" on Amazon Prime Video. Rick (Vas Eli), a private investigator, wakes up on a subway one night in an uncanny city that looks a lot like New York. Rick meets up with Frank (Isaach De Bankolé), a mysterious man who hires him to figure out whether a guy named Tony actually died in an explosion or committed insurance fraud. Tony's sister, Dana (Susannah Perkins), knows what happened but keeps quiet. From that introduction, this neo-noir thriller from Tore Knos — not to be mistaken with the awesome Lorenzo Lamas action movie "Snake Eater" (1989) — takes on the contours of a dime store detective novel set in a Kafka-esque alternative universe. The opaque story kept me guessing, a little too much at times, with the only clues to what's happening coming from quick white-light flashbacks. The real star here is Tim S. Kang's eerily gritty cinematography. A decrepit hotel room, darkened city alleys, an empty morgue: In Kang's world, they exist but don't, and watching how he unsettles these spaces is a spooky treat.
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