Streaming movies: ‘Devil All the Time’ is brilliant; ‘Antebellum’ is not

Starpower isn’t lacking in the films available to stream this week.

But only one of the two biggies — Netflix’s “The Devil All the Time” and Lionsgate’s “Antebellum” — manages to live up to its killer cast. Here’s a rundown:

“The Devil All the Time”: The literary spirits of Flannery O’Connor, William Faulkner and James Purdy flit about Antonio Campos’ slow burner, a distinctive, unsettling indictment on the abuses of faith.

The powerful, violent tale is rooted in the rural outskirts of the Midwest, where Campos explores how a brutal temperament can get handed down from one generation to the next while misguided faith corrupts, destroys and perverts.

Campos and his brother and co-writer Paulo Campos adapt Donald Ray Pollock’s novel of the same name and pace its big story bookended by World War II and Vietnam War with precision. Antonio Campos keeps the material in sync at all times, a challenge since many narrative threads need to be untangled and then intertwined again.

The dense drama overflows with characters, brought together by fate and circumstances. The huge cast includes Bill Skarsgard as Willard Russell, a former Marine suffering from devastating losses; Tom Holland, Willard’s violence-prone son who adores his step-sister (Eliza Scanlen); Robert Pattinson, a charismatic preacher man with a penchant for seduction; Riley Keough and Jason Clarke, as a depraved couple; Mia Wasikowska as a devout Christian who’s married to the devoutly deranged Ray, played by Harry Melling. Meanwhile, a duplicitous sheriff (Sebastian Stan) follows their crimes of passion, leaving his own trail of sin along the way.

Campos has made a shattering portrait of religion and violence, a knotty, expressive work that bores deep into the soul of America. Details: 3½ stars; available now on Netflix.

“Antebellum”: The phrase “all over the map” applies to Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz’s ambitious failure. Their well-intended debut film hits a couple of high points but loses its way. Most problematic is that they don’t flesh out a wafer-thin narrative better suited for a “Twilight Zone” episode than a theatrical film.

But don’t blame Janelle Monae, who is solid playing a slave and a scholar, both of whom are subjected to White abuse. And Gabourey Sidibe is a scene stealer as a feisty friend.

“Antebellum’s” message that America’s racist past is thriving in the present couldn’t be more pertinent or urgent, but the execution here is overdone. And don’t get us started about the ending. The cinematography, though, by Pedro Luque, deserves awards consideration. Details: 2 stars; available on demand beginning Sept. 18.

“Alone”: Need a manicure? John Hyams’ nailbiter guarantees to get you chewing cuticles to the nubbies. It doesn’t reinvent the stale horror scenario of a creep kidnapping a strong, resourceful woman (Jules Willcox), but reinvigorates it and steers clear of exploitation. And the Oregon woods provide just the right ominous backdrop. The tension gets tourniqueted so tight, it renders you breathless. Details: 3 stars, available Sept. 18 on various streaming platforms.

“Spiral”: A gay couple and their 16-year-old daughter relocate from Chicago to small-town Canada where they soon discover the hamlet festers with secrets and intolerance. While this Shudder original is never subtle, it is a gripping, freaky parable with a likeable lead performance from Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman (“American Horror Story”). He plays a Black writer trying to alert his doofus husband to the town’s nefarious misdeeds. Director Kurtis David Harder and cinematographer Bradley Stuckel give this “Get Out” for gay couples a sinister “Stepford” vibe. Details: 3 stars; available Sept. 17 on Shudder.

“Summerland”: Not to be confused with that other lesbian-themed period drama released in late August bearing the same title, this teen road trip is an unexpected pleasure. The prolific David Harder (see “Spiral” above) co-directed and co-wrote this with Noah Kentis (the duo call themselves Lankyboy). They and two other screenwriters avoid making this “teen comedy” seem like the result of adults writing about young people, as a trio of friends take a motorhome to a summer music festival (read Coachella). It helps that actors Maddie Phillips, Rory J. Saper and Dylan Playfair work so well together. Details: 3 stars; available now on multiple platforms.

“The Dark Divide”: REI gets into the narrative feature biz co-producing this deeply personal account of  a prestigious scholar and novice backpacker (David Cross of “Arrested Development”) searching for an elusive butterfly species, a wish he hopes to grant for his dying wife (Debra Messing). Writer/director/producer Tom Putnam takes a maudlin topic and makes it life-affirming. While it’s hardly revolutionary, Cross makes his nebbish character such a fun, complex guy you can’t help but fall in love with him, and the scenery of Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washington state couldn’t be more stunning. It’s based on the memoir “Where Bigfoot Walks: Crossing the Dark Divide,” by Robert Michael Pyle. Details: 3 stars; available Sept. 18 at darkdividefilm.com.

“The Broken Hearts Gallery”: The rom-com competition heats up with Netflix, Lifetime, Hulu and other streaming services vying for cinematic love stories. But it is Sony that comes up with the real sweetheart deal with this Selena Gomez-produced feisty, funny and fresh Brooklyn-set crowd pleaser that actually talks the talk of twentysomethings. Geraldine Viswanathan is radiant as luckless Lucy, a habitual overthinker who’s snooty gallery boyfriend (Utkarsh Ambudkar) ditches her. Lucy’s besties console her but soon she’s chumming around with an earnest cutie (Dacre Montgomery of “Stranger Things”) in the process of renovating an old hotel. Writer/director Natalie Krinsky splashes a new coat of paint on an often-pale genre. Viswanathan will steal your heart. Details: 3 stars; available now on multiple streaming platforms and select drive-ins, including West Wind Capitol Drive-In in San Jose.

“DTF”: Al Bailey’s provocative and outrageous documentary started out as a film to chart the hook-up-happy life of his pilot friend “Christian,” who was seeking companions after his wife’s death via Tinder. But “Christian’s” bouts of binge drinking and unprotected sex force Bailey to realize that his “friend” is a humiliating addict jeopardizing the lives of others (as well as his own). It’s uncensored and disturbing, and some may find it exploitative and “Catfish-”like. (I’ll let you be the judge of that). But you won’t stop watching. Details: 3 stars, available on streaming platforms.

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Author: Randy Myers, Correspondent

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