CLAYFACE

by Victoria Alexander

Dark, dirty, moody, with a strong director, a masculine star and a topless scene, to boot! Apophis must have slammed into the DC Universe, but in a good way.

I have no idea who the heroes and villains of the DC Universe are. I loved CLAYFACE. It will make a star out of Tom Rhys Harries. He has a unique, expressive face and a masculine vitality. And his hair

I was afraid our cinematic masculine trope was being solidly draped on Timothée Chalamet’s delicate shoulders.

I watch credits, and Mike Flanagan’s name is everywhere lately. He seems to be challenging David E. Kelley’s vast output.

Kelley gained extra alpha male points by marrying Michelle Pfeiffer.

Flanagan developed CARRIE for Apple TV’s Prime Video. He directed 4 episodes of CARRIE; Kyra Sedgwick directed 2 episodes; and Flanagan’s wife, Kate Siegel, directed 1 episode and appears in 4 episodes. Jamie Flanagan, Mike’s younger sibling, wrote one episode. IMDb.com lists another Flanagan, Theo Flanagan, in the credits.

Flanagan’s dog had scheduling difficulties and could not appear. Flanagan envisions a three-season arc for CARRIE.

Flanagan made time to create the story for CLAYFACE.

There is no humor in CLAYFACE, and we are with Mark Hagen all the way as he takes revenge on those who destroyed his life and made him a monster, though he is a monster with special skills.

The screenwriters of CLAYFACE are Mike Flanagan (additional credit for the story: every credit means money) and Hossein Amini (he had nothing to do with CARRIE).

The stars of CLAYFACE are Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, the director James Watkins, and the visual effects, special effects and art departments. The editor, Jon Harris, and cinematographer, Rob Hardy, both contributed greatly to CLAYFACE.

The drooping and muddling of the face are cinema’s latest special effects. It also appears briefly in THE OTHER MOTHER. It’s going to be in every movie: in THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 3, Miranda’s face will start slipping and her $200,000 facelift will turn her into Jessica Lange. In JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 5, John Wick will split into Asia Kate Dillon (their greatest role was as the Adjudicator), who recently griped in an Instagram post that acting work for the trans/nonbinary/gender-nonconforming community has all but diminished. Dillon is looking for a day job in the customer service industry.

In CLAYFACE, the drooping face and the rapid body transformations are spectacular.

Will CLAYFACE become a fixture in the DC Universe? I hope so because Harries is fantastic as Mark Hagen, an actor who is on the cusp of being an Academy Award-winning actor. He has it all and is friendly to film crew members and the public.

Like movie star Tom Holland, he greets everybody warmly.

Matt is a terrific guy. Matt goes clubbing one evening with his close friend, actor Corey Bowery (Joshua James), who is hoping for his big break. Aspiring actor Mia (Joana Ribeiro) notices Matt. Corey warns Matt to stay away from her because she is the girlfriend of Gotham City mobster Szabo (David Dencik). Ignoring Corey, Matt accepts a pill from Mia’s mouth, and off they go.

The next morning, Mia and Matt wake up to Szabo and 3 of his goons. Szabo straddles Matt and carves up his face with a knife. The savage attack leaves Matt with deep wounds down both cheeks, an opened nose and half a Glasgow smile.

The most infamous Glasgow smile appears in the death photo of Elizabeth Short, the “Black Dahlia.”

And now begins the horror. Nothing can be done. Matt’s career is over. He moves to Gotham’s slum. He goes to see Dr. Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie), who just lost her funding for experimental technology to cure degenerative diseases. Her technology has not been tested on humans. Matt begs Dr. Naomi to treat him. She agrees (all she has to lose is her medical license) and begins the tedious injections into his raw face. The process is too slow for Matt, and while Dr. Naomi is taking a call, he injects himself with an excessive dose. Matt’s beautiful face returns, and he feels great. That evening, he does the red-carpet walk at the premiere of the film he was going to do before his face was ripped apart.

After a few press photos, Matt glimpses his face in a mirror. The right side of his face is moving in wild directions, and bulging foreign skin has covered his right eye.

He rushes back to Dr. Naomi, whose calming voice and gentle touch bring him back to his great looks.

It seems high emotional outbursts and anger turn the repaired cells into monstrous fiends.

New, Improved Matt goes to his scheming manager, Frank Fitzpatrick (Eddie Marsan), wanting all the money he stole from him. Getting a “no” answer throws Matt into a rage. Trying to quiet Fitzpatrick when his secretary asks if he is all right, Matt puts his hand over Fitzpatrick’s mouth. Out comes his larynx! Then Matt assumes Fitzpatrick’s face and body.

Everyone in the Real World cares about MONEY. No one in Cinema World cares about money. How many movies have you seen of thieves running away from police, leaving a bag with one million dollars behind?

Impersonating Fitzpatrick, why doesn’t Matt tell Fitzpatrick’s secretary to transfer one million dollars into Matt Hagen’s account? No, Matt goes back to living with giant cockroaches in Gotham’s slums.

It is beneath the star of any movie to care about money.

Hey, at least Monster Matt has a room instead of a tent on Gotham’s north side of town.

The horror havoc that ensues did not cause me to turn against Matt Hagen as he smashes club goons as he tries to get to Szabo. So a few innocent bystanders get killed when mayhem breaks out. The smart patrons, the ones with warrants out for their arrest, hightailed it out as soon as a squabble broke out.

There are more characters and clever scenes of Matt’s transformations.

I believed my own ending until a friend had another ending. Wikipedia solved that. See the ending for yourself.

DC Studios’ chieftains, James Gunn and Peter Safran, have a box office winner here, even with its dreaded “R” rating.

Have you seen what ticket prices cost? What theater is going to check IDs for children under 17 without a parent? AI says that, at AMC Theatres in Las Vegas, the standard adult ticket price in the evening is $20 for the standard format. Then tax is added. There is an extra fee per ticket if you order online. So, if 2 kids want to spend $50+ to see an R-rated movie, who is going to check IDs online?

“The ALL is Mind; The Universe is Mental.”

🍅 Rotten Tomatoes Certified Critic since 1998. For a complete list of Victoria Alexander’s movie reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, go to:www.rottentomatoes.com/critic/Victoria-alexander/movies

Principal Reviewer for FilmsInReview: filmsinreview.com

Member of Las Vegas Film Critics Society Personal email: victoria.alexander.lv@gmail.com

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