I liked that she used this true story to focus on the women and put a lens on what they have to deal with rather than focus on a killer. Her directorial debut was great and well thought out.
It's extremely difficult to get evidence against serial killers because their victims are random. The law is the law, you can't just lock people up because you think they look nasty
The way it cuts to Maniques underwear around her shoes, they respect her body enough to cover it and show how he tied her hands and beat her and cut her nails... how he cried and she had to feed his fragile ego to stay safe. It actually shows how rape changes a person. I applaud anna kendrick for finally showing how heartbreaking it is. Not the violenece during and the exploitation of our bodies. It feels like true respresentation.
I watched it today. I really thought it was effective, especially the depictions of power dynamics at play...I was vaguely aware of the case but didn't know many of the facts, so I had no idea how much the movie had fictionalized. As a piece of narrative I think it's really well made, and very chilling. Fascinating to see your side by side comparison!
I think this movie is most effective especially because its well capturing how there are those unspoken moments where suddenly you feel uncomfortable and it is kind of people pleasing. The gestures of wanting to wrap it up and rhey just ignore it, or it becomes not just uncomfortable but dangerous. This was handled well in that regard. You didnt need to *see* it to understand the terror.
I was a teenager in Australia back in the 70's and seeing the kind of sexism and mysoginy that was depicted in these clips, the girl being told to "dumb down" and to dress provocatively for the show, Anna's character rolling her eyes at the "check your lipstick" note, reminded me that I experienced that kind of treatment on a daily basis as I was growing up. The really sad part is that at the time, I just accepted that that was the status quo. That was just how things were. Teenage me probably WOULD have checked my lipstick before going on stage and never give a second thought. I never really gave ANY thought to how utterly despicable the treatment of females was back then. And none of my friends did either. I look at it now, and it turns my stomach.
@@HollyHargreaves I don't doubt it one bit. This third wave of feminism that rose up with the "Me Too" movement, made me feel that women's struggles to simply be recognised as functioning intelligent people, going all the way back to the very early 1900's when they demanded the right to vote, as well as the bra burning feminists of my time, were all in vain. We always seem to progress to a certain point, and then the rug is pulled out from under us. When men in positions of power begin to recognise that women are becoming more independent and rejecting the traditional roles laid out for us, they begin the process of dismantling anything that would allow us to be independent from them. And I use the example of the banning of abortion in the U.S. Men would rather women die, than relinquish any power over to them. Nothing ever changes.
According to the police department, her parents moved her to Mexico and refused to allow her to testify against him, so the DA prosecuted him for child molestation. However, when he was finally last captured, she came back and testified against him which sealed his fate.
The real life Cheryl said in an interview that Rodney did ask her to go on a date the next night after the taping but she said no. And Monete was not the only known survier Tallia and Morgan Rowan also survived attacks of Rodney. Just wanted to share that.
I believe the creative liberties taken with this story were perhaps designed to empower voices that were not heard back then, and to realize how hard it was for women to be taken seriously. We can look up the real story and know it. It's tragic and horrible but I think the takeaways from this were important. I remember that cringy dating show. Yikes
But they don’t. They make him look like less of a monster than he was. A better movie would be to reveal all the cops that had him, didn’t follow up, didn’t care, wouldn’t make a call to other departments and how other departments would feud, if not impede one another’s investigations. This guy should’ve been among the lead suspects in many murders, but because he kept moving, he wasn’t tied to former crimes, until he’d been actively killing for a decade. The 12 year old wasn’t the only girl he tried to get, as with anywhere he frequented; women knew of him, because he asked so many to take their photographs. Just as with Bundy, had even two departments, simply compared notes, they’d have had him in the early 70’s. Ted was being reported all over the Seattle area, and two other cities, but the cops didn’t share information. Can you imagine; there’s a grapist, someone trying to abduct women and then a woman is murdered, and the cops don’t call all local departments to see if they’ve had similar reports. That’s exactly how Ted got away, and killed who knows how many, before so many Ted reports had the cops having to work together, with the FBI stepping in when the same type of car and guy, was reported in other states. Yet, Ted also escaped custody, twice, and killed many more women, including the minor in Florida, that sealed his fate. Florida never cared about Ted closing cases, and the FBI kept him from the chair for awhile, but eventually they didn’t care of Ted could tell families where their daughter was.
@CorbCorbin "they made him look like less of a monster than he is" Not reading a single word after that lol tf are you talking about, they depicted him as a despicable cretin dude
I watched most of the movie and found it to be a difficult watch. I love horror but when it is true crime it seems to bother me so much more. Killing them and then bringing them back was horrific to me personally. The acting was very good and I thought it was put together well.I watched that dating game show as a child.
I still don’t know how I feel about these bio-pic esque Netflix shows. They tend to change facts for entertainment value and people end up taking the movies as facts and never end up looking into the actual facts of the cases.
Yeah I was watching it with my parents a few hours ago and my dad kept saying stuff like "That's what happened?!" Lol. I just go with my gut now that most movies based on true stories are incredibly sensationalized, Netflix or otherwise.
Rodney Alcala, known as 'The Dating Game Killer' was one of the worst serial killers here in the States. There are been plenty of True Crime shows about him along with TV movies such as 'The Dating Game Killer'. I give Anna Kendrick credit for wanting to tell this version of the story.
Why? This is like she made a movie about a different person, or fictional character. She didn’t use the reality of the women who tried to tell police about the guy, or what the actual guy was like. It’s so full of weird things, that just didn’t happen, and are very passive aggressive in how it makes the show and police look. No one even talks with a cop, beyond the one that a fictional character briefly speaks to, before saying “forget it.”
Great job in researching this Emma. I watched Woman of the Hour partly because of this video, I think Anna Kendrick did a great job all around! It was very chilling and effective story of this time in society.
I've been hooked on horror movies for 50. I've seen it all and nothing scares me anymore. However, THIS movie scared me so much. The second time I watched it, it was even scarier to me.
I haven't watched it yet but from this, it seems to be one of the most tasteful adaptation of such events yet. I can understand being fully against these types of movies existing to begin with, but i do think what's beyond unfortunate is that people watch these and take every single shot and scene as fact
Thank you so much, Emma! I had so many questions about what was real and what fictionalised and you really got to the heart of this. I think the dramatic interpolations worked really well in developing the theme that misogyny is not just the preserve of the psychopath but runs through society and enables others and made something much more interesting than a procedual as a result, though I was fascinated by the real story as you divulged here. Another top video from you.
It's funny I watched the original first, I thought Anna Kendrick was a perfect choice to play this woman. Her big smile mirrored this woman, in her bubbliness. I was disappointed when she didn't come across as Happy as the woman did.
I recall watching that The Dating Game episode on youtube. I hope it wasn't taken down now that he is even more notorious. TH-cam does that a lot just to get hype started.
I do want to add that Rodney did in fact work with another serial killer in New York, although they didn’t even know one another (Richard Cottingham aka The Torso Killer). One of Rodney’s victims was Ellen Hover, god daughter to both Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr.
Why does Anna Kendrick have to have Anna Kendrick hair in this? You know? Nothing cheeses me off more than seeing 2010's hair in a movie or show set in the 70's or 80's...
Not so much. Her hairstyle was worn in the 70’s, remember Peggy Lipton from ‘The Mod Squad’? I think it ran through, ‘73, just like ‘The Dating Game’ did. Lots of women wore their hair straight. Other women began ‘feathering’ their hair like Farrah Fawcett when she made that style popular a little later in the decade. 🌸
Since her character is an aspiring actress, I think it makes sense to have a more “classic” hairstyle and not a hyper-trendy one, because she’s trying to get cast in something
I agree. I didn't buy into her being the character because she looked and sounded exactly like Anna Kendrick. She had an opportunity to actually become the character. She maybe should have cast that role to someone else and only directed.
She’s an actress that, despite whatever range she may have, ends up looking like the same character in everything. I think of Jessica Beil’s character in Candy as a recent way that an actress can transform for a biopic role in small but meaningful ways. Biel’s wig and glasses help bring her into the era and into the character. Kendrick had a video and photo of her character to emulate, but she opted to have her own standard Anna hairdo and makeup/costuming.
It's literally just normal hair. Not everyone wore peak trendy styles of the time...just like some people today don't. It's just basic long hair. Lol! Anna Kendrick is simply one of those actors who always pretty much plays themselves. (Like Ryan Reynolds and a plethora of others.) It's not just the hair.
14:07 You mentioned that at the start we think the events with Monique happens prior to the dating show. But at the beginning of the movie it shows that we meet Monique in 1979 and Cheryl in 1978.
I watched the film but didn’t care a lot for it since I didn’t know all this backstory. I feel you need to know the story before watching the film to appreciate it, otherwise, it feels incomplete and abrupt (an example of this is by their need to show multiple text onscreen at the end to wrap up the story).
As somebody who has a security studies and criminology background, I'm not a fan of these types of shows. If you are going to tell a story like this, you have to do it as accurately as possible. The truth must come before entertainment. There is a phenomenon known as the csi effect where people who watched the show got an unrealistic idea as to how forensic science works, and it changed the outcomes in real world cases.
@@caseyw.6550What I think they're saying is people shouldn't be too harsh on the police based on what you see in a movie. It's actually extremely difficult to find evidence against serial killers because their victims are random.
The thing that I will give credit about this movie is that it actually took the approach of coming from a potential victim and how she survived. And honestly, that’s kind of what I hope happens because we need to prioritize the fact that people lost their lives and boost up those stories. I think this is a step in the right direction.
I can see changing certain things to fit a narrative decision or be more in line with a tone they are trying to get but It really bothers me when a movie is exploring a story or topic where there is plants of footage to have the characters in the film look like they did in real life and use what was actually said. There’s footage of the episode yet her hair, the clothes and the questions are all changed for no real reason. Overall I enjoyed the movie but those inconsistencies and choices to deviate from what actually happened had an impact on my enjoyment of it.
This is why I just don’t watch biopics anymore. The most interesting parts are always fake. I don’t like being affected by a story only to find out that’s not what really happened. If you want to make your own story inspired by the original, just do that.
Except the case was effectively used to illustrate how poorly women are treated in society. If it was just a fictional story men could dismiss it as unrealistic and "that never happens"
I remember this I watched the dating game when I was a kid, I lived in huntington beach when i was 15 and always in southern ca so many people dropped the ball with him especially with the witnesses
It's crazy when you think about how many times the cops fucked up with serial killers. Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, Zodiac, and this guy off the top of my head. And theyre still fucking up in modern times...
I just watched it and thought it was really good, and the guy playing Alcala was great, super creepy. The whole movie had a good creeper vibe. However, while I get that movies and tv sometimes embellish true stories for dramatic purposes, and Kendrick clearly does that here, why in the world wouldn't she portray the Dating Game episode correctly in terms of the seating of the bachelors and getting actors who resembled the contestants? Shit like that takes you right out of the story because it's blatantly inaccurate.
It is an Odd Movie, with a Great last 15-20 minutes I thought, that I think really makes it rather a good one that does make One reflect back over it. Knowing the real life video of the Dating Game episode well from TH-cam it's very jarring how different the Kendricks character is and how the episode played out (and the made up dinner date they had)... It is like Kendricks is playing a woman from 2024 but back in the 1970s or something, it's very odd, which I didn't like on viewing, but on reflection I think it was doing something else....the scene of Kendricks walking back to her car was very good indeed. I didn't like the made up story about the audience member recognising him either very much on viewing, but I can see that it was for a reason. Either way, it's a movie that I think I will come back to and take more from next time.
I just saw the movie. I also watched the real Dating Game clip. Although the sets are similar, there are so many differences you can hardly call the movie a docudrama, more like a drama very loosely inspired by true events. The real Cheryl had a completely different personality than the Cheryl in the movie. The real Cheryl on the show had a very bubbly, almost campy presentation, where as in the movie she is presented as a more serious, thoughtful person. Also, the questions she asked were completely different than in the movie, much sillier in the real show than in the movie. Also, the host was very different and even had a different name. The three batchelors were very different, and they even put the killer in a different chair; the real one was in the first chair, but in the movie he was number three. Even the date destination was different; the real one was a tennis lesson and a trip to Magic Mountain, but in the movie it was a trip to Carmel. Why the movie's creators had to change the details so dramatically, I'm not sure, but I guess that's dramatic license.
In movie 2 bachelors were basically jerks and 1 brilliant, it was an obvious decision who to pick, that made movie a little more interesting than real life, in real life the 3 were jerks, so basically she could have picked any
these deep dive videos of yours are probably my favourite. I paused it one minute in and watched the film this morning. and Ive just now completed this video. wow super interesting! not sure what I think about the film now. great that the core aspects of the killer were very accurate. I can see how some people might view the rest somewhat being a vanity project though!
I just finished it and loved it. The performances were fantastic, especially that girl who survived at the end. I have known girls just like that, and she felt very real to me. When he ate the picture, I had to find out what was real and what was for the movie. You answered all my questions and more.
I thought this was fairly well done. I had listened to a podcast about him in the past and s after watching this I didn't feel as though any of the characters were over the top.I especially loved the "Do your f*cking job' line by Nicolette Robinson. I feel like it was respectful to the core material, and creative in the fact/fiction portrayal. Love ur channel
I have seen, and read, so much of this story over and over, so I probably will not even watch it. I remember when it happened and when they finally kept him in jail until he died. I actually wish they wouldn't use these real stories and add a bunch of not true stuff to them.
Just watched it (I had never heard this story before), I thought Anna Kendrick did a really good job directing this, and the guy who played Rodney (i thought), did a good job at capturing the creepiness of the actual killer, and I like that they didn't show too much. I don't really watch movies about cereal killers (honestly I only watched it for Anna Kendrick), but I thought it was a good watch (kept my attention the whole time).
I listening to documentry on this guy before and saw this with mg gf and her sister and was like I don’t remember things in the movie that I heard before. I’m glad you clarified the facts for me.
I liked it…I loved that in the scenes with each victim, you could see the switch being flipped in him when they responded to his advances in a way he didn’t like…it wasn’t outrageously over the top, it was quite scary, I thought. I don’t mind the creative liberties taken, at the end of the day, creating any movies or tv shows about irl cases is disrespectful in itself, some people are always going to be hurt by it. I also loved all the subtle uncomfortability and people pleasing going on…I just got back from seeing Heretic which also had some of that going on at the start…the way people will often second guess themselves and ignore their instincts in these situations are so real.
I was so excited when I heard they were making a movie about this story and I'm so glad it was good!! Can't wait to watch. Edit: I watched it and loved it. It took liberties but so did Zodiac! I think this one is my fave biopic yet!!
We think it's bad now because we have social media at our grasp, but imagine growing up before the time of forensics? People literally got away with murder!
I really liked the movie, it shows how r4pe culture, specially so ingrained in a place like Hollywood, leads to such deadly extremes. Poigniant without being preachy, suspenseful without being exploitative. I hope Kendrick keeps her career both in front and behind the camera. Thanx!!!
excellent assessment. I saw the documentary on Alcala long before the film release and i'm honestly shocked this guy isn't as well known as Bundy or Dahmer. He was clearly one of the most psychotic and sadistic serial killers ever. Abominably disgusting. The film did a great job of telling the story without the excessive violence but more importantly it outlined the fact that women are in a constant struggle in a patriarchal world and often face objectification, flippancy, and predation from men. No decade was probably worse for this than the 70s in fact when women began to demand equality in a far more visceral way.
Watched it last night, having seen and read a lot about this case before. I thought the acting was quite good and Kendrick did a fine job as director. Knowing the facts ahead of time as i watched I came to see the film as a fable based on truth, using the framework of this horrible case to illustrate the state of the power imbalance between the sexes. Overall I thought it was really well done. Hats off to Ana for handling this creepy stuff with dignity.
Honestly it was a very disturbing performance by the actor playing the killer. The way he was set off by little things, the audience knowing what he was capable of, added to my anxiety. The question of if there was a blueprint to keep him from pulling the plug on your life was always teased. How clever he was to ask her to recite the bogus number and the sheer confidence he has to put women on the spot . His motives felt like they oscillated between a mixture of cruelty, anger, hurt, compulsion, or just personal pleasure. He knew no woman was ever going to make him resist killing them or prevent it....bit he still gave himself the false hope. In the end the final girl was given the chance to manipulate her way to safety.
i remember seeing the dating game clip on a true crime channel and it just being so chilling. Here you had this handsome,well presented guy and underneath it all was a homicidal maniac
There are 3 survivors of him, actually. One was attacked by him two times in her life and survived both encounters. Her first name was Morgan. The other survivor was an 8 year old girl, the third survivor was Monique.
Rodney Alcala was born in San Antonio, Texas, to a Mexican American couple. In 1951, Alcala's father moved the family to Mexico, then abandoned them three years later. In 1954, when Alcala was aged 11, his mother moved him and his two sisters to suburban Los Angeles.
When I first started gaining interest in true crime this case was the first one that stuck with me. Rodney was a creepy creepy man. The clips of the actual show gives me the heebee geebees. The actor who played him did really good at capturing his cocky and creepy ass behavior.
Thank you! My favorite channel for movie recommendations that almost ALWAYS hit the mark in the disturbing category. But psychological thrillers/horror and anything bizarre that doesn't go way off to supernatural. That's been done wayyyy too much, the sci fi stuff. So you're a-ma-zing!!! THANK YOU!!! Now if my narcolepsy would allow me to get through them that would be a miracle.....do you offer those too? Maybe a set of those things he has holding his eyes open in A Clockwork Orange? Wouldn't work. I've been known to sleep with my eyes open on many occasions. But, if we could find something like that for my brain to stay on....we've got something! Making or ruining my day as always I bid you adeu 😂
Watched the film and although it was good, it bugged me a little that they didn't put the photos and names of the victims at the end, like they do on other films/tv series about serial killers. They deserve to be remembered.
Thanks for your research on this, Emma, I'd never heard about the case before seeing the film. It is an exceptionally skilful film (Kendrick certainly knows how to direct) but I do feel uncomfortable about 'true' stories which are so heavily fictionalized.
I just got done watching this movie and thought this was a very interesting tale on the story. I'm not a huge Anna Kendrick fan, but I felt she did well.
I’m curious about the young man he met when he was working in New York in the film. He was set up as a possible victim a couple of times, but I don’t see anything anywhere about Alcala having male victims.
I don’t know how much of this movie is actually true but if he is what they say or what they act like in the movie on the dating game, show exactly what to say, and what to do
I heard of taking artistic liberties in creating films to make it more condense and understandable, but this was way out there. Too much so. The hook being the culprit was on a major TV show and making the main character a lady who only saw him once in reality was a weak idea. Should have been just about the culprits career which would have been 10 times more interesting.
I was disappointed by the abrupt ending. Although Alcala is infamous for the Dating game, the story of the final survivor is more interesting. Perhaps the movie would have had more impact if they combined that character with Kendrick. Kendrick's story is sad, but her experience on the Dating Game can't compare to what his other survivors went through. Since Alcala's arrest occurs after she leaves, for all she knew, he was just one of a long list of creepy and predatory men who took advantage of women who sought fame, and that must have been the reason she left.
Great analysis, thanks. I watched this last night and wondered how much was true. Maybe they decided not to use his final crime in the film because it was a child? Maybe they were uncomfortable crossing that line.
I liked that she used this true story to focus on the women and put a lens on what they have to deal with rather than focus on a killer. Her directorial debut was great and well thought out.
VERY MUCH AGREED
And what she got from Netflix she donated
Its draining because the justice system is a joke how was he arrested and let go so many times
Yeah, people never take women seriously.
It's extremely difficult to get evidence against serial killers because their victims are random. The law is the law, you can't just lock people up because you think they look nasty
Same thing happened with Jeffrey Dahmer
@@divana_cruz3441 It's very difficult to find evidence for serial killers because the victims are random.
The system is broken. Thats why my
Also while he was working at the newspaper, there was another serial killer on the staff at the same time..which is wild
Like how the ringleader of the Chicago Ripper Crew worked with John Wayne Gacy at one point. What are the chances?
The Times Square killer, right?
@@livingdeadgirl5691 yup or torso killer :(
A lot of these “serial killers”seem to have ties to the military..
@@spookylittlebatseem to me… many of these were created by the military..
The way it cuts to Maniques underwear around her shoes, they respect her body enough to cover it and show how he tied her hands and beat her and cut her nails... how he cried and she had to feed his fragile ego to stay safe. It actually shows how rape changes a person. I applaud anna kendrick for finally showing how heartbreaking it is. Not the violenece during and the exploitation of our bodies. It feels like true respresentation.
I watched it today. I really thought it was effective, especially the depictions of power dynamics at play...I was vaguely aware of the case but didn't know many of the facts, so I had no idea how much the movie had fictionalized. As a piece of narrative I think it's really well made, and very chilling. Fascinating to see your side by side comparison!
You still don’t know the top facts after watching this miserable piece of crap. Research it.
I think this movie is most effective especially because its well capturing how there are those unspoken moments where suddenly you feel uncomfortable and it is kind of people pleasing. The gestures of wanting to wrap it up and rhey just ignore it, or it becomes not just uncomfortable but dangerous. This was handled well in that regard. You didnt need to *see* it to understand the terror.
I was a teenager in Australia back in the 70's and seeing the kind of sexism and mysoginy that was depicted in these clips, the girl being told to "dumb down" and to dress provocatively for the show, Anna's character rolling her eyes at the "check your lipstick" note, reminded me that I experienced that kind of treatment on a daily basis as I was growing up. The really sad part is that at the time, I just accepted that that was the status quo. That was just how things were. Teenage me probably WOULD have checked my lipstick before going on stage and never give a second thought. I never really gave ANY thought to how utterly despicable the treatment of females was back then. And none of my friends did either. I look at it now, and it turns my stomach.
It's still pretty bad now. Look at the 'I'm just a girl' trend or the Red pills guys who scream misogyny.
@@HollyHargreaves I don't doubt it one bit. This third wave of feminism that rose up with the "Me Too" movement, made me feel that women's struggles to simply be recognised as functioning intelligent people, going all the way back to the very early 1900's when they demanded the right to vote, as well as the bra burning feminists of my time, were all in vain. We always seem to progress to a certain point, and then the rug is pulled out from under us. When men in positions of power begin to recognise that women are becoming more independent and rejecting the traditional roles laid out for us, they begin the process of dismantling anything that would allow us to be independent from them. And I use the example of the banning of abortion in the U.S. Men would rather women die, than relinquish any power over to them. Nothing ever changes.
I worked in TV for 10 years, you wouldnt believe the stuff i was told even working as an editor behind the camera.
@@spookyastronauts I dread to think about it 😞
He should have been in prison for life for what he did to the 8 year old. Jeez.
YES!
According to the police department, her parents moved her to Mexico and refused to allow her to testify against him, so the DA prosecuted him for child molestation. However, when he was finally last captured, she came back and testified against him which sealed his fate.
@@asaunders55895good
Unfortunately this shit happens all the time, and to this day. People really don’t give a shit about kids or any other victim, much as they claim to.
The real life Cheryl said in an interview that Rodney did ask her to go on a date the next night after the taping but she said no. And Monete was not the only known survier Tallia and Morgan Rowan also survived attacks of Rodney. Just wanted to share that.
I believe the creative liberties taken with this story were perhaps designed to empower voices that were not heard back then, and to realize how hard it was for women to be taken seriously. We can look up the real story and know it. It's tragic and horrible but I think the takeaways from this were important. I remember that cringy dating show. Yikes
But they don’t. They make him look like less of a monster than he was.
A better movie would be to reveal all the cops that had him, didn’t follow up, didn’t care, wouldn’t make a call to other departments and how other departments would feud, if not impede one another’s investigations.
This guy should’ve been among the lead suspects in many murders, but because he kept moving, he wasn’t tied to former crimes, until he’d been actively killing for a decade.
The 12 year old wasn’t the only girl he tried to get, as with anywhere he frequented; women knew of him, because he asked so many to take their photographs.
Just as with Bundy, had even two departments, simply compared notes, they’d have had him in the early 70’s.
Ted was being reported all over the Seattle area, and two other cities, but the cops didn’t share information.
Can you imagine; there’s a grapist, someone trying to abduct women and then a woman is murdered, and the cops don’t call all local departments to see if they’ve had similar reports.
That’s exactly how Ted got away, and killed who knows how many, before so many Ted reports had the cops having to work together, with the FBI stepping in when the same type of car and guy, was reported in other states.
Yet, Ted also escaped custody, twice, and killed many more women, including the minor in Florida, that sealed his fate.
Florida never cared about Ted closing cases, and the FBI kept him from the chair for awhile, but eventually they didn’t care of Ted could tell families where their daughter was.
I agree ❤
🤮
No, those liberties do not do it justice. It diminishes.
@CorbCorbin "they made him look like less of a monster than he is"
Not reading a single word after that lol tf are you talking about, they depicted him as a despicable cretin dude
I watched most of the movie and found it to be a difficult watch. I love horror but when it is true crime it seems to bother me so much more. Killing them and then bringing them back was horrific to me personally. The acting was very good and I thought it was put together well.I watched that dating game show as a child.
I still don’t know how I feel about these bio-pic esque Netflix shows. They tend to change facts for entertainment value and people end up taking the movies as facts and never end up looking into the actual facts of the cases.
Exactly. I’d like to support Anna Kendrick, but I won’t be watching this.
Yeah I was watching it with my parents a few hours ago and my dad kept saying stuff like "That's what happened?!" Lol. I just go with my gut now that most movies based on true stories are incredibly sensationalized, Netflix or otherwise.
I see it as an insult to victims
@@nathalieli7617 100%
I always google the real story after I watch a movie. We shouldn't watch movies as documentaries, that's not what they are for.
Rodney Alcala, known as 'The Dating Game Killer' was one of the worst serial killers here in the States. There are been plenty of True Crime shows about him along with TV movies such as 'The Dating Game Killer'. I give Anna Kendrick credit for wanting to tell this version of the story.
First mf that came to my mind
Why?
This is like she made a movie about a different person, or fictional character.
She didn’t use the reality of the women who tried to tell police about the guy, or what the actual guy was like.
It’s so full of weird things, that just didn’t happen, and are very passive aggressive in how it makes the show and police look.
No one even talks with a cop, beyond the one that a fictional character briefly speaks to, before saying “forget it.”
Great job in researching this Emma. I watched Woman of the Hour partly because of this video, I think Anna Kendrick did a great job all around! It was very chilling and effective story of this time in society.
I've been hooked on horror movies for 50. I've seen it all and nothing scares me anymore. However, THIS movie scared me so much. The second time I watched it, it was even scarier to me.
I haven't watched it yet but from this, it seems to be one of the most tasteful adaptation of such events yet. I can understand being fully against these types of movies existing to begin with, but i do think what's beyond unfortunate is that people watch these and take every single shot and scene as fact
Thank you so much, Emma! I had so many questions about what was real and what fictionalised and you really got to the heart of this. I think the dramatic interpolations worked really well in developing the theme that misogyny is not just the preserve of the psychopath but runs through society and enables others and made something much more interesting than a procedual as a result, though I was fascinated by the real story as you divulged here. Another top video from you.
thank you man! youre too kind to me
He made BAIL?!?!?!
Same question 😂😂
His enabling mother and our enabling system
It was the 70s.
The fact that it was his mother made me SO ANGRY
It's funny I watched the original first, I thought Anna Kendrick was a perfect choice to play this woman. Her big smile mirrored this woman, in her bubbliness. I was disappointed when she didn't come across as Happy as the woman did.
I recall watching that The Dating Game episode on youtube. I hope it wasn't taken down now that he is even more notorious. TH-cam does that a lot just to get hype started.
On the contrary, it’s all over TH-cam, probably because so many people saw the movie and want to compare.
I do want to add that Rodney did in fact work with another serial killer in New York, although they didn’t even know one another (Richard Cottingham aka The Torso Killer). One of Rodney’s victims was Ellen Hover, god daughter to both Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr.
This is what people are talking about when they say don't glamorize the killers. Kendrick did an amazing job
Why does Anna Kendrick have to have Anna Kendrick hair in this? You know? Nothing cheeses me off more than seeing 2010's hair in a movie or show set in the 70's or 80's...
Not so much. Her hairstyle was worn in the 70’s, remember Peggy Lipton from ‘The Mod Squad’? I think it ran through, ‘73, just like ‘The Dating Game’ did. Lots of women wore their hair straight. Other women began ‘feathering’ their hair like Farrah Fawcett when she made that style popular a little later in the decade.
🌸
Since her character is an aspiring actress, I think it makes sense to have a more “classic” hairstyle and not a hyper-trendy one, because she’s trying to get cast in something
I agree. I didn't buy into her being the character because she looked and sounded exactly like Anna Kendrick. She had an opportunity to actually become the character. She maybe should have cast that role to someone else and only directed.
She’s an actress that, despite whatever range she may have, ends up looking like the same character in everything. I think of Jessica Beil’s character in Candy as a recent way that an actress can transform for a biopic role in small but meaningful ways. Biel’s wig and glasses help bring her into the era and into the character. Kendrick had a video and photo of her character to emulate, but she opted to have her own standard Anna hairdo and makeup/costuming.
It's literally just normal hair. Not everyone wore peak trendy styles of the time...just like some people today don't. It's just basic long hair. Lol! Anna Kendrick is simply one of those actors who always pretty much plays themselves. (Like Ryan Reynolds and a plethora of others.) It's not just the hair.
14:07 You mentioned that at the start we think the events with Monique happens prior to the dating show. But at the beginning of the movie it shows that we meet Monique in 1979 and Cheryl in 1978.
Did anyone else catch that? They mentioned Rosemary’s baby because that is a film about a woman not being believed?
They actually picked that because it was true. He did go to school with Roman Polanski and Roman did make Rosemary’s baby.
They mentioned Rosemary’s baby because the serial killer actually did take a class with Roman Polanski.
It's a great movie, directed by a convicted rapist of a child.
?@@clownpendotfart
That parking lot scene still haunts me.
I watched the film but didn’t care a lot for it since I didn’t know all this backstory.
I feel you need to know the story before watching the film to appreciate it, otherwise, it feels incomplete and abrupt (an example of this is by their need to show multiple text onscreen at the end to wrap up the story).
Yeah it gave me a totally different viewing experience
Amc plus will tell u everything u need to know very in depth details and interview with participants from the dating game show
As somebody who has a security studies and criminology background, I'm not a fan of these types of shows. If you are going to tell a story like this, you have to do it as accurately as possible. The truth must come before entertainment. There is a phenomenon known as the csi effect where people who watched the show got an unrealistic idea as to how forensic science works, and it changed the outcomes in real world cases.
This movie doesn't discuss forensics a single time.
@@caseyw.6550What I think they're saying is people shouldn't be too harsh on the police based on what you see in a movie. It's actually extremely difficult to find evidence against serial killers because their victims are random.
You do such an amazing job. You put in hours. Nicely done! Thank you.
The thing that I will give credit about this movie is that it actually took the approach of coming from a potential victim and how she survived. And honestly, that’s kind of what I hope happens because we need to prioritize the fact that people lost their lives and boost up those stories. I think this is a step in the right direction.
Your commentary on the film and your research of the real story are both compelling. Thank you
They did a fantastic job making it look like the 70's!
hey emma! i LOVE this video! i did an intense study and project on Alcalá in college and your information is so well put together
I can see changing certain things to fit a narrative decision or be more in line with a tone they are trying to get but It really bothers me when a movie is exploring a story or topic where there is plants of footage to have the characters in the film look like they did in real life and use what was actually said.
There’s footage of the episode yet her hair, the clothes and the questions are all changed for no real reason.
Overall I enjoyed the movie but those inconsistencies and choices to deviate from what actually happened had an impact on my enjoyment of it.
This is why I just don’t watch biopics anymore. The most interesting parts are always fake. I don’t like being affected by a story only to find out that’s not what really happened. If you want to make your own story inspired by the original, just do that.
Yeah same I’ll just watch the real doco instead
Except the case was effectively used to illustrate how poorly women are treated in society. If it was just a fictional story men could dismiss it as unrealistic and "that never happens"
I remember this I watched the dating game when I was a kid, I lived in huntington beach when i was 15 and always in southern ca so many people dropped the ball with him especially with the witnesses
It's crazy when you think about how many times the cops fucked up with serial killers. Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, Zodiac, and this guy off the top of my head. And theyre still fucking up in modern times...
I just watched it and thought it was really good, and the guy playing Alcala was great, super creepy. The whole movie had a good creeper vibe. However, while I get that movies and tv sometimes embellish true stories for dramatic purposes, and Kendrick clearly does that here, why in the world wouldn't she portray the Dating Game episode correctly in terms of the seating of the bachelors and getting actors who resembled the contestants? Shit like that takes you right out of the story because it's blatantly inaccurate.
Why does their seating order matter to you so much? Weird hill to die on. Are you always so inflexible?
This former longtime Victim Advocate & Survivor is very grateful for the direction of this film! 🙏🕊️
It is an Odd Movie, with a Great last 15-20 minutes I thought, that I think really makes it rather a good one that does make One reflect back over it.
Knowing the real life video of the Dating Game episode well from TH-cam it's very jarring how different the Kendricks character is and how the episode played out (and the made up dinner date they had)... It is like Kendricks is playing a woman from 2024 but back in the 1970s or something, it's very odd, which I didn't like on viewing, but on reflection I think it was doing something else....the scene of Kendricks walking back to her car was very good indeed.
I didn't like the made up story about the audience member recognising him either very much on viewing, but I can see that it was for a reason.
Either way, it's a movie that I think I will come back to and take more from next time.
You did great with the research
I just saw the movie. I also watched the real Dating Game clip. Although the sets are similar, there are so many differences you can hardly call the movie a docudrama, more like a drama very loosely inspired by true events. The real Cheryl had a completely different personality than the Cheryl in the movie. The real Cheryl on the show had a very bubbly, almost campy presentation, where as in the movie she is presented as a more serious, thoughtful person. Also, the questions she asked were completely different than in the movie, much sillier in the real show than in the movie. Also, the host was very different and even had a different name. The three batchelors were very different, and they even put the killer in a different chair; the real one was in the first chair, but in the movie he was number three. Even the date destination was different; the real one was a tennis lesson and a trip to Magic Mountain, but in the movie it was a trip to Carmel. Why the movie's creators had to change the details so dramatically, I'm not sure, but I guess that's dramatic license.
In movie 2 bachelors were basically jerks and 1 brilliant, it was an obvious decision who to pick, that made movie a little more interesting than real life, in real life the 3 were jerks, so basically she could have picked any
As someone who has watched many documentaries on this killer and I haven’t seen the movie, this was a very interesting video
thanks David
Thank you for your time (energy) 🙏🏼 this certainly clears up a lot .
these deep dive videos of yours are probably my favourite. I paused it one minute in and watched the film this morning. and Ive just now completed this video. wow super interesting! not sure what I think about the film now. great that the core aspects of the killer were very accurate. I can see how some people might view the rest somewhat being a vanity project though!
I just finished it and loved it. The performances were fantastic, especially that girl who survived at the end. I have known girls just like that, and she felt very real to me. When he ate the picture, I had to find out what was real and what was for the movie. You answered all my questions and more.
he ate a picture ?
I love love love your Explanation and how you highlight every single detail. You're absolutely amazing. Love you Sis Emma 💜💜💜💜💜
I was intrigued by the movie but since I knew more about the true story, it drove me a little crazy when a scene was not reality.
describing this as a netflix movie is insane because in my country this is in theaters not on netflix
The pandemic has changed everything
I thought this was fairly well done. I had listened to a podcast about him in the past and s after watching this I didn't feel as though any of the characters were over the top.I especially loved the "Do your f*cking job' line by Nicolette Robinson. I feel like it was respectful to the core material, and creative in the fact/fiction portrayal. Love ur channel
I have seen, and read, so much of this story over and over, so I probably will not even watch it. I remember when it happened and when they finally kept him in jail until he died. I actually wish they wouldn't use these real stories and add a bunch of not true stuff to them.
How the fuck did hw make bail and kill again that is crazy
I know. It's messed up.
Just watched it (I had never heard this story before), I thought Anna Kendrick did a really good job directing this, and the guy who played Rodney (i thought), did a good job at capturing the creepiness of the actual killer, and I like that they didn't show too much. I don't really watch movies about cereal killers (honestly I only watched it for Anna Kendrick), but I thought it was a good watch (kept my attention the whole time).
I listening to documentry on this guy before and saw this with mg gf and her sister and was like I don’t remember things in the movie that I heard before. I’m glad you clarified the facts for me.
I liked it…I loved that in the scenes with each victim, you could see the switch being flipped in him when they responded to his advances in a way he didn’t like…it wasn’t outrageously over the top, it was quite scary, I thought. I don’t mind the creative liberties taken, at the end of the day, creating any movies or tv shows about irl cases is disrespectful in itself, some people are always going to be hurt by it.
I also loved all the subtle uncomfortability and people pleasing going on…I just got back from seeing Heretic which also had some of that going on at the start…the way people will often second guess themselves and ignore their instincts in these situations are so real.
Also best analysis I've seen yet, fair, factual, with great commentary! 👍
I was so excited when I heard they were making a movie about this story and I'm so glad it was good!! Can't wait to watch.
Edit: I watched it and loved it. It took liberties but so did Zodiac! I think this one is my fave biopic yet!!
Is this movie last year???
Good discussion and cool video Emma!👍
Thanks for the review and true story comparison, Emma. I didn't know anything about this true crime case until I heard about Anna Kendrick's film.
We think it's bad now because we have social media at our grasp, but imagine growing up before the time of forensics? People literally got away with murder!
Yeah, the Golden State Killer only got caught recently because they were connect his DNA to relatives who'd uploaded their own to the internet.
I really liked the movie, it shows how r4pe culture, specially so ingrained in a place like Hollywood, leads to such deadly extremes. Poigniant without being preachy, suspenseful without being exploitative. I hope Kendrick keeps her career both in front and behind the camera. Thanx!!!
When Laura is at the police station and before leaving screams “Do your fuck!ng job” made me teary honestly
They don’t believe us until the kills us
I do like to watch true crime movies, but I always look up the real story afterward
excellent assessment. I saw the documentary on Alcala long before the film release and i'm honestly shocked this guy isn't as well known as Bundy or Dahmer. He was clearly one of the most psychotic and sadistic serial killers ever. Abominably disgusting. The film did a great job of telling the story without the excessive violence but more importantly it outlined the fact that women are in a constant struggle in a patriarchal world and often face objectification, flippancy, and predation from men. No decade was probably worse for this than the 70s in fact when women began to demand equality in a far more visceral way.
Watched it last night, having seen and read a lot about this case before. I thought the acting was quite good and Kendrick did a fine job as director. Knowing the facts ahead of time as i watched I came to see the film as a fable based on truth, using the framework of this horrible case to illustrate the state of the power imbalance between the sexes. Overall I thought it was really well done. Hats off to Ana for handling this creepy stuff with dignity.
Why would you say Cheryl was "looking for a date". Her acting manager told her to do it for exposure.
its just the standard blurb - www.imdb.com/title/tt7737800/
I know. It’s in the description of the film on Netflix.
@@6kat103 It's a weird description, since it's inconsistent with the script.
@@clownpendotfart agree
Honestly it was a very disturbing performance by the actor playing the killer. The way he was set off by little things, the audience knowing what he was capable of, added to my anxiety. The question of if there was a blueprint to keep him from pulling the plug on your life was always teased. How clever he was to ask her to recite the bogus number and the sheer confidence he has to put women on the spot . His motives felt like they oscillated between a mixture of cruelty, anger, hurt, compulsion, or just personal pleasure. He knew no woman was ever going to make him resist killing them or prevent it....bit he still gave himself the false hope. In the end the final girl was given the chance to manipulate her way to safety.
i remember seeing the dating game clip on a true crime channel and it just being so chilling. Here you had this handsome,well presented guy and underneath it all was a homicidal maniac
Handsome?
There are two known survivors of Alcala.
who is the other one!?
The eight year old girl was the other survivor.
There are 3 survivors of him, actually. One was attacked by him two times in her life and survived both encounters. Her first name was Morgan. The other survivor was an 8 year old girl, the third survivor was Monique.
Rodney Alcala was born in San Antonio, Texas, to a Mexican American couple. In 1951, Alcala's father moved the family to Mexico, then abandoned them three years later. In 1954, when Alcala was aged 11, his mother moved him and his two sisters to suburban Los Angeles.
Anyone else think this was Anna Kendrick herself in the thumbnail?
He was born in San Antonio tx
His Family moved to Mexico
Then his father left the family
That Chapter has a video on the dating game killer. Definitely recommend it and that whole channel in general if you like true crime.
When I first started gaining interest in true crime this case was the first one that stuck with me. Rodney was a creepy creepy man. The clips of the actual show gives me the heebee geebees. The actor who played him did really good at capturing his cocky and creepy ass behavior.
How did he gets bail in the first place.
You left out the murder of 21 year old Jill Parenteau - this was after the attack on Monique Hoyt, but before the murder of Robin Samsoe
Thank you! My favorite channel for movie recommendations that almost ALWAYS hit the mark in the disturbing category. But psychological thrillers/horror and anything bizarre that doesn't go way off to supernatural. That's been done wayyyy too much, the sci fi stuff.
So you're a-ma-zing!!! THANK YOU!!! Now if my narcolepsy would allow me to get through them that would be a miracle.....do you offer those too? Maybe a set of those things he has holding his eyes open in A Clockwork Orange? Wouldn't work. I've been known to sleep with my eyes open on many occasions. But, if we could find something like that for my brain to stay on....we've got something!
Making or ruining my day as always I bid you adeu 😂
Watched the film and although it was good, it bugged me a little that they didn't put the photos and names of the victims at the end, like they do on other films/tv series about serial killers. They deserve to be remembered.
Thanks for your research on this, Emma, I'd never heard about the case before seeing the film. It is an exceptionally skilful film (Kendrick certainly knows how to direct) but I do feel uncomfortable about 'true' stories which are so heavily fictionalized.
I just got done watching this movie and thought this was a very interesting tale on the story. I'm not a huge Anna Kendrick fan, but I felt she did well.
Amc plus documentary is wild and really in depth and has interviews with one of the participants
Very nice job you covered a lot of the things that confused me I feel much better now it was a good series
I’m curious about the young man he met when he was working in New York in the film. He was set up as a possible victim a couple of times, but I don’t see anything anywhere about Alcala having male victims.
Saw it in the theater. It was actually pretty well done.
Can someone tell how did main character figured out that there is something wrong with him at the dinner?
Monique was not the only survivor of his attacks. There were 2 others.
I don’t know how much of this movie is actually true but if he is what they say or what they act like in the movie on the dating game, show exactly what to say, and what to do
This movie was chilling even if some facts were changed it gives you an insight into these women’s last moments and it was horrifying.
Yes it was a great movie, Anna did such amazing job too 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
you're so pretty, im subbing.
This was an Okay movie
I can’t believe I caught this so early lol
thank you!!!! its 1am i just finished this video. I appreciate you being here
@@spookyastronauts😊I hear its not as disturbing as last house on the left from the 70s
I loved it👍🏽
I heard of taking artistic liberties in creating films to make it more condense and understandable, but this was way out there. Too much so. The hook being the culprit was on a major TV show and making the main character a lady who only saw him once in reality was a weak idea. Should have been just about the culprits career which would have been 10 times more interesting.
I was disappointed by the abrupt ending. Although Alcala is infamous for the Dating game, the story of the final survivor is more interesting. Perhaps the movie would have had more impact if they combined that character with Kendrick. Kendrick's story is sad, but her experience on the Dating Game can't compare to what his other survivors went through. Since Alcala's arrest occurs after she leaves, for all she knew, he was just one of a long list of creepy and predatory men who took advantage of women who sought fame, and that must have been the reason she left.
Thank you for sharing. ❤
now why did i think this movie was about richard ramirez
Great analysis, thanks. I watched this last night and wondered how much was true. Maybe they decided not to use his final crime in the film because it was a child? Maybe they were uncomfortable crossing that line.
Still waiting for someone to make the William Friedkin/Exorcist/Paul Bateson/Bag Murders/Cruising film. Please send spec scripts to…