Couch Theatre: Jake Lacy
By Demi Taveras
"A Friend of the Family" (TV-MA) -- While the kidnappings of Jan Broberg have been covered in the media before (a Netflix documentary titled "Abducted in Plain Sight" was a hot topic when it was released in 2017), Peacock has decided to adapt the true story into a miniseries starring Jake Lacy and Anna Paquin. Lacy portrays the perpetrator, Robert Berchtold, who nosed his way into the Broberg family with the intent of developing intimate relationships with not only the Broberg parents, but the children as well -- specifically Jan, who was kidnapped by him two separate times in 1974 and in 1976. The series has been praised for its focus on the victims, rather than the abuser, which is no doubt influenced by Jan Broberg herself serving as executive producer for the show. Out now. (Peacock)
Jake Lacy stars as Robert Berchtold in "A Friend of the Family." Photo Credit: Peacock
"Luckiest Girl Alive" (R) -- Before Ani Fanelli was a 30-year-old hotshot writer living in New York, awaiting a grandiose wedding to the love of her life, she was a young girl named Tifani, who was just trying to find a place for herself in the world. Her first taste of luxury only came after she received a scholarship to a prestigious private school, the turning point that would alter the course of her life. The dark events that took place at the school would come to follow and haunt her to the current day, and until she turns around to face her trauma in the eye, Tifani cannot truly become Ani. Mila Kunis plays the (un)luckiest girl alive in this mystery thriller film out now. (Netflix)
"Run Sweetheart Run" (R) -- From horror powerhouse Blumhouse Productions, this psychological thriller stars Ella Balinska ("Charlie's Angels") and Pilou Asbaek ("Game of Thrones"). Balinska plays Cherie, a woman usually absorbed in her work, as she gets set up on a blind date with a man named Ethan. After Ethan charms her with a wonderful night out, she's left swooning at the end of their date. Little does she know that as she accepts an invitation into his home, he has pulled her into a violent, deadly game of cat and mouse. Narrowly escaping his home, Cherie must run for her life around her city to run from Ethan, who somehow lurks at every corner. Out on Oct. 28. (Prime Video)
"Matriarch" (NR) -- As Hulu's month-long Halloween event, Huluween, continues, this original folk horror film from the streaming service might be its most terrifying release this year. Twenty years after running away from her home, an advertising executive named Laura reaches rock bottom in her struggle with alcohol and drug addiction. Upon receiving a call from her mother after Laura mysteriously survives an overdose, she decides to pay her first visit back to her mother. But right away, Laura notices that something's off about the village, where no one has aged in the last two decades, and she begins experiencing horrifying paranormal visions that make her past troubles seem miniscule. Out now. (Hulu)
(c) 2022 King Features Synd., Inc.