Screen Time

WITH MARISA PATWA

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September cinema offers up an irresistible rom-com, millennial black comedy and throwback psychological thriller

LOVE IN THE VILLA

Netflix has been churning out buttery and beautiful rom-coms that can stand up to some of the classics. The Vampire Diaries' Kat Graham is getting the chance to transcend her holiday love role in Operation Christmas Drop to an Italian getaway. The Umbrella Academy’s number one superpowered sibling Tom Hooper stars as her star-crossed lover. It’s opposites attract in Verona. Graham is our Juliet and Hooper is our Romeo. Well, Graham is actually our Julie - a shy, loving teacher who must share a villa with Charlie (Hooper), a cynical yet swoon-worthy businessman, due to a double-booking. The two culture-clash yet undoubtedly fall in love. Graham is sour from a breakup with Ginny and Georgia’s Raymond Ablack and this European adventure and sweet meet cute is the perfect remedy to snap her out of her sad spell. It’s truly the perfect top-off for a summer of romance.

NETFLIX 9/1 DO REVENGE

Riverdale’s Camilla Mendes and Stranger Things’ Maya Hawke give a punky punch in Do Revenge. The stars play two teen girls who team up to tear down each other’s enemies. Someone Great writer and director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson is doing double duty again, giving us the Heathers movie of our millennial dreams. Mendes’ Drea wants to get even after her preppy boyfriend, played by Euphoria’s Austin Abrams, releases a private tape of her without her consent, putting a big slash into her big post-locker room drama future fantasy. Hawke’s foreign exchange student Eleanor is still reeling from an unfair rumor about her. It's a black comedy that looks like liquid gold and wicked fun. The costume design is straight from the crop-top and mini skirt pastel color-combos hanging in the Teen Vogue closet. It’s a nod to Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train with a Clueless twist. NETFLIX 9/16

DON’T WORRY DARLING

After the success of her Booksmart directorial debut, Olivia Wilde is back behind the camera for the 1950s psychological thriller Don’t Worry Darling. One Direction’s Harry Styles plays Jack, who is married to Florence Pugh’s Alice. The gorgeous pair portray an eager, deeply in love couple embarking on a mind-changing journey as they move into an experimental community in Victoria, California. It’s a suburban utopia with a caveat: there’s dark secrets lurking beneath the veneer of pool parties and free ballet lessons. Think Stepford Wives but those trapped in this white picket fence circus know they are under a microscope. Chris Pine appears as the charming yet creepy cult-like leader, hosting a Truman Show for the new generation. Gemma Chan and Nick Kroll also star as neighbors under the spell of science and social experiments. But Pugh starts to see the cracks through the looking glass. IN THEATERS 9/23