David Dastmalchian’s Performance Carries ‘Late Night With the Devil’

The latest in pop-culture news, recaps, and reviews, plus close reads, profiles, interviews, and more from Vulture.com. [Brand Logo]( movie review [David Dastmalchian Deserves to Be a Star]( As a beleaguered talk-show host, he carries the new horror film Late Night With the Devil. Photo: IFC Films and Shudder David Dastmalchian might be one of the most talented actors working today, but he’s become a familiar face in film largely through ubiquity — with brief but memorable roles as assorted weirdos in a variety of mainstream studio pictures. You might remember him as Polka-Dot Man in [The Suicide Squad](, or a comically pompadoured Russian crook in the [Ant-Man]( movies, or one of the psychos in [Bird Box](, or, well, one of the other psychos in The Dark Knight. Even his supporting turn in last year’s [Oppenheimer](, in which he played William Borden, a real-life bomber pilot turned national-security stooge who penned a damning letter against J. Robert Oppenheimer, capitalized on Dastmalchian’s anxious, unhinged energy. He’s great in these small character parts, but he can clearly do a lot more. Nowhere is this more evident than in the new horror film Late Night With the Devil, in which he walks the fine line between empathy and mystery, charming us while slowly allowing the darkness to creep in. [read more]( Devour pop culture with us. [Subscribe now]( to save over 40% on unlimited access to Vulture and everything New York. The Latest TV Recaps • Abbott Elementary: [Abbott’s Growing Up]( • Palm Royale: [High Society]( • Survivor: [Jump for My Love]( • 3 Body Problem: [Nothing Exists Alone (Episode 1)](, [Science Over Mysticism (Episode 2)](, [Keep Playing (Episode 3)](, [A Lie About a Liar (Episode 4)]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Stories We Think You’ll Like [An Action Movie by Way of Looney Tunes Jake Gyllenhaal is better at oddballs than heroes — thank God he’s playing one of the former in this Road House remake.]( [The Platonic Ideal of Fantasy Adventure Dragon’s Dogma 2 delivers a quirky, evocative open world straight out of a sword-and-sorcery novel.]( By Lewis Gordon [The 12 Best Movies We Saw This Year at SXSW You’ve probably heard of The Fall Guy and The Idea of You by now, but there are smaller titles that shined at this year’s film festival, too.]( By Matthew Jacobs [House of the Dragon Goes ‘to War Then’ Are you Team Black, Team Green, or Team Mess?]( By Jason P. Frank [Yes, That Was Billy Joel Riding the Long Island Rail Road He’s done with the helicopter commute to Madison Square Garden.]( By Devon Ivie [Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Are Singing Live in the Wickeds A choice that famously works and never fails.]( By Jason P. Frank [Lukas Gage Sorry for ‘Wasting’ Shania Twain’s Time at His Wedding Inviting her to sing “You’re Still the One” after a three-week engagement was admittedly “unhinged.”]( By Zoe Guy [The Boy and the Heron Will Poop on Streaming Soon The freshly crowned Oscar winner is coming home … eventually.]( By Eric Vilas-Boas [Zack Snyder Never Topped His First 10 Minutes of Moviemaking Dawn of the Dead’s opening scenes showed a glimmer of the rough-and-tumble master of horror Snyder might have become.]( By A.A. Dowd [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Vulture Games [Today’s Crossword]( 23-Down, Four Letters: Onionlike one, per Shrek Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Getty [Today’s Cinematrix]( Can you name a Laura Dern movie with a one-word title? Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Getty Images A newsletter about the perpetual Hollywood awards race, for subscribers only. [Sign up]( to get it every week. [Get the Newsletter]( [logo]( [facebook logo]( [instagram logo]( [twitter logo]( [unsubscribe]( | [privacy notice]( | [update preferences]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Was this email forwarded to you? [Sign up now]( to get this newsletter in your inbox. [View this email in your browser.]( You received this email because you have a subscription to New York. Reach the right online audience with us For advertising information on email newsletters, please contact AdOps@nymag.com Vox Media, LLC 1701 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036 Copyright © 2024, All rights reserved