#rodney alcala

[venomousgirl17]

Y’all Woman of the Hour was so good! It is absolutely chilling and perfectly captures how women constantly have to be monitoring and adapting to men and their moods.

The question of “What are girls for?” felt so poignant because to so many men we are things, trophies, prizes, roles like wife or mother but never just people. We deserve to exist for ourselves.

[malikaidith]

I'm from watching Woman of the Hour and it brings to light the devastating reality that, for many women, a sense of physical and emotional safety is often out of reach, especially in their encounters with men. It's heart-wrenching that women constantly have to worry about their safety in the most ordinary situations, hoping that an interaction with a man won’t end with them getting hurt, manipulated, or even killed. Watching this film, you're faced with a blunt, uncomfortable truth: that women often navigate life with a lingering sense of dread, a hope that every man they meet will turn out to be "safe," but always carrying the terrible weight of possibility that he won’t be. It reveals how, in these situations, women are forced to read every shift in body language, every change in tone, every uncomfortable glance, constantly calculating how to respond so they can make it home alive. The awareness of an energy shift, of a moment when a man’s demeanor turns from kind to cold, or when a friendly conversation starts feeling forced and tense, is a brutal reality. Women feel that change instinctively, and the unease can quickly transform from discomfort into fear, knowing that the wrong word, the wrong look, or the wrong reaction could set off a chain of events that end in violence. It's a tragic and exhausting experience, one that's deeply ingrained in the female experience.The fact that women feel pressure to "entertain" men, to always appear sweet, polite, or funny, is itself exhausting, often feeling more like survival than simple social interaction. It's heartbreaking that so many women find themselves in situations where they have to be agreeable, even when it’s uncomfortable, because showing irritation or anger could be dangerous. They might go as far as to sleep with someone simply because he’s "nice," or out of pity, feeling they owe it to him to avoid confrontation, and because they have been conditioned to see politeness as a form of safety.

The concept of the "friend zone" has often been wielded as a tool of emotional pressure, shaping a narrative where men feel entitled to romantic or sexual interest from women simply because they’ve been "nice" or "supportive." It’s as if the term was created to frame kindness and friendship as some kind of down payment on a relationship. For some men, the "friend zone" suggests that a woman’s friendship alone isn't enough and that, if she doesn’t eventually “pay back” his kindness with romance or intimacy, she’s somehow wronging him. This idea implies a transactional approach to relationships, where the efforts made to be close to a woman such as acts of kindness, companionship, or attention,..are seen as investments that ought to yield a "reward."

The "friend zone" narrative creates a damaging mindset, one that can foster resentment and blame against women for setting boundaries or valuing a man’s friendship without romantic interest. It suggests that by not reciprocating feelings, women are “leading men on” or being ungrateful, when in reality, they’re simply respecting their own feelings and agency. The pressure this creates is unfair, reducing a woman’s worth to her willingness to return affection, regardless of her own emotions, and dismissing the validity of any friendship that isn’t rooted in romance or sexual attraction.

This concept reinforces the notion that women "owe" men something for being present in their lives, which can be deeply manipulative and guilt-inducing. It suggests that if a woman is not romantically interested, she’s rejecting more than just romantic involvement, she’s failing in her role as a friend. The expectation underlying the "friend zone" myth pressures women to question their boundaries and can lead them to feel guilty or even question their own self-worth. It’s a framework that shifts blame onto women for simply following their feelings, which in reality, should be met with respect and understanding, rather than frustration or entitlement. The "friend zone" is ultimately a term that devalues genuine friendship and imposes unfair expectations on women, making it all the more crucial to challenge and dismantle this narrative.

Watching this movie, you get to see a woman facing a life-threatening situation with Rodney Alcala(he's serial killer btw) She could sense the threat looming over her, yet she managed to escape by performing a heartbreaking act of self-preservation. ( I literally cried in this scene..the way she told him "it's okay baby. We are okay" after finding herself SA'd and bleeding and having wounds all over..)By being "sweet," keeping things calm, and even comforting him, she put his emotions first, all while fearing for her life, just to buy herself a chance to survive. That desperation, that terrifying choice to soothe someone even after they’ve committed unimaginable violence, is a survival tactic no one should ever have to use.

The film underscores just how exhausting and painful it is to carry this kind of fear, knowing that a man could become violent at any moment. To be forced into adopting a "safe" demeanor when threatened—acting as if everything is fine to keep the peace—becomes a tragic survival mechanism. It’s heartbreaking that many women have to live like this, balancing on a razor’s edge, feeling like their words and actions are constantly under scrutiny, needing to be careful, needing to be "nice." And it brings a painful realization to the surface: being a woman often means carrying an internalized set of survival strategies simply to coexist in a world that doesn’t always value or protect women’s safety and autonomy.

Watching this movie ,you see the courage and resilience women have to summon just to navigate their lives, but it’s a courage born of necessity, of the hard reality that, for many women, safety is never guaranteed. It’s a haunting, deeply tragic insight into how hard and, at times, terrifying it can be to simply exist as a woman. Anna Kendrick really played her role well, all women did. Then the producers and directors did well by not going so deep into the graphics. I would never get why some feel the need to display these act of violents like SA or torture. It's so unnecessary to show the viewers such. Sometimes I feel I'm losing my mind and my heart is breaking and I just wanna let out a blood curdling scream every single time I think about what happens to women. The injustice.

It’s devastating to witness how the justice system and law enforcement have, time and again, failed women by not addressing violence and abuse against them with the urgency and seriousness they deserve. For countless women, reporting incidents of rape, domestic violence, or even feeling unsafe doesn’t lead to protection or justice but often to dismissive attitudes, skepticism, and even blame. Far too often, women are questioned, doubted, or shamed for coming forward, as if they’re responsible for the crimes committed against them. This dismissive culture within law enforcement can make women feel as though their pain, fear, and trauma are trivial, as if their safety simply doesn’t matter as much. It’s heartbreaking and infuriating that cases of assault and abuse are frequently minimized or dismissed, leaving many women unprotected and without a path toward healing or justice.

[reelvibes91]

Woman of the Hour Review

Anna Kendrick makes her directorial debut with Woman of the Hour. It based on the true story of Rodney Alcala, who appeared on a dating show while also murdering women across America.

Kendrick uses the central focus of the dating show to tell the larger story at hand. It does not just focus on that one isolated incident. It uses jump cuts and transitions to reflect on the bigger picture and how these women came to meet Rodney. He often posed as a photographer and made women feel comfortable before switching to a barbaric nature.

Daniel Zovatto stars as Alacala, and he does a great job in terms of acting. The real life story makes this film very uncomfortable to watch at times. From a film perspective, despite being a bit predictable, you often feel a sense of uneasiness watching these events unfold.

For most of the film, we see Kendrick's Sheryl living an innocent life trying to catch her big break as an actress. It's not until the second half of the movie that the tension really begins to escalate.

While it isn't a perfect movie, it does spotlight this real-life serial killer, and it does so in a way that does not trivialize the events or undersell the eerieness of this story. Most stories like this add a flare for the dramatic while this one tells the story that needs to be told without adding sensationalized moments. It's a run of the mill thriller in terms of looking at it through a critical lense. However, films like this demand to be seen because they hold such power in the story of these almost forgotten victims. Movies like this remind is to take the words of people seriously when they feel uncomfortable in any situation for whatever reason. Simple scenes like Sheryl shaking her head no at the waitress when Rodney asks for another drink. They allow the actors to showcase something far greater than themselves with a story like this. People daily face these kinds of situations, and we have to be more vigilant at times because it could be the difference maker in the end.

[rodneyalcala]

Some unpopular opinion

[justagirlandhersims]

I mean this in the best way possible - this movie was extremely uncomfortable to watch. And that is essentially the point. Because while it is obstensibly about serial killer Rodney Alcala (often referred to as The Dating Game Killer because he was a contestant on the show in the 70s… and won… oh did I mention he was charged with the murder of a little girl at the time of his appearance?), what it’s truly about is the anxiety of being a woman in a still very misogynistic society.

The gaslighting, the pressure to bend or stifle yourself for the comfort of men. The “good guys” feeling like they are owed your time, your body, your agency. It is maddening. This is Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut and she has spoken candidly about being in an emotionally abusive relationship in her past. That is clearly evident in every frame of this film.

Although set in the 70s, some of the things the main character Sheryl went through were lifted directly from Anna’s own experiences as an actress. And that is both frustrating and deeply sad. Fifty years later and women are still expected to shape themselves and their behavior for the comfort of men.

[zvanhouten]

Rodney looks so majestic w long hair

[allwomenjointhe4bmovement]

WOMAN OF THE HOUR- movie

If you'll learn one thing from 'Woman of the Hour' the Netflix movie based on a true story, let it be this:

Be wary of all men! Men are manipulators. They know how to mimic behaviors women find endearing. They know how to say the right things to make you think they're a good guy or not like other men. They know how to present as feminist! If they're not blatantly misogynistic or sexist, then they're a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Trust them at your own peril. Because trusting them might be the last mistake you ever make. This isn't "fear mongering", its saying it as it is! In this patriarchal society, women never get justice! Stop falling for the Disney prince, k-drama dream boy fairytale!

Rodney Alcala got to live a long healthy life in the comfort of a cell while over a 130 women and girls were k*lled by him and the ones who survived were traumatized for life!

The 4b movement and female separatism is the best and most effective solution for women and girls everywhere.

[anhed-nia]

BLOGTOBER 10/20/2024: WOMAN OF THE HOUR

I would have had a lot more to say about this movie if I sat down to write closer to when I saw it, but maybe it's better that I did not wind up spending as much time as possible on something so frustrating. [EDIT: I wound up spending as much time as possible anyway, OH WELL.] Luckily, I think I can lay out the fundamental problem pretty easily:

Anna Kendrick wants to tell a story about how show business forces women to be complicit in their own objectification. >> In real life, unsettling creep Rodney Alcala posed as a professional photographer in order to victimize women who might have avoided him otherwise. (That is almost all I need to say, but anyway) Despite being violent and unstable, he slipped through the cracks of a faulty justice system. His fashionable headshots got him cast on The Dating Game, but in person everyone found him immediately disturbing including contestant Cheryl Bradshaw. >> Anna Kendrick makes a movie about how Rodney Alcala was so sweet and cuddly and charming that his victims were totally tricked by his seductive personality, just like every serial killer you have ever heard of. PS The Dating Game was a bastion of Hollywood misogyny, the end.

I mean what was she thinking? The story is RIGHT THERE. In Hollywood, women are victimized by the men behind the cameras. Serial killer Rodney Alcala used his camera to exploit vulnerable women. Like this is not hard. But instead we have this long regurgitated Ted Bundy-type cliche about how DID U GUYS KNOW psychopaths are often charismatic and manipulative and a lot of people think they are nice at first. Not only is that boring, and not only does it miss what seems to be WOMAN OF THE HOUR's main point about the perils of show business, but it is also not the line on Alcala. I mean, I'm sure some people found him charming at first, anything is possible, but the usual narrative with him is that he was clearly "off" and had a long criminal record, but his cover story about being a professional photographer was persuasive enough that a lot of people died for it.

I would also add that if we must absolutely insist that Alcala's chief quality was being overpoweringly seductive, then they should have cast someone who is actually like that. Daniel Zovatto really doesn't work for me. He's slouchy, dough-faced, marble-mouthed, anonymous, and has a terminal lack of gravity. I can kind of tell from the script that he's supposed to be alluring, but it is simply not happening on the screen at all. He might get away with being that uncompelling if he really looked like Alcala, which he certainly does not. Whether or not one finds him sexy, Alcala was undeniably striking, with exaggeratedly chiseled features and all that crazy Kenny G hair; it is not at all enough to just get a random Latino actor and stick a long, limp wig on him. What you ideally want is someone who presents like Tom Cruise, who looks and acts like the fashionable male du jour, but he's pushy, he's weird, you can tell there's something sort of wrong with him. What you preferably want is someone who also looks even remotely like the highly recognizable, real-life person he's supposed to be.

My aversion to Daniel Zovatto's look actually ties into my general problem with the way the whole movie looks. Other people have pointed out that Zovatto and Kendrick look so little like their real-life counterparts that you have to wonder if anyone on the set had ever heard of hair and makeup. If it were a simpler, more naturalistic movie, it could be OK to fudge the visual details, but much of the film has this heightened cartoon quality that actually made it hard for me to understand how seriously I was supposed to take it all.

Frankly, I didn't feel like Anna Kendrick took this very seriously. I think she really wanted to tell her own story about how it's hard to be a smart brunette in Hollywood, but if you are a Girl Boss then you could still totally kick ass on The Dating Game and flip the script on all the lame-o sexist pigs...which is a pretty embarrassingly unrealistic part of this movie. Another embarrassingly unrealistic part of the movie is when we are introduced to an entire secondary cast of characters who have nothing to do but support the ridiculous idea that one of Alcala's victims was in the audience, and she freaked out and she made a big scene, and she went to the ends of the earth to get justice but nobody listened. It's just confusing to add a fictional component that gigantic to a movie that is being marketed so forcefully as a True Story. And doing this totally undermines all the real, actual, extraordinary injustices that make up the whole Alcala history.

Part of the reason I didn't like how Alcala is portrayed as this Dracula guy who seduces beautiful ladies, is that a significant part of his criminal career was devoted to doing absolutely appalling, unrepeatable things to children. This guy was really, really bad news, and everyone should have known it, and he only got by because of our deranged justice system and, to some degree, the popular acceptance that show business types are a little creepy and you just have to put up with that if you want a career. I feel like Anna Kendrick was simply not prepared to deal with the real story here, but she just wouldn't back down from her personal fantasy about Cheryl Bradshaw, so now we have this movie where Rodney Alcala is portrayed as a sexy exciting werewolf guy and Cheryl Bradshaw just has to like do Girl Power on him to defeat his wily ways.

I actually don't have anything against Anna Kendrick, she's decent in her movie and I can kind of understand why she wanted to tell a certain version of this story. But I guess I think she should have positioned this as more "loosely based" on the Alcala story and changed some names, or possibly she could even have eliminated the entire Alcala backstory component and made it a focused study of the life of someone like Cheryl Bradshaw *leading up to* her meeting a monster in the absurd context of a game show. I think there were probably a number of ways to do this movie that weren't so shallow, misguided, and egotistical, but the end result here just gave me the creeps for all the wrong reasons.

Actually, I have a simpler way to explain why I disliked this so intensely. Years ago I went to a screening of a movie called THE OTHER LAMB with the director in attendance; the film is about a kind of stereotypical cult where the girls all dress like sacrificial virgins and they're all jealously trying to be the main sister-wife of the leader who is kind of hubba, and eventually something goes wrong and one of them realizes she should escape...I forget the details, it wasn't stellar. The important part is that the director spoke about how she's just obsessed with cults and she listens to every podcast and watches every TV show about them because they're so freaky, but she totally doesn't get why the cult leaders are always grody old farts, like why would any chick be in a cult where they have to fuck a gross dude? So I guess instead of absorbing any information at all about how cults work, what the power dynamics are, and how cult members usually come to harm, she decided to write a version that she personally would understand better in which the cult leader is a mega hottie so it makes sense that everyone wants to suck his dick. Which was so astonishing to me, and so weirdly victim-blaming -- like cult victims must secretly want it, that's the only explanation for why they get exploited...I'm really permanently angry about that movie now. And I got a similar feeling from WOMAN OF THE HOUR, as if it's saying that we must imagine Rodney Alcala to be incredibly desirable, because otherwise everyone who fell prey to him must have been a huge dumbass.

[cinemaslife]

#165 La mujer del momento (2024)

Cuenta la historia paralela de las vidas de Cheryl Bradshaw (Anna Kendrick) y Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto) hasta que sus vidas se cruzan en el programa de citas de televisión The Dating Game.

Rodney es un fotógrafo que se pasea por la ciudad convenciendo a jóvenes y niñas para llevarlas al desierto y hacerles un par de fotos antes de violarlas, torturarlas y matarlas. Lo lleva haciendo mucho tiempo y su agresividad va en aumento cuanto más logra escaparse de la policía.

Cheryl es una aspirante a actriz, que no logra tener suerte con sus trabajos. Da bandazos de pequeños papeles a diminutos papeles, buscando hacerse un hueco en la industria del cine de Estados Unidos sin demasiada suerte.

Rodney ataca a varias mujeres, ahogándolas, reanimándolas y volviendo a ahogarlas después de torturarlas y violarlas. Lo hacía con niñas y mujeres jóvenes desde 12 a 23 años. La escalada de crímenes iba cada vez más en aumento y su colección de fotografías de sus víctimas crecía conforme su desquiciada mente iba cayendo en una espiral de violencia.

Ambos se cruzan en el programa de citas ella por la necesidad de encontrar papeles de actriz y él en la cúspide de su violencia, pensando que era intocable y que, que le impedía deshacerse de una chica que había conocido en prime time.

Lo cierto es que Cheryl no tiene mucha suerte con los tres candidatos de esa noche, pero alguien del público reconoce en Rodney Alcalá el hombre que se quedó con su amiga una noche de fiesta y luego su amiga apareció muerta, por lo que decide ir a hablar con algún productor del programa para denunciarlo, pero todos pasan de ella.

Al final del programa Cheryl se queda con Alcalá, pero cuando este cruza el biombo que los separaba y se acerca a ella siente un escalofrío horrible, él la invita a tomar algo a un bar cerca del estudio y Cheryl va cayendo en la cuenta de que no quiere compartir el premio con ese hombre, ni el premio ni nada. Tiene una actitud sospechosa que la hace alejarse.

Paralelamente, nos cuentan la historia de Amy (Autumn Best), una adolescente que se ha escapado de casa y que va vagando por las calles cuando Rodney la encuentra, la seduce diciéndole que es preciosa y que le encantaría que fuera modelo para él, llevándola en su coche hasta el desierto para hacerle una sesión de fotos.

Amy accede, lleva varios días en la calle, robando para comer y es la primera vez en mucho tiempo que alguien se porta bien con ella y es amable. Ve en la oportunidad de modelaje que le propone Alcalá, una forma de triunfar en la ciudad de las oportunidades y se deja embriagar por la idea, al fin y al cabo es solo una cría, y son los 70. ¿Qué podría salir mal?

Rodney la lleva al desierto, le hace algunas fotos y la golpea brutalmente.

Mientras trascurre el show y después Cheryl y Rodney toman algo en el bar, el ambiente se va tensando. Él se comporta de una manera extraña y ella cada vez está más incómoda, por lo que decide que la cita debe acabar ya.

Volvemos al desierto con Amy despertándose porque Rodney está a su lado llorando, tapándose la cara. Ella está con las manos y los pies atados con cuerdas, los vaqueros bajados y golpeada por todas partes. Después de volver a la realidad, decide no dejarse llevar por el terror y manipular a Rodney. Intenta calmarlo y decirle que por favor no le cuente a nadie lo que ha pasado entre ellos porque la gente es muy chismosa, y que es mejor que se vayan a casa de él.

Rodney se siente tranquilo, es la primera vez que una de sus víctimas lo trata bien, se muestra comprensiva y cercana, así que se deja llevar por la idea de llegar a ser pareja. Él le pide disculpas por haberse puesto violento y ella lo disculpa diciéndole que "no pasa nada", pero por sus ojos y expresión sabemos que ella está a punto de desmoronarse ante el horror que ha sufrido.

Comprende rápidamente que esta no es la primera vez que él se comporta así, es metódico y tiene un plan, y ella tiene que evitar de todas, todas que él la mate. Como ya ha hecho con: Charlie (Kathryn Gallagher) o Lisa (Jessie Fraser), entre muchas otras.

Amy deja pasar la oportunidad de pedir ayuda a otro conductor, la chica es consciente de que están en medio del desierto y debe esperar a que estén más cerca de la civilización para poder pedir ayuda. Rodney para en una gasolinera para ir al baño y limpiarse la sangre de Amy de las manos.

Mientras él está en el baño, Amy aprovecha para salir corriendo al restaurante más cercano y pedir que llamen a la policía. Mientras llegan, Rodney está saliendo camino a su coche y descubre que ella le ha engañado, no quería quedarse con él. Para entonces, la policía ya ha llegado y lo detienen mientras se retuerce para que no lo hagan.

De vuelta a la salida del bar con Cheryl, él le pide su teléfono y ella se lo da para poder irse cuanto antes, él insiste en que ella le repita el teléfono, sospecha que no ha sido sincera con él. Chery intenta irse sin más, pero él insiste, la verdad, es que en el aparcamiento ya no queda nadie, y él se empeña en acompañarla al coche. Ella le dice que no quiere nada con él y que es mejor dejarlo así, y él murmura que le va a aplastar la cabeza. Eso solo confirma sus temores, va corriendo a su coche, pero él la alcanza antes de que entre y se dispone a atacarla cuando unos operarios salen de trabajar hacia el parking montando escándalo.

Rodney huye y ella puede entrar en su coche y largarse de allí cuanto antes.

Desde el restaurante Amy ve como detienen a Rodney y lo meten en el coche de policía, sale para cerciorarse de que es verdad, y es entonces cuando se pone a gritar, sabiendo que ahora está a salvo.

En este film se hace una interpretación en ficción de los crímenes que cometió el asesino en serie Rodney Alcalá. Se trata de una película basada en hechos reales.

Y de como Rodney Alcalá en la cúspide de sus crímenes se presentó a un programa de citas. Durante sus infames crímenes se le comparó con Ted Bundy, por su crueldad con las mujeres, y su justo por las niñas y mujeres jóvenes, a las que le gustaba secuestrar, torturar, violar y asesinar, por satisfacción personal.

Cuando se le detuvo se encontraron centenares de fotos de sus víctimas (antes y después de los crímenes) y de personas anónimas que nunca se logró averiguar quienes era. Solo se le pudo acusar de 10 crímenes y por eso fue sentenciado a prisión permanente, pero se sospecha que fueron más de 130 crímenes, que siguen sin resolverse, ya que Alcalá murió en la cárcel a los 77 años.

[tinyreviews]

Tiny Review: Woman of the Hour 2024. What the heck is this?

Eh. What is with this ending? The woman of the hour did nothing to be the woman of the hour 😂

Woman of the Hour is a 2024 American true crime thriller film directed by Anna Kendrick in her directorial debut and written by Ian MacAllister McDonald. It is based on the life of serial killer Rodney Alcala, who in 1978 appeared on the television show The Dating Game in the midst of his murder spree.

[walterneff6]

12.5.24

Did you feel seen? I felt looked at. (Woman of the Hour, dir. Anna Kendrick)

[thekylemeredith]

“Woman of the Hour isn't an easy watch, but it’s an important one.”

Tony Hale joins Kyle Meredith to talk about Woman of the Hour and returning to Arrested Development and Veep

#TonyHale #WomanoftheHour #AnnaKendrick #Netflix

[rodneyalcala]

colorized by me

[jonathanmoya1955]

‘Woman of the Hour’: A Chilling Debut with Room for Growth

Netflix MOVIE INFO: An aspiring actress crosses paths with a prolific serial killer in ’70s LA when they’re cast on an episode of “The Dating Game.” Based on a true story. REVIEW: Netflix Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut, “Woman of the Hour,” offers a gripping yet uneven exploration of a chilling true-crime story. Netflix Set against the backdrop of the 1970s, the film delves into the…

[streamingmovienight]

Woman Of the Hour

"Bachelor number three, I'm counting on you. What are girls for?" Anna Kendrick stars as Cheryl Bradshaw, an aspiring actress from Pennsylvania, who relocated to Los Angeles.  Desperate for work and not having any luck, her agent books her on "The Dating Game" TV show. Among the three male contestants is Serial Rapist-Murderer Rodney Alcala played by Daniel Zovatto. So, that's a big thumbs down on serial killers and rapists and........... Two Thumbs up for Woman Of The Hour, Anna Kendricks, Daniel Zovatto and Autumn Best!

2024   Netflix Rated:  Unrated Length:  1 hr  35 min Crime ~ Drama ~ Thriller Directed by:  Anna Kendrick Starring:  Anna Kendrick, Daniel Zovatto, Tony Hale, and Autumn Best. “Bachelor number three, I’m counting on you. What are girls for?” Anna Kendrick stars as Cheryl Bradshaw, an aspiring actress from Pennsylvania, who relocated to Los Angeles.  Desperate for work and not having any luck,…