Movie Review

The Invisible Man hits above its weight with Elisabeth Moss in terrifying lead role

The Invisible Man, which was originally a science fiction story written by H.G. Wells in 1897, is such a simple concept that it’s easily adaptable to multiple genres. The premise has been used in horror, comedy, drama, and more in at least 20 different movie and TV adaptations, and it’s easy to see many more being made in the future.

The latest version, written and directed by Leigh Whannell (Saw, Insidious), jumps right into the story in which Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss) is escaping from her controlling husband, Adrian (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). She goes into hiding with her sister’s boyfriend, James (Aldis Hodge), but soon finds out that Adrian has supposedly committed suicide in the wake of her leaving.

Her newfound freedom is short-lived, however, as Cecilia starts to believe that not only is Adrian not dead, but he has discovered a way to make himself invisible and stalk her. Just about anything that could go wrong for Cecilia does go wrong, and with no physical proof to show she’s not going crazy, Cecilia must find a way to put a stop to the phenomenon herself.

Whannell made his name in the horror genre, and while this film falls somewhat in that category, it’s more of a mystery thriller with a bit of horror thrown in. Whannell does his level best to ramp up the tension, with camera pans to empty spaces to give the impression that somebody unseen is watching or waiting to attack. Sometimes they’re real and sometimes they’re red herrings, but they’re equally effective no matter the outcome.

That approach works for the first half of the film, but the story details get a little wonky in the second half. There’s only so far you can go with the premise of the film before other characters start to get suspicious, as well, and the ways in which Whannell tries to glide over certain things goes beyond the suspension of disbelief. Still, when he needs to deliver the goods in the end, he does so with style.

The casting of Moss is the film hitting way above its weight, as the Emmy winner is not the usual type of actor you’d see in a movie like this. As you’d expect, she elevates every scene she’s in, which is almost all of them. Hodge and Storm Reid, who plays James’ daughter, make for an appealing pair and work well with Moss. Jackson-Cohen only appears in a handful of scenes, and thankfully so, as his performance is about as wooden as they come.

The idea of being invisible has many applications in storytelling, and as this film proves, using it in a thriller/horror is one of the best. With some great acting and solid storytelling, The Invisible Man has only strengthened the legacy of Wells’ story.

Elisabeth Moss in The Invisible Man.

Elisabeth Moss in The Invisible Man

Photo by Mark Rogers/Universal Pictures

Elisabeth Moss in The Invisible Man.

Vinyl Record News

Dallas record store chain Josey Records spins new location in Garland

Josey Records

Josey Records

Vinyl at Josey Records

Dallas music maker Josey Records has extended its reach east: The record store chain, whose empire includes one of the largest single independent record stores in the U.S., has opened a location in Garland, at 1005 Northwest Hwy., at the intersection of Centerville Road, where it's selling its trademark assortment of vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, turntables, music posters, new releases, and music accessories.

This is the sixth location and the third in the Dallas area, joining the original in Farmers Branch which owners Waric Cameron and Luke Sardello opened in November 2014. They've since opened locations in Plano, Tulsa, Kansas City, and Vidalia, Missouri.

The original location is a giant place with 16,000 square feet devoted to vinyl, 45s, CDs, turntables, and T-shirts. They do a good job showcasing new releases and collector vinyl — they made CultureMap's list of 5 best places in Dallas to buy vinyl records — and are known to host album release and listening parties such as a recent blockbuster celebrating Linkin Park.

They made headlines in June 2020 when they acquired the vast musical inventory of Bill’s Records following the death of owner Bill Wisener; Cameron and Sardello both worked at Bill’s, and knew the sprawling collection first-hand.

"It has taken us years to even start going through it, but in last two years, we've made some headway," Cameron says. "Bill's has its own audience, so we created a specific Instagram account, just for Bill's Records merchandise called @billsrecordsvault."

They chose Garland because they saw it as an area that was under-served.

"There are very few record stores in that area of northeast Dallas, Casa View, Garland, Rockwall, Mesquite," Cameron says. "We have customers who live over there, so it seemed like a good place for a store."

The storefront they're in was most recently The Music Store, which sold and rented musical instruments and accessories; but coincidentally, it's next to an address that was once RPM Records, a hip record store from the '90s.

The Garland store follows the same model as their others: selling new and used records and merchandise, and buying used goods, as well.

"One thing that's cool is that each location takes on its own identity," he says. "We buy used CDs, vinyl records, cassettes — we're a used resale business — and what we buy from our customers dictates what that store becomes. For example, our Plano store has a lot of classic rock. So we're looking forward to seeing what Garland gravitates to."

Garland does have one thing that the other locations do not.

"Right now, Garland has this incredible collection of jazz," Cameron says. "We bought a great collection of jazz records — someone called and wanted to sell it. We get that a lot, we buy major collections from all over the U.S., we even make house calls. So we saved it for the Garland store."

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