"I just looked around, and it looked bad, so I started typing." That's how filmmaker Ari Aster ("Hereditary," "Midsommar") said he came up with his next film, "Eddington," which he directed, wrote and produced. The political Western is set in the titular fictional town in New Mexico in May 2020 during lockdown in the COVID-19 pandemic as an arrogant sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix) is running for mayor to unseat the progressive incumbent (Pedro Pascal). "Eddington" opens in theaters nationwide Friday, July 18. MORE: