Here’s the November roundup, in alphabetical order.

The Devil’s Own (1997)

written by David Aaron Cohen, Vincent Patrick, Kevin Jarre, and Robert Mark Kamen

from a story by Kevin Jarre

directed by Alan J. Pakula

Director Alan J. Pajula’s final film, The Devil’s Own, was critically panned upon release, but it’s actually a solid action thriller about an IRA militant (Brad Pitt) who travels to the U.S. to purchase black market missiles and ends up befriending an older Irish-American cop (Harrison Ford). You can tell his started as a grittier drama before Ford got involved and the script had to be retooled to fit his leading man status. But even then, it works, with good performances from both actors and an undercurrent of tragedy that elevates an otherwise predictable ending.

Rating: ***

Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023)

written by Scott Cawthon, Seth Cuddeback, and Emma Taimi

from a story by Scott Cawthon, Chris Lee Hill, Tyler MacIntyre

based on the video game by Scott Cawthon

directed by Emma Taimi

Gateway horror for tweens is hard to pull off, and Five Nights at Freddy’s – a movie about a bunch of animatronic characters possessed by the spirits of dead children– fails in every way: It’s not remotely scary, the plot is ridiculously convoluted, and worst of all, it’s seriously lacking in fun. At one point I no longer knew if the characters were supposed to be good or bad (apparently they are being controlled by a serial killer who dresses up as a yellow rabbit or something). Yawn. Maybe fans of the video game this is based on will find Five Nights at Freddy’s a diverting treat. Me, I’ll stick with Chucky in Child’s Play (1988).

Rating: *½

No One Will Save You (2023)

written and directed by Brian Duffield

No One Will Save You has a pretty formulaic premise (extraterrestrials come to Earth and start to control the residents of a small town) yet its approach is intriguing: The film is mostly dialogue-free, employing music, sound effects, and facial expressions to scare us. It’s effective for a while, but the gimmick wears thin as inconsistencies in plotting and tone start to pile up. The ending in which the aliens decide to spare one of the townspeople (Kaitlyn Dever) because of a past trauma is absurd. They’re psychotherapists now?

Rating: **

Sleepaway Camp (1983)

written and directed by Robert Hiltzik

I’m not sure I can think of a more inept horror film than Sleepaway Camp, an accidentally funny attempt at cashing in on the slasher formula of the 80s. And yet, this has achieved cult status for various reasons, including the ridiculous acting, clichéd characters, and nonsensical plot in which a killer stalks people at a summer camp that, despite the mounting deaths, never sends the children home. Still, the murders are sorta fun in their absurd staging, and the film’s exploitative mix of bullying and gender identity builds to a twist ending that’s impossible to forget. Sleepaway Camp is not good, but if you’re a horror fan, it’s still a must-see.

Rating: *½

Something in the Dirt (2022)

written by Justin Benson

directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead

Something in the Dirt is about two guys who discover a strange phenomenon in an apartment in Los Angeles. Ghosts or aliens might be involved. Possible inter-dimensional fruit pops up. There’s talk of cosmology, Pythagoras theorems, and conspiracy theories. We even get a dash of Poltergeist (1982) for good measure (see pic above). But just like in their previous The Endless (2017), indie darlings Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead present us with an alluring concept… and that’s it. The lack of clear resolution in films is not necessarily a bad thing, but when it ends up being just a hodgepodge of ideas thrown at the audience, you might as well watch Lost (2004-2010) again. On second thought, forget I ever said that.

Rating: **

Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All-Time (2020)

directed by Danny Wolf

I love running into docs that I wish I would’ve produced myself, and this look at famous – and infamous – cult movies is all kinds of awesome. Split into three parts (Midnight Madness, Horror & Sci-Fi, and Comedy & Camp), there’s a lot of stuff here that I already knew, plenty that I didn’t, and some that didn’t make it. Where’s the commentary on Barbarella (1968)? Big Trouble in Little China (1986)? Fight Club (1999)? But hey, I’m not really complaining. Funny, insightful, and passionate, Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All-Time is a love letter to the power of fandom.

Rating: ***

Triangle of Sadness (2022)

written and directed by Ruben Östlund 

This satire about class inequality puts a bunch of wealthy people – models, influencers, oligarchs, tech millionaires – aboard a luxury yacht, then shipwrecks them on an island with a cleaning lady who quickly realizes these idiots won’t be able to survive without her. It’s a fun skewering of the filthy rich, but just as in writer/director Ruben Östlund’s Turist (2014), the more direct ruminations, such as a long diatribe about capitalism versus communism, fall a little flat. Still, the extended sequence in which the passengers get seasick and end up vomiting and shitting all over the place is gross comedy gold.

Rating: **½

Carlos I. Cuevas