Heretic (2024)

written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods

The first half of Heretic has an intriguing setup: Two young Mormon missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) arrive at a man’s house (Hugh Grant) intent on spreading the Gospel. But as he methodically questions them about faith, it soon becomes clear he has a Machiavellian plan to prove his claim of having found “the one true religion.”

This whole introduction is quite well staged by the writer/director team of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods – the dialogue is crisp, the cinematography and editing (by Chung Chung-hoon and Justin Li) top notch, and the performances by the three leads very convincing (Grant, playing against type, has never been better). But then the script starts to devolve into the type of horror thriller you kinda expect – creepy decrepit figures, tortured people in cages, throat slashing – and an evil plan so elaborate I had to heavily suspend my disbelief.

Rating: **½

The Infiltrator (2016)

written by Ellen Brown Furman

from the book by Robert Mazur

directed by Brad Furman

The Infiltrator is a crime thriller based on the real-life experiences of Robert Mazur (played here by Bryan Cranston), a U.S. Customs Service special agent who went undercover as a money launderer for Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. An interesting story for sure, yet the whole thing feels rather bland in execution, lacking any real sense of suspense or danger. One can only imagine what filmmaker Martin Scorsese could’ve done with this.

Rating: **

Let’s Scare Julie (2020)

written and directed by Jud Cremata

A bunch of teenage girls at a sleepover play pranks on each other and tell a creepy story about the house across the street. Soon they decide to go there with masks on and scare the new neighbor, Julie (because why not). Someone apparently dies, I think people start disappearing, and there’s some sort of witch walking around. I’m not even sure what else happens in this chaotic low-budget horror flick that’s more concerned with its (mostly) single-take gimmick than with making any sense whatsoever. Let’s Scare Julie feels more like a bad student film that a fully fleshed-out idea.

Rating: *½

Longlegs (2008)

written and directed by Osgood Perkins

I know a lot of people seem to like this horror flick about an FBI agent (Maika Monroe) on the trail of a serial killer (Nicolas Cage), but I’m not one of them. While I’ve enjoyed writer/director Osgood Perkins’ filmography so far, Longlegs is convoluted and nonsensical, a hodgepodge of ideas that don’t ever come together – crime investigation, Devil worshipping, rituals, creepy dolls, psychic powers. Jeesh, pick a lane. Also, not a good sign if the main villain makes you laugh instead of scaring the bejesus out of you (looking at you, Mr. Cage). Skip this and revisit The Silence of the Lambs (1991) instead.

Rating: **

Martyrs (2008)

written and directed by Pascal Laugier

The New French Extremity film Martyrs begins with an abducted girl escaping from a slaughterhouse, then introduces a demonic presence that continues to attack the child well into womanhood, morphs into a bloody revenge thriller, and finally turns into an exploration of spiritual transcendence through torture porn and flaying. It’s pretty nuts and often silly, yet writer/director Pascal Laugier makes it work beyond mere exploitation by grounding it in friendship and empathy. A hard watch for sure, but if you can make it till the end, worth it.

Rating: **½

Moneyball (2011)

written by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin

from a story by Stan Chervin

based on the book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis

directed by Bennett Miller

For years I watched bits and pieces of the baseball drama Moneyball, but never got around to the whole thing. It seemed well written and acted, with an interesting premise based on a true story. But little did I know that this wasn’t just another movie about an underdog sports team rising above the odds. Moneyball is really about metrics and statistics, as the general manager of the Oakland Athletics (Brad Pitt) hires an economist (Jonah Hill) to basically reinvent the game’s approach to choosing players. I guess numbers can be exciting after all.

Rating: ***

Presence (2024)

written by David Koepp

directed by Steven Soderbergh

I’ve never been too keen on filmmaker Steven Soderbergh. For every Out of Sight (1998) and Contagion (2011), there’s a Solaris (2002) or The Good German (2006). But at least the guy likes to experiment, so I’ll give him that. The premise of Presence is so intriguing – a haunted house movie shot entirely from the perspective of the ghost – that it’s certainly a letdown to watch it be ruined by bland execution, stiff acting, and a ridiculous ending that somehow incorporates time travel into the plot. Plus where are the scares? Better luck next time.

Rating: **

The Ritual (2017)

written by Joe Barton

based on the novel by Adam Nevill

directed by David Bruckner

Four British mates (Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier, and Sam Troughton) go on a hiking trip in Sweden and soon discover all sorts of strange shit, including gutted deer, effigies, and mysterious symbols. With a name like The Ritual you already know this folk horror film won’t reinvent the wheel, yet director David Bruckner manages to keep it consistently entertaining (with a pretty cool monster to boot). Pair with the similar Loop Track (2023) for a creature feature marathon.

Rating: **½

White Men Can’t Jump (1992)

written and directed by Ron Shelton

In the basketball comedy White Men Can’t Jump, Billy (Woody Harrelson) and Sidney (Wesley Snipes) are two hustlers who team up to make some quick cash. I remember watching this in ’92 and having a blast, and seeing it now again with my son it’s easy to see why: White Men Can’t Jump is fast and loose, full of wisecracks and street posturing yet smart enough to give its characters real personalities. The unexpected ending in which one of the main characters loses more than he expected also rings true. It’s a slam dunk.

Rating: ***

Wind River (2017)

written and directed by Taylor Sheridan

The body of a Northern Arapaho teenager is found frozen in the snow at the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. An FBI agent (Elizabeth Olsen) and a local tracker (Jeremy Renner) soon realize it’s a homicide, and it likely involves the girl’s boyfriend (Jon Bernthal), a worker at an oil-drilling site. But then his body is found. Who’s behind it all? Wind River is a fairly taut thriller that tries to shine a light on Native American issues, but writer/director Taylor Sheridan can’t quite make the social commentary land with the force it should.

Rating: **½

Carlos I. Cuevas