Willy’s Wonderland
Nicolas Cage’s cult appeal becomes rusty in Willy’s Wonderland, a tongue-in-cheek horror-thriller featuring the actor squaring off against animatronic creeps in an abandoned children’s play place.
Thriller
Painkiller
Painkiller is more of a mouthpiece than a movie. The filmmakers are so excited by the film’s premise, that they would rather table action sequences and tense showdowns to have discussions about Big Pharma and the opioid epidemic it seems to be encouraging. I admire their enthusiasm, but this attitude has distracted them from making a good movie.
In the Earth
In the Earth is the first truly effective COVID-era horror/thriller. Mostly because it doesn’t call attention to the virus, and rather uses its inflections throughout this terrific biological (and supernatural) chiller.
Know Fear
Like many horror films, Know Fear begins with a house – a house with a dark past. Shortly after Wendy (Amy Carlson) and Donald (David Alan Basche) move into the house, Wendy begins experiencing strange sensations that overwhelm her. The family learns that Wendy has been possessed by a demon, and the only way to save her is to use a book to enact a ritual that will allow different members of the family to…
Nobody
The promotional material for Nobody features a grizzled Bob Odenkirk, a hilarious comic who has pulled off incredible range for over a decade within his tragicomedy oeuvre in the Breaking Bad universe, beating the pulp out of thugs and gunning down crooks. For viewers who have followed Odenkirk’s career from his sketch comedy days on Mr. Show to his time playing Saul Goodman on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, this action-packed visual is cool…
Above Suspicion
Directed by Phillip Noyce (Patriot Games, The Bone Collector, Rabbit-Proof Fence), Above Suspicion is a fast-paced thriller based on the true story of a young Kentucky woman, Susan Smith (Emilia Clark), who becomes an up-and-coming FBI agent’s star informant.
Cherry
Cherry is, at least, three different movies – a romantic drama, a war movie, and a crime thriller. Despite how off-kilter it is as a genre-bender, it may have worked had the filmmakers been interested in the story or characters. Instead, Cherry is an indulgent vehicle for its filmmakers to flaunt their bold experimental choices and test their boundless clout.
The Sinners
The Sinners is a messy blend of gothic teen-thriller and slasher horror that bites off more than it can chew with a convoluted plot and a cringe-worthy narrator.