Shutter Island (2010)

When a patient goes missing, a couple of marshals visit the island mental facility to figure out what happened. No one seems to be completely forthcoming and there's some suspicion about a secret facility in the lighthouse. To make matters even worse, a hurricane's brewing, which means no one can leave the island for a couple of days.

Within the first 15 minutes I said "here's what I think is happening..." and proceeded to get roughly 85% of the plot correct. So, though it looks great, it was pretty obvious what was going on from the moment the head doctor gave the marshal some aspirin.

C-

Outside (2024)

A couple experiencing marital stress must now deal with a zombie outbreak. Along with their two sons, they head toward his childhood home since it's on a farm and should have plenty of room. The trauma he experienced there, however, goes to work on his mental health and soon the zombies aren't the scariest thing the wife and kids are facing.

Though taking a marital thriller and adding zombies is an interesting idea, it's also just too much. Or maybe just too long.

C+

Caddo Lake (2024)

Paris was in the car with his mother when a sudden seizure caused them to crash into the lake. Since then, he's been obsessed with researching her illness and the lake levels while his personal life has suffered: his girlfriend and father need him to move on, but he just can't. In another storyline, teen Ellie is struggling in her blended family. Despite the friction with her mother and stepfather, her much younger stepsister Anna dotes on her. When Anna goes missing out on the lake, Ellie is frantic to find her and stumbles into Paris's world as he finds his way into hers.

Very effective film that doesn't get too deep into explanations. It just lets us viewers watch and start to piece together the truth along with Ellie and Paris. Original, if a bit too slight.

B

Trap (2024)

Shyamalan might be the most wildly uneven director out there. He makes brilliant things like Unbreakable and will then go and make a groaner like Old. You just never know which one you're gonna get, but I will never stop hoping!

I was really intrigued by the trailer for Trap: the cops are pretty sure that a serial killer will attend the "Lady Raven" concert and, when the killer (who is, indeed, at the concert with his daughter) realizes this, he has to scramble to find a way out without being caught. How will he do it? The answer is "way too easily." And what the hell was Hayley Mills doing there? What was THAT about??

If I had to guess, I'd say that this entire production is just an extended advertisement for his daughter's music (Saleka Shyamalan), who plays Lady Raven.

D+

What You Wish For (2024)

Gambling debts spur Ryan to get out of the country quick, so he goes to visit an old friend from culinary school. Ryan has been toiling in the hotel industry while his friend Jack has been traveling the world, getting rich creating exotic meals for exclusive clients. When Jack unexpectedly leaves, Nick's desperation for cash drives him to step in as chef for the next party.

Though I had an idea where this was going, it never felt frustrating. So often in thrillers I'll think "well he should just do this or that and that would solve it." But this is written and acted in a way that kept me on board with what Ryan was doing: I felt his uncertainty and simmering tension.

B+

The Babysitter: Killer Queen (2020)

Doesn't measure up to the original, but there are still a couple of surprises to be had. That said, I'm hoping that there's not a third installment as this premise feels like it's gone as far as it can go.

C+

Against the Night (2017)

Nine friends decide to go together to the town's abandoned prison in the middle of the night to film a ghost hunting video. Things get bloody quick -- but they get stupid and infuriating even before the blood starts flowing.

My question throughout was "Why in the world would any of these women keep these arrested-development men in their lives?" One of the first scenes has a guy with a camera sneaking into a room to film a couple having sex: the male half of duo sees him and grins while the woman is embarrassed but quickly gets over it. It's like all of the guys are 12 with boobies and sex on the brain and the women just shrug it off with a "boys will be boys" attitude. Literally unbelievable. Also, most of the scares are shot with so little light that they're completely ineffective.

F

Cursed Friends (2022)

After receiving a "predict the future" activity book while trick-or-treating, four kids fill it out together. Twentyish years later, they all happen to be together on Halloween and discover the long-lost book -- and now the predictions are coming true.

This felt like one of those K-Mart kids' movie knock-offs: disappointing but also "off" enough to be weirdly watchable. The murder and orgy club subplots, however, make this resolutely inappropriate for children.

D

Here Before (2022)

Because Laura lost her own daughter Josie in a traffic accident years ago, she's naturally drawn to Megan, the daughter of the new neighbors. But there's a bit more to it than just "she reminds me of her" -- Megan seems to know things that only Josie would know. Though Laura understands it must just be coincidental fantasy on Megan's part, she can't help the feelings it stirs up.

I really got into this. Andrea Riseborough as Laura proves that her Oscar nomination a couple of years back was no fluke: I was right there with her, confused and hopeful while realizing that it can't be what it seems to be. Lovely work all around -- though the ending didn't quite explain everything the way it seemed to think it did.

B+

Luz: The Flower of Evil (2021)

"El Senor," his adult daughter, and two other women live together. As the spiritual leader of a small mountain community, he has proclaimed several different boys to be Jesus. Each child in the string of Messiahs has been shackled in an outdoor pen, where he proceeded to die from exposure. But there's a new Jesus in the pen... certainly El Senor's gotten it right this time?

I have to admit that it sounds like a cool and scary premise, but it's just a mess. Other than the color-saturated hyper-real cinematography (absolutely beautiful), there's no worth to this ugly and nonsensical story.

D

Last Stop in Yuma County (2024)

A gas station, hotel, and diner sit together on an otherwise empty stretch of highway in Arizona. The gas truck is late, so anyone stopping to fill up has to wait since the next station is 100 miles away. Soon there are about half a dozen people nursing coffees in the diner -- two of whom just robbed a bank and are antsy to get going.

There's not a lot of dialogue and only a tad more plot, but it works. The characters behave believably for the most part and the jittery tension grew as the minutes passed. 

B

It's What's Inside (2024)

The day before one of them is getting married, a group of college friends reunite for the first time in almost a decade. One of them -- the black sheep who made good in tech -- has brought along a machine that allows the consciousness of each person connected to the machine via electrode to jump into the body of another participant. After the initial shock, the group enjoys the experience and starts playing a "guess who's in whom" game.

There's absolutely no question that this is a terrific premise, but the camerawork keeps shoving story out of the way to say "look how fast I can spin! see how quick I can cut! pay attention to all of my tricks!" I was disoriented and had a hard time keeping things straight. Really too bad because I liked what was underneath the effects.

C+

Killer Heat (2024)

Drunken PI with some demons is hired by a woman to investigate the death of her brother in law (her husband's identical twin). The case has been closed as accidental and the family into which she's married is very private and very powerful, so she wants him to keep quiet about what he's doing. 

I knew what was going on from the moment I heard "twin," so it became a matter of just waiting until the reveal to confirm that the obvious was true. There is a little twist at the very end, but it's not enough to alter my view of this as a by-the-numbers waste of time.

C-

The Nest (2020)

A thriller with Jude Law and Carrie Coon and a title that sounds promisingly insidious? Well, it's spooky season, so yes please!

Law (British) is the second husband of Coon (American) and they seem to be flourishing in the states, along with their their two children. But he says he's got a big opportunity in England and wants to move the family there and, since it's the '80s and he's the man of the house, there they go. They're in a huge mansion, living way beyond their means, and everyone's struggling in their new country -- including Law who can't land the deals he's working.

Unhappy family, big spooky estate -- we were teed up for the big scares. And then they never came. The whole movie was basically "toxic man uproots his family based on a hopeful fabrication and it doesn't pay off."

C

The Teachers' Lounge (2023)

Carla Nowak is in her first year of teaching at a new school. After several thefts, one of her students is accused and quickly exonerated of being the culprit. When Ms. Nowak lays a trap for the thief and it yields a suspect, she finds herself on the outs with parents and students, as well as faculty and staff.

This felt almost like a thriller. It took me a long time to finish because I was so emotionally affected by the tension, unfairness, and mob mentality. Making Nowak a bit of an outsider worked quite well here as no one was inclined to be on her side out of loyalty. All of that said, I'm dinging it a bit for the unsatisfying (and, frankly, confusing) ending.

B