Clueless (1995)

Cher is a spoiled rich girl living in a mansion and attending school with a lot of other spoiled rich kids. But, unlike so many who have so much, she's not a mean girl. For example, when she sees the awkward new kid at school, her instinct is to extend the help she perceives is needed (makeover/boyfriend) rather than to shun her. Despite her desire to be a good person, her lack of knowledge of what goes on outside her bubble is a hindrance, so it's a good thing her stepbrother Josh is always around to keep her head from getting too big!

I really liked this when I first saw it 35 years ago (when I was still in my 20s). Though it doesn't entirely hold up, it's still pretty sweet and worth a watch.

C+

Late Night with the Devil (2024)

The "documentary" intro to the film does a lot of the heavy lifting, briefing us on talk show host Jack Delroy who, though popular, has never managed to land the top spot. He lost his beloved wife to lung cancer (though she'd never smoked) and, about a year later, his ratings have gotten extremely low. There's also some info about a secret society that breeds children to sacrifice. For Halloween 1977 -- during sweeps week -- Delroy's show "Night Owls" decided to embrace the season by booking a medium, a skeptic, and a girl rescued from the secret society who claims to be possessed by a demon. What follows is the tape of that episode, not shown since 1977.

This is an absorbing and effective low-budget horror film with David Dastmalchian (Delroy) and Ingrid Torelli (as the possessed Lilly) turning in particularly good performances. Though it can't help but kind of peter out at the end, I was pretty impressed.

B-

Don't Move (2024)

Bereft mother is considering ending it all from the same hiking trail cliff that took her son, when a stranger arrives and calmly talks her out of it. We soon find out that his motives are more opportunistic than altruistic; too bad for him he did such a good job of convincing her not to give in to the call of death that day.

This is how I like my horror: more psychological than graphic and not trying to be more than it should be. Just scare me without insulting my intelligence, then get off my screen.

B

Klute (1971)

Six months after a friend goes missing, private detective John Klute travels to New York to dig into the only clue: an obscene letter written to Bree, a prostitute who lives there. Though very good at her job, Bree is actively trying to quit what she considers a problematic compulsion, pursuing an acting career instead. Klute, despite an almost complete lack of charm, convinces her to help and they eventually begin an affair.

At the risk of sounding prudish, the "underbelly" vibe of this movie was offputting -- like, how do people live like this? What are they getting from it? There were also a few too many times that I was confused about what, exactly, was going on. But the acting is good and the story was interesting if a tad predictable.

B-

The Usual Suspects (1995)

I was alone in a hotel room watching PayPerView in my 20s the first time I saw this. I don't remember what I thought during the watch, but I do remember that the ending blew my mind and my rating was an "A-." I was in my living room with my husband of more than 35 years the second time I saw this and, though I knew the twist couldn't surprise a second time around, I was excited to revisit it. After all, I've enjoyed repeat viewings of several movies that depend on a reveal (e.g. The Sixth Sense, L.A. Confidential, Fight Club). So, why did this film just flatten out?

My guess is that most of the high ratings are from people who remember fondly their first viewing and either haven't seen it since or, if they have, chalked up any disappointment experienced during a rewatch to the fact that the surprise was ruined.

C