Polite Society (2023)

High schooler Ria is determined to become a stuntwoman. The only thing that gets her sister Lena, a recent art school dropout, out of her depressed funk is lending a hand with Ria's training and web channel. When rich bachelor Salim Shah selects Lena to date from dozens of possibilities, Ria is determined to break it up -- first because she feels Lena isn't being true to herself, but then because she makes some concerning discoveries at the Shah estate.

I'll be quite surprised if I find out that the writer was not inspired by Scott Pilgrim, because this has a the same "teetering into ridiculous but also sinister" vibe going. Ria and her two best friends are easy to root for and some shots are arresting, but it's about 15 minutes longer than it should be. The final act feels like it goes on forever.

C+

Drive-Away Dolls (2024)

Jamie's girlfriend has kicked her out for cheating, so she decides to join Marian on a roadtrip to Tallahassee. To get there cheap, they're doing a "drive away" (driving a car that someone needs delivered to Tallahassee). The car they're given, however, was supposed to go to a specific driver due to its very valuable cargo.

It's like a cross between the heightened silliness of Raising Arizona, the time-crunch chase of Midnight Run, and the surprising violence of Burn After Reading but it's nowhere near as successful as any of those. But it's good-natured enough and it doesn't stick around that long, so I'm not mad about it.

B-

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