The Shooting (1966)

Suspicious Willett and gullible Coley agree to guide a woman who's light on the details to a nearby town. When the woman insists on taking a detour to follow a barely discernible trail, the circumstances get dangerous as they're running out of water, food and horses. They're joined by another of her cohorts, the dangerous Billy Spear, who only ratchets up the tension.

The unease develops so naturally that I could feel my muscles tightening. It's a shame that the payoff is both too sudden and too small.

C

Steve (2025)

A (very busy) day in the life of Steve, the headmaster of an alternative school for troubled boys. A "normal" day is probably eventful enough, but today they've also got a documentary team in to do a story on the school as well as a scheduled visit from a local official. 

The style of the film is chaos -- which is fitting as it captures the vibe of these very unsettled and often angry kids -- but it's also exhausting. Perhaps that was the point. The small staff here is dedicated but running on steam as they're often the target of tantrums and, in the case of the pretty new staffer, inappropriate attention. The point is well-made that tossing kids like these into prison-like situations will never teach them to manage their impulses and contribute to society, but it simultaneously illustrates just how much time and effort is necessary to help them. It's sobering, to say the least.

Cillian Murphy is brilliant here, but the film depends too much on vibes and doesn't give us enough of a story.

C+ 

Circus Island (2006)

Carlos has the circus in his blood: he has inherited the family's island (complete with Big Top and Grandpa Circus Ghost) and refuses to stop chasing his dream of being a trapeze artist, despite approaching 50. His wife Lena wisely dumps him and he falls into the arms of her estranged sister... whom he'd previously never seen nor met. A decade later, the unhappy daughter he left behind runs away to the island to find her father, who by now has three new kids with Aunt Stepmom. When she comes looking for her daughter, Lena decides to help out her ex and sis by financing a Circus Camp, where kids can learn to be circus performers. Solid plan, everyone! 

I'm fairly certain this is the most inept film I've literally ever seen. Storylines start then peter out, the timelines make zero sense, the acting is jaw-droppingly terrible, the soundtrack consists of the musical equivalents of those knock-off cartoons that K-Mart used to sell on VHS, and the water taxi operator is named "Jamaica Joe" and leans hard into it. The only worthwhile element is the bad-to-the-bone villain Ashley who vamps around saying things like "Loser" and making barf faces, accuses another camper of sexual assault and then attempts murder by cutting through the safety net. Her insanity doesn't fix anything, but at least it's a break from the interminable training montages.

F

The Manitou (1978)

A woman discovers a fast-growing tumor on the back of her neck. The doctors schedule next-day surgery, so she goes to see old friend -- a low-rent fortune teller Harry played by Tony Curtis -- to have a roll in the hay. When the surgeon is supernaturally prevented from removing the tumor (which they now believe may contain a fetus), Harry gets to work on figuring out how to deal with it from a mystical perspective.

It is no-holds-barred bonkers. A jacked little person emerging from a neck womb is probably the fourth most wtf thing to occur, with laser-shooting boobs coming in just ahead. It's a mess, but Curtis seems to be having a hell of a time, which makes it worth the watch.

D

Leave Her to Heaven (1945)

Novelist Richard and Ellen get together almost immediately after meeting on a train. Her family seems to characterize her more reckless decisions as normal for her -- a sign of free-spirited fearlessness -- and Ellen's mother even tells Richard that Ellen loves too hard. But they marry and Ellen throws herself into domestication. It's only when Ellen's family comes to visit that Richard seems to notice Ellen's mask slipping a bit, while mother and sister recognize her impatience and rudeness as Ellen being Ellen.

Long story short: things go very badly and I think undiagnosed Borderline Personality Disorder is to blame. Gene Tierney is both gorgeous and chilling as the calculating Ellen.

B