The theme of this sexually explicit horror film of a father/daughter relationship explains with sparse dialogue the silent depth of parental love. Robert Pattinson plays the father, whose sexual and emotional dark journey ends with the craft’s suicide destination inside a black hole. The sexuality is graphic, yet the horror lies in the crew’s lack of escape from their nature. Juliette Binoche, whose nudity is up close and personal, is stellar as the doctor at the center of this doomed experiment. This is movie is dark, weird, yet successfully coherent. The hopeless yet redeeming ending is its saving grace.

Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions give a face-lift to the classic H. G. Wells tale, less science fiction and more thriller. The updated narrative follows Cecilia (Elizabeth Moss), a trauma survivor who must convince those around her that she is not insane in her belief that her abusive husband is still haunting her—despite evidence that points to his alleged suicide. Leigh Whannell effectively sustains tension through the use of long takes and suggestion. Scares in certain scenes, however, become less effective due to the revealing trailer. Overall, Cecilia’s ordeal leads to a satisfying conclusion, steeped in empathy and female empowerment. 

I already thought The Turning was the worst horror film so far this year, but this pretentious slow burn supersedes it. Although directed and acted competently, The Lodge sinfully features a terrible script. Only its prologue is shocking, the rest a hodgepodge of weak dialog, empty religious symbolism, and a conceit that cannot stand on its own. Even its “twist” leaves no sympathetic characters to connect with. In fact, the film may be seen as offensive in its portrayal of mental illness, trauma victims, and religion. The Lodge is a cold film that slogs on toward its inevitably bleak conclusion.

Celine Sciamma’s feminist LGBTQ+ masterpiece, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, is a testament to slow-burning (pun intended) cinema with a nuanced and minimalistic approach.  An artist, Marianne, is employed to secretly paint a portrait of Heloise, who is engaged to be married.  What starts off as a job for Marianne slowly begins to morph into a deeper romantic connection, which Heloise reciprocates.  Both women study one another with longing eyes; a glance here and there and observing the subtleties of one another’s movements and gestures.  The love between these women is so believable, which makes the ending so tragic.

Consider the video game movie curse broken. Much like last year’s Pokemon: Detective Pikachu, this adaptation of the popular Sonic franchise is a perfectly serviceable family film that is bolstered considerably by brilliant casting. This sweet, corny E.T. knockoff truly comes to life whenever Jim Carrey’s egotistical villain Dr. Robotnik is on screen. The film’s writing and jokes can be hit-or-miss, but every scene with Carrey is an absolute delight. Excessive product placement keeps Sonic from a hearty recommendation, but adult fans of Carrey’s 90s comedies—along with fans of the video game—should find a lot to like here.

The Bronte Sisters 1979 film is a French language-production about the literary Bronte family and the relationships that allowed the sisters to write such masterpieces as Wuthering Heights (Emily), Jane Eyre (Charlotte), and The Tenet of Widfell Hall (Anne). It focuses on the effect their brother Branwell’s tragic character had upon shaping the family dynamic. Super restrained acting brings the feeling of heath and moor even to their Belgium patron’s flower and sun filled meals. The Brontes always carry a dark English Gothic presence. It’s no wonder their literary works were towering masterpieces of unique English gloom.

After a long hiatus, Richard Stanley returns to direct an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s The Color Out of Space. The film features an alpaca loving Nicholas Cage as he and his family live out in the woods to start fresh. Disaster strikes as what is believed to be a meteor falls from the sky. You can tell it’s been a while since Stanley has directed a film because the film suffers from mediocre editing and a lack of direction of what they want the film to be—a creature film? An alien invasion? A psychedelic cosmological horror? Who’s to say.

A more apt title for The Turning would be "The Turding." It's that bad. Although visually impressive and featuring strong acting, director Floria Sigismondi's adaptation of Henry James's novella doesn't leave much to the imagination. The effectiveness of The Turn of the Screw lies in the ambiguity of whether supernatural occurrences contribute to the governess's crumbling sanity. In addition, there are problems at the script level—particularly awkward sexual tension, too many dream sequences and red herrings—that detract from the final film's emotional impact, despite some palpable scares. Because of these faults, The Innocents remains the superior screen version.

This Gretel & Hansel is different from the original Grimm fairy tale. It’s not revisionist nor retold, but refocused. The focus is now on an older Gretel, deftly played by Sophia Lillis, whose own interior may be just as dark as the original tale. There’s an excellent turn of acting by Alice Krige who plays the creepy old woman archetype. She may be sincerely creepy, or does she just seem that way to Gretel?  A little more gore is needed. The mostly excellent direction from Oz Perkins stumbles when the pacing at the end needs less telling, and more showing.

The Russian Ark of war films.  The product of the collaboration between Mendes and Deakins is a visually stunning and technically ambitious film that is edited together to look like a single continuous shot.  For those looking for more than just a technical achievement will be pleasantly surprised by the emotional pathos of the narrative.  The story (inspired by Mendes’ grandfather’s recollection of the war) follows two young soldiers as they traverse enemy territory to relay a message that could save a platoon from a trap set by the Germans.  This film is definitely worthy of its Golden Globe awards.