M3GAN (2023)
Killing Me Softly (2001)
Heart Of Midnight (1988)
Flower (2017)
Speed 2 Cruise Control (1997)
Matinee (1993)
1941 (1979) ///
M3GAN (2023) Assured satiric thriller entwines family loss and soulless commercialization as socially awkward roboticist Allison Williams creates AI doll for orphaned niece. With themes left undeveloped, inevitable murders and extended climax leave eerie potential with standard scares.
Killing Me Softly (2001) Patrick Doyle's intoxicating, sweeping score and some isolated visuals can't compensate for misjudged hysteria of passion between staid website designer Heather Graham and posturing mountaineer Joseph Fiennes. Much nudity, little heat, while preposterous thriller revelations elicit more laughs than danger.
Heart Of Midnight (1988) Equal parts disturbing and clumsy, unstable Jennifer Jason Leigh inherits uncle's seedy club only to find lingering secrets literally within the walls. Themes of mental breakdown and incest contaminate impenetrable and dry narrative despite piercing lead performance.
Flower (2017) Kept buoyant by invested cast and detached observation of the cruelly careless, situation and character too often ring hollow as Zoey Deutch plans revenge on teacher her stepbrother accuses of sexual assault. Bleached glow of visuals contrasts with conscious shock value that remains unpersuasive.
Speed 2 Cruise Control (1997) Production values are vivid and climactic set pieces deliver on promised spectacle, yet convoluted storytelling drains thrills and even quirky Sandra Bullock struggles to register character jeopardy. Jason Patric runs around amid Willem Dafoe's sabotage.
Matinee (1993) Affectionate tribute to 60s cinema showmanship meshed with threat of Cuban Missile Crisis, sees unrepentant showman John Goodman terrifying Key West Town with latest atomic scifi movie. Spirited comedy less sure with domestic plots and ragged conclusion, yet remains endearing.
1941 (1979) Exhilarating and exhausting, embracing a manic, epic sensibility to unfurl chaos of a paranoid Los Angeles under rumors of Japanese attack. Even when comedy falters, densely choreographed storytelling and diverting cast provide delirious energy amid gorgeous use of miniatures.
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