We are now deep into scary season at movie theaters nationwide.
Our critics have seen and enjoyed the four movies in our headline: Olivia Colman conjures up a wicker man and is very happy when he's manifested as Alexander Skarsgård; LAIKA Studios goes PG-13 for the first time for a dark fairy tale; DC Studios goes full horror thriller; and Lee Chang-dong delivers what our critic describes as "the best film of the year."
Frankly, our critics were not so hot on two other movies opening in movie theaters this week, though the performances in each are worthy of calling out. Please keep reading for details on each film, as well as links to all our reviews.
Wicker
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via Black Bear Pictures.
Our review by Shelagh Rowan-Legg: "The film might not be brash, but it's not subtle, nor does it need to be. Wicker finds its prickly humour in the satire and its love in the characters."
Wildwood
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via LAIKA Studios.
Our review by yours truly: "Epic in its scope, Wildwood is an ambitious adventure that is always enchanting. ... Even though Wildwood is decidedly not a film made for young children, it speaks directly to the strength of family relationships."
Clayface
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via Warner Bros.
Our review by Mel Valentin: "The visceral quality of those scenes -- shout-out to Clayface's practical effects team(s) -- makes Matt's eventual fall from hero to anti-hero to villain all the more difficult to accept, let alone embrace or applaud."
Possible Love
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via Netflix.
Our review by Dustin Chang: "Dense and layered with remarkable performances, Possible Love is for me, hands down, the best film of the year."
A Talent for Murder
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via Bleecker Street Media .
Our review by Mel Valentin: "Despite their unquestionably best efforts, neither Ehrenreich's dual performance as Ridgeway and/or Ripley, Mirren's flawless performance as the bitter, cynical Highsmith, nor the supporting cast can save the film from the screenplay's lack of an imaginative resolution for either the murder question Highsmith puts to Ridgeway as a condition for the book deal, collapsing in-film realities (a trope to some, a cliché to others), or the absence of dramatic or emotional payoffs in the film's final moments."
Klara and the Sun
The film is now playing, only in movie theaters, via Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Our review by Mel Valentin: "Klara's base-level programming allows her to learn and adapt, but never really grow emotionally, a narrative constraint that can work under the virtual pen of an award-winning, lyrically gifted novelist like Ishiguro, but not, alas, Waititi, a filmmaker limited by a two-hour running time, an altogether modest budget, and the commercially driven erasure of Ishiguro's thematically rich, multi-layered exploration of the human -- and non-human (AI) -- condition."
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