Shadow in the Cloud (2020)

 

A female WWII pilot traveling with top secret documents on a B-17 Flying Fortress encounters an evil presence on board the flight.

Basically silly mash-up of several genres with a agreeable feminist touch is pulp indeed, but a lot of fun to be had along the way.

 

Chloe Moretz

The 5th Wave (2016)

Four waves of increasingly deadly alien attacks have left most of Earth in ruin. Cassie is on the run, desperately trying to save her younger brother.

OK, but utterly derivative doomsday sci-fi drama could have been so much better with its cast and a little more imagination. 

Chloe Moretz

Suspiria (2018)

A darkness swirls at the center of a world-renowned dance company, one that will engulf the artistic director, an ambitious young dancer, and a grieving psychotherapist.

Artful re-imagination of an already highly stylish horror classic has a lot going for it (style, great sets, cast, atmosphere and a great soundtrack), but far outstays its welcome, disappoints with an over-the-top ending and generally can't hold a candle to the original.

The Equalizer (2014)

A man believes he has put his mysterious past behind him and has dedicated himself to beginning a new, quiet life. But when he meets a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters, he can't stand idly by - he has to help her.

Violent vigilante thriller has style ans suspense, and Denzel Washington can really pull off his role as righteous avenger, but all that said, it's still a dubious genre.

Chloe Moretz

Chloe Moretz

ph: Olivier Vigerie

Kick-Ass 2 (2013)

Following Kick-Ass' heroics, other citizens are inspired to become masked crusaders, but Red Mist leads his own group of evil supervillains to get revenge, kill Kick-Ass and destroy everything he stands for.

Lacklustre sequel comes along as a tired attempt (and miss) to revive the original's charm;  and there's a disagreeable, imbalanced mixture of humour and violence.

Maltin*1/2: "The purpose and momentum of the original film are gone, along with some of its most compelling characters. What's left is a vulgar, violent look at Hit Girl...and a lot of obnoxious posturing by egomaniacal villain Red Mist...Carrey is wasted as a newly introduced vigilante leader and Taylor-Johnson's role is reduced to meaninglessness. Comic-book moviemaking at its worst."

Clouds of Sils Maria (2014)

A film star comes face-to-face with an uncomfortable reflection of herself while starring in a revival of the play that launched her career.

A complex and extensive study of what performing art (and fictionality in general) may mean in relation to reality; the director finds many fine nuances to the topic, but the movie succeeds mainly on the superb and awe-inspiring performances of its cast.

Chloe Moretz

Texas Killing Fields (2011)

In the Texas bayous, a local homicide detective teams up with a cop from New York City to investigate a series of unsolved murders.

Intense and well-cast crime thriller with emphasis on atmosphere and character than on the (predictable) plot.

Maltin**1/2: "Slick psycological thriller, "inspired by true events", has atmosphere to spare but is hampered by one too many plot inconsistencies and often unintelligible dialogue." 

Carrie (2013)

A shy girl outcast by her peers and sheltered by her deeply religious mother, who unleashes telekinetic terror on her small town after being pushed too far at her senior prom.

Straightforward, almost literal remake of the Brian De Palma classic is very professionaly made and has a good cast, but never manages to reach the impact of the original.

Maltin**: "Too similar to the well-remembered 1976 film...Moore is very good, but while Moretz tries hard, she can't overcome her misfortunate miscasting. Climax is much less impressive than in the original movie, reminding us tha CGI is not always an improvement."

Hallowed Ground (2007)

After she becomes stranded in a small town, a young woman discovers her arrival there was foretold a century earlier by the town's founding preacher and that she is an integral part of his impending - and terrifying - rebirth.

Run-of-the-mill horror thriller slovenly staged and with no surprises to uphold any suspense.

Kick-Ass (2010)

An unnoticed high school student and comic book fan one day decides to become a super-hero, even though he has no powers.

Entertaining and intelligent variation on the superhero genre introducing a small girl as the true superhero.

Hugo (2011)

Set in 1930s Paris, an orphan who lives in the walls of a train station is wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton.

Fantastic homage to the art of traditional cinema ironically using lots of digital trickery.

Wicked Little Things (2006)

A widow and her 2 daughters move to a small town in Pennsylvania where, unknown to them, in 1913, a horrid mine accident trapped dozens of children alive, underground, but there's a problem: they're still alive.

Slightly atmospheric, but otherwise quite conventional mixture of the ghost story and zombie genres.