Road House ★★★☆☆
Directed by Doug Liman. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Daniela Melchior, Billy Magnussen, Jessica Williams, Joaquim de Almeida, Conor McGregor, Lukas Gage, Arturo Castro. Amazon Prime, 114 min
Gyllenhaal signs on as bouncer in a Florida bar in this lavish remake of that indifferent Patrick Swayze film. McGregor is along for the ride as (what do you expect?) an evil henchman with a taste for mayhem. So much effort has gone into making a small story enormous that one can understand director Liman smarting at Amazon releasing Road House only on streaming. Gyllenhaal swaggers. The seascapes gleam. McGregor eats his sandwiches. The film is (like its predecessor) no classic, but it would play well enough to a packed Friday-night audience in Megaplex 3. Not to be, alas. Full review DC
Immaculate ★★★★☆
Directed by Michael Mohan. Starring Sydney Sweeney, Álvaro Morte, Benedetta Porcaroli, Simona Tabasco, Giorgio Colangeli, Giulia Heathfield Di Renzi. 16 cert, gen release, 88 min
Rambunctious horror with Sweeney, star of the moment, as a young nun who, despite being a virgin, is found to be with child. The location, opening scenario and whiff of the 1970s point towards the Italian horrors of Dario Argento. Immaculate is not nearly so rich or so resonant, but the romp is, however, at home to a fierce economy that allows few breaths to be taken. It would be nothing without a charismatic star at its heart. Sweeney is certainly that and, as the final shot confirms, she is as game as they come. Nun more fun. Full review DC
Late Night with the Devil ★★★★☆
Directed by Colin Cairnes, Cameron Cairnes. Starring David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss, Ingrid Torelli, Rhys Auteri. 16 cert, gen release, 93 min
Ingenious horror that purports to show us footage of a 1977 chat show concerned with the doings of parapsychologist. At its best when it colours within the lines of the found-footage genre. An extended prologue introducing the host and his wife feels like a cheat and undermines the “real-life 1979 broadcast” pitch. No matter. Veteran production designer Otello Stolfo and costumer designer Steph Hooke conjure a period TV set so convincing, one expects the host to shout: “Roll it there, Colette”. A convincingly beige colour grade and analogue glitches complete the look. Full review TB
The Delinquents/Los Delincuentes ★★★★☆
Directed by Rodrigo Moreno. Starring Daniel Elías, Esteban Bigliardi, Margarita Molfino, Germán De Silva. 15A cert, gen release, 189 min
A bored bank employee (Elías) calculates that, as a trusted cashier, he can stash a comfortable lifetime’s worth of money into a backpack and hand his haul over to similarly dull work colleague (Bigliardi). Confounding twists and turns abound in Argentinian director Moreno’s first feature in more than a decade. Double-jobbing actors in this unhurried Strangers on a Train adjacent yarn are complemented by mind games. The quietly convincing co-leads occupy very different points on the deadpan spectrum. The denouement isn’t entirely satisfactory, but with a journey this epic, who cares about the destination? Full review TB
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