In the 1990s, Slavik, a homeless drifter from Russia with a blurred past, wanders into a remote village in central Ukraine. Nina, a strong and independent woman much older than him takes the stranger into her home. At first, their strange companionship resembles an unlikely love story. But as their relationship unfolds, love turns into betrayal, and the village begins to reveal its hidden rules: a place where witches may live next door and the dead sometimes speak with the living.
The Invitation takes a creeping look at two simple premises: reuniting with forgotten friends and new-age spiritualism. Though one seems a bit scarier than the other, the film heightens social awkwardness to a macabre level that puts an uncomfortable look on when the social taboo of grief is put on public display.
The problem isn’t that it’s bad. It's good. But it fails to stand out from a crowd of similar films.
Him is visually stunning—all concrete cathedrals and bone-rattling impact shots that look like a nightmare highlight reel. Marlon Wayans is magnetic as this legendary quarterback who's basically selling salvation with a smile that never quite reaches his eyes. But the story keeps running in circles: more tests, more cryptic pep talks, more ritualistic drills. The sports-as-religion metaphor beats you over the head when subtlety would've been more effective. The middle drags, and that finale chooses spectacle over substance. It's undeniably stylish, but left me cold. Also worth noting: despite the Monkeypaw connection, this isn't actually a Jordan Peele film—he didn't write or direct.
Sailor Moon Crystal wisely makes the decision to adapt Season 4's Dream Arc into an epic anime movie where the Sailor Guardians shine brightest.
Telling a story about the French and Indian Wars from the perspective of the British prioritizes the perspective of the colonizers.
This Halloween movie is based on the toy line of the same name.
