Malignant directed by James Wan; starring Annabelle Wallis, George Young, Maddie Hasson, Michael Briana White and Jean Louisa Kelly; written by Ingrid Bisu, Akela Cooper and James Wan

After her abusive husband is murdered by a mysterious entity, a woman finds herself with an unnatural connexion to the killer.

For most of its running time, the film seems to try to cram in too many horror ideas and pursue too many threads, almost to the point of inconsistency.
The film however remains highly entertaining, thanks to its characters' rich backstories, many clever little touches and, above all, James Wan's highly efficient direction.
And then the reveals of the final act bring (almost) everything together beautifully, unifying the narratives, piling up twist upon twist and send the movie crashing into raw deranged horror of the highest caliber, fusing the visceral grotesqueness of an early David Cronenberg with the unapologetic energy of Paul Verhoeven's best.
Certainly, the movie isn't for everyone, with some over-the-top moments and how gleefully it revels in its transgressions and bad taste. But it is definitely one of the most original, uncompromising and extravagant horror movies in recent history and a jubilant watch for anyone that feels that genre had become a bit complacent of late.

Rating: A

The Many Saints of Newark directed by Alan Taylor; starring Alessandro Nivola, Michael Gandolfini, Leslie Odom Jr., Vera Farmiga, Jon Bernthal, Corey Stoll and Ray Liotta; written by David Chase and Lawrence Konner

A young Tony Soprano grows up idolizing his uncle Dickie Moltisanti.

The film is only a must-see for hardcore Sopranos fans that long for more content.
Everyone else is bound to be disappointed by a movie that has literally no discernible plot and that quickly devolves into a succession of cliché mafia vignettes that come across as cheap direct-to-DVD "Goodfellas" rip-offs.
Add average acting and dull direction to the mix and what you get is an unconvincing attempt to milk an IP and not much more.

Rating: E

 This free site is ad-supported. Learn more
​