Hot on the heels of Cord Jefferson’s Oscar win for American Fiction comes another satirical look at Black media tropes: The American Society of Magical Negroes, which seeks to skewer the cinematic trend concerning benevolent African American characters who seemingly exist to help white people. Justice Smith (who shared with us his last four watched) stars alongside Oscar-announcer David Alan Grier. It’s a mixed bag of reactions among those who caught American Society at Sundance: “A Black project gentrified by white morals for non-Black audiences,” says Xero, while Cinema_Snobb reckons writer-director Kobi Libii “has a lot of good ideas floating around in his movie”, but laments that some “get lost beneath a script full of contrivance and predictability”.

On the other hand, Kolby9k writes that the film was “definitely insightful, and quite a bit better than American Fiction in tackling similar issues”, but goes on to qualify their endorsement: “As a Black person though, I’m ready to be over the hump of explaining our experience under the white gaze. I had a cathartic experience, but it only makes me yearn more for aspirational Black experiences and visions on screen.” Now in US theaters.

Double Oscar-winner Anthony Hopkins portrays yet another real-life figure in One Life, which tells the story of Nicholas Winton, a British stockbroker who helped get Jewish children out of Czechoslovakia (and harm’s way) just before World War II. Rising British star Johnny Flynn plays the young Winton. Apparently inspired by a viral video of an aged Winton being surprised on television decades after the fact by many of the children he had rescued, Jeff notes that One Life is “probably the best film that exists because of a TV clip posted on YouTube”. “I don’t think I’ve heard so many people crying in a movie theater ever,” reports Keirrr. Brendon says that the film “holds such an emotional impact it’s abnormal.” So, yeah: bring tissues. Now in select US theaters.

Occult thriller Exhuma has been burning up the South Korean box office for several weeks, marking it as the latest smash-hit genre film from that country to display considerable breakout potential in English-speaking markets. It concerns a wealthy Korean American family suffering a plague of paranormal awfulness. They seek help from two young shamans, who, along with a geomancer/​feng-shui expert played by Oldboy star Choi Min-sik, are forced to… exhume… the grave of a cursed ancestor back in Korea. Apparently, it does not go well.

“One of the most intriguing and exciting horror films that South Korea ever made,” raves Adam, who promises “gore, violence and mystery.” “Haunting. Unsettling. Lingering,” teases Nadhie, who goes on to exclaim that “in an era of largely formulaic modern horrors, Exhuma recognizes that truly chilling horror goes beyond cheap jump scares”. Buzz says that the film has “a creepy ambience that will jab you in the right spot”. It’s “easily the best Korean horror film since The Wailing,” reckons Filip. Now in theaters in the US, Australia and New Zealand.

God bless Australian actor Mia Wasikowska, who, since breaking out in the billion-dollar-grossing Alice in Wonderland in 2010, has only chosen to appear in cool, challenging, weird and interesting films. (Plus, a no-doubt contractually obligated Alice sequel.) Her latest movie is Club Zero, which premiered at Cannes last year and is written and directed by Austrian filmmaker Jessica Hausner (Little Joe). Wasikowska plays an educator at an international boarding school who teaches something called “conscious eating” to a group of students, with whom she forms a potentially dangerous bond. Bert calls it a “brilliant, deadpan, black as possible black comedy”, while Ana says it’s a “disquieting and unsettling exploration into how easily children and teenagers can be manipulated in this day and age”. “I left after an hour to go to KFC. I love conscious eating,” admits Ciara. Screening at the IFC Center in New York this weekend, then the Laemmle Royal in Los Angeles from March 22.

The exponentially ubiquitous Sydney Sweeney adds to an already bountiful recent slate with the Italy-set convent horror Immaculate, which is a reunion with filmmaker Michael Mohan, who wrote and directed Sweeney’s quietly (shamefully?) beloved 2021 Brian De Palma throwback The Voyeurs. Andrew Lobel wrote this new film, which co-stars The White Lotus breakout Simona Tabasco. It just premiered at SXSW, and initial reactions are all over the place, ranging from Josh calling it “bloody, brutal, beautiful” to Jeff zinging that it’s what you get “when you order Paul Verhoeven’s Benedetta off Wish”. Cami says it’s a “a damn good horror film” but admits that she “found [her]self wanting to crawl out of [her] own skin out of sheer discomfort”. Mohan is here for all of the Letterboxd takes, as he tells fellow Canadian Chandler Levack in her fantastic story for Journal on how member-filmmakers cope with the highs and lows of ratings and reviews. In US, UK, Australia and New Zealand theaters on March 22.

As beloved as the greased-up, macho-fried, ham-bone-crunching, throat-grabbing Patrick Swayze-starring late-’80s classic Road House remains, nobody saw it as having significant remake potential—even with the presence of a 2006 direct-to-video sequel. But Jeff Bezos had a dream, Jake Gyllenhaal had a gym, and there was some intellectual property lying around. Somewhat controversially bypassing a theatrical release (which makes this one direct-to-video, too, I guess) after a recent, raucous premiere at SXSW, Road House 2024 is ready to be your new regular Saturday-night thing. It is all but assured prominent placement in the “bouncers who care” canon, not to mention this list of films guaranteed to be loved by “the fella on the door”—even if the original’s doorman character is sidelined in favor of a Gyllenhaal’s more 21st-century former UFC fighter. On Prime Video March 21.

Speaking of mining intellectual property, Sony is doggedly pushing ahead with its attempts to get the Ghostbusters franchise back to its once culture-dominating heights with Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, a follow-up to 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which ignored the 2016 reboot to function as a legacy sequel to the original films. The 2021 movie was directed by Jason Reitman, the son of the late Ivan Reitman, who directed Ghostbusters and (the still unfairly maligned, I’ll die saying it) Ghostbusters II.

Both Reitmans are still credited as producers, but for the new one, Jason has handed off directing duties to Gil Kenan, whose career has been spent evoking throwback ’80s vibes with titles like Monster House, City of Ember and the Poltergeist remake. So he kinda makes sense here. The trailers promise more to do for the legacy cast members (whose collective presence in the previous film was confined to a single scene where they barely moved) and touts the series’ return to New York. But it will have some work to do to overcome the “video-game DLC” energy emanating from the title and poster. In US, UK, Australia and New Zealand theaters March 22, and most territories the following week.

Much anticipated by our crew, Cameron and Colin Cairnes’ innovative possession horror Late Night with the Devil takes an impressively meticulous approach to a very specific idea. Anchored by a stunning performance from stalwart character presence David Dastmalchian (Dune, Oppenheimer) that all but demands his elevation to leading-man status, the movie takes the form of a “found” recording of a 1977 episode of a fictional talk show called Night Owls with Jack Delroy, with Dastmalchian as the genial Dick Cavett-esque host.

The actor’s cadence and rhythms are so perfectly evocative of the era’s live TV that you find yourself wishing that Dastmalchian really hosted such a show. The authenticity only enhances the tension when things start to go awry. Horror filmmaker (and voracious Letterboxd list creator) Mike Flanagan calls it an “atmospheric and riveting real-time horror broadcast with a wonderful performance”. Julia is also big-time on board: “This film rocked my entire world. If you’re a late-night talk-show fan, you’re in for a f*cking treat. Incredible set, fantastic performances, and MY GOD did I never know where this film was going.” “Crazy, silly, wild, fun, goofy, spooky, cool,” says Laura, using all the right words. In select US theaters March 22.