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Hugh Grant, Chloe East, and Sophie Thatcher in ‘Heretic’
Hugh Grant, Chloe East, and Sophie Thatcher in ‘Heretic’
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
(In Theaters Nov. 8)
Based on the 1970 novel by Barbara Robinson, this adaptation casts Judy Greer as Grace, a stay-at-home mom whose imperfections are frowned upon by her small town’s busybody church ladies. When Grace is unexpectedly tapped to direct the town’s 75th annual Christmas Pageant, she’s stuck with casting the town’s six rowdiest siblings as Mary, Joseph, the wisemen and inn keeper. The highly acclaimed book succeeds with a light, comedic touch in what qualifies as faith-based film. Its unique twist is casting a group of righteous churchgoers as the bad guys who fail to grasp the true meaning of Jesus’ teachings. Directed by Dallas Jenkins, the PG-Rated effort is narrated by Lauren Graham, as she recounts her childhood pageant memories. (Lisa Miller)
Heretic
(In Theaters Nov. 8)
Heretic sends a pair of Mormon missionaries into a trap. Sister Paxton (Chloe East) and Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) are dispatched to spread the word to Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant). The bespectacled, sweater-clad gentleman welcomes them into his cozy home, promising them fresh-baked blueberry pie. Instead, Reed has configured his house into an escape room from which their may be none. Playing against type, Grant transforms his sheepish smile and halting line delivery into creepy attributes. With the odds stacked against them, the resourceful young women must do more than pray for a miracle. Writer-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, who penned A Quiet Place, expertly weave this tension-filled horror. (Lisa Miller)
The Red Light Bandit
(Severin Blu-ray)
In The Red Light Bandit, the narration comes in discordant fragments, not unlike the way most of us receive “information” today—but the film was shot in 1968. Brazilian director Rogerio Sganzerla must have seen Citizen Kane, abording Orson Welles’ playful exploration of reality and its representation, but was especially steeped in Jean-Luc Goddard’s insouciant appropriation of Hollywood crime movies. His “Red Light Bandit” is a cynical thief and killer whose hardboiled voiceovers are accompanied by news reports spoofing the pomposity and disconnection of the media. Sganzerla spares no one, including anti-intellectual cops and Marxists who describe the bandit as a product of the “late phase of capitalism.” The Blu-ray includes short films, interviews and other bonuses. (David Luhrssen)
