Oh my, and Wow, sum up my initial reaction to the two movies I watched this month – Wicked: Part One and Heretic.
First, I had to scramble to find a theater near me that still featured Heretic. The film was released November 8th, but that was a super busy month for me with travel and family. But, I found a theater. It had only one show time. I went alone.
Oh My – I found myself mesmerized by the film. I sat at the edge of my seat for the entire movie. The Heretic movie is really intense.
Hugh Grant, as the charming, equally sinister, Mr. Reed was amazing! His portrayal proved he should never be type-cast as the congenial good-guy anymore.
The script was written AND directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. It’s a contained horror thriller, featuring Chloe East and Sophia Thatcher as two Mormon women who wind up trapped inside the home of a reclusive man during their door-knocking missionary task.
The storyline is unique and the house becomes more of a maze as the two women attempt to escape their sinister captor. The reveals and twists within the film shocked me and gave me chills.
The ending left me stunned. But, not in a good way. It was too ambiguous. Viewer are left to discern what they would about the fate of Sister Paxton, played by Chloe East. Did she escape? Or, did she die, still trapped in Mr. Reed’s basement?
The ending haunted me. It haunted so much that I sat it my car in the theater parking lot and Googled reviews of the film. I also Googled “The Heretic movie ending explained,” just to assure myself I didn’t find the ending ambiguous by mistake.
Yes, I kid you not.
Scott Beck and Bryan Woods succeeded in their goal of creating a film that left audiences thinking and unsettled.
In my opinion, that’s not always a good thing. They still could have made the ending with Sister Paxton more definitive and they still would have succeeded in having audiences question the religious connotations and beliefs that were explored within the film.
Still, in my humble opinion, Heretic IS the BEST HORROR film of 2024.
WICKED – PART ONE
The second movie I saw was Wicked.
The trailer for the movie made it a MUST SEE for me and my family. Before seeing it, I bought a Wicked sweater for my 11-year-old granddaughter. She was looking forward to seeing the movie.
The day we went she wore her sweater. My husband joined us. I warned them both that Wicked is a LONG movie. And it was indeed LLOOONG! Too long for my taste. My husband and I also thought there were way too many songs.
Yes, we knew it was a musical. We knew many of the songs were based on the Broadway musical. But we both would’ve liked more story through dialogue. At least, an equal mix. Like in The Wizard of Oz.
The cinematic flare of the movie was AWESOME on the big screen. The story about the Wicked Witch of the West and Galinda the Good meeting at school, becoming roommates and best friends was nicely done. It’s an EPIC story based on the successful Wicked novel series by Gregory Maguire.
Cynthia Erivo is wonderful as young Elphaba Thropp, making her character relatable, someone audiences empathized with and rooted for. Ariana Grande personified the seemingly “good” Galinda Upland to perfection. Hubby and I also liked watching Jeff Goldblum do his little song and dance as the Wizard of OZ. The CGI scenery was glorious. The talking animal characters, and school itself, were Harry Potteresque.
Jon M. Chu directed the film. The screenplay was written by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox.
The story takes place in the land of OZ well before Elphaba becomes a wicked witch and before Dorothy and Toto arrive. The backstories and new characters were engaging and – other that the constant singing – left us all wanting more by the end of the part one film.
I found the story and characters riveting. They were so compelling that I purchased all the Wicked Novels by Gregory Maguire. I’m looking forward to reading them and to passing them along to my oldest granddaughter Sophia.
So, if you haven’t seen it – Wicked is still playing in most theaters.
