Weapons/The Conjuring

Weapons

In Weapons, the mysterious disappearance of an entire elementary school class, vanishing at the same moment in the middle of the night, shocks a small provincial community. The children’s teacher immediately becomes the focus of suspicion. Together with the father of one of the missing students, they decide to search on their own for what happened, determined to shed light on a mystery that seems to defy all logic. Big hype… is it worth it?

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I found Julia Garner outstanding. I like her in everything she does.
Josh Brolin is also very good, though the role fits comfortably within his usual range.
The young Alex is very good as well.
Aunt Gladys 👏👏👏… an excellent performance for me.
A strong script with restrained, clean dramaturgy.
Gripping direction by Zach Cregger, with intense suspense in my view.
Cregger divides the story into chapters, following the main characters through a non linear narrative.
It has two or three solid jump scares.
The atmosphere is built effectively and makes you want to see the mystery solved. There is a constant feeling that something dark is lurking.
The scene where the door opens and someone comes out holding scissors scared me so much. 😱
I also really enjoyed the film’s musical score.
Very good editing.

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The ending will, I believe, divide audiences. You will either love it or hate it, no spoilers.
The ending raises more questions than it answers, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
The moments of humor did not work for me in a thriller, though this is subjective.

The Conjuring: Last Rites

Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren take on one final terrifying case involving mysterious entities they must confront. According to their own words, this is the last entry in the Conjuring franchise for the Warrens. Is it worth your attention?

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Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are the heart of the film, and they are a big reason to watch it, as their performances are excellent once again.
The opening scene is very strong and intense.
A fairly powerful third act.
Nice musical score.
A very good appearance by Annabelle.
It includes a few cameos, no spoilers.
It has the cinematic feel you expect from a movie you watch in theaters.
The daughter also does a very good job.
The interaction between the son in law and the Warrens is nicely handled.
From a directing standpoint, it has several very good scenes, including an excellently orchestrated finale.
Emphasis is placed on atmosphere and dramaturgy through the lens of family drama.
Interesting cinematography.

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It does not bring anything new to the table. It feels like reheated food.
Although it starts very strong, it sags a bit along the way, but thankfully recovers.
Despite having jump scares and atmosphere, I did not find it particularly scary or inventive.
The Warrens take too long to truly enter the “game” of the haunting, which may pull some viewers out of the film.
It does not introduce any new frightening characters.
I believe it suffers from pacing issues.