"The Conjuring"
Directed by James Wan
Starring Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Lili Taylor, Ron Livingstone, Shanley Caswell, Jayley McFarland, Joey King, Mackenzie Foy
Horror, Thriller 
112 Mins
R

The Conjuring represents that rare breed of horror that'll actually have you wary of bumps in the night for days to come. Rather than a repetitive one-and-done game of "where's the [insert evil entity here] going to appear next?" James Wan has crafted something rich in atmosphere, thriving not on jump-scares but within the DNA of its underlying psychological horror. Like the great genre flicks of the past, The Conjuring is able to present a demonic presence as a likely possibility. In this case, possession and exorcism are presented as undeniable realities. The upper-tiered acting, eerie vibes, and genuine scares add up to a tenacious nail-biter more content to tingle your spine than work your funny bone.

The "based on a true story" gimmick has always inspired doubt, especially within the confines of the horror genre. Audiences are natural skeptics concerning the cold hard truth of the "true events" taking place and for good reason. In most scenarios, we expect the setup to be somewhat congruent with the facts but the stilted Hollywood payoffs in the third act often leave us with cocked eyebrows and scrunched faces of incredulity. While much of the same can be said of The Conjuring, there is a degree of credibility to its dubious framework in large part due to the blessing of the two true-life characters on which the experience is based.

"Only God Forgives"
Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn
Starring Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vithaya Pansringarm, Yayaying Rhatha Phongam, Byron Gibson and Tom Burke
Crime, Drama, Thriller
90 Mins
R

Both grounded in the moment and woozily surreal, Nicholas Winding Refn's Only God Forgives is fire and brimstone fantasia. Refn unwinds traditional placeholders of good and evil, prodding the swaying stack of violence's wrath, watching the pieces tumble. Through the unearthing art and philosophy as one, Refn's knack for cinematography, tone, samurai-like violence and a pounding score deliver extraordinarily on all fronts and the result is aggressively cinematic. As an indulgent but arresting masterclass in cinema, Refn has again delivered a towering work. Even when the film is as subtle as a neon sign, it's as sharp as a wakizashi, making Only God Forgives a 21st century creation myth at its most boldly esoteric.