Old the so-bad-it’s-good movie of the year

The one that says no to a slow growOLD (M)★★★PREMIUM RENTALA spectacularly strange thriller, as we have come to expect from enigmatic writer-director M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Split). At an exclusive tropical resort, a select group of guests is taken for a special trip to a secluded private beach. As the day unfolds, the holidaymakers discover they are all rapidly ageing. Little kids have suddenly become teenagers. Their parents are starting to look like pensioners. Anyone above the age of 50 is unlikely to be alive by sunset. As for any other change to a person’s physical condition – whether it be a paper cut or a pregnancy – there will be a swift resolution in minutes. If all of this sounds utterly nutty on paper, let me assure you the craziness just multiplies while you are actually watching this movie. Old is frustrating, Old is foolish, Old is fun, and Old just has to be the so-bad-it’s-good movie of the year.The one where a square gets squareNOBODY (MA15+)★★★½BINGE, FOXTEL, AMAZON or RENTOne of the year’s better mainstream movie releases is now widely available on home streaming, after missing its rightful opportunity to be a big hit in cinemas. In the grand tradition of a John Wick, a Taken and perhaps even one of those old Death Wish flicks, Nobody is one trashy thriller that is to be truly treasured. Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul) plays Hutch, a doormat of a dad whose failure to rise to the occasion during a burglary of the family home puts him on a collision course with a daunting array of dark forces. A wide veil of secrecy must be draped over the formidable fleet of enemies he will be coming up against. No mention will be made here of how a seemingly unqualified and under-resourced fella like Hutch could possibly survive the non-stop assembly line of blood-chilling (and blood-spilling) ordeals rolling his way. All you need to know is that once you move past its deceptively drab point of departure, Nobody quickly morphs, and then mutates into one wild and crazy ride. The fight sequences and stunt choreography are first class, as is the slyly calibrated performance of Odenkirk as Hutch. The one that’s out of sight and on your mindTHE INVISIBLE MAN (MA15+)★★★½BINGE, FOXTEL or NETFLIXBack on the streaming platforms after a long absence is a deceptively intimidating thriller with a contemporary relevance few would have seen coming. Especially in a movie with a villain you will never see coming. Elisabeth Moss convincingly anchors proceedings as Cecilia, a former architect whose life has been demolished and redesigned by a controlling, conniving husband. After escaping from his clammy clutches and establishing a new life, Cecilia gets word her tormentor is dead. However, the inkling he is not quite done with her yet never quite goes away. Though the movie can stretch credibility beyond breaking point, a fearless, up-for-anything performance by Moss prevents everything from snapping. Some commentary by stealth on toxic relationships raises the stakes and collects handsomely.The one where a life is ruined early … and permanentlyWHITE BOY RICK (MA15+)★★★NETFLIX or RENTThe true story of Richard Wershe, a teenage drug dealer in Detroit in the mid-1980s. At age 15, this not-so-bright kid was coerced into becoming an informant for the FBI. Less than three years later, he copped a life sentence in prison, which only just ended its three-decades-plus run in 2020. While this is indeed an incredible yarn, the acting here can be hit-or-miss. Wershe is played by first-timer Richie Merritt, who looks a little lost alongside the decorated likes of co-stars Matthew McConaughey (as his dad) and Jennifer Jason Leigh (an unsympathetic FBI agent). Netflix also carries a top-notch doco (titled “White Boy”) on the same case.The one that’s a lean, mean flighting machineSHADOW IN THE CLOUD (M)★★★FOXTEL, AMAZON or RENTChloe Grace Moretz stars as Capt. Maude Garrett, a British intelligence officer who has been spirited aboard an American B-17 bomber plane in New Zealand just before it takes off for a flight to Samoa. The year is 1944, and with WWII still very much undecided, Maude’s top secret mission could be putting a vital score on the board for the good guys. However, good guys are in short supply on the B-17, which results in Maude being banished to a gunner’s compartment beneath the aircraft. What Maude is able to see (and later do) from her confined vantage point triggers a completely bonkers fight for survival that not even the most jaded viewers will see coming. Some later action scenes are so audaciously, ridiculously over the top, you just have to go with the insane flow of it all.The one where parting is no sweet sorrowTILL DEATH (MA15+)★★★NETFLIXThis shrill thriller has the rare knack of being able to both unsettle and amuse at the same time. The premise immediately gets you in. Megan Fox plays a woman who has woken up to discover she has been handcuffed to her recently deceased husband. If that isn’t enough of a jolt, the couple’s house is about to play host to some very unwelcome visitors. The more preposterous the twists and turns become, the more punches (and punchlines) are packed.The one where sleeping around saves livesIT FOLLOWS (MA15+)★★★★FOXTEL or RENTRule 101 of sex in horror movies: do it, and you’re doomed. This hauntingly uncomfortable American chiller adds a number of clever clauses to this time-honoured statute. Sleep with the wrong person, and you will come down with a curse that gets you your very own paranormal stalker. Most shivers are earned with uncharacteristic subtlety and restraint for the genre, and the dreamlike tone of the storytelling wields a strangely seductive allure. A hidden gem well worth tracking down for a pre-Halloween shock to the system.