“Incarnate” (Horror/Thriller: 1 hour, 31 minutes)

Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Carice van Houten, Catalina Sandino Moreno and David Mazouz

Director: Brad Peyton

Rated: PG-13 (Intense sequences of horror violence, terror, disturbing images profanity, sensuality and thematic elements)

Movie Review: Take “The Exorcist” (1973) and mix it with “Inception” (2010), and the result is this jumbled production. 

It is a science-fiction piece sometimes and a horror the rest. Nothing is thrilling.

Dr. Seth Ember (Eckhart) has the ability to enter the unconscious mind of other people to evict the demons that possess them. He believes demons are merely parasitic entities that need expulsion. 

Camilla (Moreno), a Vatican representative, seeks Ember’s help. Lindsay (Van Houten), a recently divorced mother, is concerned about her demon-possessed, 11-year-old son Cameron (“Gotham’s” Mazouz). Ember attempts to remove the evil spirit, but Ember’s past may interfere with his mental battle with a very malevolent spirit.

“Incarnate” is messy. Its writer, Ronnie Christensen, never made up his mind on what this is. Eckhart, Van Houton and Mazouz’s talents are a waste in this wayward plot.

Directed by Brad Peyton (“San Andreas,” 2015), this movies is science fiction and horror. While it borders on both, it is not impressive as either.

Grade: D+ (It embodies nothing worth a ticket)

“Believe” (Religious Drama: 2 hours)

Starring: Ryan O’Quinn, Shawnee Smith, Danielle Nicolet and Issac Ryan Brown

Director: Billy Dickson

Rated: PG (Brief language, thematic elements and violence)

Movie Review: Countless movies bearing the title “Believe” exist within just the last decade. Only a few manage to achieve high marks as movies. 

Like this one, they fail to make true believers out of audiences. 

“Believe” is enjoyable and lackluster simultaneously.

Small-town business owner Matthew Peyton (O’Quinn) faces a strike from his employees during the Christmas season. Even more, Peyton is beaten and left for dead. 

He is found heavily bruised by Clarence Joseph (newcomer Brown), a very optimistic kid. Clarence and his mother, Sharon, nurse Peyton back to health and soon find themselves in his care. Tough times are ahead for them, but they must believe life becomes better.

“Believe” is not a bad movie; it just does not present a consistent screenplay. Scenes appear disjointed from one to the next. Part of this has to do with the uneven performances by actors who are part of an inconsistent, overly sensationalized story by director-writer Billy Dickson.

Grade: C- (For hardcore believers only, others should bypass this drama.)

“Man Down” (Drama/ Thriller: 1 hour, 32 minutes)

Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Jai Courtney, Kate Mara and Gary Oldman

Director: Dito Montiel

Rated: R (Violence, thematic elements and profanity)

Movie Review: Director Dito Montiel (“Boulevard,” 2014) and Adam G. Simon (“Synapse,” 2015) craft a nice concept. 

Their intent is to raise awareness about the numerous military personnel suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Their mission is admirable but their style is uninspiring. 

Marine Gabriel Drummer (LaBeouf) and Devin Roberts (Courtney) search for Drummer’s son in a post-apocalyptic America. While searching for his son, Drummer recalls several past incidents.

Montiel and Simon attempt to place audiences in the mind of a Marine with PTSD. Instead, they create a convoluted narrative. Scenes fluctuate constantly, jumping from one time period to the next, but each moment feels similar to the prior one. The result is a haphazardly rendered plot.

It is a shame because the cast is good, and the subject is noteworthy. LaBeouf, Mara, Courtney and Oldman are engaging, yet they exist in a disordered screenplay.

Grade: C- (Movie down.)

*Playing in larger cities