Revelations

Revelations is a spooky, classy thriller depicting the world as a battleground between satanists and those who adhere to miracles revealing God's divine plan for humanity. Bill Pullman stars as Harvard scientist Bill Massey, whose successful quest to bring his daughter's seemingly demon-possessed serial killer to justice turns him into a well-known debunker of others who claim to speak for the Beastmaster. Problem is, the man who killed Massey's girl appears to be the real thing, endowed with prophetic powers and a second sight that comes in handy when it's time to go after the grieving hero's other child.

Enter Sister Josepha (Natascha McElhone), a miracles investigator whose work is financially supported by a famous billionaire but disowned by the Vatican. Josepha has been led to Massey through a brain-dead girl who, though medically impossible, quotes scripture and has drawn a map to his office. Despite his skepticism, Massey teams with the nun in search of a kidnapped baby who may very well be the Christ-child in His just-in-time-for-Armageddon second coming. Written by David Seltzer (Dragonfly), and directed by occasional Buffy helmer David Semel and Lili Fini Zanuck (Rush), Revelations has an appealing vitality (especially when Massey and Sister Josepha become targets for assassins), a nice Hollywood gloss, and an unsettling air of mystery, as if angels and demons really are duking it out for dominion of the Earth right under our noses. --Tom Keogh