‘The Babadook’ offers inventive supernatural horrors.

Here’s what to see (or not) at the theater this week.|

New releases

The Babadook (NR)

Starring Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Daniel Henshall

Directed by Jennifer Kent

This Aussie film of supernatural horrors artfully propels the genre into an entirely new realm. Do real beasts hide under the child’s bed or in his closet? Do cockroaches scuttle around at night? Do pharmaceuticals help or harm the patient? Do the police and child protective services have any idea how to handle families in crisis? Is the mom just trying to cope with the problems thrust upon her, or is she making it all up? The answers are (like the plausible explanations we see onscreen), multi-fold, inventive and too perfect to give away in this column. You’ve just got to see this film.

4 pieces of a horror film Gil actually likes toast.

Exodus: Gods and Kings (PG)

Starring Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, John Turturo, Ben Kingsley, Aaron Paul, Ben Mendelsohn, Sigourney Weaver

Directed by Ridley Scott

Do you believe Moses was more like Ben Hur or Batman? Did he speak English like he was born in Illinois or Wales? It’s up to you to decide. The comparisons between Cecil B. DeMille’s 50-year-old film “The Ten Commandments” and Ridley Scott’s new version of the Biblical flight of the Jewish people from ancient Egypt is almost impossible to avoid. It’s a case of reverential, old-time filmmaking versus modernist, box office receipt-driven entertainment, with the casting and story in both films sidestepping historical truths in favor of blockbuster profits. In the final assessment, Ridley Scott and his crew of actors and technicians have managed to create a film that is underwhelming in its predictability.

2 pieces of seen it all before toast.

Pyramid (R)

Starring Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Daniel Henshall

Directed by Jennifer Kent

Crassly released to ride on the coattails of a blockbuster film set in ancient Egypt, this “curse of the pharaohs” style dreck throws gallons of fake blood and gore onscreen. But the filmmakers obviously didn’t plan on a great horror film (“The Babadook”) appearing the same week. My advice, just ignore this amateur hour shlockfest, and pick a good movie to see instead.

1 pieces of a horror film Gil chooses to ignore toast.

Wild (R)

Starring Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Thomas Sadoski, Gabby Hoffman

Directed by Jean Mrc Vallee

The rationalizations motivating individuals who decide to head out into the wilderness without much preparation are numerous, however, in this instance, gritty flashbacks of the needle-stuck and nude protagonist provide more than enough back story for this film heroine to reinvent herself. Like the highly touted 2007 movie, “Into the Wild,” audience members either accept that a back-to-nature quest can provide answers to those who seek personal and spiritual growth, or don’t understand how doing something foolhardy is a wise and maturing thing to do. Through it all, Reese Witherspoon maintains a plucky, “I can make it” attitude - one step at a time.

2 pieces of back country questing toast.

New on DVD

Guardians of the Galaxy (PG-13)

Starring Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Lee Pace, Vin Diesel, Zoe Saldana, Glenn Close, John C. Riley

Directed by James Gunn

Screenwriter Nicole Perlman was hired to bring a “scientific and female” perspective to the Marvel Comics world with her script for “Guardians of the Galaxy.” Staying awake late into the night reading old comic books, she immersed herself into the Marvel universe - a skill set usually reserved for male nerds. The result is a clever, tongue-in-cheek film featuring a raccoon as the brains of a motley group of strangely-named and oddly talented misfits who coalesce under the title of “Guardians.” They are tasked with protecting a mysterious “orb” from the clutches of Ronan the Accuser, and saving humanity (and various alien races) from eradication (a fancy way of saying extinction). Great popcorn fare, which is (thanks to Perlman) scientifically accurate (most of the time).

3 1/2 pieces of popcorn-blockbuster toast.

(Gil Mansergh’s Cinema Toast mini-reviews appear in the Argus-Courier every week. E-mail comments to gilmansergh@comcast.net.)

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.