PotassiumMan

A sedate, but stately house that is not on the market gets snatched up by an enterprising but fractious family of four. The younger child, a teenage daughter begins to feel that she is not alone and starts to believe in the supernatural. As it turns out, the film's perspective is predominantly from the vantage point of a spirit which occupies the house but finds unexpected purpose with this family. It's best to go in totally cold. If you haven't seen the trailer, even better.

Performances are stellar all around. Callina Liang gives an excellent performance as the deeply troubled daughter who is at the center of the film's mysteries. Lucy Liu is ideal as her swamped, but caring mother. West Mulholland is equally good as her sketchy boyfriend. Without going into detail or spoilers, it's a film that will confound one's expectations and conventional notions of a haunted house thriller. This is one of most creative spins on that genre, executed with formidable skill by Soderbergh. The daughter in this film seems to have the closest connection with this spirit and her backstory reveals why. Enthusiastically recommended to those who are open-minded and not too daunted from a distance.

Robert Eggers has concocted a superior version of the iconic vampire story that rivals its predecessors. His remake is one that embraces Gothic horror and an eerie sense of dread. The quieter a scene is, the more fear you will experience. The film is an homage to the classic, with more reliance on shadows than gore. We see very little of Count Orlok in the beginning. He remains in the dark as a menacing presence, brought forth with great conviction by Skarsgard, who perfectly captures his percolating voice.

Lily-Rose Depp is ideal as the object of Nosferatu's desire. She is crippled by his power yet wise to his ways. While the count haunts her dreams constantly (and others later on), she warns those close to her about the impending threat. Out of everyone in the film, she knows the count the most intimately and can predict his behavior. Nicholas Hoult is her husband who works hard to care for her but also travels to the vampire's castle with the intent of completing the sale of a home, little knowing that the count intends to claim his wife as his possession. Wilem Dafoe is no stranger to this material and is exceptional here as a discredited, but insightful physician who recognizes the world of vampires as real and evil and insists on society being equipped to defeat them. Simon McBurney is well-deployed as Hoult's employer who also turns out to be the count's slavish, but enthusiastic servant who works quietly to enable Nosferatu in any way possible.

While this film could have benefited from some editing, it never loses its power and is gripping from start to finish, with a powerful and poignant conclusion. With lush cinematography and a foreboding soundtrack, it makes its mark as one of the best Gothic horror films in recent memory. Highly recommended.

Thirty years after the groundbreaking animation film "The Lion King" about Simba's coming-of-age story, Walt Disney Studios with director Barry Jenkins take us back to his father's story. Mufasa's path crosses with Taka, a lion cub of similar age as Mufasa, shortly after he gets separated from his parents. Taka's mother supports Taka's wish to embrace Mufasa as his brother and teaches him a lot of the hunting techniques and knowledge of the lionesses.

The dynamic changes when a threat from a pride of white lions, who try to rule as the sole pride of lions. Taka's father makes Taka and Mufasa flee from the attackers, and on their way they meet another lonely lioness Sarabi with her hornbill Zazu and the young but wise mandrill Rafiki. Together they keep running away from the white lions while heading towards their destination of Milele the Pride Land. The background story of The Lion King is a story about brotherhood, friendship, love, self-doubt and betrayal. It also shows us that there is always hope even in darkest times, and something to fight for even when you seem not to fit in.

The music and songs fit wonderfully into the story telling. We will always remember the original voice of Mufasa from the 1994 movie, James Earl Jones - Mufasa: The Lion King is dedicated to him. This movie is for everyone, no matter if you were already a fan of "The Lion King" a newbie to the story. Highly recommended.