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Raised in a Catholic orphanage and now slated to become a nun, Margaret (Nell Tiger Free), an American, is transferred to Rome Italy before she takes the cloth. But, when dark events and encounters cause her to question her faith, a conspiracy within the church is exposed shining light on birth of the antichrist.Written by Tim Smith, Arkasha Stevenson, and Keith Thomas and Directed by Stevenson, this return to the evil incarnate and the Catholic Church serves as prequel to 1976’s (now cult classic) The Omen and employs many of the same scare tactics and visuals as its shelf-mate, which while somewhat of a retread, still work effectively 48 years after the fact. Nothing says creepy quite like panicked nuns praying by candle light while something lurks in the darkness, and, given the proximity to old architecture and ritual, extra creepy in the old country, so to speak. Additionally, despite its known and predictable outcome, it’s still fun to watch our antihero’s capitulate; although, by act three a sharper editor’s razor could have made for a more divisive and implied plot as opposed to the existing spoon fed narrative that spells things out in block letters, lowering the overall IQ of the film, ho hum. Still, reprisals of the original score bring back that nostalgic sense of dread, the dark one returns, and, as we know, true evil never really dies. Running two hours and rated R, The First Omen gets a wink and a nod for this weekend.

Titans Godzilla and Kong are called back to the mysterious lost land of Hollow Earth by a psychic beacon. Meanwhile, sole survivor of the people of Skull Island, Jia (Kaylee Hottle), is called to the same source, end result, the origin of the titans is revealed; it might also unite the most unlikely foes to thwart a new common enemy.Written by Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett, and Jeremy Slater and Directed by Adam Wingard this latest installation arrives almost squarely on the 91st anniversary of King Kong’s debut to the world in 1933. Building on the narratives of Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) and Godzilla: King of The Monsters (2019) this heaping pile of a convoluted mess already assumes buy-in to the overall premise and then ante’s up with even more stale story telling empty of humor and big on CGI set pieces that crash, smash, and bash their way to the one hour and fifty five minute finish line. Which is also to say that the film pretty much lands exactly as one would expect, big monsters doing their thing, narrated by humans with the richness of Saturday morning cartoons, if anything the formula is consistent. On the positive, the overall look of the largely digital spectacle appears polished, so there’s that. Regardless, it’s hard to move the needle to “recommend” on this creature feature, it might make good laundry folding material though. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is rated PG-13.

When an ancient artifact imbued with the spirit of a long forgotten god surfaces in present day New York, the Ghostbusters find themselves called into action as paranormal activity begins to spike in new malevolent ways. It’ll take the wisdom of the ages and several generations of Ghostbusters to put a stop to the evil Graka, lest the frozen empire swallow the earth. Written by Gil Kenan and Jason and Ivan Reitman and Directed by Kenan this nostalgia driven dive into the Ghostbuster universe packs plenty of nuggets and callbacks from across the franchise to impress even the most stringent judges; and, picking up where Afterlife left off, the new ensemble of Spengler’s including Carrie Coon, Mckenna Grace, and Finn Wolfhard, along with Paul Rudd as Gary Grooberson offer up easy laughs and light plot development with assistance from perennials Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts. And, while the cast is larger and more involved than previous installments, at its core, the film still follows the blueprints of success from previous works with attention to special effects and scoring that remains consistent, that is to say, the film sits in good company with its compatriots, and while the high water mark of the original Ghostbusters from 1984 is still untouched, fans will still find plenty to enjoy and re-watch to catch all the details. Will there be a need for another installment, probably not, my advice, enjoy the spook show for what it is and remember what it was like to be an 8 year old cowering behind the theatre seats watching the original, the fun is still there. Running what feels like a slightly long hour and fifty five minutes, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is rated PG-13.