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Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) is a medical wonder, the daughter of re-animator Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe) who himself is a bit of a wonder. But, there’s something even more peculiar about Emma, a child like innocence with a yearning to experience the world; so, when known womanizer Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) promises young Bella the moon and the stars it’s a wonder why more red flags aren’t raised. Whisked away by Duncan, Bella appears to be a quick study of the streets, growing wiser and more capable of fending for herself, it won’t be long before the world is in the palm of her hand.

Written by Tony McNamara and Alasdair Gray and Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, this surrealist modern Frankenstein delivers a challenging punch while spinning an incredibly sophisticated and equally bizzare story that centers around the finding of one’s self, sexuality, and what it is to be human; all the while done from the perspective of a scientist carefully watching over an experiment and tackled in a way that only Lanthimos seems capable of in absurdist strokes of genius. And, while the whole cast is phenomenal, Stone’s commitment to character development shines the brightest of the bunch demanding extra consideration as we roll into awards season. Sharp art direction, cinematography, and score, this packed gem will give plenty to chew on for further discussion, in fact, this is the type of film that begs to be discussed, certainly no two perspectives will be identical. Running two hours and twenty one minutes this gem is worthy of an open mind, Poor Things is rated R.

When a Black Friday shopping spree turns into a deadly riot in Plymouth Massachusetts a deranged serial killer dressed as pilgrim John Carver is inspired to exact his revenge on the parties responsible. Now, Sheriff Newlon (Patrick Dempsey) will have his hands full as the mayhem begins, finding things to be thankful for will take extra effort this year. Written by Jeff Rendell and Eli Roth and Directed by Roth, this campy throwback grindhouse/slasher serves up the best jump scares and gore for the season and feels clearly inspired by 1980’s horror with a comedic edge. And, while the plot line is textbook, following all the expected rules of classic horror, Roth crafts a hilariously entertaining dark ride with the spirit and intent of its forefathers…Entertainment, laughs, splatters, and geysers of blood with a fast run time of one hour and 47 minutes that delivers the goods without the leftovers going bad. Fans of the genre will find plenty to sink their teeth into in this one, extra points for overall creativity, thematic execution, and ensemble performance, this is a diamond in the rough. Thanksgiving is rated R.

Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) finds her super powers entangled with Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris). Now tethered, the unlikely trio will have to learn to function as a team in order to thwart the efforts of Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton), a revolutionary Kree figure set on destroying all things that Captain Marvel cares about– a deadly toll reckoning for Marvel’s previous actions to the Kree’s planet. Setting the universe back in balance, a super hero’s work is never done. Written by Nia DaCosta, Megan McDonnell and Elissa Karasik and Directed by DaCosta, this dip back into the Marvel Universe pivots around an ensemble of strong female leads and offers up a CGI heavy interstellar sequence of battles that all seem to move at a brisk enough pace but with a story that lacks emotional depth and has a hard time hitting the tone between goofy/cute and serious. Largely re-treading material and concepts the “fun” element is here, but so it the “been there” element, end result, a shoulder shrug at best. And, attempts at not overstaying its welcome are lost despite a time bending hour and forty five minute of runtime which feels much longer upon completion, strange. No hearts broken here, meh, The Marvels is rated PG-13.