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A handful of students at a New England prep school are forced to stay on campus for the Christmas Holiday break. Watched by their fearsome and much loathed Ancient History Instructor, Pual Hunham (Paul Giamatti), this veritable purgatory may be the undoing of them all. Each broken in their own way, an unlikely bond between the sharp witted Angus (Dominic Sessa), Mr. Hunham, and Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), the school’s head cook is formed as the holidays commence. Life’s lessons along the way, the healing has just begun. Written by David Hemingson and Directed by Alexander Payne, this meticulously well written film brings exquisite depth and feeling to its very flawed but wonderful characters; and, for leads Giamatti, Sessa, and Randolph the emotional smorgasbord that ensues is nothing short of endearing magic. Often witty but not guffawed humor permeates the entire film and almost begs a second viewing to fully digest the wisdom, edge, and tenderness carefully balanced throughout. As we race to the holidays and end of year this aptly timed release is the perfect vehicle for Payne to boldly re-assert his power as a director and step forward to punch his dance ticket to awards season. Running two hours and thirteen minutes, The Holdovers is rated R and not to be missed.

Years since the mysterious disappearance of his own younger brother, Mike (Josh Hutcherson) is hired on as the night watch security guard at the now defunct Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. Fresh on the job, strange happenings and visions set Mike on edge, now it’s only a matter of time before the true horror of Freddy’s past reveals itself with a cacophonous finish. Written by Scott Cawthon, Seth Cuddeback, and Emma Tammi and Directed by Tammi this video game to film adaptation aims to translate much of the game to a somewhat cogent but remarkably tame “horror” tale. In fact, the end result is a film that’s devoid of any major jump scares, something the game is actually big on, and, noticeably blood and gore-less as most depictions of actual violence are performed off screen. For hardened horror and film buffs, this is the equivalent of getting It’s a Small World when you were hoping for the cheap thrills of The Haunted Mansion. Plus, with a runtime of 110 minutes, the overstayed welcome is noticeable around 60 minutes in. The one redeeming quality, animatronics (think Chuck E. Cheese or ShowBiz Pizza Place) by Jim Henson Studios are well crafted and fun to watch, the rest of the lot, meh, save your milk money for something with more firepower. Five Nights at Freddy’s is rated PG-13.

In the 1920’s tribal members of the Osage nation in Oklahoma had the fortune and misfortune of finding oil on their land; a success that would make some of them the wealthiest people in North America but also a highly targeted group just the same. For Osage member Mollie (Lily Gladstone) long time friend of the tribe, William Hale (Robert De Niro) and his Nephew, Ernest (Leonardo DiCaprio) good guidance and support might be found; then again, the power of greed has the strength to corrupt all, so who exactly can be trusted? Perhaps this would be a matter best left to the newly formed F.B.I., agent White (Jesse Plemons) and crew? Based on true events, written by Eric Roth, Martin Scorsese, and David Grann, and Directed by Scorsese, this juggernaut of endurance marks the 10th time Scorsese and De Niro have paired up and the 6th time DiCaprio and Scorsese have collaborated, by now it’s hard to imagine there’s much mystery in each other’s process which makes for easy chemistry overall, and, in the always present and familiar Scorsese territory of corruption, this period piece is precision crafted to creep under the viewer’s skin and expose yet another ugly truth to be learned in America’s history. Meanwhile, the beefy runtime of three hours and twenty six minutes is notable and daunting, but, it’s also hard to fathom what could actually stand to be cut from the piece for brevity. End result, a discussion piece with plenty to consider regarding motives, actions, grievances and otherwise post viewing. Worthy of your time with strong performances in all departments, Killers of the Flower Moon is rated R.