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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.

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.