The Woman in Black 2: The Angel of Death:  

This sequel to the 2012 original that starred Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliffe, goes on without his character this time.  It’s the London Blitz during WWII and many families sent their children away to escape the bombing.  It is just such a group that arrive at the old Victorian mansion at Eel Marsh House for safety, not knowing the story of the Lady in Black who haunts the house … and who definitely does not like children! She has been quiet since the events 40 years earlier in the first movie, but now she’s awake and on the prowl.  Not as good as the first film, and a little difficult to follow if you don’t know why she doesn’t like kids in the first place – outlined in the earlier story.  An okay chiller, but just “okay.” Rated 14A.

Big Eyes:  

This Oscar-nominated, based-on-fact movie actually plays better on your home screen than it did in the theatre, as it seems to do better in a more intimate setting.  It’s the story of Margaret Keane (Amy Adams) who created the “Big Eyes” pictures in the ‘70s that sold in the millions.  Her husband Walter, a struggling artists, took credit for her work, and became a celebrity in his own right selling the portraits to Hollywood stars, and to movers and shakers everywhere.  Eventually Margaret got out of the abusive relationship and went to court to try to restore her name as the creator of the pictures.  Intriguing and well-made … but it’s a “small picture” that could just as easily have been a TV movie. Rated 14A.

The Babadook: 

This is one of the better horror-chillers, of a non-bloody nature, that has come along in years, and it got lost in the flood of year-end movies last November and December, and didn’t play most theatres.  Essie Davis (The Slap) is a mom named Amelia whose young son Samuel claims that there are scary things under the bed and in dark closets that are trying to get him.  Amelia lost her husband in a terrible car crash previously, and struggles emotionally as a single mom … and when they find a book in the house describing the “Babadook” which haunts the dark areas, she too begins to feel hunted.  A genuine chiller!!! Rated 14A.

Side Effects (2011):  

This intriguing story examines a family in distress, the prescription drug business, and the ethics around some medical practitioners.  Rooney Mara (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) is Emily, a woman whose husband Martin (Channing Tatum) is released from prison, an event that should make her happy.  Instead, she sinks into depression.  Her doctor (Jude Law), prescribes an experimental drug designed to help.  It helps at one level, but hurts at another - under its influence, Emily commits a murder and is confined to a mental institution.  The doctor's personal and professional life unwinds because of the case, as he tries desperately to clear his name.  Rated 18A.

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997):  

The first of Mike Meyers' four Austin Powers movies is now available.  Powers is a man of the '60s, cryogenically frozen, and thawed out in the '90s where he has difficulty understanding that times have changed.  Dr. Evil (also played by Powers) is thawed out at the same time and the two are pitted against each other. Elizabeth Hurley, Robert Wagner, and Mimi Rogers also star.  Rated 18A.