Women Talking (2022):

This "Handmaid's Tale"- like drama about women being abused and controlled at the hands of a group of men to whom they belong by way of marriage or other family ties belongs completely to Sarah Polley. Polley was just 11 years old when she came to the attention of TV audiences first in Canada on the CBC, and later in the US when the series, in which she appeared in almost 70 episodes, "Road to Avonlea," became a hit. "Avonlea," which was loosely based on the characters created by Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables stories, led to much more movie and television work for Polley. Here, she turns her hand to writing and directing. "Women Talking" is based on the book by Miriam Toews about women living in a closely held Mennonite religious community isolated from the outside world, forcing them to grapple with the harsh realities of their faith. Polley wrote the screenplay and directed the picture, which was executive produced by Brad Pitt. The women in the starring roles, playing characters who have to keep their heads down and their lips sealed, include Oscar winner Francis McDormand, Rooney Mara, "The Crown's" Claire Foy, and Fargo's Jessie Buckley. Based on a true incident, we hear the dialogue as the women talk about their options after having been drugged with cow tranquilizers and serially raped at the hands of the men in the colony. Do they maintain the status quo and do nothing? Should they leave the colony and strike out on their own? Or should they stand and fight? None of these options is palatable for a variety of reasons. Ben Wishaw plays the only man that we actually see in the film, in a touching performance as a schoolteacher on the farm. Polley received the Director's Prize in January at the Palm Springs International Film Festival for her work here, which is exceptional. Rated 14A.

Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022):

It’s not exactly the time for a seasonal story, but a horror movie is a horror movie no matter what the time of year. This one carries a harsh “R” rating and it lives up to its billing as it not only offers all the bloody horror of a slasher film, but all the sexual content and foul language of what is a most unsavoury group of characters. The action centres on Tori (Australian actor Riley Daly) who is a record shop manager, and in closing up one night during the Christmas season, finds herself without her computer-arranged date, and turns her favours reluctantly to her employee Robbie (Sam Delich). It seems that all the characters in this film are concerned about nothing but sex until a Robo-Santa in a toy store down the street develops a mind of its own, and becomes a military-grade killing machine. After dispatching an amorous couple in the store, it takes to the streets looking for more victims, and there is no shortage of that commodity as the machine runs rampant. Logic would suggest that even if a toy store had a mechanical Santa, it wouldn’t have the capacity to kill with military efficiency, but that’s what we have here. Tori decides that someone has to stand and take charge, and her foul language and tough-girl demeanour fills that bill handsomely. Not my cup of plasma, thanks very much, but certainly a film for a market out there that likes this kind of thing. Rated 18A.

God’s Country (2022):

The “God’s Country” of the title is the state of Montana where a female college professor named Sandra (Thandiwe Newton) faces a threat that may turn her time in God’s country into a hellish experience. This is a slow-burning dramatic thriller which begins to take shape when Sandra finds two men on her property who don’t belong there. As she asserts her rights to have them leave or suffer the consequences, the tables turn when we learn what the men are after, and what they are prepared to do the get what they want. To say much more would spoil the story and the outcome, but it’s safe to say that what seems to begin as a battle of wills, and evolves into a turn towards violence, will have you, as a viewer, going into nail-biting mode. Who will prevail? It could go either way until a major revelation threatens to change everything. Rated 14A.

That '90s Show (2023) (TV Series):

Two decades have passed since a teenaged Eric Forman (Topher Grace), living with his family, and enjoying a life of 8 track tapes, the music of Led Zeppelin, and Farrah Fawcett posters, was the perception many had of what those days were like. To help make the transition to the '90s, a much more grown-up Topher Grace reprises his role of Erik in the first episode of this new series, not to be seen for the balance of the episodes of season one. The actors who played his parents, Red and Kitty Forman (Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp) are back for the full 10 segments of this new show however. Wilmer Valderrama who played Fez in the original series also makes an appearance in the initial episode. The venue is still the State of Wisconsin, and it's 1995. Leia Forman, daughter of Eric and Donna (Laura Prepon) pays a summer visit to her grandparents and is introduced to a whole new generation of friends, not-so-friendly teens, and some that will become friends for life in the town of Point Place. Rated 14A.

Slumberland (2022):

A good cast shows up for this adventure story that will appeal to children 8 or 10 and up. Based on the comic book series "Little Nemo in Slumberland '' by Winston McClay, we follow the adventures of a tweenage girl named Nemo and her eccentric companion Flip (Jason Mamoa) who come together after Nemo's father Peter (Kyle Chandler goes missing at sea. Set in the Pacific Northwest, but shot in Toronto, we follow Nemo as she is sent to live with relatives in the big city, a place foreign to her after the coastline life she had been living. While struggling in a new school with new people all around her, Nemo finds a secret map which hooks her up with Flip, and begins a challenging journey through lands of dreams and nightmares that she believes will help reunite her with her lost father. Rated PG.