HALLOWEEN
How many "Halloweens" is this? Jamie Lee Curtis is back, and so is Michael Myers in what's billed as their final confrontation. Throw out all the other sequels. This is the one that follows up the original 40 years later. John Carpenter even came back to executive produce and do the music. I'm not a fan of slasher movies, but I was compelled to see my namesake take back the power on behalf of women victims (her daughter and granddaughter get in on the revenge action). The body count is way too high, but with a screenplay co-written by Danny McBride, it keeps you entertained. Have we seen the last of the guy in the horrifying mask? Maybe, maybe not.
Universal Pictures - Rated R
THE OATH
Ike Barinholtz is one of the most talented comic actors out there, and one of the nicest. "The Oath" is his brainchild in which he wrote, directed and starred. He boldly goes where the country seems to be going. The president wants Americans to sign a loyalty oath by Black Friday. Ike and his wife, played by Tiffany Haddish (slightly more subdued than we've seen her), resist. It all plays out during the family's Thanksgiving—you know, the meal where were never supposed to bring up politics? When enforcers show up at the door, it turns into its own brand of horror. The payoff isn't quite as strong as the setup, but you go, Ike!
Roadside Attractions - Rated R
THE HAPPY PRINCE
Rupert Everett was a busy man on "The Happy Prince," like Ike, also writing, directing and starring. It tells the final days of renowned writer Oscar Wilde, who tries to pull his life together in exile after imprisonment for homosexuality. Variety calls this a role Everett was born to play, and I have to agree. He cleverly weaves the children's story throughout the film, though there's nothing "happy" about the way his life plays out. It's tragic, but he still displays a sly sense of humor. It's been a long time since we've seen Everett, and this is a revelation into what we've been missing.
Sony Pictures Classics - Rated R