It’s the weekend again, and that means Film Focus. Here’s Mike Laidman with what’s new in local theaters.
2016 is speeding along, and as we enter our third weekend of the new year, we are presented with two very different movies for very different crowds.

The Revenant, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is for adults, but even then, not all will be drawn to its realism and brutality.

At the complete other end of the spectrum is the Goosebumps movie, featuring Jack Black.

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Mike Laidman

Welcome to another edition of Film Focus. I’m Mike Laidman.

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Goosebumps (2015, Rob Letterman)

While Goosebumps it doesn't hold the same kind of widespread appeal that say, a Pixar movie might have, it does bring with it a certain amount of nostalgia. It is, after all, based upon the wildly successful children’s series of the same name.

Teenager Zach Cooper moves to a small town and meets the beautiful girl living right next door. But he soon learns that her dad is actually be R. L. Stine, the author of the Goosebumps series. The monsters that Stine has created are real, and he protects his readers by keeping them locked up in their books. But when Zach unintentionally unleashes the monsters from their manuscripts and they begin to terrorize the town, it's suddenly up to all of them to get all the creatures back in the books where they belong.

While it would be all too easy to write this off as another campy, B-level kids’ movie, Goosebumps actually holds its own pretty well. There are a few decent thrills to be had, the action scenes are unique, and the dialogue can actually be quite witty, things you wouldn’t expect just from looking at the trailers.


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The Revenant (2015, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu)

The Revenant is inspired by true events, and is an immersive experience capturing one man's epic adventure of survival and the extraordinary power of the human spirit. In an expedition of the uncharted American wilderness, legendary explorer Hugh Glass is brutally attacked by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team. In a quest to survive, Glass endures unimaginable grief as well as the betrayal of his confidant, John Fitzgerald. Guided by sheer will and the love of his family, Glass must navigate a vicious winter in a relentless pursuit to live and find redemption.

The movie has already picked up a handful of awards, and rightly so. It’s cinematography and acting are among the best, and is definitely something which should be seen on the big screen.