Two films that are currently streaming may be worth your attention.


This Australian feature is the first for actress turned writer and director Jennifer Kent. It is an amazingly original work that will hold your attention to the very end.

Essie Davis plays Amelia, a single mother who is dealing with her son Samuel. Samuel is in first grade and is a very bright, affectionate child, but his hyperactivity and his insistence that there are monsters in their house is wearing down Amelia.

As the film unfolds we learn she is a former writer who now works as a nurse’s assistant in a nursing home. Her husband died in a car crash while driving her to the hospital to deliver Sam, an incident from which she has never fully recovered.

Sam’s behavior compels her to isolate herself and that condition worsens after Sam gives her a book to read titled “Mr. Babadook.” It is a mysterious pop-up book that explains the Babadook wants to enter their home and once he does he will never leave. 

The Babadook is a dangerous supernatural creature – a boogey man – with murder on his mind. With Sam’s odd behavior increasing, her own insomnia intensifies. Is she imagining the little things happening around the house or is there really a Babadook? A second reading of the book, which has now changed its content, confirms what the Babadook wants to do.

Kent’s film is not just about a creature of the night wishing to kill. It’s about a fatigued single mom who seems unable to work past her grief. It’s about a parent who loves her son, but finds herself increasingly unable to like him. It’s about a little boy who must defend himself against the one person he loves the most.

There is a lot going on in this film and while Kent is committed to the supernatural theme – yes, you see the Babadook – it is the story of Amelia and Sam that is equally compelling.

It also taps into something most parents feel at some time or another: a fatigue with being a parent and dealing with troublesome offspring.

The two performers who play Amelia and Sam – Davis and Noah Wiseman – give remarkable performances.

This is not only a horror film for people who don’t see much worth in the genre, but also a film most horror fans will eagerly embrace.


I love the movies produced by writer and director Kevin Smith and was especially taken with his drama “Red State,” that followed his stream of comedies that made his reputation.

Smith has long downplayed his abilities and frequently describes his films as simply characters talking to one another instead of depicting action to move a story forward. He showed in “Red State” this wasn’t the truth and he does it again in “Tusk.”

Smith and his producing partner Scott Mosier have a long running podcast and on one installment the two men riffed on an outrageous idea for a film: a man who has a desire to surgically change a human being into a walrus.

Smith was so smitten with the ridiculous concept that he undertook it as his next film and the result is an uneven film that changes tone at a crucial place.

Justin Long is an obnoxious podcaster in search of odd people and stories. By a complete fluke during a trip to Canada, he learns of a retired sailor who has stories to tell. He finds the guy, played with conviction by Michael Parks, and discovers much to his horror the old sailor wants to create a human walrus.

Smith handles the film as a horror tale up until the point Long’s podcast partner and girlfriend comes to find him and enlists the aid of a disgraced police detective from Quebec who has been tracking the sailor for years.

A major star plays the detective – I won’t spoil it for you – and the film takes on a comic tone whenever his character is on screen. That choice undercuts the suspense and terror, as does the conclusion of the film. This is unfortunate as Smith had until that point presented a solid horror film.

Smith also gives Parks another opportunity to showcase his considerable talents. He is an impressive actor albeit under appreciated.

This is film is in the tradition of the creature feature – a venerable genre from the 1950s that includes “The Fly,” “The Alligator People” and others. As such, it’s not bad, but it’s far from Smith’s best work. Wait for it to turn up at the Red Box.