Death Whisperer (NC16)

Starring Nadech Kugimiya, Junior Kajbhunditt, Peerakrit Phacharaboonyakiat, Denise Jelilcha Kapaun

Directed by Taweewat Wantha

Death Whisperer: This is the last time Nadech Kugimiya (behind the wheel) is trying GrabHitch. 

Set in the 1970s in a small village in Kanchanaburi (SAF personnel should know this province pretty well), this Thai fright-fest tells the supposedly true story of a family terrorised by a supernatural menace, the kind with long hair, bad skin, and rotten teeth. The movie is a smash in its home country, where much of the hype revolves around it being the first local Imax title. The big-screen format embellishment, however, isn’t available here; we reviewers only caught the regular version, which is just that — regular, a ride that manages to be diverting without being too exciting. In a year where there’s no shortage of tales about flesh-shredding, soul-devouring, body-stealing demons (see Evil Dead Rise, The Exorcist: Believer, Insidious: The Red Door, The Pope’s Exorcist, Sleep), it’s tough not to go in feeling blasé. The Con-Heartist’s Kugimiya might be too smartphone-faced to play someone from that era, but he holds the fort as the chief eye candy, for better or for worse. The mix of dread and splattery is adequate  (one gruesome impaling didn’t make the NC16 cut, though), but it doesn’t get under the skin as deep as in Banjong Pisanthanakun’s The Medium, still the gold standard to beat. Suffice to say, Death Whisperer isn’t the scariest movie of 2023 for me. That honour goes to Oppenheimer. (2.5/5 stars) out in cinemas

Photos: GV Pictures

Tiger Stripes (PG13)

Starring Zafreen Zairizal, Deena Ezral, Piqa, Shaheizy Sam, Jun Lojong, Khairunazwan Rodzy, Fatimah Abu Bakar

Directed by Amanda Nell Eu

Tiger Stripes: Zafreen Zairizal isn't too happy that her favourite Netflix show has been cancelled. 

Writer-director Eu’s debut feature, the Grand Jury Prize winner at Cannes and Malaysia’s rep at the Oscars (pssst, Singapore chipped in as well), follows a 12-year-old Malay kampong girl (Zairzai)’s struggles with puberty. But she isn’t turning into a woman — she’s transforming into a were-tiger! You have to be willing to embrace its dreamlike, freewheeling tone, but this coming-of-age body-horror fable isn't without its charm. The spirited young actors give the film a weird energy, with La Luna’s Sam stealing a few scenes as a livestream-obsessed exorcist. Deep down, we wish he deserves a far bloodier denouement than he got. (3/5 stars) exclusively at The Projector 

Wonka (PG)

Starring Timothee Chalamet, Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Olivia Colman, Mathew Baynton, Matt Lucas, Hugh Grant

Directed by Paul King

Wonka: Timothee Chalamet is lost in his own theme park. 

Before he liberates Arrakis in Dune: Part II, Chalamet (endearing, angst-free)  is busy leading an uprising on Earth — as Roald Dahl’s burgundy velvet-coat-wearing candy-maker Willy Wonka. He’s up against a chocolate cartel (and the corrupt officials in their pocket, from cops to clergymen) trying to stop him from setting up shop — in a town where no one is concerned with the sweet danger of sugar! You have to be Ebenezer Scrooge not to be carried away by the prequel's cheery vibes. Sure, the songs aren’t earworms (they aren’t annoying either), there’s Grant’s Ooma Loompa to spread joy with his crankiness. (3/5 stars) out in cinemas

Photo: Warner Bros Discovery

The Family Plan (PG13)

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Monaghan, Maggie Q, Ciarán Hinds, Saïd Taghmaoui

Directed by Simon Cellan Jones

The Family Plan: Mark Wahlberg is treating his co-workers to lunch at Wahlburgers! 

Between running the Wahlburgers franchise, hitting the gym and playing 18 holes, Wahlberg managed to squeeze some time out to star as a retired assassin whose past catches up with him, forcing him to skip town with his unsuspecting wife (Monaghan) and three kids. Next stop, Vegas! Think True Lies by way of National Lampoon’s Vacation, but boring. How did someone like Hinds and Q end up in this mess? They must’ve owed someone a big favour. Like the Chris Evans-Ana de Armas-starring Ghosted, The Family Plan is another fine example of streaming bloat: filmmaking-by-algorithm, lazy, derivative and instantly forgettable.  (1/5 stars) on Apple TV+

Photo: Apple TV+