Grow Omaha Flicks

★ ★ ★ We Bury the Dead is a zombie movie that gives an over-explored genre a touch of originality. Theaters and televisions have been flickering with dangerous undead creatures for decades. Some great, some terrible—not much worth remembering in between. Mostly, these zombies are brain-dead and driven by an appetite for human flesh. This film takes a refreshing…

★ ★ ½ Anaconda is not a remake of the 1997 film with the same name, and it bears little resemblance to the original jungle adventure—except that both films have a man-eating, quasi-realistic CGI snake. The 1997 snake was so obviously computer generated that its absurdity became part of the fun that crappy sci-fi cult classics are known for. This film is a story about four adults who’ve been friends since they were making VHS…

★ ★ ½ Avatar: Fire and Ash is the second sequel to the original Avatar, released in 2009. That film was groundbreaking as a visual effects masterpiece, spawning a wave of 3D releases. While it was visually spectacular, the story was routine and tired. But in 2009, we really felt transported to the faraway planet called Pandora. Visionary director…

★ ★ ★ ½ The Housemaid is a psychological thriller based on a popular series of novels by Freida McFadden about a housemaid with a troubled past who works for wealthy families who value discretion. As she works for them, she brings their dirty laundry to the surface. This film follows the original novel’s plot, twists…

zero stars Ella McCay is a film written and directed by James L. Brooks whose directing credits include award-winning films like Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News and one of my all-time favorite films: As Good as it Gets. His writing and producing resume is even more impressive with credits like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Taxi, Big, Say Anything, Jerry Maguire…

★ ★ ★ ★ Silent Night, Deadly Night is a remake of the 1984 film that became popular following public backlash and protests over a homicidal Santa Claus. These reactions tend to make people want to see the movie more, and despite its modest box office returns it went on to be a successful…

★ ★ Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is the sequel to the surprise hit film adaptation of the popular video game. The game has more than 20 titles in the franchise, including sequels, spin-offs and downloadable content. The first film loosely followed the original game…

★ ★ ½ Wicked: For Good is the sequel to last year’s smash hit musical. For Good relies heavily on the good faith that Wicked: Part One earned by pleasantly surprising audiences with a fun, musical, adventurous time at the movies. In the stage play, several years are compressed into 45 minutes. Elphaba is hardly…

★ ★ ★ Rental Family is a heartwarming story about a struggling actor named Phillip Vanderploeg (Brendan Fraser), who’s been living abroad in Tokyo for two years, waiting for a big break. He’s been working in gimmicky commercials—his most recent as a tube-of-toothpaste, super hero who fights off cavities. It might pay the bills, but Phillip is feeling the pangs of desire for…

★ ★ Eternity takes a comedic, alternate look at the afterlife, in which the newly dead are transported to a large city where they’re given seven days to decide what “eternity” they want to live in forever. They’re given “afterlife coordinators,” AC’s for short, whose jobs are to help people pick where they’re going to go. This is a place where brochures are handed out and salespeople pitch…