‘The Witch’ may stick with you ‘like a bad dream’; ‘Zoolander 2’ has same wit as first

The Witch ****

With portions of the script ripped from actual court transcripts and diaries from 17^th century Puritans of New England, and dialog true to the era, The Witch is a spooky, creepy supernatural horror film that may stick with you like a bad dream. In his directorial debut writer/director Robert Eggers delivers a harsh, and frightening look at a family in the aftermath of a shunning by the elders from a New England town, forcing the family of six into the wilderness as they try to eke out an existence on a small family farm. With a wonderful and believable cast, the characters’ religious fervor is set against their gray, poorly lit misery, and then their situation only gets worse, as the faith they cling to comes up short. Add in demonic possessions, strange creatures from the nearby wood, and you’re hooked, not unlike the poor children who suffer right along with the parents. The movie’s R-rating means some nudity and gore, but not so much to detract from good storytelling. At just 1 hour and 32 minutes, the film builds to its shocking finale and lets you escape the madness just when you thought you’d had enough.

Zoolander 2 ***

Generally audiences either love Ben Stiller or they don’t. While Zoolander 2 is just as stupid as the first in the franchise, the sequel has the same heart and wit pairing Stiller (Derek Zoolander) with real-life pal Owen Wilson (Hansel McDonald). The pair play retired supermodels, this time in a James Bond-esq European adventure so convoluted it doesn’t matter. Former nemesis Jacobim Mugatu (Wil Ferrell) returns as the psychotic fashion designer hell-bent on destroying Zoolander’s life. Co-starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the new supermodel All, Fred Armisen as VIP, Penelope Cruz as Valentina Valencia, Kristen Wiig, Keifer Sutherland, and Sting, you may consider seeing this pretty funny movie for the remarkable cameos by (spoiler alert!) Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Tommy Hilfiger, Naomi Campbell, Susan Sarandon, Billy Zane, Susan Boyle, and MC Hammer as they lampoon the fashion industry as only director Stiller (and Derek Zoolander) can.

This story was originally published February 23, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "‘The Witch’ may stick with you ‘like a bad dream’; ‘Zoolander 2’ has same wit as first."