The Screen Critic: Our favourite ghost returns, a country holiday turns bad, an elderly woman goes on the warpath and forever chemicals hit the spotlight

The idea of enduring a “holiday from Hell” gets new meaning in Speak No Evil, a nerve-racking psychological thriller that shows how being too friendly can come at a cost.

While on vacation in Italy, a financially strapped couple accepts an invitation from another couple to join them at their tranquil country home.

Things seem nice at first but after being disturbed by a series of incidents they try to leave before finding themselves ensnared in a very well-set trap.

James McAvoy does a chilling job as the lead creep in an excellent thriller that builds tension slowly before letting all heck break loose. People looking for a white knuckle ride will love it – while biting their fingernails.

A rare example of a superior sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice sees Michael Keaton return as our favourite ghost some 36 years after the first film.

Also returning is director Tim Burton who does a much better job this time around, cramming an eventful story with laughs as we return to the original haunted house.

Most of the original cast are back along with some new luminaries, including Jenna Ortega who does a top job as Beetlejuice’s newest client. Silliness and fun abound.

An elderly woman steals a mobility scooter and sets out on a crusade of revenge against a heartless scammer in Thelma, a sweet-natured comedy starring June Squibb (now 94) and the late Richard Roundtree (Shaft).

Moving at a gentle pace, the film is a very comfortable watch with some sound things to say about stereotyping seniors and over-protective children. A lovely film.

A choice school holiday offering for those taking little’uns to the multiplex is Transformers One, a ripper animation that explains how archenemies Optimus Prime and Megatron started out as friends.

The visuals are brilliant and the story is packed with action and humour, but it’s the relationship between
the main characters that makes this such a winning family film. The franchise shows no signs of slowing down. (Opens 19 September, with sneaks this weekend)

Somewhat less satisfying is Harold and the Purple Crayon, a noble attempt to bring the beloved 1955 children’s book to life.

Harold (Zachary Levi) is now all grown up and ventures into the real world with his friends Moose and Porcupine (who are now human).

As a time killer the film passes muster, and it has some funny moments, but don’t expect anything special or particularly magical.

Steaming up the arthouse circuit is Last Summer, an engrossing, erotic drama about a successful, wealthy professional woman who endangers her happy marriage by having a hot affair with her attractive step-son.

The film comes from French director Catherine Breillet who is famous for her vivid portrayals of sex, sometimes getting her actors to do the deed for real before the camera.

While she doesn’t get her cast to go that far here, the scenes of intimacy are still pretty intense, matching the piercing, emotionally blistering story as the woman struggles with the difficulty of acting responsibly in the face of temptation.

A very good Australian documentary, How to Poison a Planet highlights the infiltration of so-called “forever chemicals” into the food chain.

This damaging toxic stuff apparently gets into humans via common domestic products and water – and once it gets in it doesn’t break down.

The film follows two cases: a David-vs-Goliath court case in New York and the compensation battle by the indigenous people of Wreck Bay whose ancestral lands have been ruined by toxic runoff from a nearby military base.

It’s a sobering look at a global problem that is getting more and more attention as the issue worsens.

Catch it on Stan.

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