You probably saw the trailer. Elizabeth Holmes looking blankly at an incredulous Nathan Fielder, asking, “Why would I deceive you?” It was like the tale of the scorpion and the frog for the Meme Age. I had to see that movie. Nathan Fielder, comedian and documentarian, built a career on aw kwardness and making other people uncomfortable, but he seems to have met his match when he starts filming Billy Evans, Elizabeth Holmes, and their two children 34 days before she reports to prison to serve her decade-long sentence for her fraudulent blood-testing scheme, Theranos. The portrait of Holmes that results from Fielder’s work with fellow director Lance Oppenheim is far more complicated than the trailer implied. Did Fielder get drawn into Holmes’s prolonged eye contact and manipulated by her, or is she more sympathetic than the longtime media narrative suggests? In the theater, the film is punctuated by gasps and laughter as cringe-worthy and tone-deaf moments build, but there are also many scenes that suggest that Holmes is simply odd and misunderstood, perhaps manipulated herself. From Evans’s controlling behavior over interviews or simply how Holmes scrambles eggs, to her inability to understand “Who’s on First,” the film humanizes Holmes, building toward her arrival at prison. We’ve seen her as a mother, a daughter, and an enigma, but then she disappears, only to be replaced by Amanda Seyfried, who famously played Holmes in Hulu’s The Dropout. Seyfried immediately clocks how controlling Evans is, and is a compelling sounding board for Fielder as he tries to understand the character study of Holmes he made after he loses access to her. The result is, yes, funny, but also satisfyingly ambiguous. You Can See Everything pushes on what a documentary can be, how much control a director has over his subject matter, and the interplay between storytelling and how we understand the truth. It’s a beautifully crafted film well worth the hype. You Can See Everything was directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim. It runs 174 minutes and is rated R. Last time, I started the roundup of horror movies streaming on Amazon and Shudder, HBO Max, and Netflix. This week, features Paramount+, Peacock, and Huluween. On Paramount+, the big draw is Scream 7, the latest installment in the slasher series that fans will feel compelled to watch but probably shouldn’t. I watch Scream every Halloween. It’s a favorite of mine, but not even the return of Neve Campbell redeemed this poorly-developed sequel. And don’t even get me started on them casting Joel McHale as Sydney’s husband and acting like we were supposed to think all along that she married a different Mark than the one played by Patrick Dempsey in Scream 3. Please. Peacock has the breakout hit Obsession from Curry Barker, starring Inde Navarrette and Michael Johnston. I reviewed it in full earlier, but I cannot stop thinking about its provoking plot, eerie atmosphere, and incredible performances. Also at Peacock, Disclosure Day is the latest alien thriller from Steven Spielberg, starring Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, and Colman Domingo. The film has an interesting premise, centering on government secrets, advanced technology, and paranormal communication, but the meandering plot does not quite cohere. Sure, there are some incredible set pieces and great performances, but the pacing felt episodic, leading me to believe it would have been a better miniseries than a feature film. I suspect a lot of character development and connecting scenes got cut from the already long runtime. Hulu has a bigger horror selection than either of the above, housed under its Huluween hub. Hokum is one of my favorite new horror movies this year, starring Adam Scott as a novelist with a terrible personality who might be staying at a haunted hotel. Damian McCarthy, who created Oddity (which I also love), infuses the story with Irish myth and a visual style that is both whimsical and frightening. Send Help, which I also reviewed earlier this year, showcases an intense and darkly comic performance from Rachel McAdams in a story like if Office Space stranded its lead on a desert island in a horror movie. Psycho Killer stars Georgina Campbell as a police officer hunting down the serial killer (James Preston Rogers) who killed her husband. The film has a style inspired by Satanic Panics of the past and moody cinematography that feels like other great serial killer films, but the killer himself is cartoonishly depicted, and the lack of character development and self-destructing plot drag down its potential. Hallow Road stars Rosamund Pike and Matthew Rhys as parents racing to rescue their daughter after a late-night car accident. Its quick pace, minimalist style, incredible performances, and the ethical quandary involved make it a gripping film. Fans of zombie movies will be interested in We Bury the Dead from Zak Hilditch and starring Daisy Ridley. And those who loved Ready or Not are sure to stream Ready or Not 2, which brings Samara Weaving back to do battle alongside her estranged sister (Faith MacCaullay). Redux Redux stars Michaela McManus as a mother who travels through time to kill her daughter’s murderer again and again. It’s an approach to horror that has been done several times in recent years, but it features an impressive performance from McManus. Happy Halloween! ...read more read less