Freeze Frame: “I’m Still Here” (PG-13), “Heart Eyes” (R)

The Brazilian political drama “I’m Still Here” from acclaimed filmmaker Walter Salles is a nominee for this year’s Best International Feature Oscar. Fernanda Torres has already won a Golden Globe as Best Actress for her portrayal of Eunice Paiva, a mother who became a dissident political activist after her husband’s disappearance during the rule of Brazil’s military junta in the early 1970s. The tension mounts as Eunice demands answers about her husband’s fate. She and one of her teenaged daughters are also arrested. The film has become a major hit in Brazil despite the efforts in some quarters to ban it. “I’m Still Here” is a solid, involving and unsettling drama.

Horror films that are centered around a holiday has become a staple Hollywood sub-genre. From “Black Christmas” to “Leprechaun” to “Thanksgiving,” no holiday has remained uncovered…or unscathed. The latest example is “Heart Eyes,” about a serial slasher who kills with abandon on Valentine’s Day, targeting unsuspecting lovers. This cheeky horror comedy not only serves as a satire of slasher movies but also pokes fun at the conventions and contrivances of rom coms. Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding play advertising creatives who, while at a working dinner, are mistaken as lovers by the Heart Eyes Killer. He turns their evening into a chaotic and bloody mess. Horror vets Jordana Brewster and Devon Sawa also pop in. Director Josh Ruben creates the full grisly mayhem that fans of the genre demand, while allowing his actors the chance to deliver the predictable dialogue with tongue firmly in cheek. Does it all work? By no means. But for horror fans who like a snicker or two with their scares, “Heart Eyes” is an appropriately shameless gorefest.

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