MOVIE TIP

Conclave

There is little more pleasurable for a film fan than seeing greats like Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci be given good material and rich characters, and then just watching them act. Such is the case with “Conclave.” They play cardinals who are part of the conclave electing a new pope after the previous one dies. There are power plays among the men vying to become the future pontiff, and secrets are slowly revealed — expertly parceled out to keep the plot continuously compelling. I did feel, though, that the twist near the end came a little out of left field. The story is from Robert Harris’ novel of the same name. “Conclave,” directed by Edward Berger, looks beautiful, recreating the opulence of the Vatican’s interior. I rarely notice the sound used in a movie, but the sound here provides profoundly dramatic punctuation, including the occasional deep boom resonating inside the Vatican’s mammoth halls. Considering the quality of so many aspects of the production, you can see why “Conclave” is being mentioned as a possible Oscar contender.

— Kristina Dorsey

BOOK TIP

Indian Burial Ground

Nick Medina

In 1982, the film “Poltergeist” came out. The next year, Stephen King’s novel “Pet Sematary” was published. Between those two mega-works, one would think the bar for a haunted Native American graveyard as a creative setting in horror entertainment was almost insurmountable. Nonetheless, novelist Nick Medina is on the case. He brazenly TITLED his latest novel “Indian Burial Ground,” and the spirited piece of land, located on the reservation of a fictitious Louisiana tribe is indeed, well, messed up. Bouncing between present day and the 1980s, the action is connected by separate occasions when strange deaths begin to claim tribal members, and then their corpses subsequently sit up in their coffins. The action is refracted through the lens of one particular family and its relationships with friends and loved ones. Medina, a member of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe, expertly blends myth, folklore, creative horror and, most importantly, a touching family dynamic. I’m pretty sure no horror novel will ever equal “Pet Sematary,” but Medina has certainly contributed a worthy story in the Indian burial ground portfolio.

— Rick Koster

FOOD TIP

Sayulita

30 Main St., Centerbrook

I was disappointed when Los Charros Cantina left its Centerbrook home and relocated in Branford (before eventually closing). But we can all take comfort in the fact that another Mexican restaurant, Sayulita, has opened in the same Centerbrook building that Los Charros once occupied. The spot has a newly rustic interior (lots of wood) and the interior feels more divided up than the previous iteration. The food, meanwhile, is plenty good. We ordered the queso as an appetizer, and I probably could have just eaten that all night. But I did also try the tacos, which Sayulita offers a la carte. You get one taco for $8 or $9. Of the options I tried, the Faroe Island Salmon, which was blackened and served wtih agave lime slaw, fried jalapeno, pickled cabbage and avocado crema, was my preferred choice, for $8.

— Kristina Dorsey