Monday, November 30

Bug

Director: William Friedkin

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0470705

Review: Vibrantly directed and enthusiastically performed with a gripping energy and haunting use of sound.

Watch it if: You're interested in seeing how far a film can go.

And if you liked: Killer Joe, Withnail and I, Twelve Monkeys

Check this out: Bug

The Dorm

Director: Rachel Talalay

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3587064

Review: A few rough edges and reliance on old tropes but mostly holds together as something reasonably decent.

Watch it if: You want a horror film with a few things to say that isn't too earthshaking.

And if you liked: Urban Legend, The Hole, Carrie, Starry Eyes

Fear

Director: Rockne S. O'Bannon

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099557

Review: Feels like an episode of a procedural TV show but plays out as an enjoyable if throwaway episode.

Watch it if: You want something reasonably distracting without changing the rulebook.

And if you liked: A Nightmare on Elm Street, The X-Files, Dexter

Attack the Block

Director: Joe Cornish

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1478964

Review: Doesn't quite land all its pieces together but made with enough flair and style to deliver a fun experience.

Watch it if: You want an interesting science fiction action film that doesn't necessarily blow your mind.

And if you liked: The World's End, Super 8, The Horde

Sunday, November 29

Steve Jobs

Director: Danny Boyle

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2080374

Review: Brings some interesting ideas and approaches to the table but ultimately crumbles under the weight of a lack of subtlety and empty-feeling sentiment.

Watch it if: You're interested in different angles on film structure.

And if you liked: The Social Network, Selma, Network

Check this out: Steve Jobs

Thursday, November 26

Love is Strange

Director: Ira Sachs

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2639344

Review: A delicate and honest portrayal of very believable characters with sincere emotion and some very human performances.

Watch it if: You don't need a hardline plot thrust and can enjoy just letting characters breathe.

And if you liked: About Time, Annie Hall, A Single Man

Wednesday, November 25

Goon

Director: Michael Dowse

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1456635

Review: Creatively constructed with genuine flair and heart with a strong lead performance and a slight melancholy tone that ties everything together well.

Watch it if: You like Seann William Scott.

And if you liked: Happy Gilmore, Kingpin

Check this out: Goon: The True Story of an Unlikely Journey Into Minor League Hockey

Tuesday, November 24

His Girl Friday

Director: Howard Hawks

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032599

Review: Fast-paced and funny with a good plot and a great central relationship.

Watch it if: You've somehow never seen it like I hadn't.

And if you liked: Duck Soup, The Hudsucker Proxy, Intolerable Cruelty

Check this out: The Front Page

Monday, November 23

The Signal

Director: William Eubank

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2910814

Review: A few logical leaps and gets a little overblown towards the end but still brings some nice ideas, tone and design.

Watch it if: You want some science fiction that's intriguing and unsettling.

And if you liked: Chronicle, Oblivion, District 9

Wednesday, November 18

The Dunwich Horror

Director: Daniel Haller

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065669

Review: Doesn't fully deliver all the way through but manages to effectively build some unsettling tones and effective scenes given its clear limitations.

Watch it if: You can appreciate interesting choices and moods in an otherwise shaky film.

And if you liked: The Devil Rides Out, The Wicker Man, A Field in England

Check this out: The Dunwich Horror