A Christmas Carol (2009)

Director: Robert Zemeckis

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1067106

Review: When it uses restraint it has some nice ideas and poignant moments taken seriously but too often resorts to overcooked action sequences.

Watch it if: You're interested in motion capture technology.

And if you liked: Bolt, Happy Feet

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Director: Gareth Edwards

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3748528

Review: A few huge missteps that really jar the film as it goes but holds together reasonably well with some refreshingly new perspectives and compelling characters.

Watch it if: You like... Star Wars?

And if you liked: Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, Godzilla (2014)

The Da Vinci Code

Director: Ron Howard

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0382625

Review: Baffling and goofy with a nonsensical plot and no real grounding in its stakes.

Watch it if: You're fine with complete silliness.

And if you liked: Sherlock Holmes (2009), Now You See Me 2

Check this out: The Da Vinci Code

Nocturnal Animals

Director: Tom Ford

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4550098

Review: Not entirely clear in its point but brings some interesting aspects and some impressive performances.

Watch it if: You can handle some unsettling tension.

And if you liked: Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive, Martha Marcy May Marlene

Check this out: Tony and Susan

Grimsby

Director: Louis Leterrier

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3381008

Review: Crassly unfunny from the start with dull action and deeply unlikeable characters.

Watch it if: You find dick and ass jokes beyond hilarious regardless of how laboured they are.

And if you liked: The Interview, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Kick-Ass 2

The Edge of Seventeen

Director: Kelly Fremon Craig

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1878870

Review: Doesn't change the world but delivers a fair amount of sweetness and sincerity with a compelling lead performance.

Watch it if: You have a soft spot for honest teen movies.

And if you liked: Mean Girls, The DUFF, Easy A

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Director: David Yates

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3183660

Review: A few nice ideas buried in a lot of meaningless spectacle mired particularly by a charisma-free central performance.

Watch it if: You need to devour anything Harry Potter related.

And if you liked: Doctor Strange, Oz the Great and Powerful

Check this out: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

The DUFF

Director: Ari Sandel

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1666801

Review: A little raw in its sincerity but still delivers plenty of fun without falling into common traps.

Watch it if: You have an affinity for the high-school teen genre.

And if you liked: Sixteen Candles, Mean Girls, 10 Things I Hate About You

Check this out: The DUFF

Arrival

Director: Denis Villeneuve

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2543164

Review: Skirts a line between emotional subtlety and big ideas that could turn many off but for me, managed to tell a soulful story with grace and flair.

Watch it if: You like fairly heady science-fiction.

And if you liked: Another Earth, Transcendence, Interstellar

Check this out: Story of Your Life

Doctor Strange

Director: Scott Derrickson

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1211837

Review: Never fully engages as hard as it could but dazzles visually with some fun new ideas and approaches.

Watch it if: You're into the Marvel movies?

And if you liked: Inception, Iron Man, Thor

Beyond the Black Rainbow

Director: Panos Cosmatos

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1534085

Review: Delivers a lot of audio-visual flair and a few interesting ideas but not entirely sure what it wants to be.

Watch it if: You're ok with something that is very style heavy.

And if you liked: Stranger Things, Pi, THX 1138

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

Director: Scott Glosserman

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0437857

Review: Despite keeping it light and funny for most of its running time still manages to bring up the tension in its final act.

Watch it if: You like seeing deconstructions of the slasher genre.

And if you liked: Scream, The Cabin in the Woods, The Blair Witch Project

The Battery

Director: Jeremy Gardner

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2272350

Review: Really gets to what these kinds of films should be doing with a genuine relationship at its centre and good use of music.

Watch it if: You want a zombie movie that brings it back to basics.

And if you liked: They Look Like People, The Walking Dead, Easy Rider

Cannibal Holocaust

Director: Ruggero Deodato

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078935

Review: Heavy and tough to watch with convincing special effects and some extremely effective scenes.

Watch it if: You can deal with a few sickening scenes of genuine animal abuse.

And if you liked: Zombie Flesh Eaters, Deliverance, The Blair Witch Project

Timecrimes

Director: Nacho Vigalondo

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0480669

Review: Unfolds a little slower than you do but still brings plenty of intrigue and tension to the table.

Watch it if: You're interested in a time travel story that doesn't break its own rules.

And if you liked: Primer, V/H/S Viral, La jetée

Baskin

Director: Can Evrenol

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4935418

Review: A little confusing in its mythology but delivers some moody tension and a deeply unsettling villain.

Watch it if: You can handle some fairly gnarly violence.

And if you liked: Let the Right One In, Hellraiser

Circle

Director: Mario Miscone and Aaron Hann

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3118452

Review: Manages to maintain interest with very little with an interesting premise and well defined characters, especially considering the amount.

Watch it if: You're ok with something with a fun journey even if it doesn't quote stick the landing.

And if you liked: Cube, The Mist, Saw V

The Snowtown Murders

Director: Justin Kurzel

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1680114

Review: Moody and tense throughout with some deep discomfort and a some chilling performances.

Watch it if: You can deal with some strong unpleasantness.

And if you liked: Winter's Bone, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Prevenge

Check this out: The Snowtown Murders

Prevenge

Director: Alice Lowe

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5154288

Review: Awkwardly and darkly funny with a strong central performance and a clear sense of atmosphere.

Watch it if: You're ok with some gore and violence.

And if you liked: Sightseers, Dead Man's Shoes

Demons

Director: Lamberto Bava

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089013

Review: Meanders a little but delivers enough strong tone and schlocky fun that it remains enjoyable.

Watch it if: You're ok with a lot of over the top gore.

And if you liked: The Neon Demon, Berberian Sound Studio, The Evil Dead, Return of the Living Dead

Creepshow 3

Director: Ana Clavell and James Dudelson

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478125

Review: Very cheap and shaky without any real sense of what it wants to say.

Watch it if: You're plumbing the depths of horror anthologies.

And if you liked: Creepshow 2, Goosebumps, Cosmic Slop

Tales from the Darkside: The Movie

Director: John Harrison

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100740

Review: Feels like three decent episodes of a TV show but it's a good TV show so there's plenty of fun to be had.

Watch it if: You enjoy slightly hokey but enjoyable horror anthology stories.

And if you liked: Tales from the Crypt, Creepshow, Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Check this out: Lot No. 249, The Cat from Hell

The Autopsy of Jane Doe

Director: André Øvredal

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3289956

Review: Competently put together and structured but hits a point where you either go with it or don't and I could not go with it.

Watch it if: You're ok with something that has plenty of (admittedly well-delivered) cliché in its horror.

And if you liked: Pontypool, Don't Breathe, 30 Days of Night

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

Director: John McNaughton

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099763

Review: Oddly and darkly comic for much of its runtime but confronting and brutal when it needs to be.

Watch it if: You can handle some fairly stark violence.

And if you liked: Halloween, Basket Case, The Devil's Rejects

Check this out: Henry Lee Lucas

Maniac Cop 2

Director: William Lustig

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100107

Review: Not as clever or witty as the first but still brings enough to keep you watching as it goes.

Watch it if: You're cool with fairly standard cheap 80s fare.

And if you liked: Maniac Cop, Dirty Harry, Friday the 13th

Maniac Cop

Director: William Lustig

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095583

Review: Well put together yet bonkers with some effective action and great casting.

Watch it if: You want to see something that is bizarrely topical nearly 30 years later.

And if you liked: Night of the Creeps, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, Child's Play

The Nightmare

Director: Rodney Ascher

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3317522

Review: A little repetitive in its stories but effectively gets its tone across with some genuinely chilling imagery.

Watch it if: You're not easily triggered into sleep related issues.

And if you liked: The Arbor, Paperhouse, Insidious

ABCs of Death 2

Director: E.L. Katz, Julian Barratt, Julian Gibney, Robert Morgan, Alejandro Brugués, Aharon Keshales, Navot Papushado, Jim Hosking, Bill Plympton, Erik Matti, Dennison Ramalho, Kristina, Buožytė, Bruno Samper, Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen, Robert Boocheck, Larry Fessenden, Hajime Ohata, Todd Rohal, Rodney Ascher, Marvin Kren, Juan Martinez Moreno, Jen Soska, Silvia Soska, Vincenzo Natali, Jerome Sable, Steven Kostanski, Julen Maury, Alexandre Bustillo, Soichi Umezawa and Chris Nash

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2926810

Review: More unified in tone than the first one with more successful segments but lower peaks.

Watch it if: You can handle some icky gore and dodgy special effects.

And if you liked: The ABCs of Death, V/H/S, Holidays

The ABCs of Death

Director: Nacho Vigalondo, Adrian Garcia Bogliano, Ernesto Diaz Espinoza, Marcel Sarmiento, Angela Bettis, Noburu Iguchi, Andrew Traucki, Thomas Malling, Jorge Michel Grau, Yûdai Yamaguchi, Anders Morgenthaler, Timo Tjahjanto, Ti West, Banjong Pisanthanakun, Bruno Forzani, Héléne Cattet, Simon Rumley, Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett, Srđan Spasojević, Jake West, Lee Hardcastle, Ben Wheatley, Kaare Andrews, Jon Schnepp, Xavier Gens, Jason Eisener and Yoshihiro Nishimura

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1935896

Review: Some ups and some downs with a couple of decent laughs and a fair few strong ideas.

Watch it if: You can handle some uncomfortable gross-out moments.

And if you liked: V/H/S, Holidays, Creepshow

The Legend of Hell House

Director: John Hough

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070294

Review: Slow burning and smart with an interesting story and a nice tone that holds throughout.

Watch it if: You're interested in a classic example of a scientist surveying a haunted house.

And if you liked: The Devil Rides Out, The Sentinel, House on Haunted Hill

Check this out: Hell House

Westworld

Director: Michael Crichton

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070909

Review: A great idea, well executed with a fun honking score and a pace that never sags.

Watch it if: You enjoy a good simple science fiction movie.

And if you liked: Jurassic Park, The Cabin in the Woods, Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Holidays

Director: Kevin Kölsch, Denis Widmyer, Gary Shore, Nicholas McCarthy, Sarah Adina Smith, Anthony Scott Burns, Kevin Smith and Scott Stewart

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4419364

Review: A mixed bag with some fun spooky moments and acerbic humour but also some cliched aspects and some unpleasant nastiness.

Watch it if: You can sit through at least one utterly awful segment.

And if you liked: Tales from the Crypt, Krampus

Felt

Director: Jason Banker

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3854104

Review: Difficult to watch in parts with a clear message and some truly bizarre imagery.

Watch it if: You can handle some uncomfortable body contact scenes.

And if you liked: They Look Like People, The Skin I Live In

High-Rise

Director: Ben Wheatley

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462335

Review: Strange and unnerving in its tone with a soundtrack that pulls you into its beautifully constructed shots.

Watch it if: You're interested in broad satire that explores the bizarre.

And if you liked: A Clockwork Orange, Under the Skin, Down Terrace

Check this out: High-Rise

They Look Like People

Director: Perry Blackshear

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4105970

Review: Holds tension very well while still maintaining its questions with great use of jump-cuts.

Watch it if: You're ok with something a little more ambiguous.

And if you liked: Upstream Color, Martin, Bug

Nightbreed

Director: Clive Barker

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100260

Review: Some interesting ideas and monster designs but dragged down by a meandering plot and overlong running time.

Watch it if: You're interested in Clive Barker's directorial work beyond Hellraiser.

And if you liked: Hellraiser, Dust Devil, Lord of Illusions

Check this out: Cabal

He Never Died

Director: Jason Crawczyk

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2386404

Review: An intriguing plot carried through a charismatic performance with an interesting tone and some nice ideas.

Watch it if: You're interested in seeing Henry Rollins in a lead role.

And if you liked: Horns, Bubba Hotep, Taxi Driver

Dead Silence

Director: James Wan

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0455760

Review: A little bit too much frantic editing but follows a decent story pretty well with a strong atmosphere and some genuinely chilling moments.

Watch it if: You can handle a lot of creepy ventriloquist dummies.

And if you liked: Candyman, The Ring, The Woman in Black (2012)

The Fly

Director: Kurt Neumann

IMDB: IMDB URL

Review: Unfolds in a nicely intriguing way with strong performances and some deeply unsettling moments.

Watch it if: You can handle a slower paced story with a strong payoff.

And if you liked: From Beyond, Frankenstein, House on Haunted Hill

Check this out: The Fly

V/H/S Viral

Director: Marcel Sarmiento, Gregg Bishop, Nacho Vigalondo, Justin Benson and Aaron Scott Moorhead

IMDB: IMDB URL

Review: Has a few nice ideas that it doesn't do a lot with and seems to end with a deeply dopey message but one segment shines through fairly well.

Watch it if: You can handle stuff that ignores its own rules enough that it may as well not have them.

And if you liked: V/H/S, V/H/S/2, Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Deathgasm

Director: Jason Lei Howden

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3705412

Review: Mired somewhat by an unnecessary male-gazey streak but still has a lot to offer in terms of fun, action and humour.

Watch it if: You can handle a lot of bloody gore.

And if you liked: Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, Evil Dead 2, Braindead

Hush

Director: Mike Flanagan

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5022702

Review: Lulls a little in a few places but brings a lot of tension and fresh ideas to the table.

Watch it if: You can handle some fairly brutal violence.

And if you liked: Oculus, Scream, The Purge, Don't Breathe

We Are Still Here

Director: Ted Geoghegan

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3520418

Review: Sits in used tropes a little but brings an unfolding story to the table well with a some nice bits of imagery and some well put together violence.

Watch it if: You can handle some splatter gore.

And if you liked: The Innkeepers, The House of the Devil

Now You See Me 2

Director: Jon M. Chu

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3110958

Review: Riddled with holes and lapses in logic but silly and frothy enough to keep the fun going.

Watch it if: You're not likely to get too tripped up by lack of sense.

And if you liked: Bottle Rocket, Point Break

The Invitation

Director: Karyn Kusama

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2400463

Review: Well crafted in its tension and character building with a consistently mysterious plot and an excellent use of sound.

Watch it if: You want a film that can keep you guessing all the way through.

And if you liked: You're Next, The House of the Devil, The Gift

Blair Witch

Director: Adam Wingard

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1540011

Review: A little too polished and cheats far more than it should, given the material, but brings a few nice things to the table and holds tension fairly well.

Watch it if: You can go back to found footage for the right property.

And if you liked: The Blair Witch Project, Mr. Jones, The Descent, As Above So, Below

Sully

Director: Clint Eastwood

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3263904

Review: Fairly thin and fluffy in its message but delivers some tension and emotion through a shaky plotline and helped with a strong and subtle lead performance.

Watch it if: You're ok with something that heightens the conflict for the sake of drama.

And if you liked: The Martian, Spotlight

Check this out: Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters

Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World

Director: Werner Herzog

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5275828

Review: Too long and fairly thin but carries plenty of interesting information and fun moments to justify itself.

Watch it if: You enjoy a certain amount of Werner Herzog.

And if you liked: The Social Network, Indie Game: The Movie

Don't Breathe

Director: Fede Alvarez

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4160708

Review: Tense and unnerving with some really nice teasing and a strong use of sound.

Watch it if: You're ok with some very squicky and uncomfortable moments.

And if you liked: The People Under the Stairs, Psycho, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), You're Next

Kubo and the Two Strings

Director: Travis Knight

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4302938

Review: Elegant and poetic with beautiful design and a genuinely breathtaking production.

Watch it if: You're ok with an animated film not shying away from the darker aspects of life.

And if you liked: Song of the Sea, Princess Mononoke, The Secret of Kells

Don't Think Twice

Director: Mike Birbiglia

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4972062

Review: A few small contrivances aside, delivers some fairly real truths and a good amount of laughs.

Watch it if: You're interested in the comedy world.

And if you liked: Saturday Night Live

Suicide Squad

Director: David Ayer

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1386697

Review: One or two pieces of nice design amongst a mess of bad characterisation, meaningless winking and unsettling implications.

Watch it if: You want to be baffled by a weirdly long string of unnecessary needle-drops.

And if you liked: Watchmen, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Ghostbusters

Star Trek Beyond

Director: Justin Lin

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2660888

Review: Has some odd pacing and never quite hits an absolute high but has enough fun to hold it together to the end.

Watch it if: You like Star Trek.

And if you liked: Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, Event Horizon

The Lobster

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3464902

Review: Unsettling and funny with some genuinely bizarre aspects and great use of mundanity.

Watch it if: You can handle a few scenes of cruelty.

And if you liked: Sightseers, Never Let me Go, Cold Souls

Ghostbusters (2016)

Director: Paul Feig

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1289401

Review: A few odd editing choices aside, delivers laughs and fun consistently with good characterisations and really interesting SFX design.

Watch it if: You're interested in seeing Kate McKinnon take over the world. 

And if you liked: Ghostbusters, The Frighteners, Keanu

The Neon Demon

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1974419

Review: Haunting in its photography and scoring with a strange plot and some startling moments.

Watch it if: You're ok with some bizarre and disturbing scenes.

And if you liked: Only God Forgives, Suspiria, Starry Eyes, Carrie

Vertigo

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052357

Review: A great plot told poetically with beautiful cinematography and music.

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

And if you liked: Suspiria, Rear Window, Trance

Check this out: D'entre les Morts

Warcraft

Director: Duncan Jones

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0803096

Review: Delivers strong colour-work and well defined characters yet despite its clarity of vision it still manages to meander.

Watch it if: You want to see a fantasy film that's a bit bolder with its design choices.

And if you liked: Army of Darkness, Return of the Jedi, Lord of the Rings

The Nice Guys

Director: Shane Black

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3799694

Review: A well written slow reveal plot with some great physical comedy and hilarious snappy dialogue.

Watch it if: You want to see something where Russell Crowe is entertaining.

And if you liked: Inherent Vice, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, The Big Lebowski

X-Men: Apocalypse

Director: Bryan Singer

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3385516

Review: Slow and dull with no weight behind its attempted emotional arc and not a single earned moment.

Watch it if: You really feel the need to.

And if you liked: Stargate, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Fantastic Four (2015)

Green Room

Director: Jeremy Saulnier

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4062536

Review: Uses your movie expectations to sideswipe you while delivering strong tension throughout and some deeply impressive performances.

Watch it if: You can handle some rough violence.

And if you liked: Blue Ruin, The Last House on the Left, Misery

Entertainment

Director: Rick Alverson

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3343784

Review: Strange and unsettling with beautiful photography and a tone that manages to pull you in while still keeping you at arms length.

Watch it if: You're ok with a more ponderous film.

And if you liked: The Comedy, Gerry, Inland Empire

Captain America: Civil War

Director: Anthony and Joe Russo

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3498820

Review: Drags a little and could hit higher but dazzles with inventive action and strong character work.

Watch it if: You enjoy good superhero fare.

And if you liked: Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Avengers, The Empire Strikes Back

My Cousin Vinny

Director: Jonathan Lynn

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104952

Review: Tightly structured and well balanced with fun characters and plenty of intrigue.

Watch it if: You enjoy a comedy being well structured as well as funny.

And if you liked: Legally Blonde, Analyze This

Keanu

Director: Peter Atencio

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4139124

Review: Carries some inconsistency of characters and odd floating remnants of deleted threads but is undeniably laugh-out-loud funny throughout.

Watch it if: You like Key and Peele and/or cute kittens.

And if you liked: Key and Peele, 21 Jump Street, Deadpool

Zootropolis

Director: Byron Howard, Rich Moore and Jared Bush

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2948356

Review: Doesn't quite reach the heights that it could but delivers a fair amount of enjoyable story and fun humour.

Watch it if: You want some reasonably well made light entertainment.

And if you liked: Monsters University, Wreck-It Ralph, How to Train Your Dragon

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Director: Zack Snyder

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2975590

Review: A largely incoherent mess of a thing with a few brief glimpses at material that might be enjoyable in a different set of hands.

Watch it if: You absolutely need to see for yourself, otherwise don't.

And if you liked: Watchmen, Spider-Man 3, Man of Steel

10 Cloverfield Lane

Director: Dan Trachtenberg

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1179933

Review: Loses momentum towards the end but delivers some strong tension helped by excellent performances.

Watch it if: You're not expecting or wanting a direct sequel.

And if you liked: The Mist, Cloverfield, War of the Worlds (2005)

Hail, Caesar!

Director: Ethan Coen and Joel Coen

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475290

Review: Plenty of humour and a few impressive set pieces but harder to crack than is immediately apparent.

Watch it if: You're a fan of the Coen brothers.

And if you liked: Burn After Reading, A Serious Man, The Hudsucker Proxy

Bone Tomahawk

Director: S. Craig Zahler

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2494362

Review: A remarkable exercise in restraint with a nice slow burn and some impressive special effects.

Watch it if: You can handle a small amount of intense violence.

And if you liked: Deadwood, True Grit (2010), The Hills Have Eyes

Deadpool

Director: Tim Miller

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1431045/

Review: Doesn't quite hit as hard as it needs to but still delivers plenty of humour, action and fun.

Watch it if: You're ok with a fair amount of gratuitous violence.

And if you liked: Deadpool comics, Kick-Ass, Ant-Man

Spotlight

Director: Tom McCarthy

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1895587

Review: An important story that manages to be gripping and intriguing all the way through without ever succumbing to forced drama.

Watch it if: You're interested in a slowly building film that doesn't need to rely on spectacle.

And if you liked: The Wire, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Room

Director: Lenny Abrahamson

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3170832

Review: Manages to handle difficult material without being hard to watch with sensitive direction and some very genuine performances.

Watch it if: You can handle a few heavy subjects being dealt with.

And if you liked: Trust, What Richard Did, Short Term 12

Check this out: Room

The Hateful Eight

Director: Quentin Tarantino

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3460252

Review: Manages to entertain all the way through with some interesting characters and moments of tension but never quite reaches the heights it could.

Watch it if: You still have time for Tarantino.

And if you liked: The Thing, Reservoir Dogs, Django Unchained