Three Identical Strangers

Director: Tim Wardle

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7664504/

Review: A well told and fascinating story held together by the charm of the main subjects.

Watch it if: You know as little about the events as possible.

And if you liked: The Thin Blue Line, The Imposter

Aquaman

Director: James Wan

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1477834

Review: Undeniably a crazy mess but somehow shines through all the nonsense with a genuine charm and a lot of fun.

Watch it if: You're ok with a central actor's charisma carrying most of a whole movie.

And if you liked: Thor, Jupiter Ascending, TRON: Legacy

Hotel Artemis

Director: Drew Pearce

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5834262

Review: Not changing the world by any stretch but still carries through with some fun ideas and a decent plot.

Watch it if: The cast is appealing to you.

And if you liked: The Purge, Dredd, Smokin' Aces

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Director: Joel and Ethan Coen

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6412452

Review: About one segment too long but still has a lot to offer in terms of humour, depth and beauty.

Watch it if: You can enjoy a western and all the tropes that come along with that.

And if you liked: True Grit (2010), O Brother Where Art Thou?

Sorry to Bother You

Director: Boots Riley

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5688932

Review: Just an electric barrage of fresh ideas and tones that keep you guessing all the way through.

Watch it if: You're ok to let a film take you where it's going to go.

And if you liked: Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy, Cosmopolis, Network

Blockers

Director: Kay Cannon

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2531344

Review: A perfectly balanced film with strong hilarious characters that never falls into the usual traps of the genre.

Watch it if: You're ok with some (albeit refreshingly funny) gross-out humour.

And if you liked: Pitch Perfect, Superbad, Old School

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Director: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsay and Rodney Rothman

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4633694

Review: Could use a tightening here and there but delivers hard with a slew of excellent sequences and a great sense of humour.

Watch it if: You want to see something that looks like nothing else ever has.

And if you liked: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, 21 Jump Street, Wreck-It Ralph

Tomb Raider

Director: Roar Uthaug

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1365519

Review: Some video-gamey emptiness to the action but still carries itself well with an intriguing enough plot and a strong central performance.

Watch it if: You're ok with something that doesn't necessarily do anything new but does what it does reasonably well.

And if you liked: The Da Vinci Code, Skyfall, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

The Man Who Fell to Earth

Director: Nicolas Roeg

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074851

Review: A peculiar and unorthodox character work that manages to hold interest and intrigue throughout it's sizable running time.

Watch it if: You're ok with a less direct approach to storytelling.

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

Check this out: The Man Who Fell to Earth

You Were Never Really Here

Director: Lynne Ramsay

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5742374

Review: Tense and intriguing with gorgeous cinematography and a detailed approach to storytelling.

Watch it if: You're interested in something that gets itself across without spelling anything out.

And if you liked: Twin Peaks: The Return, Drive, A History of Violence

Check this out: You Were Never Really Here

Cam

Director: Daniel Goldhaber

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8361028

Review: Could've done with pushing the horror a little further but still carries a number of fresh ideas and some well constructed tension.

Watch it if: You're interested in seeing something that manages this subject material without being leery.

And if you liked: Black Mirror, Spring Breakers, Holidays, Perfect Blue

Daddy's Home Two

Director: Sean Anders

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5657846

Review: Two or three fairly funny moments lost in a cobbled together string of bits.

Watch it if: You're that curious.

And if you liked: Mr. Deeds, The Other Guys

Leatherface (2017)

Director: Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2620590

Review: Oafish and predictable with dull attempts at shock turns and nothing particularly new to show.

Watch it if: You want to see something that tries hard to be interesting but just is not.

And if you liked: Texas Chainsaw, The Devil's Rejects, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

Hellraiser: Judgment

Director: Gary J. Tunnicliffe

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5476182

Review: Plays like a bad detective film with some Hellraiser glued onto the end of it without an understanding of the difference between stomach-churning and scary.

Watch it if: You desperately need to fill out your Hellraiser scorecard.

And if you liked: Jigsaw, Se7en, Hellraiser: Revelations

Halloween (2018)

Director: David Gordon Green

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1502407

Review: Could use a tightening up in many ways but carries a lot of strong ideas and moments with it.

Watch it if: You want to see something made out of a real joy for the material.

And if you liked: Halloween, Halloween H20, Straw Dogs

Apostle

Director: Gareth Evans

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6217306

Review: A little bit unfocused but otherwise a strongly built film with some wild ideas and great performances.

Watch it if: You're interested in seeing what a perfect action director can do with a horror film.

And if you liked: The Wicker Man, Wake Wood, Evil Dead (2013)

Venom

Director: Ruben Fleischer

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1270797

Review: Messy and silly but undoubtedly fun and entertaining when it revels in its weirdness.

Watch it if: You want something that'll throw ideas at you.

And if you liked: Little Shop of Horrors, Cronos, The Incredible Hulk

Hold the Dark

Director: Jeremy Saulnier

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5057140

Review: Intense and gripping with a winding plot and breathtaking visuals.

Watch it if: You enjoy something brooding.

And if you liked: No Country for Old Men, Insomnia, True Detective, Blade Runner

Check this out: Hold the Dark

Mandy

Director: Panos Cosmatos

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6998518

Review: A bizarre tone that carries through some fantastic imagery and an outright assault on the senses.

Watch it if: You're ok with some weird intense violence.

And if you liked: Beyond the Black Rainbow, Hellraiser, Drive, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2

Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

Director: Kenneth Branagh

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3402236

Review: Slick and fun in equal measure with some truly gorgeous imagery and a strong cast.

Watch it if: You've somehow avoided learning the ending, like me.

And if you liked: Ocean's Eleven, The Usual Suspects, Gosford Park

Power Rangers

Director: Dean Israelite

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3717490

Review: A few issues but otherwise holds together reasonable well with a decent tone and some interesting characters.

Watch it if: You're curious and open-minded.

And if you liked: Chronicle, The Breakfast Club, Spider-Man: Homecoming

Mission: Impossible - Fallout

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4912910

Review: Dazzling from the beginning with clear stakes, fun ideas and always another card up its sleeve.

Watch it if: You enjoy something that's stuffed with great action set-pieces.

And if you liked: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, The Dark Knight, Skyfall

The Accountant

Director: Gavin O'Connor

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2140479

Review: Wobbles a little bit towards the end but is otherwise well constructed and effective with a decent plot.

Watch it if: You're interested in an action movie that exists on its own terms.

And if you liked: The Town, Michael Clayton

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Director: Peyton Reed

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5095030

Review: A little bit strained in places but otherwise solidly delivers in its action, humour and spectacle.

Watch it if: You enjoy an irreverent action film.

And if you liked: Ant-Man, Thor: Ragnarok

The Mummy (2017)

Director: Alex Kurtzman

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2345759

Review: Absolute shambles of a plot with a tone that is about 2 drafts away from being decent and a completely backwards approach to filmmaking.

Watch it if: You're curious.

And if you liked: An American Werewolf in London, Reign of Fire, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Logan Lucky

Director: Steven Soderbergh

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5439796

Review: Silly and intriguing in just the right amounts with a slew of fun characters, moments and ideas.

Watch it if: You want a heist movie that is just as intricate as any but with a different tone.

And if you liked: Ocean's Eleven, Jackie Brown, Ant-Man

Ocean's Eleven (2001)

Director: Steven Soderbergh

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0240772

Review: Slick and fun with a feeling of effortlessness over the satisfying complexity.

Watch it if: You've somehow never seen it like me.

And if you liked: Solo: A Star Wars Story, Now You See Me 2

Check this out: Ocean's 11

Hereditary

Director: Ari Aster

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7784604

Review: Terrifying and hilarious in equal measure with some some perfectly constructed sections and an absolutely bonkers through-line.

Watch it if: You enjoy something that undercuts your expectations to surprise you.

And if you liked: Rosemary's Baby, Kill List, Drag Me to Hell, The Babadook

My Friend Dahmer

Director: Marc Meyers

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2291540

Review: Strange and informative with a moody sense of melancholy and a well handled reality.

Watch it if: You're interested in seeing something that can humanise a killer without excusing them.

And if you liked: Elephant, Dazed & Confused, River's Edge

Check this out: My Friend Dahmer

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Director: Ron Howard

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3778644

Review: Contains a few atrocious ideas but mostly romps along well with a lot of fun action and some truly lovely cinematography.

Watch it if: You're ok with some well made fluff.

And if you liked: Star Trek, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Ant-Man

Deadpool 2

Director: David Leitch

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5463162/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Review: Holds the same problems as the first and is definitely a mess but is absolutely fun and silly enough all the way through to justify itself.

Watch it if: You're ok with something just being what it is for better or worse.

And if you liked: Deadpool, Looper, Logan

Avengers: Infinity War

Director: Anthony and Joe Russo

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154756

Review: What should be an absolute mess somehow hangs together with plenty of intimacy balanced with great, huge moments and the courage and ambition to centre on melancholy rather than bombast.

Watch it if: You're ok having your heart ripped out.

And if you liked: Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, Warcraft: The Beginning, The Dark Knight Rises

A Quiet Place

Director: John Krasinski

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6644200

Review: A little big over-scored but otherwise works as a masterwork in tension and editing with strong performances and consistent themes.

Watch it if: You're capable of staying quiet in a cinema for 90 minutes.

And if you liked: Signs, Jurassic Park, The Walking Dead

Windy City Heat

Director: Bobcat Goldthwait

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0383053

Review: Hard to land on in terms of the morality of it all but I can't deny that it's fascinating to observe.

Watch it if: You're intrigued by how far a bit can go.

And if you liked: This is Spinal Tap, An Idiot Abroad, The Disaster Artist

Isle of Dogs

Director: Wes Anderson

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5104604

Review: Drags a little bit but still carries an abundance of ideas and a handmade charm.

Watch it if: You can get through some fairly rough cultural broad strokes.

And if you liked: The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Moonrise Kingdom, Bottle Rocket

Game Over, Man!

Director: Kyle Newacheck

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3317234

Review: Loses control of itself from time to time but always comes back to dropping decent laughs and enjoyably silly ideas.

Watch it if: You're ok with some meandering if it's all in the name of good fun.

And if you liked: Workaholics, Die Hard, Tropic Thunder

Unsane

Director: Steven Soderbergh

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7153766

Review: Reveals its cards a little earlier than it could have but remains an effective and interesting genre piece with some fascinating visuals and a fun sense of what it is.

Watch it if: You've ever sat through a piece of bargain schlock wondering if it could be any better.

And if you liked: The Ninth Configuration, Misery, The Shining

The Breadwinner

Director: Nora Twomey

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3901826

Review: Moves forward nicely with genuine stakes and beautiful imagery.

Watch it if: You enjoy the detailed craft of an animated work.

And if you liked: Kubo and the Two Strings, The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea

Check this out: The Breadwinner

Mute

Director: Duncan Jones

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1464763

Review: Too long and fairly messy but carries ambition and ideas with some gorgeous design and music and an impressive central performance.

Watch it if: You're ok with finding the good in something that falls short of the mark.

And if you liked: The Shape of Water, Ghost in the Shell, Altered Carbon, Southland Tales

Annihilation

Director: Alex Garland

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2798920

Review: Tightly executed and subtly performed with a haunting score and some absolutely chilling material.

Watch it if: You're ok with something more cerebral.

And if you liked: The Signal, Event Horizon, Dog Soldiers, The Last of Us, Alien

Check this out: Annihilation

Black Panther

Director: Ryan Coogler

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1825683

Review: Soaked in creativity and flair with a strong, understandable villain and perfectly executed action.

Watch it if: You want to see how well executed a Marvel film really can be.

And if you liked: Skyfall, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Lord of the Rings

The Shape of Water

Director: Guillermo Del Toro

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5580390

Review: A simple story that ties genres together effortlessly with a beautiful atmosphere and lovely performances.

Watch it if: You're interested in the blending/blurring of supposed high and low culture.

And if you liked: Pan's Labyrinth, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Free Willy, Splash

Beware the Slenderman

Director: Irene Taylor Brodsky

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5329376

Review: Falls into some fairly obvious pitfalls and cheap shock but still tells its story well enough.

Watch it if: You're not looking for something too cheerful.

And if you liked: Making a Murdere, Cropsey, Killer Legends

1922

Director: Zak Hilditch

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6214928

Review: Reveals its cards almost immediately and never really reaches a real hit but never bores and delivers enough to carry itself through.

Watch it if: You're interested in a super chewy Thomas Jane performance.

And if you liked: Misery, Crimson Peak, There Will Be Blood

Check this out: 1922

The Cloverfield Paradox

Director: Julius Onah

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2548396

Review: Completely daffy and far too many scenes of forced peril but looks nice enough and there's fun to be had.

Watch it if: You're ok with some polished looking nonsense.

And if you liked: Moon, Prometheus, Star Trek: Discovery, Even Horizon

Call Me by Your Name

Director: Luca Guadagnino

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5726616

Review: Refreshing in its honesty and its humanity with some stunning performances and plenty of genuine wit.

Watch it if: You're ok with a film taking its time.

And if you liked: Moonlight, Love is Strange

Check this out: Call Me by Your Name

A Futile and Stupid Gesture

Director: David Wain

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5566790

Review: Manages to carry poignancy through chaos with some canny casting and a real sense of flow.

Watch it if: You're interested in comedy history.

And if you liked: Man on the Moon, Animal House

Check this out: A Futile and Stupid Gesture: How Doug Kenney and National Lampoon Changed Comedy Forever

Phantom Thread

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5776858

Review: A fascinating portrait of toxicity with a bizarrely constant score and a masterful use of subtlety.

Watch it if: You're interested in a piece that twists slowly.

And if you liked: The Master, Behind the Candelabra, Dead Ringers

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie

Director: David Soren

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2091256

Review: Embraces its inherent silliness to perfection with a breezy plot and a fast pace.

Watch it if: You want something light and goofy.

And if you liked: The Lego Movie, Despicable Me

Check this out: Captain Underpants