Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker

Director: J.J. Abrams

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2527338

Review: A few nicely framed images can't save this sprawling mess that seems determined to undo and undercut not only what came before, but its own moments of impact as well.

Watch it if: You're not bothered by basically nothing mattering.

And if you liked: Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

Fantastic Four

Director: Tim Story

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120667

Review: Holds attention reasonably well considering how ploddingly dull and derivative the whole thing is.

Watch it if: You want to see a film take every opportunity it has to dump on its female characters.

And if you liked: Lost in Space, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, Spider-Man

Hellboy (2019)

Director: Neil Marshall

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2274648

Review: Small flashes here and there of what's being attempted swimming in a sea of mediocrity and unfinished VFX.

Watch it if: You're that curious.

And if you liked: The Spirit, Silent Hill, The Mummy Returns

Knives Out

Director: Rian Johnson

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8946378

Review: A great story carried by a greater cast with plenty of unforeseen turns and some superb pieces of dialogue.

Watch it if: You want a film that considers every detail carefully.

And if you liked: Murder on the Orient Express (2017), Brick

The Conjuring 2

Director: James Wan

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3065204

Review: Has a few striking images and improves as it continues but very baggy and filled with overdone contrivance.

Watch it if: You're interesting in something that seems to be actively attempting to keep you from engaging.

And if you liked: The Conjuring

Check this out: The Enfield Poltergeist

The Addams Family (2019)

Director: Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1620981

Review: A little rough in places and rushes its ending but understands the core appeal of the characters and delivers all the fun needed for them to shine.

Watch it if: You can accept that it's going to be a modern family film.

And if you liked: Monster House, Edward Scissorhands

The Lighthouse

Director: Robert Eggers

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7984734

Review: Fleshy and tactile filmmaking with two fascinating performances and plenty of corners to explore for meaning and interpretation.

Watch it if: You're ok with something that doesn't spoon-feed you.

And if you liked: The Witch, The Master, The Shining, Pi

Happy Death Day 2U

Director: Christopher Landon

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8155288

Review: Fun and silly in the right ways with a decent pace and a surprisingly sincere emotional core.

Watch it if: You’re ok with a follow-up that’s more of a science-fiction than a slasher.

And if you liked: Triangle, Timecrimes, Back to the Future Part II

Little Monsters

Director: Abe Forsythe

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7390588

Review: Rolls along at a nice pace with clear cut characters and a few large laugh-out-loud scenes.

Watch it if: You want something that zips along nicely.

And if you liked: Black Sheep, Shaun of the Dead

Let the Corpses Tan

Director: Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5827212

Review: Doesn't quite hold as clearly as it could towards the end but delivers a lot of invention in terms of storytelling and visuals.

Watch it if: You want something that plays with time.

And if you liked: The Bad Batch, Sexy Beast

Check this out: Laissez bronzer les cadavres!

31

Director: Rob Zombie

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3835080

Review: Just a long string of uninspired and unoriginal moments not saved by the one or two interesting images.

Watch it if: You love seeing shaking close-ups disguising that nothing is happening in a scene.

And if you liked: The Devil's Rejects, Saw II, Death Proof

The Monster Club

Director: Roy Ward Baker

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081178

Review: Flows along nicely with some fun ideas and a genuine glee in its own silliness.

Watch it if: You're ok with something that indulges itself.

And if you liked: Tales from the Crypt, The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Check this out: The Monster Club

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Director: Stacie Passon

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5952138

Review: Relatively light on story but makes up for it with a likeable cast and good instincts for eccentric performance.

Watch it if: You want something that can be laugh out loud funny despite not technically being a comedy.

And if you liked: Stoker

Check this out: We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Terrifier

Director: Damien Leone

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4281724

Review: A few decent moments and images but nothing really holding them together except a fairly standard and unoriginal tone.

Watch it if: You're not that worried about a story or theme.

And if you liked: Saw, Holidays, Maniac (2012)

Joker

Director: Todd Phillips

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7286456

Review: A decent performance buried in a futile, sad, and frankly pathetic attempt to appear smart.

Watch it if: You want to see something desperately begging you to be provoked or offended.

And if you liked: Choke, My Friend Dahmer

I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House

Director: Osgood Perkins

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5059406

Review: Has some interesting ideas and images but is held back by a molasses pace and unclear characters.

Watch it if: You want something a little obtuse.

And if you liked: Nocturnal Animals, The Innkeepers

Season of the Witch

Director: George A. Romero

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069239

Review: Doesn't fully land but still contains plenty of interesting filmmaking and ideas.

Watch it if: You're interested in Romero's work outside of his big famous ones.

And if you liked: Martin, Rosemary's Baby

Possum

Director: Matthew Holness

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6081670

Review: Revolves around a deeply unsettling piece of imagery with just enough intrigue and thrust to keep it going.

Watch it if: You want something a little more cerebral but not too obtuse.

And if you liked: Spider, Pin, Martin

Check this out: Possum

The Haunting (1999)

Director: Jan de Bont

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0171363

Review: Starts strong with genuinely breathtaking sets but loses itself to nonsense melodrama and over-use of visual effects around the halfway mark.

Watch it if: You want to see what it looks like when a film has too much money.

And if you liked: Thirteen Ghosts, The Others

Check this out: The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting

The Nun

Director: Corin Hardy

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5814060

Review: A fairly predictable run-through of familiar beats and ideas that occasionally hints at being a far weirder and less mainstream film than it ends up being.

Watch it if: WATCH IT IF

And if you liked: The Omen (2006), Exorcist: The Beginning

The Ritual

Director: David Bruckner

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5638642

Review: Doesn't fully land its ending but still succeeds in building a strong atmosphere and tone with clear cut characters and creepy ideas.

Watch it if: You want something that doesn't rewrite the book but reads it well.

And if you liked: Severance, The Descent, The Blair Witch Project

Check this out: The Ritual

The Day Shall Come

Director: Chris Morris

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7078658

Review: Manages to revel in the inherent silliness of its characters without mocking them while delivering a cold bucket of water regarding the reality of modern authority.

Watch it if: You're ok with something funny also having an emotional gutpunch.

And if you liked: Four Lions, In the Loop

Between Two Ferns: The Movie

Director: Scott Aukerman

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9398640

Review: Goofy and easy to watch with some great ideas and a decent sense of stupid fun.

Watch it if: You enjoy Zach Galifianakis.

And if you liked: Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

Monos

Director: Alejandro Landes

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6062774

Review: Loosens its grip somewhat towards the halfway point but still carries some dizzying imagery, detailed world-building and strong characters.

Watch it if: You're interested in something without easy answers.

And if you liked: White Shadow, Lord of the Flies, Rescue Dawn

Welcome to Marwen

Director: Robert Zemeckis

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3289724

Review: A confusing and embarrassing mess of missed attempts at empathy and no handle on tone whatsoever.

Watch it if: You're morbidly curious.

And if you liked: Synecdoche, New York,  Lars and the Real Girl

Check this out: Marwencol

It Chapter Two

Director: Andy Muschietti

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7349950

Review: Messy and a little irresponsible with its themes early on but still brings enough invention and spark to the table to be a net positive.

Watch it if: You're ok with the possibility that this half of the property just might not be workable.

And if you liked: It, The Thing

The Dark Crystal

Director: Jim Henson and Frank Oz

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083791

Review: Mired somewhat by one or two character designs but still delivers a truckload of ideas and moments with breathtaking visuals.

Watch it if: You want to see something that revels in its own detail and craft.

And if you liked: Dune, Labyrinth, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw

Director: David Leitch

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6806448

Review: Just wall to wall bonkers with humour dripping from every area and a great sense of silly fun.

Watch it if: You're ok with something not taking any aspect of itself seriously.

And if you liked: The Fate of the Furious, Mission: Impossible - Fallout

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Director: David Yates

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4123430

Review: A few interesting ideas and images bogged down by a lot of dead weight and a severe lack of momentum.

Watch it if: You feel the need to experience another chapter in this universe.

And if you liked: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

The Fate of the Furious

Director: F. Gary Gray

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4630562

Review: Bombastic and fun-loving from moment to moment with great character moments and a real understanding of what makes these films work.

Watch it if: You want to see just how far this franchise can push.

And if you liked: Furious 7, Mission: Impossible - Fallout, Metal Gear Solid

Furious 7

Director: James Wan

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2820852

Review: A little too long and meandering but when it delivers on its insane action it delivers.

Watch it if: You're invested in this franchise.

And if you liked: Fast and Furious 6, Death Proof, Spectre, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

Paddington 2

Director: Paul King

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddington_2

Review: Devastating in its emotional stakes on a level that pulls you hard into its world, charming you until you have no place to look but at yourself.

Watch it if: You can handle having every ounce of cynicism, skepticism and snark inside you demolished or bypassed.

And if you liked: Paddington, The Grand Budapest Hotel

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Director: Jon Watts

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Man%3A_Far_From_Home

Review: Visually creative and focused in the right places with a strong villain and a bag of fun ideas.

Watch it if: You want something that balances humour and stakes decently.

And if you liked: Spider-Man: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok

Paddington

Director: Paul King

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddington_(film)

Review: Somehow makes sweet and wholesome film-making seem effortless and breezy with a massive amount of charm and sincerity that never feels overly-sentimental or twee.

Watch it if: You want a film that's good-hearted all the way through.

And if you liked: Mary Poppins, Fantastic Mr. Fox

Check this out: Paddington Bear

Midsommar

Director: Ari Aster

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8772262

Review: A delirious dream, elegantly presented with a tone that’s horrific and unsettling down to its DNA.

Watch it if: You’re ok to just crack your head open and float with a film.

And if you liked: The Wicker Man, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me

Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Director: Mike Dougherty

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3741700

Review: Drags towards the end but still succeeds as a bombastic and colourful melee of big moments and fun ideas.

Watch it if: You want something that is just constantly throwing stuff at you.

And if you liked: Kong: Skull Island, Jurassic Park

Toy Story 4

Director: Josh Cooley

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1979376

Review: Dips a little in the middle and not as sharp as its predecessors but still delivers some strong emotional heft and a few huge laughs.

Watch it if: You want something that can balance a large amount of threads and tones.

And if you liked: Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3

Verotika

Director: Glenn Danzig

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9425078

Review: Plodding, stupid and amateurish with no sense of direction and the thinnest of ideas.

Watch it if: You want to see what it looks like what a 15 year old boy in the body of a 63 year old would make.

And if you liked: Night People, Creepshow 3, Garth Marenghi's Darkplace

Check this out: Verotik

Fast & Furious 6

Director: Justin Lin

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1905041

Review: A little messy but undoubtedly compelling and it's fun to see the action pushed to a bonkers degree.

Watch it if: You want to see how big a film can get.

And if you liked: Fast & Furious, Fast Five, The Dark Knight

Dark Phoenix

Director: Simon Kinberg

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6565702

Review: At best dull and at worst comedic while trying to be dramatic all hurtling towards a hack paint-by-numbers ending.

Watch it if: You, like me, have seen all the other X-Men films and somehow feel obliged to ride the franchise out into oblivion.

And if you liked: X-Men: Apocalypse, X-Men: The Last Stand

Check this out: The Dark Phoenix Saga

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

Director: Chad Stahelski

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6146586

Review: Dazzling to look at with inventive action sequences and some genuinely big laughs.

Watch it if: You enjoy seeing creative death sequences.

And if you liked: John Wick, John Wick: Chapter 2, The Raid

Fast Five

Director: Justin Lin

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1596343

Review: Strikes a tone that allows any level of chaos on screen while still managing to stay rooted in the first film.

Watch it if: You want to see how a franchise can push itself while still retaining its core ingredients.

And if you liked: The Fast and the Furious, Logan Lucky, Skyfall

Pokémon Detective Pikachu

Director: Rob Letterman

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5884052

Review: Held together with a strong noir story and filled with sweet charm and great character moments.

Watch it if: You want to see a video game adaptation that's actually good.

And if you liked: Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back, Captain America: Civil War, Shazam!

Check this out: Detective Pikachu

Shazam!

Director: David F. Sandberg

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448115

Review: Undercuts some of its themes here and there but still brings a lot of heart and joy to decent characters and fun ideas.

Watch it if: You want a superhero comedy that isn't above or outside the concept of superheroes.

And if you liked: Big, Superman, Aquaman G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Triangle

Director: Christopher Smith

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1187064

Review: Manages to keep up with itself and take into account the guessing of its audience while delivering a well thought-out plot and some great visuals and ideas.

Watch it if: You want something that can still surprise you even when you think you've figured it all out.

And if you liked: Final Destination, Coherence, Timecrimes

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile

Director: Joe Berlinger

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2481498

Review: Has a few interesting ideas and never really breaks interest but doesn't do a whole lot to delve into the events much deeper than just depicting them.

Watch it if: You're interested in a serial killer movie that doesn't explore any kind of intense violence.

And if you liked: Zodiac, The Staircase, My Friend Dahmer

Check this out: The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy

Avengers: Endgame

Director: Anthony and Joe Russo

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154796

Review: Builds for a long while and doesn't make quite as much sense as it could but still delivers a deeply satisfying and emotional set of punches with a poignant ending.

Watch it if: You've gone to the toilet.

And if you liked: Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming Thor: Ragnorok, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man and The Wasp, Captain Marvel

Fast & Furious

Director: Justin Lin

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1013752

Review: Has a few fun ideas but gets pulled in different directions long enough that none of it ever really lands significantly.

Watch it if: You're watching this series of films.

And if you liked: The Fast and the Furious, 2 Fast 2 Furious

The Conjuring

Director: James Wan

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1457767

Review: Doesn't bring much new to the table but has enough well constructed moments to carry it through.

Watch it if: You want something that delivers beat by beat even if not as a coherent whole.

And if you liked: A Haunting in Connecticut, Sinister, Poltergeist

Check this out: Ed and Lorraine Warren

Constantine

Director: Francis Lawrence

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0360486

Review: Brimming with creativity and visual flair with an atmosphere that suits the material without draining it of its fun.

Watch it if: You want something that understands how to deliver a moody tone without falling into grim dullness.

And if you liked: HellBoy, Angel Heart, The Frighteners, Legion

Check this out: Hellblazer

Beowulf (2007)

Director: Robert Zemeckis

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0442933

Review: A bizarre mish-mash of tones and heavily dated technology that never really lands but is undoubtedly entertaining in its strangeness.

Watch it if: You're interested in seeing how weird a studio movie can be.

And if you liked: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Check this out: Beowulf

Us

Director: Jordan Peele

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6857112

Review: A little messy with its pacing but carries enough ideas, imagery and straight fear for several films.

Watch it if: You enjoy a horror film that can unsettle with it's very texture.

And if you liked: The Strangers, Get Out, Candyman

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift

Director: Justin Lin

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0463985

Review: Engages quickly through knowing melodrama carried and balanced through well grounded action.

Watch it if: You're ok with something using a fairly dry lead to explore a larger world.

And if you liked: The Fast and the Furious, Speed Racer, Riverdale

Velvet Buzzsaw

Director: Dan Gilroy

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7043012

Review: Messy and unfocused with a decent setting but no real sense of how to approach its story without clear derivation.

Watch it if: You want to see something that respects a genre but doesn't understand how to do it.

And if you liked: Phantasm, The Final Destination, Murder Party

2 Fast 2 Furious

Director: John Singleton

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0322259

Review: Not as successful a story as the first but funnier and sillier enough to carry it through.

Watch it if: You want something that knows exactly what it is.

And if you liked: Point Break, The Fast and the Furious

The Fast and the Furious

Director: Rob Cohen

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0232500

Review: Bonkers and dated in just the right ways with a decently put together story and a strong central action sequence.

Watch it if: You want something that's a clear cross-section of the time it was made.

And if you liked: Point Break, Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)

Captain Marvel

Director: Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154664

Review: Falls into some frustrating clichés early on but manages to otherwise handle a solid story with great ideas and strong spectacle.

Watch it if: You want something dazzling with a reasonable depth of character.

And if you liked: Men in Black, Star Wars, Star Trek

Lords of Chaos

Director: Jonas Åkerlund

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4669296

Review: Does a good job using humour to ground the story in reality without shirking away from the more grim aspects.

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

And if you liked: River's Edge, Metalhead, Anvil: The Story of Anvil, We Are the Best!

Check this out: Lords of Chaos

First Reformed

Director: Paul Schrader

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6053438

Review: Contemplative and stark in the right ways with a great central performance and a gripping sense of tone.

Watch it if: You're ok with something of a head-scratcher.

And if you liked: Aguirre, the Wrath of God, Silence, Taxi Driver

Glass

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6823368

Review: Slow and long but never quite breaks into boredom or sluggishness with some interesting ideas and a tone that lends itself well to the strangeness it delivers.

Watch it if: You're happy to let a film go where it wants to go rather than where you expect it to.

And if you liked: Unbreakable, Split

Ocean's Eight

Director: Gary Ross

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5164214

Review: Delivers a solid heist plot with a spate of strong and funny characters and a slick sense of style.

Watch it if: You enjoy both a heist movie and a fun hangout movie.

And if you liked: Ocean's Eleven, Logan Lucky

Game Night

Director: John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2704998

Review: Could have turned the knife a little harder towards the end but still delivers a fun enough plot with at least one fantastic performance.

Watch it if: You want something with a few twists and turns in it.

And if you liked: The Man Who Knew Too Little, The Hangover

Bird Box

Director: Susanne Bier

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2737304

Review: A reasonably strong first half that loses momentum towards a fairly unsatisfying third act.

Watch it if: You want to see a few interesting ideas in a relatively familiar setting.

And if you liked: Dawn of the Dead (2004), The Mist, A Quiet Place

Check this out: Bird Box

Roma

Director: Alfonso Cuarón

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6155172

Review: Manages to make the most complex feats seem effortless and simple with expert rising empathy and stunning visuals.

Watch it if: You want to see a something at the very peak of its craft.

And if you liked: Call Me By Your Name, Children of Men