Blood Relatives

Director: Noah Segan

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21818188

Review: A few janky bits of compositing aside, a fairly breezy and comfortable piece with some interesting ideas and good humour.

Watch it if: You want something that's enjoyable without necessarily shaking your world.

And if you liked: God Bless America, Near Dark

Bones and All

Director: Luca Guadagnino

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10168670

Review: Strange and seductive in interesting ways with some genuinely affecting scenes and ideas.

Watch it if: You can handle something that gets fairly gruesome at times.

And if you liked: Call Me by Your Name, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Killer Inside Me

Check this out: Bones and All

The Menu

Director: Mark Mylod

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9764362

Review: Funny and entertaining in the right ways with a good thrust through the story and some inventive storytelling.

Watch it if: You enjoy something fairly arch in its satire.

And if you liked: Ready or Not, Would You Rather?

Speak No Evil

Director: Christian Tafdrup

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14253846

Review: Plays with awkward tension masturfully for most of its runtime but unfortunately loses its power devolving into dark sadness towards the end.

Watch it if: You can handle something going very grim.

And if you liked: Force Majeure, Midsommar

The Night House

Director: David Bruckner

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9731534

Review: Spooky and creepy with a plot that defies predictability and a refreshing lead performance.

Watch it if: You're not alone in a house a night.

And if you liked: Midnight Mass, Hellraiser (2022), Silent House (2011)

Mr. Harrigan's Phone

Director: John Lee Hancock

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12908110

Review: Interesting and well paced for a while but eventually peters out and loses its sense of direction.

Watch it if: You want something mildly distracting that doesn't necessarily stay with you.

And if you liked: 1922, Bird Box

Check this out: Mr. Harrigan's Phone

The Lost City

Director: Aaron Nee and Adam Nee

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13320622

Review: Fun and silly in the right places with enough plot to pull it through and enjoyable chemistry from the cast.

Watch it if: You want something light and breezy.

And if you liked: Romancing the Stone, The Rundown, The Heat

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Director: Ryan Coogler

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9114286

Review: A little slow in places but brings weight to its emotional core and rounds it out with strong performances across the board.

Watch it if: You're following the MCU and/or Black Panther story.

And if you liked: Black Panther, Captain America: Civil War

Fear

Director: James Foley

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116287

Review: What could have been a decent thriller is completely let down by its clunky plot refinement and dialogue.

Watch it if: You're interested in seeing some successful actors early in their careers.

And if you liked: Fatal Attraction, Consenting Adults

Sliver

Director: Phillip Noyce

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108162

Review: Some interesting and weird stuff going on, especially in the first half, but let down by some bland casting and fairly rote plot beats.

Watch it if: You want to see a clean slice of 1993.

And if you liked: Fatal Attraction, Consenting Adults, Body Double

Check this out: Sliver

Black Adam

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6443346

Review: A few small moments of interest drowning in a sea of cynical formula and dull action.

Watch it if: You're ok with a full mess, politically.

And if you liked: 300, The Mummy (2017), The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

Director: Eric Appel

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt17076046

Review: Starts fully ridiculous and never lets up with plenty of fun moments and silly escalations.

Watch it if: You're ok with something unabashadly stupid.

And if you liked: A Futile and Stupid Gesture, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, Bill and Ted Face the Music

Check this out: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

Something in the Dirt

Director: Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14895716

Review: Could be trimmed down a little but is refreshing in its creativity and simplicity with some beautiful sequences and genuinely funny moments.

Watch it if: You want something uncompromised.

And if you liked: Primer, I Am Not a Serial Killer

Consenting Adults

Director: Alan J. Pakula

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104006

Review: Doesn't quite hold the line through to the end but zips along at a tense pace.

Watch it if: You can ignore some fairly unsettling aspects.

And if you liked: Fatal Attraction, Sleeping with the Enemy, The Hand that Rocks the Cradle