My Bloody Valentine

Director: George Mihalka

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082782

Review: Doesn't really hold attention well but still brings a fair amount of nicely shot sequences and fun ideas.

Watch it if: You want something of its time.

And if you liked: Silent Night, Deadly Night, New Year's Evil

Phantom of the Paradise

Director: Brian De Palma

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071994

Review: Delirious and insane with a real sense of thrust and style.

Watch it if: You want something that does entirely what it wants.

And if you liked: Shock Treatment, Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy, A Clockwork Orange, The Rocky Horror Picture Show

The Banshees of Inisherin

Director: Martin McDonagh

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11813216

Review: Intriguing and mostly well performed but relies on its setting to deliver a certain amount of depth that the story doesn't fully live up to.

Watch it if: You want to see something that manages to derive a lot from a simple premise.

And if you liked: First Reformed, Calvary, The Seventh Seal

New Year's Evil

Director: Emmett Alston

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082806

Review: Builds tension and intrigue decently with some good ideas and shot with a reasonable amount of flair.

Watch it if: You're interested in the higher end of the grungy slashers.

And if you liked: Silent Night, Deadly Night, Black Christmas

Babylon

Director: Damien Chazelle

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10640346

Review: Doesn't quite land as well as it could but carries a great deal on its own steam and thrust with a lot of fun in the chaos.

Watch it if: You're ok with something sprawling.

And if you liked: Singin' in the Rain, The Artist, La La Land

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Director: DIRECTOR

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11564570

Review: Cheats a little bit but otherwise brings he right levels of silliness combined with a well managed story structure.

Watch it if: You enjoy a convoluted mystery plot.

And if you liked: Knives Out, Death on the Nile (2022)

It's a Wonderful Life

Director: Frank Capra

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038650

Review: Perfect in most aspects with gorgeous imagery and a deeply charismatic lead performance.

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

And if you liked: Back to the Future Part II

Check this out: The Greatest Gift

Black Christmas

Director: Bob Clark

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071222

Review: Meanders a lot but brings plenty of tension and interesting ideas to the table.

Watch it if: You're interested in the history of the genre.

And if you liked: Peeping Tom, Halloween, Terror Train

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

Director: Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1488589

Review: Poignant and gorgeous in equal measure with a clear moral thread and an unflinching eye.

Watch it if: You're ok with something not afraid to be strange.

And if you liked: The Boxtrolls, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Beetlejuice, Porco Rosso

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Director: Jeff Fowler

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12412888

Review: A few bits of fun but gets really lost in a large mess of half-baked ideas.

Watch it if: You're ok with something that just goes off on unnecessary tangents with unsettling implications.

And if you liked: Sonic the Hedgehog