Body Bags

Director: John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper and Larry Sulkis

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106449

Review: Fun and silly in the right ways with some spooky ideas and plenty of winks for horror nerds to enjoy.

Watch it if: You want something goofy that's not too distracting.

And if you liked: Tales from the Crypt, Creepshow

Here

Director: Robert Zemeckis

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18272208

Review: Flows better than one might expect given its conceit but bogged down by an overly sentimental tone and unconvincing de-aging effects.

Watch it if: You're intrigued enough by the approach that the contents don't matter.

And if you liked: Forrest Gump

Check this out: Here

Venom: The Last Dance

Director: Kelly Marcel

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16366836

Review: Messy in its third act which undercuts its emotional beats but brings enough fun and goofy adventure along the way to justify itself.

Watch it if: You're ok with a whole lot of nonsense being thrown at you at once.

And if you liked: Venom, Venom: There Will Be Carnage

The Fog

Director: John Carpenter

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080749

Review: Moody and fun with a fairly thin plot but a deeply effective atmosphere that carries it through.

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

And if you liked: Mandy, The Mist, Halloween

Goodrich

Director: Hallie Meyers-Shyer

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10171472

Review: A little rushed in one or two of its smaller beats but held together well by a charming and affecting central performance.

Watch it if: You're ok with something that fully revolves around its central character, for better or worse.

And if you liked: About a Boy, It's Complicated

Joker: Folie à Deux

Director: Todd Phillips

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11315808

Review: A boring and overlong story with nothing really interesting to hold onto, strung along by flat, meaningless song sequences.

Watch it if: You're that curious.

And if you liked: Joker

Hellboy: The Crooked Man

Director: Brian Taylor

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26757462

Review: Held back by its budget and some hokey dialogue but when it works, it works well with some strong ideas and well executed moments.

Watch it if: You're willing to look past a film's limitations.

And if you liked: Hellboy, Hellboy: The Golden Army, Evil Dead Rise, The Witch

Check this out: TITLE

Frenzy

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068611/

Review: Runs out of steam as it goes but front loads with some interesting work and some provocative imagery.

Watch it if: You can handle at least one fairly brutal scene.

And if you liked: Peeping Tom, Torn Curtain

Check this out: Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Square

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Director: Tim Burton

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2049403

Review: Messy and inconsistent with no real justification for its return but brings a few laughs and fun bits along the way.

Watch it if: You're ok with something feeling like several half-baked concepts stitched together.

And if you liked: Beetlejuice, Wednesday, Coming 2 America

Lisa Frankenstein

Director: Zelda Williams

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21188080

Review: A little unconfident and could use some more character clarity but delivers a a good amount of fun while going down more gruesome paths than one expects.

Watch it if: You like something that can sneak up on you with its subversion.

And if you liked: Encino Man, Totally Killer, Warm Bodies

Strange Darling

Director: JT Mollner

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22375054

Review: Surprising and exhilerating all the way through with a fun approach to storytelling and an impressive central performance.

Watch it if: You're ok with something fairly visceral.

And if you liked: Longlegs, Pearl, Let the Corpses Tan

Alien: Romulus

Director: Fede Alvarez

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18412256

Review: A good setup and basic throughline completely destroyed by fan-service references and inept actor recreation.

Watch it if: You're ok with something thats themes are completely at odds with how it was made.

And if you liked: Alien, Alien: Resurrection

Cuckoo

Director: Tilman Singer

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12349832

Review: Eerie in the right ways with a story that pulls you in with mystery and an excellent central performance.

Watch it if: You can handle some fairly nasty body horror.

And if you liked: The X-Files, The Brood, Splice

Lynch/Oz

Director: Alexandre O. Philippe

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15399286

Review: An intriguing and fun watch laid out in an interesting manner filled with plenty of interesting tid-bits.

Watch it if: You like digging deep into film interpretation.

And if you liked: Room 237, The Films of David Lynch

Torn Curtain

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061107

Review: Intriguing and lush until its premise is fully revealed when it becomes more of a series of interesting scenes than an overall successful story.

Watch it if: You're interested in expanding your Hitchcock viewing past the obvious options.

And if you liked: The 39 Steps, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Trap

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26753003

Review: Gets a little baggy in the third act but never fully loses its electrifying energy and sense of thrill.

Watch it if: You want something that's driven by the fun the lead actor is having.

And if you liked: Dexter, Split

The Birds

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056869

Review: Reasonably one note once it gets going but inventive, creative and intense within each sequence as it goes.

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

And if you liked: Night of the Living Dead, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

Check this out: The Birds

Deadpool & Wolverine

Director: Shawn Levy

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6263850

Review: Manages to pull off a decent emotional arc while throwing everything at the wall in terms of references and irreverant humour.

Watch it if: You're locked in with the whole Marvel thing.

And if you liked: Deadpool, Deadpool 2, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

North by Northwest

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053125

Review: A little baggy in parts but a fun romp that pulls you through each setpiece with a good sense of thrust.

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

And if you liked: The Man Who Knew Too Little, The 39 Steps, 60s James Bond

Dial M for Murder

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046912

Review: A gripping story that pulls you in immediately with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing all the way to the end.

Watch it if: You enjoy something dripping with plot.

And if you liked: Strangers on a Train, Rear Window

Check this out: Dial M for Murder

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1

Director: Kevin Costner

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt17505010

Review: Nakedly three television episodes stitched together into a feature that is at its best when embracing its pulpier territory rather than its dull prestige drama.

Watch it if: You really really really like westerns.

And if you liked: Dances with Wolves, Open Range, Deadwood

Longlegs

Director: Osgood Perkins

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23468450

Review: Exceptionally strong opening with a powerful first half that doesn't quite follow through on its promise but still drops a good deal of style and fun.

Watch it if: You like something that wears its influences on its sleeve.

And if you liked: Manhunter, The Silence of the Lambs, Barbarian, True Detective

Kinds of Kindness

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22408160

Review: Magnetic and hilarious from the start with a sense of madness and tone that just builds curiosity.

Watch it if: You're ok with humour found in darker places.

And if you liked: The Lobster, Poor Things, Being John Malkovich

Heat

Director: Michael Mann

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113277

Review: Just a joy to watch unfold with inventive action and a real thrust to its pacing.

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

And if you liked: Die Hard, Thief, The Dark Knight

Check this out: L.A. Takedown

The Bikeriders

Director: Jeff Nichols

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21454134

Review: Pretty much exactly the film you'd expect but does its job well with a good cast and a strong sense of mood.

Watch it if: You enjoy seeing character actors character act.

And if you liked: Easy Rider, Vanishing Point

Check this out: The Bikeriders

Backcountry

Director: Adam MacDonald

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2944198

Review: Reasonably straight forward but well achieved survival film with a plot that keeps moving and decently convincing performances from the two leads at least.

Watch it if: You're ok with seeing through a little bit of jank to appreciate the technical work being done.

And if you liked: 47 Meters Down, The Shallows, Into the Grizzly Maze

Check this out: Mark Jordan and Jacqueline Perry

MaXXXine

Director: Ti West

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22048412

Review: Doesn't really amount to much in its final act but still has a lot of fun when it plays with its setting and lurid visuals.

Watch it if: You're into the Pearl trilogy.

And if you liked: X, Pearl, Planet Terror

The Last of the Mohicans (1992)

Director: Michael Mann

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104691

Review: Somewhat long and meandering but with beautiful scenery and a decent emotional core.

Watch it if: You enjoy this type of historical epic.

And if you liked: Dances with Wolves, Apocalypto

Check this out: The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757

A Quiet Place: Day One

Director: Michael Sarnoski

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13433802

Review: Powerful in its visceral threat and emotion with clear stakes and character beats and a sense of truth that carries it through well.

Watch it if: You want something that squeezes as much metaphorical and emotional truth out of its premise as it can.

And if you liked: A Quiet Place, War of the Worlds (2005), The Stand

Open Range

Director: Kevin Costner

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0316356

Review: Long and meandering with some decently put together scenes but not a lot of thrust to keep it together.

Watch it if: You really enjoy a western vista.

And if you liked: High Noon, True Grit (2010), Dances with Wolves

The Postman

Director: Kevin Costner

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119925

Review: Shameless in its propagandistic, broad strokes myth-making while grinding in its sheer length.

Watch it if: You want something deeply derivative with all the subversion washed out.

And if you liked: Dust Devil, Reign of Fire, Forrest Gump

Check this out: The Postman

Challengers

Director: Luca Guadagnino

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16426418

Review: Electric and engaging from the beginning with a score that elevates every scene and solid chemistry between the lead performers.

Watch it if: You want something that delivers its information in interesting and fun ways.

And if you liked: The Social Network, The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)

Gigli

Director: Martin Brest

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0299930

Review: Offensive on most levels but primarily on an entertainment level with any attempt to save itself digging it into a deeper hole.

Watch it if: You want to be startled by something continuing to exist.

And if you liked: Chasing Amy, The Hangover

Scent of a Woman

Director: Martin Brest

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105323

Review: Overly sentimental and convenient with an atrocious central performance that distracts from any kind of emotion the film could possibly invoke.

Watch it if: You want to be baffled for two and a half hours.

And if you liked: With Honors, Rainman

Check this out: Profumo di donna

Midnight Run

Director: Martin Brest

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095631

Review: Engaging from the very start with good chemistry between its leads and a fun series of throughlines.

Watch it if: You want something that can keep you guessing no matter what it throws at you.

And if you liked: The Blues Brothers, Beverly Hills Cop, My Cousin Vinny

Prom Night

Director: Paul Lynch

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081383

Review: Peculiar in its delivery with an unearned emotional ending but zips along nicely with its setting and characters.

Watch it if: You're ok with a slasher film really taking its time before the kills start.

And if you liked: Halloween, Carrie, Terror Train

Beverly Hills Cop

Director: Martin Brest

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086960

Review: Funny and entertaining in an effortless way with a decent plot and a charismatic lead performance.

Watch it if: You want something light and breezy that still engages with its story.

And if you liked: The Blues Brothers, Fletch

Going in Style

Director: Martin Brest

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079219

Review: Carries itself through with a reasonable amount of charm with clean streak of melancholy.

Watch it if: You're ok with something that moves at its own pace.

And if you liked: Quick Change, The Ladykillers

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Director: George Miller

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12037194

Review: Riveting and strange in its own unique way with a strong core and a thrilling main villain performance.

Watch it if: You're ready for something more somber than before.

And if you liked: Mad Max: Fury Road, Mad Max

I Saw the TV Glow

Director: Jane Schoenbrun

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15574270

Review: Moody and engaging with a haunting tone and atmosphere and a story capable of shaking you.

Watch it if: You're ok with something that doesn't have easy answers.

And if you liked: Twin Peaks, A Scanner Darkly, The Matrix Resurrections

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Director: Wes Ball

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11389872

Review: Has a few major inconsistencies at its core but still manages to entertain and thrill along the way with some fun set-pieces and engaging characters.

Watch it if: You're something reasonably baggy.

And if you liked: Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, War for the Planet of the Apes

War for the Planet of the Apes

Director: Matt Reeves

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3450958

Review: Meanders a little but holds attention through its strong characterisations and consistent subversion of expectations.

Watch it if: You want something that spans a range of classic genres.

And if you liked: Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

The Keep

Director: Michael Mann

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085780

Review: Moody and strange in a compelling and intriguing way with a uniquely philosophical approach to what one would assume to be more spectacle-focused material.

Watch it if: You're ok with a few shonky VFX shots.

And if you liked: Nosferatu (), Raiders of the Lost Ark, Mandy, The Green Knight

Check this out: The Keep

Devo

Director: Chris Smith

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27210519

Review: Informative and entertaining with an immersive quality that makes you feel likes you're swimming in their aesthetic.

Watch it if: You want to know about Devo or at least live in their world for 90 minutes.

And if you liked: The Sparks Brothers, American Movie

Thief

Director: Michael Mann

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083190

Review: A mood and atmosphere that's hard to beat with an intriguing central character and a nice slow burning feeling.

Watch it if: You're ok with some fairly visual violence.

And if you liked: Drive, Taxi Driver

Check this out: The Home Invaders: Confessions of a Cat Burglar

Paprika

Director: Satoshi Kon

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0851578

Review: Visually dazzling and engaging with an eerie tone that wraps around the head.

Watch it if: You're ok with a film being more about vibes than worrying too much about the plot.

And if you liked: Inception, Ghost in the Shell, Perfect Blue

Check this out: Paprika

Tokyo Godfathers

Director: Shôgo Furuya and Satoshi Kon

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388473

Review: A masterclass in tone management with a set of characters that carries the film's momentum with vigour and wit.

Watch it if: You're ok with some fairly harsh realities.

And if you liked: Millennium Actress, Magnolia

Millennium Actress

Director: Satoshi Kon and Kô Matsuo

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0291350

Review: Engaging and romantic throughout with a real sense of thrust and intrigue that carries a genuine emotional weight.

Watch it if: You want to see something that really says something with a meta-textual angle.

And if you liked: Perfect Blue, Decision to Leave

Abigail

Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27489557

Review: Just buzzing with energetic fun from the get-go with plenty of twists and turns and a real sense of delight.

Watch it if: You're ok with a lot of cartoonish blood.

And if you liked: Ready or Not, From Dusk Till Dawn, M3GAN

Check this out: Dracula's Daughter

Monkey Man

Director: Dev Patel

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9214772

Review: Damaged by its length but sequence by sequence delivers some startling action and fascinating imagery.

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

And if you liked: Only God Forvies, John Wick

Basic

Director: John McTiernan

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264395

Review: Over-twists itself towards the end but holds attention throughout with a fun plot and a buzzy sense of energy.

Watch it if: You're ok with something fun that doesn't necessarily hold up to scrutiny.

And if you liked: Joint Security Area, Rashomon, The Usual Suspects

Check this out: TITLE

10 to Midnight

Director: J. Lee Thompson

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085121

Review: Bizarre in its choices and perspectives but magnetic and thrilling on its own terms.

Watch it if: You can enjoy a text with extremely messy morality.

And if you liked: Dirty Harry, American Psycho, Black Christmas

The Prowler

Director: Joseph Zito

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082951

Review: Fairly run of the mill for the most part but delivers hard with its special effects.

Watch it if: You enjoy slasher films.

And if you liked: My Bloody Valentine, New Year's Evil, Black Christmas

The First Omen

Director: Arkasha Stevenson

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5672290

Review: At its best when not trying to reference the original with a strong sense of dread and some genuinely chilling moments.

Watch it if: You want something that goes for it.

And if you liked: The Omen, Hereditary

Rollerball (2002)

Director: John McTiernan

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0246894

Review: Baffling from its opening moments with no sense of tension or danger and an absolutely flat lead performance.

Watch it if: You want something that will have you confused by every choice.

And if you liked: Point Break, Death Race 2000, The Running Man

Check this out: Rollerball

The 13th Warrior

Director: John McTiernan

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120657

Review: Competently made and never fully flat but oddly anodyne in its presentation.

Watch it if: You want something that's not too distracting.

And if you liked: Beowulf (2007), Bone Tomahawk, Dances With Wolves

Check this out: Eaters of the Dead: The Manuscript of Ibn Fadlan Relating His Experiences with the Northmen in AD 922

The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)

Director: John McTiernan

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0155267

Review: A fun, breezy watch with a playful energy and attractive central chemistry.

Watch it if: You want something that keeps throwing turns at you.

And if you liked: Catch Me If You Can, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Trance

Check this out: The Thomas Crown Affair

Last Action Hero

Director: John McTiernan

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107362

Review: Interesting ideas at its core but never really gets beyond a half-baked or surface level.

Watch it if: You're curious about how a film like this hangs together.

And if you liked: Galaxy Quest, Small Soldiers

Love Lies Bleeding

Director: Rose Glass

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19637052

Review: Fully confident from frame one with an alluring atmosphere and a vibe that's unshakable.

Watch it if: You're ok with a lot of close-up syringe shots.

And if you liked: Good Time, Wild at Heart, A History of Violence

Medicine Man

Director: John McTiernan

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104839

Review: Hard to gauge the level of cultural sensitivity at play, but seems to have its heart in the right place with clear craft doing heavy-lifting at its core.

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

And if you liked: Fern Gully, Dances with Wolves, Jungle 2 Jungle

The Hunt for Red October

Director: John McTiernan

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099810

Review: Engaging and thrilling with a complex plot that keeps you guessing and gorgeous use of colour.

Watch it if: You want something that carefully builds upon itself well.

And if you liked: Mission: Impossible, Goldeneye, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

Check this out: The Hunt for Red October

Black Knight

Director: Gil Junger

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0265087

Review: Nothing particularly engaging but nothing particularly offensive either apart from a few dips into areas of annoyance.

Watch it if: You want something reasonably distracting that doesn't ask much of you.

And if you liked: Army of Darkness, Tropic Thunder, A Knight's Tale

Dune: Part Two

Director: Denis Villeneuve

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15239678

Review: An absolutely dazzling display of spectacle and escalation with an overlaying sense of doom coupled with some truly disturbing abstract imagery.

Watch it if: You want to be challenged by a blockbuster.

And if you liked: Dune (2021), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, Beyond the Black Rainbow

Check this out: Dune

Drive-Away Dolls

Director: Ethan Coen

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19356262

Review: A few decent laughs and not without charm but doesn't seem to really know what level to pitch itself with material that feels like faded imitations of earlier work.

Watch it if: You want something fairly light an inconsequential.

And if you liked: Raising Arizona, Dumb and Dumber

Hannibal Rising

Director: Peter Webber

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367959

Review: Just a bizarre plodding exercise in redundancy with mysteries that give up on themselves and a lead performance that hits its ceiling pretty early on.

Watch it if: You're a completionist.

And if you liked: Batman Begins, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Red Dragon

Check this out: Hannibal Rising

Poor Things

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14230458

Review: Engrossing in its style and approach with a touching throughline and a large amount of affecting humour.

Watch it if: You're ok with a large amount of explicit sexuality.

And if you liked: 3000 Years of Longing, Pinocchio, Monty Python's The Meaning of Life

Check this out: Poor Things: Episodes from the Early Life of Archibald McCandless M.D., Scottish Public Health Officer

Ferrari

Director: Michael Mann

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3758542

Review: Some interesting pieces and one incredible performance but never really lands on what it's trying to say or do.

Watch it if: You can handle a fairly brutal scene.

And if you liked: Foxcatcher, Top Gun

Nomads

Director: John McTiernan

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091647

Review: Impossible to say anything adds up or even works but is enjoyable as an absolutely gonzo piece of nonsense that will keep you surprised at how weird its choices are.

Watch it if: You want something that will baffle you for its entire runtime.

And if you liked: Halloween 3: Season of the Witch, Manhunter, Return of the Living Dead

Manhunter

Director: Michael Mann

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091474

Review: Atmospheric and unnerving with a real sense of theme and its own unique voice.

Watch it if: You want a different angle on a serial killer detective movie.

And if you liked: The Dead Zone, A Clockwork Orange, Red Dragon

Check this out: Red Dragon

Director: Bradley Cooper

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5535276

Review: Flows in a very natural way with a real sense of warmth and curiosity that elevates it to real highs.

Watch it if: You want something more interested in emotional truth than flat realism.

And if you liked: Mank, Asteroid City, Behind the Candelabra

The Zone of Interest

Director: Jonathan Glazer

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7160372/

Review: Deeply haunting and crushing in its depiction of evil, with sound design and score that push the boundaries of what can be achieved.

Watch it if: You want something that connects past atrocities to the present day pretty cleanly.

And if you liked: Marie Antoinette, Under the Skin, Paths of Glory

Check this out: The Zone of Interest

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Director: James Wan

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9663764

Review: A few hints of some interesting beats from one character but otherwise a weightless mess with no real stakes, emotion, or meaning.

Watch it if: You've ticked every box so far.

And if you liked: Wonder Woman 1984, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Aquaman

The Mirror Has Two Faces

Director: Barbra Streisand

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117057

Review: A complete disaster with no handle on tone or theme that spends its entire runtime contradicting itself.

Watch it if: You want to see how truly bizarre a light romantic comedy can be.

And if you liked: It's Complicated, The Truth about Cats and Dogs

Check this out: Le Miroir à deux faces

The Prince of Tides

Director: Barbra Streisand

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102713

Review: A little messy but largely in a way that enhances the themes, with a strong story and good chemistry between the leads.

Watch it if: You can handle one particularly rough scene that's not handled all that well.

And if you liked: Days of Heaven, Radio Flyer, Good Will Hunting, The Witness

Check this out: The Prince of Tides

Yentl

Director: Barbra Streisand

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086619

Review: Very clearly the exact film that was set out to be made, but filled with bizarre choices, incongruous with each other in a way that creates a confused whiplash.

Watch it if: You want to be baffled.

And if you liked: Silence

Check this out: Yentl

A Star is Born (1976)

Director: Frank Pierson

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075265

Review: Runs long towards the end but carries itself with a decent momentum and genuine charisma from the two leads.

Watch it if: You're ok with not fully understanding some of the musical choices.

And if you liked: Phantom of the Paradise, Ladies and Gentelmen, the Fabulous Stains

Check this out: A Star is Born

Godzilla Minus One

Director: Takashi Yamazaki

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23289160

Review: Engaging and engrossing from the get-go, with a genuine complex emotional core that carries everything through to its major thrilling moments.

Watch it if: You're ok with a blockbuster style film being patient with its emotional drama.

And if you liked: Godzilla, Godzilla (2014), Pacific Rim

I Love You to Death

Director: Lawrence Kasdan

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099819

Review: Some wild swings that absolutely do not land but brings such an odd and enjoyable energy that it manages to make itself work.

Watch it if: You want to see how weird a comedy can get while still remaining small.

And if you liked: So I Married an Axe Murderer, Dead Man on Campus

Check this out: Frances and Anthony Toto

The Boy and the Heron

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6587046

Review: More successful in its intriguing and mysterious sections than the rest but brings a bevy of ideas, tones and visuals that are hard to argue with.

Watch it if: You want something reasonably unpredictable.

And if you liked: Pan's Labyrinth, Return to Oz, Spirited Away

Check this out: How Do You Live?

Wonka

Director: Paul King

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6166392

Review: Dull and derivative with a few small laughs here and there but hampered by emotional beats that feel contrived and cynical.

Watch it if: You're really that curious.

And if you liked: Paddington, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory