Spotlight

Director: Tom McCarthy

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1895587

Review: An important story that manages to be gripping and intriguing all the way through without ever succumbing to forced drama.

Watch it if: You're interested in a slowly building film that doesn't need to rely on spectacle.

And if you liked: The Wire, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Room

Director: Lenny Abrahamson

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3170832

Review: Manages to handle difficult material without being hard to watch with sensitive direction and some very genuine performances.

Watch it if: You can handle a few heavy subjects being dealt with.

And if you liked: Trust, What Richard Did, Short Term 12

Check this out: Room

The Hateful Eight

Director: Quentin Tarantino

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3460252

Review: Manages to entertain all the way through with some interesting characters and moments of tension but never quite reaches the heights it could.

Watch it if: You still have time for Tarantino.

And if you liked: The Thing, Reservoir Dogs, Django Unchained

Vacation (2015)

Director: John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein 

IMDB:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1524930/

Review: A fair amount of dud jokes and flat beats but a lot funnier than one might expect with a few genuinely big laughs. 

Watch it if: You're ok with some gross out humour.

And if you liked: National Lampoon's Vacation, There's Something About Mary, Dumb and Dumber

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Director: J.J. Abrams

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2488496

Review: A few weak moments and one or two convenient pieces of logic aside, delivers with a lot of fun and strong action and emotion. 

Watch it if: You care about Star Wars? 

And if you liked: The Original Star Wars Trilogy, Star Trek Into Darkness, Guardians of the Galaxy

Krampus

Director: Michael Dougherty

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3850590

Review: A strong sense of tone and fun with genuinely scary monsters and just the right amount of meanness to really make it land.

Watch it if: You like both Christmas and horror.

And if you liked: Christmas Vacation, Gremlins, The Mist, Tremors, Child's Play

Bug

Director: William Friedkin

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0470705

Review: Vibrantly directed and enthusiastically performed with a gripping energy and haunting use of sound.

Watch it if: You're interested in seeing how far a film can go.

And if you liked: Killer Joe, Withnail and I, Twelve Monkeys

Check this out: Bug

The Dorm

Director: Rachel Talalay

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3587064

Review: A few rough edges and reliance on old tropes but mostly holds together as something reasonably decent.

Watch it if: You want a horror film with a few things to say that isn't too earthshaking.

And if you liked: Urban Legend, The Hole, Carrie, Starry Eyes

Fear

Director: Rockne S. O'Bannon

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099557

Review: Feels like an episode of a procedural TV show but plays out as an enjoyable if throwaway episode.

Watch it if: You want something reasonably distracting without changing the rulebook.

And if you liked: A Nightmare on Elm Street, The X-Files, Dexter

Attack the Block

Director: Joe Cornish

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1478964

Review: Doesn't quite land all its pieces together but made with enough flair and style to deliver a fun experience.

Watch it if: You want an interesting science fiction action film that doesn't necessarily blow your mind.

And if you liked: The World's End, Super 8, The Horde