Don’t Breathe (2016)

Don’t Breathe (2016)

[7] Fede Alvarez (The Evil Dead remake) directs the hell out of this claustrophobic thriller about three horrible, stupid, awful twenty-somethings who break into a blind Gulf War veteran's home to steal $300,000, only to realize they've severely underestimated their…
Joe (2013)

Joe (2013)

[7] Nicolas Cage stars in his most interesting movie in many years. He plays an ex-con in an impoverished Southern community who becomes an unlikely role model for a 15-year old boy (Mud's Tye Sheridan) who is dealing with an…
Humanoids from the Deep (1980)

Humanoids from the Deep (1980)

[5] Mutant sea creatures attack a coastal community in this schlocky flick from producer Roger Corman. It's pretty standard, passable, monster movie fare. The requisite boobage and gore were filmed by one director, while another handled the pesky plot and…
The Fountain (2006)

The Fountain (2006)

[6] So, fifteen minutes into The Fountain, you get a bald man sitting in a snow globe talking to a tree while drifting through space. At that point, you either go with writer/director Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream),…
The Land That Time Forgot (1974)

The Land That Time Forgot (1974)

[4] Based on a story by Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Land That Time Forgot is about the crew of a German submarine and the survivors of a ship they torpedoed banding together on a mysterious island full of dinosaurs and…
Winter’s Bone (2010)

Winter’s Bone (2010)

[8] Jennifer Lawrence earned her first Oscar nomination playing Ree, a brave teenager raising her younger siblings in Debra Granik's Winter's Bone, based on a novel by Daniel Woodrell. When her drug-dealing father puts the family home up for collateral on…
Buried (2010)

Buried (2010)

[7]  For the entirety of this film, you never leave a pine box buried in the desert. It's a gimmick, but it's a good one. Star Ryan Reynolds and director Rodrigo Cortes work magic to build drama and suspense in…
The Hole (2001)

The Hole (2001)

[4] Four teenagers decide to lock themselves in an underground bunker for three days of a good time, but when a mutual acquaintance doesn't return to let them out, things start to get hairy. The concept is okay, but the…
The Plumber (1979)

The Plumber (1979)

[5] This Australian TV movie from Peter Weir is a subdued psychological thriller about a woman who grows increasingly frustrated and fearful of an eccentric plumber. Weir (Witness, Dead Poets Society) throws in a little commentary on the issue of…
Lonelyhearts (1958)

Lonelyhearts (1958)

[4] Montgomery Clift plays an eager journalist who risks losing his girlfriend after his editor nudges him into an affair with another woman. The dreary storyline struggles to rise above its theatrical roots and lead star Clift, whom I normally…