Super 8 (2011)

Super 8 (2011)

[6] J.J. Abrams' comprehensive homage to Spielberg's early career is a decent spooky kids' adventure movie. It does a good job stirring nostalgia among 30-somethings like myself. It's not as mysterious or suspenseful as one might expect from Abrams, the…
Prometheus (2012)

Prometheus (2012)

[7] Director Ridley Scott returns to the Alien franchise in a movie that attempts to shed light on the mysteries of his original 1979 film. On one hand, I'm not a fan of exposing mysteries that have enraptured Alien fans…
Pontypool (2009)

Pontypool (2009)

[7] Director Bruce McDonald does a commendable job building tension and suspense in a movie that takes place almost entirely in one room with four actors. Think Talk Radio meets 28 Days Later. The film is also a terrific showpiece…
Maniac (1980)

Maniac (1980)

[7] More of a verite, psychological approach to the slasher genre than most of the '80s slasher windfall, William Lustig's Maniac rises above its exploitation roots by putting us inside the killer's mind and keeping us there, even as his sanity…
Xtro (1983)

Xtro (1983)

[4] As far as I could tell, Xtro is about a father who is abducted by aliens, then returned to his family as a strange alien-human hybrid. But I'm not sure. First, there's a weird crabby-looking monster in the woods,…
The Shallows (2016)

The Shallows (2016)

[6] Blake Lively stars in this claustrophobic thriller about a woman trapped by a great white shark in a shallow ocean cove. Director Jaume Collet-Serra (Orphan, House of Wax) captures the beauty of the Australian surroundings (passing for Mexico in the…
The Neon Demon (2016)

The Neon Demon (2016)

[7] Fans of Drive and Only God Forgives director Nicolas Winding Refn should find his latest effort beautiful and interesting. Outsiders may find it frustrating. Elle Fanning headlines a strong cast, playing an underage model trying to make it big in Los Angeles.…
The Conjuring 2 (2016)

The Conjuring 2 (2016)

[4] I thought the first Conjuring movie was moderately entertaining (for a warmed-up rehash of horror cliches), and was hoping for an improvement the second time around. The sequel could have entertained me by being more about Ed and Lorraine…
Green Room (2016)

Green Room (2016)

[7] After witnessing a murder, a punk band gets trapped by skinheads at a rural dive bar in this survival/revenge tale from writer/director Jeremy Saulnier (Blue Ruin). Anton Yelchin (from the Star Trek and Fright Night remakes) and Imogen Poots…
Mimic (1997)

Mimic (1997)

[6] Mira Sorvino, Jeremy Northam, Josh Brolin, and Charles S. Dutton star in this creature feature about evolved cockroaches that threaten to overtake New York City. Director Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) admits that the film's narrative was watered down…