Contact (1997)

Contact (1997)

[8] Contact is a message-driven movie that may be too esoteric for a lot of mainstream moviegoers. It's a character-driven drama with only a few moments of your typical blockbuster spectacle -- but I applaud the movie for daring to…
The Box (2009)

The Box (2009)

[7] The Box is weird, anachronistic, and indulgent, but I'd be lying to say I didn't dig it. This is the third film from writer/director Richard Kelly, who created a cult phenomenon with Donnie Darko, but then flopped big time…
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

[8] Philip Kaufman enhances the creepiness and desperation in this superior retelling of the classic tale of alien menace and paranoia. The terrific cast includes Donald Sutherland, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright, Brooke Adams, and Leonard Nimoy. Ben Burtt provides the…
House on Haunted Hill (1959)

House on Haunted Hill (1959)

[5] Vincent Price headlines as a millionairre who offers $10,000 to five people if they'll spend the night with him and his wife in their haunted hilltop mansion. The house is the site of countless murders and is supposed to…
The Sixth Sense (1999)

The Sixth Sense (1999)

[8] A young boy who can see and hear dead people confides in a child psychologist who comes to believe the boy's curse is a gift. The strength of The Sixth Sense lies most prominently in the scenes between Toni Collette…
The Return (2006)

The Return (2006)

[4] Sarah Michelle Gellar (TV's Buffy the Vampire Slayer) stars as a woman who has visions of a murder, eventually coming to realize the murderer may be coming for her, too. This supernatural thriller is okay for the first half-hour, but…
Moon (2009)

Moon (2009)

[7] Sam Rockwell plays a lone astronaut working at a lunar drilling station in Duncan Jones' solid feature film debut, Moon. Moon is a story in the classic sci-fi tradition, spurred by Rockwell's encounter with a mysterious stranger who shatters…
Creep (2004)

Creep (2004)

[6] Franka Potente (Run Lola Run) gets locked in a London subway station overnight and soon discovers she's not alone. Someone, or something, is after her. Creep is a simple but solid indie horror thriller. It's not terribly original, but…
Mystic River (2003)

Mystic River (2003)

[8] A family tragedy reunites three men who share a traumatic childhood experience in Mystic River. Sean Penn and Tim Robbins took home richly-deserved Oscars for their performances in this Oscar-nominated best picture from the ever-reliable Clint Eastwood. Mystic River…
Shutter Island (2010)

Shutter Island (2010)

[5] SPOILER REVIEW: Leonardo DiCaprio stars as a U.S. Marshall sent to a hospital for the mentally insane to investigate the disappearance of one of the patients. But as the hospital tries to obscure the truth, DiCaprio's character starts to…