The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
[8] A group of college kids go to a cabin in the woods, but that's as far as we get into the story before director Drew Goddard and producer Joss Whedon turn the trope on its head. In a Scream-like…
Martyrs (2008)
[8] I was beginning to wonder if torture could ever be depicted in a movie without the movie becoming "torture porn", without any other cinematic merit. This French horror flick answers my question. In Martyrs, torture isn't just a dirty…
Let the Right One In (2008)
[8]Â An austere Swedish import that is both a touching coming-of-age story and a disturbing horror film. Let the Right One In centers around twelve-year-old Oskar, a bullied boy who befriends a strange new girl whose arrival into the community…
The Woman (2011)
[8] A man captures a feral woman and chains her up in his cellar, calling upon his wife and kids to help him 'civilize' her. The Woman makes bold play of gender dynamics that will leave some viewers crying 'misogyny',…
Steel Magnolias (1989)
[8] The film adaptation of Robert Harling's play is unabashedly melodramatic, nostalgic, and sentimental. Some of those qualities usually annoy the hell out of me, but the ensemble of great actresses and the slew of memorable one-liners make Steel Magnolias…
Monster (2003)
[8] Charlize Theron stars as Aileen Wuornos, the infamous Florida prostitute who became a serial killer, in this film chronicling her last few months of freedom before being captured and executed in 2002. Writer/director Patty Jenkins doesn't shy away from…
The Revenant (2015)
[8] Hot off his Best Director Oscar for Birdman, Alejandro González Iñárritu delivers another astonishing directorial effort. The Revenant is shot entirely outdoors with available lighting, capturing the story of an 1820s fur trader (Leonardo DiCaprio) who is viciously mauled…
The Lords of Salem (2013)
[8] I haven't particularly liked any Rob Zombie movies until this one, which is strange because his devoted fans -- by and large -- detest this movie. The Lords of Salem features masterful style and cinematic execution, often reminding me…
Eden Lake (2008)
[8] This is probably one of the most brutal and harrowing horror films of the past ten or fifteen years. Michael Fassbender hopes to pop the question to his girlfriend Kelly Reilly over a romantic weekend that spirals into a…
The Danish Girl (2015)
[8] Tom Hooper (The King's Speech) directs this adaptation of David Ebershoff's novel, based loosely on the life of Lili Elbe, one of the first people ever to undergo sex reassignment surgery. Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything) is outstanding…