Gangs of New York (2002)

Gangs of New York (2002)

[8] Martin Scorsese unleashes this epic tale of 1860s New York City street battles, with Leonardo DiCaprio starring as a young man with a vendetta against the near legendary Bill the Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis). See, DiCaprio's character saw Day-Lewis's character kill his…
Hard Candy (2006)

Hard Candy (2006)

[8] A 14-year-old goes home with a guy in his 30s. What follows is a nightmarish power struggle. Hard Candy is an intense character-driven thriller that succeeds primarily for the incredible performances of Patrick Wilson (Watchmen) and Ellen Page (Juno). The screenplay…
The Mist (2007)

The Mist (2007)

[8] Frank Darabont dives back into the Stephen King well and comes out with a winner. The Mist is about a disparate group of people who end up trapped together in the local grocery store when a strange, scary mist suddenly engulfs…
Cloverfield (2008)

Cloverfield (2008)

[8] This monster movie from the creators of Lost and Felicity combines low-budget ingenuity with high-budget production values for a thrilling movie going experience. The whole film is hand-held 'found footage' documenting a group of friends' attempted escape from Manhattan after the…
The Cabin in the Woods (2012)

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 fashion, The…
Martyrs (2008)

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 gimmick. It's…
Let the Right One In (2008)

Let the Right One In (2008)

[8]  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 just so…
The Woman (2011)

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', 'misandry', or…
Steel Magnolias (1989)

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 hard to…
Monster (2003)

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 Wuornos' crimes,…