Room has certainly inspired similar films to come out of the woodwork. Berlin Syndrome is the latest, taking the concept of one person locked in a room against her will. Presented as a thriller, Berlin Syndrome is a cat and mouse game that never finds a profound message. Teresa Palmer (Hacksaw Ridge) called this role […]
I had all but given up on the Memorial Weekend movies until I saw new thriller Black Butterfly. The trailer didn’t show anything too enticing, it looked like another cat and mouse thriller, set in a remote location, shot on a cheap budget. The first few minutes of the thriller even met my lower expectations,
Ben Wheatley’s follow-up to High Rise is just as divisive. The entire movie takes place in a warehouse with a 90-minute shootout. Each of the characters, about 15 of them total, are split into two sides, like Battleship. We get brief introductions before they take sides and begin shooting at one another. The cast most
Mine creates one of the most gut wrenching, impossible situations I’ve seen on cinema in a long time. The suspense in the first 26 minutes that leads us to a devastating situation is everything you expect from an action film putting the lead in dire circumstances. The big question is what happens next? You still
While Aftermath is based on true events of two planes crashing in Germany in 2002, the premise of loved ones dealing with the “aftermath” is universal with any plane crashing. Arnold Schwarzenegger continues trying to mount a comeback after a few failed starts, including Terminator Genisys and the indie zombie flick Maggie. Aftermath, which is
Well, I found it! No, not the best film of the year, but the yearly pre-award season movie I get excited for, based on an impeccable trailer and cast (that Sigur Rós music sealed the deal). Like “Suffragette” in 2015, “A Light Between Oceans” last year, “The Zookeeper’s Wife” takes this year’s award for advertising
Olivier Assayas’s follow-up to Clouds of Sils Maria begins like any formulaic horror movie; Young girl in a dark, secluded, old house by herself. Personal Shopper is anything but formulaic as Assayas reteams with Stewart juggling narratives in this genre bending thriller/drama/horror film. Stewart is fascinating to watch, as always, whether cursing on SNL, breaking
At the rate Hollywood is turning out space films, there isn’t much left to discover in the genre it seems. Director Daniel Espinosa (“Child 44”) certainly makes a run at it though, reteaming with his “Safe House” star Ryan Reynolds. “Life” is an action thriller, it’s sort of a contagion film mixed with all the
He will forever be known as The Kingslayer to Game of Thrones fans, but Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is one of the more successful actors outside of the hit television show. A supporting actor in Black Hawk Down, Kingdom of Heaven, and 1000 Time Goodnight, Waldau finally earns a leading role in Small Crimes. Here
Nathan Morlando’s second feature Mean Dreams has an awfully familiar narrative. It’s a forced coming of age story, with Hellion’s Josh Wiggins, still coming of age on his third feature. Intentionally or not, this small-town thriller with corrupt cops and abusive family themes has Frailty vibes (which was directed by Paxton) and more recently reminiscent