Panic Room (2002)

Foster plays Meg Altman, recently divorced who moves into a fancy brownstone in New York City with her eleven year old daughter Sarah. Previously owned by a millionaire, the house has a panic room so in case of intruders, they are safe in that room. Lo and behold three burglars show up on the day they move in, to steal three million dollars in bearer bonds. After Meg discovers from the security cameras that they're in the house, she and her daughter run into the panic room, not knowing that the money is hidden in there with them. A white knuckle thriller that'll keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. Easily one of Foster's best films. Starring Jodie Foster, Jared Leto, Forest Whitaker, Kristen Stewart, Dwight Yoakam, Patrick Bauchau 8/10 Rated R

Psycho (1998)

Heche plays Marion Crane, a secretary from Phoenix, Arizona who is supposed to deposit some money for her boss but steals it for her and her boyfriend. Stopping at a motel because of inclement weather, she meets Norman Bates, the owner of the motel. Marion has a change of heart and decides to go back to Phoenix but ends up being murdered. A week after her sudden disappearance, her sister and a private investigator try to find out what happened. Pointless shot-by-shot carbon copy of the 1960 Hitchcock classic; Heche is not believable and Vaughn is ridiculously miscast as Norman Bates. Forget this one ever existed and see the original. Starring Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, Viggo Mortensen, Rita Wilson, Robert Forster, Philip Baker Hall, Rance Howard 4/10 Rated R

Drive (2011)

Ryan Gosling is known as The Driver, a mechanic, movie stunt driver and getaway driver for criminals. He leads a pretty lonely life until he becomes close with his neighbor Irene and her young son Benicio. He also meets Irene's husband, Standard who has returned after being in jail. But Standard still owes money to a gangster and if he doesn't rob a pawn shop he'll come after his family. So Driver agrees to help Standard with the job only if he pays off the debt. Adapted from the James Sallis novel, Drive is a subtle film but on the other side it is explicitly violent film with entertaining chases; think The Man With No Name meets Bullitt. Starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman, Oscar Isaac, Albert Brooks 7/10 Rated R

Super 8 (2011)

School is finished for the summer in the town of Lillian, Ohio. Charles Kaznyk enters the local film competition and seeks his friends Joe, Alice, Evan, Cary, Preston and Martin to help him make his low budget zombie movie on his Super 8 camera. They start by filming at the train station one night when they witness a horrendous train wreck. Soon afterward, strange things start to occur; power outages, dogs begin running away, and people start disappearing. After the local authorities overhear air force frequencies, the military begins to invade the small town and turn it upside down. A fun and nostalgic thrill experience, although similar to Cloverfield it still has a lot of heart. Starring Kyle Chandler, Elle Fanning, Joel Courtney, Noah Emmerich, Ryan Lee, Zach Mills, Riley Griffiths, Gabriel Basso 8/10 Rated PG-13

Unknown (2011)

After arriving in Berlin to attend a summit, Doctor Martin Harris is involved in a horrific car accident. He wakes up four days later after being in a coma and tries to locate his wife's whereabouts. When he does find her, she denies that's he's her husband, and another man whom he's never met before is claiming to be the real Martin Harris.With the help of an ally, Martin attempts to find out the truth to prove his identity. Liam Neeson's still got it in this compelling international thriller that'll have you thinking twice about who to trust. Starring Liam Neeson, January Jones, Diane Kruger, Aidan Quinn, Frank Langella 7/10 Rated PG-13

Buried (2010)

Reynolds plays Paul Conroy, an American truck driver who is sent to Iraq to bring supplies there when his convoy is attacked. He wakes up and finds he's inside a coffin six feet underground, tied up and gagged with no knowledge of why or how he got there. With only a lighter, cell phone, flashlight, flask, pencil and glow sticks, Paul is taken hostage and is told that for a ransom of five million dollars he'll be released. Fighting for air and his sanity, it's an unbelievably claustrophobic race for survival. An extraordinarily intense thriller that you're not likely to forget about when it's over. Starring Ryan Reynolds 7/10 Rated R

Blow Out (1981)

Travolta plays Jack Terry, a sounds effects guy who one night while out recording sounds for a movie, hear a shot, a blow out and sees a car drive over a bridge and crash into the water. He ends up saving the girls that is in the car, but later discovers that a governor who was also inside the car, was not so lucky. After finding this out however, Jack believes that it wasn't an accidental blow out, that someone deliberately shot at the car in order to kill the governor. An interesting and gripping film, easily one of Travolta's best performances. Starring John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow, Dennis Franz 7/10 Rated R

Black Swan (2010)

Portman plays Nina, an obsessive, self-conscious yet immensely talented ballet dancer who wants to become a big star. So when her theater company plans to do a new and different version of Swan Lake, Nina is extremely determined to be part of it. Until another young dancer named Lily arrives, whom Nina is convinced after she lands the lead of the Swan Queen that Lily is trying to take her place. A mind-bending, psychological thrill ride that pulls you in and will not let go; Natalie Portman is absolutely extraordinary. Starring Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey, Winona Ryder 8/10 Rated R

Stone (2010)

Jack Mabry is a parole officer soon to be retired. But before he does he reviews one last case; a convicted arsonist named Gerald "Stone" Creeson who is up for parole. Soon Jack finds himself finding sympathy in Stone and in his life, but Jack has no idea that Stone will do just about anything to be set free from prison, including using his beautiful young wife Lucetta to seduce and manipulate Jack. I had high hopes for this because I'm an Edward Norton fan who likes most of his work but this film isn't one of them. Norton's southern accent got on my nerves after a while, Jovovich's acting was awful, and it just didn't pull me in, I didn't really empathize with any of these characters. Starring Edward Norton, Robert DeNiro, Milla Jovovich, Frances Conroy Rated R 5/10

The Crow (1994)

When rock guitarist Eric Draven and his bride-to-be Shelly Webster are brutally murdered by a gang of merciless thugs, Eric comes back to life under the watchful eyes of a black crow to avenge his and his fiancee's death. With the help of a police sergeant, Eric vows to take down one by one the goons responsible and their crime lord leader. Dark, moving and incredibly thrilling; Brandon Lee is so fascinating you can't take your eyes off him. Based on the comic book series by James O'Barr. Starring Brandon Lee, Ernie Hudson, Michael Wincott, Bai Ling, David Patrick Kelly, Rochelle Davis 7/10 Rated R

The Backwoods (2006)

In the summer of 1978 Londoners Norman, his wife Lucy, friend Paul and his wife Isabel take a holiday trip to Spain for the weekend in the quiet and remote woods, settling into the house that belonged to Paul's grandmother. Their vacation starts out fine, until while out hunting Paul and Norman see an abandoned cabin in the forest. In it they find a young girl, dirty and imprisoned with disfigured hands. So they take her back to the house to feed and clean her up, thinking they should tell the police, knowing that whoever left her there will sooner or later come looking for her. The local villagers come by and ask if they've seen the girl, to which Paul denies it. So he decides to help the villagers with their search so he knows for sure that they'll leave. The film is okay at first but it doesn't give you any explanation about the girl, why she is deformed or why she's locked up in the house; so basically no back story to The Backwoods. Only thing that is worth watching in this cliched and confusing mess is Gary Oldman. Starring Gary Oldman, Virginie Ledoyen, Paddy Considine, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón 6/10

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011)

The year is 1973, Control who is head of British Intelligence (aka The Circus) sends Jim Prideaux to Budapest to meet with the Hungarian general, because he has information that Control needs. Apparently the general has the name of the mole who is believed to be a Russian agent working inside The Circus. However when the operation is unsuccessful, George Smiley and Control are forced to retire. Since then Control ends up dying so it's up to George Smiley to investigate who the spy is. Incredibly complex thriller; despite having no big action scenes or explosions it is still a fascinating film with a stellar cast, most especially by Oldman, who gives such an brilliantly subtle and introverted performance. Starring Gary Oldman, John Hurt, Colin Firth, Toby Jones, Ciarán Hinds, Kathy Burke, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Strong, Tom Hardy, Svetlana Khodchenkova 9/10 Rated R

Don't Look Now (1973)

After the tragic accidental drowning of their daughter Christine, John Baxter and his wife Laura travel to Venice because the bishop requests John to restore and old church. While dining in a restaurant, Laura has an encounter with two elderly sisters, one of whom is blind and claims she's psychic, telling Laura that she saw her daughter. Convinced that the old lady really did see her daughter, she meets the two women again and they perform a seance to try and contact her. Afterward, she tells John that Christine has warned them that he is in danger and to leave Venice, but John doesn't believe in any of it. Morning after they receive a phone call that their son was injured in an accident, which prompts Laura to return while John stays to finish his restoration project. A strange and haunting film, most famous because of the explicit sex scene between Christie and Sutherland that was quite controversial at the time it was released. Starring Julie Christie, Donald Sutherland, Hilary Mason, Clelia Matania 7/10

Dorian Gray (2009)

Young and handsome Dorian Gray arrives in London, and meets a man by the name of Lord Henry Wotton. Dorian is soon intoxicated by his world of pleasure and excess. Henry's friend, an artist named Basil Hallward paints Dorian's portrait and is astounded by how life-like it is, confessing that he would give anything, even his very soul for eternal youth. He is captivated by a theater actress Sibyl Vane, which he falls in love with and gets engaged to. But after Sibyl finds out about Dorian and his infidelity, she is so heartbroken she drowns herself. Soon after, Dorian sees the portrait starting to make a shocking transformation. Seductive, decadent and haunting; an intriguing remake of the 1945 film The Picture of Dorian Gray. Starring Ben Barnes, Colin Firth, Rebecca Hall, Ben Chaplin, Fiona Shaw 8/10

The Last Seduction (1994)

Bridget Gregory is a tough as nails businesswoman living in New York City. She makes her husband Clay steal drug money and then decides to steal it from Clay. She leaves town, but runs out of gas. So she stops at a small town called Beston on her way to Chicago, and meets Mike, whom she immediately hooks up with. She gets a job at an insurance company and changes her name to Wendy Kroy as a new alias so Clay won't find her. However Clay, who knows of her talent of writing backwards, figures out her new name is New York spelled backwards. Bridget convinces Mike into getting rid of a foreclosure lawyer whose cheating old ladies out of their homes, despite thinking she's crazy. But it turns out it's really her husband that Bridget is planning to get rid of. Fiorentino is perfect as the psychotic, manipulative femme-fetale, who doesn't mind taking advantage of men to get what she wants. Starring Linda Fiorentino, Bill Pullman, Peter Berg, J.T. Walsh, Bill Nunn 8/10

Halloween (1978)

The place is Haddonfield Illinois, the time is Halloween, 1963. Judith Myers is stabbed to death by her six year-old brother Michael. Michael is institutionalized but fifteen years later he ends up escaping and comes back to Haddonfield on Halloween to terrorize some babysitters including high-schooler Laurie Strode, who gets increasingly concerned when she keeps seeing Myers everywhere she goes. Meanwhile psychiatrist Dr. Samuel Loomis follows Michael to Haddonfield, determined to stop him from killing anymore people. John Carpenter's horror classic, with a chilling musical score; Michael Myers is one terrifying boogeyman. Jamie Lee Curtis' film debut. Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasance, P.J. Soles, Nancy Loomis, Tony Moran 8/10

Cold Creek Manor (2003)

Cooper Tilson and his family are fed up with the busy and chaotic city life so they decide to move out to the serene countryside, where they restore an old, decaying mansion. While settling in they meet Dale, who used to live on the estate and offers to fix up the swimming pool because he needs the work. So Cooper reluctantly agrees, but is suspicious of Dale. Soon after, strange and awful things start to happen; deadly snakes start popping up inside the house, then his daughter's pony ends up dead lying in the pool. And Cooper believes that Dale is the one whose behind it all, as they soon discover secrets of his violent past. So-so psychological thriller; really dull at times, the characters are uninteresting but Dorff is particularly creepy. Starring Dennis Quaid, Sharon Stone, Stephen Dorff, Juliette Lewis, Christopher Plummer, Kristen Stewart 5/10

Body Heat (1981)

Ned Racine is a cheap and tawdry Florida lawyer. In the middle of an unbearable heat wave, he has a few brief encounters with a woman named Matty Walker, chatting about the heat and the wind chimes on her porch. Not long after they have a most explicit affair, despite her already being married to Edmund, a wealthy businessman. Matty tells Ned she can't stand being with Edmund anymore, and wants a divorce but she signed a prenuptial agreement. So Ned suggests that they kill him. A sexy neo-noir thriller; the dialogue between Hurt and Turner exudes raw sensuality and the scenes with them together are so scorchingly hot it'll make your temperature rise. Starring William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Richard Crenna, Ted Danson, J.A. Preston, Mickey Rourke 8/10

P2 (2007)

It is New York City on Christmas Eve, and Angela is the last one stuck in the office working late. When she finally ready to leave, she goes down to the parking garage, but her car doesn't seem to want to start. So she asks the security guard Thomas, who seems friendly for help, but he can't get it started either. He invites her to have a small Christmas dinner with him, but she is eager to just get a cab and get home. However when he locks her in, knocks her out, and ties her up in his office, he doesn't seem so nice anymore. A chillingly scary thriller; Wes Bentley is creepy in the same style as Norman Bates. Starring Rachel Nichols, Wes Bentley, Simon Reynolds 6/10

Taken (2008)

Bryan Mills was a former highly-trained CIA officer, now retired because he wants to have a relationship with his seventeen year old daughter Kim, which because of his duty to the CIA has kept him from having a normal family life. When Kim begs him to let her go on a trip to Paris, he is hesitant to give in. But eventually he does, despite his worries even though her mother, his ex-wife insists she needs her freedom. However he soon finds out that Kim has been kidnapped by Albanians, who lure young girls and then trade them for sex. So Bryan goes to Paris and stops at nothing to find out where she is. Pulse pounding, and intensely fast-paced thriller; Liam Neeson is terrific. Starring Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen 8/10