Thriller
Juggernaut
Juggernaut has an element it excels in – troubled characters gradually bringing their brooding funk to an explosive spill. I’d like to believe writer/director Daniel DiMarco is aware of how his film works, but the filmmaker consistently sidesteps around this area of strength. I don’t think DiMarco is clueless, but he’s making too much trouble for himself to seek out a challenge.
The Wasting
The Wasting is a small film with large misfires. It’s an unfortunate directorial debut from documentary writer Carolyn Saunders and, boy, what a reluctant debut it is.
Cruel Summer
Cruel Summer, a film based on a tragically wrongheaded crime, is a knockoff of Larry Clark’s Bully. I’m fine with that; following that model isn’t necessarily problematic.
Mom and Dad
Mom and Dad is a touchy sell, even if the film is up front with its maniacal plot about parents killing their children and how it shoots for the moon in terms of dark comedy.
Suburbicon
Why can’t George Clooney make a movie that’s “simple”? I don’t mean “simple” as in unremarkable quality, but “simple” as in accessible entertainment.
Lost Solace
By: Nick van Dinther As soon as you read the synopsis for Lost Solace, you can tell that this will be a unique story idea that, if executed well, will be a quite a treat for audiences. Thankfully, the film meets its potential and then some.
Badsville
By: Trevor Chartrand Doomed by circumstance, citizens of the gritty slum town Badsville are generally faced with two options: escape the city or die trying. In a corrupt town ruled by gangsters and criminals, the world built in director April Mullen’s Badsville may be bleak and daunting, but it’s not a world without hope.
Den of Thieves
By: Nick van Dinther From the very first scene in Den of Thieves, it becomes fairly obvious that this is not going to be your typical shoot ‘em up popcorn flick. It’s actually a smart, well written, edge-of-your-seat thriller that defies all expectations.
Friend Request
Horror fodder like Friend Request tends to be dismissed based on its timely nature, which is really too bad. These digital age thrillers may borrow from other formulas (or other movies), but they certainly are not derivative. In the case of Friend Request, it owes a debt of gratitude to fellow social media flick Unfriended, but it fuses its modern premise of cyberstalking with revered lore and finds a good balance between “old” and “new”…