Sometimes when the conventions of typical movie fare get redundant, a simple slice of life flick can seem like a blessing.  In the case of the new film "Like Someone In Love" there is an oddly fascinating and captivating quiet in the everyday stillness, so even when nothing appears to be happening you can’t help but be engrossed.  Unfortunately "Like Someone In Love" also ultimately suffers from the same fate as so many films trying to be clever by using ending ambiguity as an intelligence tool, but even a smart rip off is still just a rip off.

A young woman sits in a local shop and takes ...

Mixing genres in a single film is a tricky thing – sometimes things can get marred down in an uneven tone.  But in some instances such a prospect can actually breathe new life into familiar ideas and in the case of the new film "Resolution" produces a unique and ultra-real vibe not to be ignored. 

Mike is worried about his long-time friend Chris.  Seems Chris has thrown in the towel as far as life is concerned and taken up in a little abandoned cabin where meth is the special of the day.  So Mike decides to make one final intervention to save his mate – he cuffs him to a cabin pipe and pou...

Sometimes a serious case of authenticity can take a basic premise and bring things up a notch. This is especially the case when the film in question is a genre picture – always a sure fire sign of ratcheting up the intensity. A new horror thriller infuses such a personal device by inflicting the lead character with a severe and crippling case of agoraphobia, all the while being terrorized by a gang of thugs outside that are out for blood – welcome to "Citadel."

Tommy Crowley is a quiet man who lives with his pregnant wife in a decaying apartment complex. One day she’s attacked by a gang...

Some movies start out one way and evolve into something else. A midway story turn can either be an effective device that adds layers or a mindless mind trick employed for shock value. "Starlet" is a classic case of the latter, a film that starts out in a very subtle, sassy and even sweet way and then proceeds to hit the viewer with an unneeded 2x4 twist in the name of being clever.

Jane is an aspiring actress who has just moved into an apartment with her drug and alcohol addled friends Melissa and Mikey. The gang spends most of their time getting high, playing video games and hanging ou...

Though we, as humans, have always been frightened of the unknown, a potentially more terrifying and disturbing element of life is when the familiar becomes strange. Steven Spielberg’s genre-defining film Jaws perfectly exemplified this facet of the human experience because, for the first time, we were shown a reason to be afraid to go into the water that was, previously, benign as far as we were concerned. Horror films have historically relied on serial killers with supernatural powers (Jason or Freddy, for example), but isn’t it more unsettling to see a brilliant psychologist turn to canni...

Every so often a film comes along that lifts your spirits and makes you feel that anything and everything is possible.

'The Sessions' starring John Hawkes and Helen Hunt is just such a film.

This is the true story of a man named Mark O'Brien, who lived in Berkeley CA in the 1980's.

Mark is different from most people. He contacted polio as a child and is confined to an Iron Lung. The only part of his body that isn't paralyzed is his head, which he can move slightly to the side. He is also dependent on a breathing tube and a caregiver.

But this isn't the tale of a disabled dude that lie...

Looking fabulous no matter what the budget, there is both good and bad as far as the indie Aussie import "Crawlspace" goes. On the good side there is enough style and sizzling visuals to put even an attention to detail master like Ridley Scott to shame. But on the bad side of things, "Crawlspace" suffers from a stern case of popcorn fluff and movie recycling, leaving a lingering been there done that vibe firmly on the palate.

A squad of elite soldiers is making their way to Pine Gap, a military compound far out of reach. Seems that there’s been trouble from unknown forces and their miss...

It’s amusing that some judge horror solely on blood and guts quotient, as if the mere sight of it can make up for a myriad of less than stellar qualities. By gore hound standards Norway import "Thale" is more a thriller then a horror film and its all the better for it. A lush film that dares to take its time, "Thale" is a real story slow burn that is lovingly mired in mood. It doesn't attack - it engrosses.

Leo and Elvis crime scene clean up men who come in to do the nasty part of the job. Cleaning up blood, brains, bones and bodies are everyday tasks, though newbie Elvis remains a tad...

Does anyone remember watching early work by odd auteurs like David Cronenberg or Dario Argento and having an epiphany moment of ‘here is a talent not to ignore’ – welcome the Soska Sisters. The vibrant young duo and their perversely and passionately abnormal movie "American Mary" is film unlike anything I’ve seen in recent years. A wonderfully insane conundrum of horror, drama, revenge and the effect power has over people – in other words a seriously savory mind job.

Mary Mason is a hard working med student with equal parts potential and accruing debt. In order to facilitate her aspirat...

In the movie world, the sequel is a tricky thing. Trying to emulate what made a film memorable in the first place is a difficult task and almost always misses the mark. "The Collection" is a film that carries over the famed traps, blood and gore and funhouse feel of the original "The Collector" and certainly ups the ante. Problem is the other half, the man vs. man skill set that gave "The Collector" its leg up from standard torture porn fare is nowhere to be found – clever has been killed.

When we left thief Arkin he was being collected by the infamous serial killer and dragged off to w...