Thoroughbreds (2017)

 

Two upper-class teenage girls in suburban Connecticut rekindle their unlikely friendship after years of growing apart. Together, they hatch a plan to solve both of their problems-no matter what the cost. 

A teenage crime drama is imaginatively presented as a psychological study of two girl buddies, wonderfully played with understatement by Olivia Cooke and Anya Taylor-Joy, tinged with wry sense of humor.

Porto (2016)

 

Jake and Mati are two outsiders in Porto who once experienced a brief connection. A mystery remains about the moments they shared, and in searching through memories, they relive the depths of a night uninhibited by the consequences of time. 

Left field romance beautifully set in Porto (quaintly pictured in bad weather) playfully and a bit irritatingly shifts the perspectives on its story; artful and excellently played but not quite substantial.

Rememory (2017)

 

 

An amateur sleuth steals a machine that can extract, record and play the memories of another person, and uses the device to try and solve the mysterious death of the man who invented it.

 

Intelligent sci-fi drama explores memory and its pitfalls slowly and skillfully revealing truth of a harrowing incident. 

Fright Night (2011)

After a new neighbor moved into the house next door, Charley discovers that he is an ancient vampire and goes in search for the help of Peter Vincent, a famous "vampire killer" to save his neighborhood from the creature.

OK remake of the 1985 horror flick of the same name is aimed more for laughs than scares, Farrell does a nice job playing the vampire.

Maltin***: "Agreeable remake lacks the 1985 original's fond use of a TV horror-movie host, but Tennant is so good in his role and Farrell has so much fun as the clever, arrogant vampire you're not likely to care."

Green Room (2015)

A punk rock band is forced to fight for survival after witnessing a murder at a neo-Nazi skinhead bar.

Effectively action-driven and violent horror thriller with quite a simple plot.

Odd Thomas (2013)

In a California desert town, a short-order cook with clairvoyant abilities encounters a mysterious man with a link to dark, threatening forces.

Oddly unbalanced horror comedy-drama that doesn't quite spark either laughs nor scares; and the funereal twist after the finale is downright disappointing.

Maltin**1/2: "Eerie effects, a thriller finale, and a soulful denouement make a fine sit. Fans will applaud the writer-director's adaptation of a 2003 novel by Dean Koontz, whose branded blend of banter and terror is well replicated. Nonfans, though, will be lost."

Star Trek: Beyond (2016)

The crew of the USS Enterprise explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a new ruthless enemy, who puts them, and everything the Federation stands for, to the test.

Entertaining and with good production value, this installment to the series is watchable, but is not quite as thrilling as the first two movies.