Albert Nobbs (2011)

Posing as a man so she can work as a butler in Dublin's most elegant hotel, Albert Nobbs meets a handsome painter and looks to escape the lie she has been living.

Heart-wrenching period drama, overall well made in all departments, with sensationally good performances by Close and McTeer.

Maltin***: "Lovingly rendered period piece is exceptionally well cast, with Close's tour de force matched by McTeer's."

Paddington 2 (2017)

Paddington, now happily settled with the Brown family and a popular member of the local community, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy's 100th birthday, only for the gift to be stolen.

A sequel equally likeable and entertaining as the original, lively and suspenseful and Hugh Grant perfectly cast as the sneaky villain.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

An anthology film comprised of six stories, each dealing with a different aspect of life in the Old West.

The Coen Bros. actually make it work it: the often maligned anthology film; each episodes ups the ante from macabre satire to intense drama, brilliantly conceived, perfectly cast, and with wonderful cinematography.

Lake Placid (1999)

Three people attempt to stop a gigantic crocodile, who is terrorizing residents in Black Lake, Maine.

Slightly amusing, tongue-in-cheek monster with a star cast doesn't want be taken seriously, and one shouldn't.

Halliwell (no star): "A cheapjack horror movie that puts the emphasis on jokes, but a few good one-liners are not enough to enliven so much predictability."

Maltin**: "David E. Kelley, writing down to the material, provides lots of wisecracks, but few scares. Brief but tiresome film tries - but fails - to be a monster movie and environmentally correct at the same time." 

In the Heart of the Sea (2015)

A recounting of a New England whaling ship's sinking by a giant whale in 1820, an experience that later inspired the great novel Moby-Dick.

Old-fashioned seafaring adventure delivers all the goods of such a tale, but not too much more.

Turbulence (1997)

After a shootout on a flight transporting prisoners, a flight attendant must outwit a smooth-talking serial killer and land the plane herself.

Silly and unoriginal exploitation; watchable for Ray Liotta's no holds barred overperformance - if you can take it.

Halliwell (no star): "Ridiculous thriller that adds violence and special effects mayhem to the plot of Airport 1975; it may put you off going to the cinema again."

Maltin**1/2: "Though undeniably silly (a slasher movie on a plane?), this often delivers the goods through sheer brassiness, and Liotta has a high old time as the nutzoid killer."

Perrier's Bounty (2009)

A gangster named Perrier looks to exact his revenge on a trio of fugitives responsible for the accidental death of one of his cronies.

Violent crime drama with some very black humour is watchable thanks to a good ensemble and lively direction.

Maltin***: "Dark humor cleverly softens the intensity of violent acts, which - one is ashamed to admit - generate a lot of laughs. Entire ensemble shines."

The Raven (2012)

When a madman begins committing horrific murders inspired by Edgar Allen Poe's works, a young Baltimore detective joins forces with Poe to stop him from making his stories a reality.

Nice premise is watchable as a nicely produced period piece with a not too exciting, but breathlessly staged whodunnit; a straight Poe adaptation would have been preferable.

Maltin**: "Contrived mix of fact and fiction is fitfully intriguing but conspicuously lacking in suspense. Cusack's wild-eyed ranting is neatly balanced by Evans' authoritative underplaying."

The Company You Keep (2012)

A former Weather Underground activist goes on the run from a journalist who has discovered his identity.

Subdued and pleasantly melancholic political thriller with a good ensemble works more with atmosphere than suspense.

Maltin**1/2: "Impressive cast can't breathe fire into this story despite its promising ingredients."

Green Zone (2010)

Discovering covert and faulty intelligence causes a U.S. Army officer to go rogue as he hunts for Weapons of Mass Destruction in an unstable region.

Well-intentioned and fairly good thriller that seems to think it needs to prove what has always been obvious to the rest of the world: that the claim there were WMD in Iraq was a lie.

Maltin*: "Retrospective look at the situation...asks us to be surprised at its discoveries - and the ultimate outcome of the story - when it's plain from the start to everyone but Damon's character. Vividly realized by Greengrass, a master of verisimilitude, but dramatically pointless."

Suffragette (2015)

In early 20th-century Britain, the growing suffragette movement forever changes the life of a working wife and mother.

Old-fashioned, but efficiently produced period movie that manages to stir up the emotions on a key issue of 20th century history; the cast is excellent.

Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

A military officer is brought into an alien war against an extraterrestrial enemy who can reset the day and know the future.

The story is not new, there are hardly any surprises otherwise, and the militaristic stance is unappealing; but the result is a professionally made, exciting and entertaining action movie.

Maltin***: "Intriguing premise is punched across in this kinetically entertaining science fiction yarn, sharply directed by Liman."