The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

Five friends go for a break at a remote cabin, where they get more than they bargained for, discovering the truth behind the cabin in the woods.

Tongue-in-cheek horror flick cleverly ups the antes onto ever new meta-levels  and is filled to the brim with genre allusions; fun for fans, but a bit over-the-top.

Maltin**1/2: "...script is aimed at the hearts of fanboys everywhere, adding at least two extra levels of surprises. Amusing and intelligent, but the cleverness works against the horror, the horror against the humor."

LBJ (2016)

Lyndon B. Johnson aligns himself with John F. Kennedy, rises to the Presidency, and deals with the civil rights struggles of the 1960s.

Straight and professionally made, but a bit adulatory biopic focussed on LBJ's political transition as John F. Kennedy's Vice President and successor; it could have been so much more, although it is indeed a treat to watch Woody Harrelson give this politician some life.

Bone Tomahawk (2015)

In the dying days of the old west, an elderly sheriff and his posse set out to rescue their town's doctor from cannibalistic cave dwellers.

Unusual Western is extremely well directed and photographed and has an excellent cast, but hardly prepares one for the gory end sequence.

The Visitor (2007)

A college professor travels to New York City to attend a conference and finds a young couple living in his apartment.

Subdued, nicely staged and excellently performed small drama centered on immigration and personal responsibility.

Maltin***1/2: "Bracingly original film...Minimalist filmmaking at its best, a combination character study - with brilliant and nuanced performances - and commentary on the perils and pleasures of life in today's American melting pot."

The Shape of Water (2017)

At a top secret research facility in the 1960s, a lonely cleaning lady forms a unique relationship with an amphibious creature that is being held in captivity.

A homage to 50s monster movies with an assured sense of style winkingly manages to modernize (and romanticize) the old genre into a work of cinematic art.