BEST
Come Early Morning
Ashley Judd makes good for all those horrible women-in-peril flicks she's done with her smart and perceptive performance in this film directed by Joey Lauren Adams.
Maxed Out
This doc about America's credit card obsession will have you thinking twice about charging future DVD rentals.
The Abandoned
Director Nacho Cerdà international spin on the haunted house flick was easily the best film at a recent After Dark Horrorfest. Its woolly maze of existential dread will scare the beezeesus out of you.
The Host
A Korean monster movie that mixes the perfect amount of family dysfunction, social commentary and CGI into an uncommonly entertaining thrill ride.
The Dead Girl
Five interlocking stories of several women who feel the impact of one girl's grizzly demise are told with precision and immediacy by director Karen Montcreiff. A rare example of how the cinematic representation of women can have both integrity and relevance.
House of Games
David Mamet hits one out of the park his first time directing. Never has his dialogue sounded so perfect than in this slick tale of cons and con artists.
Caged
Watching this film on DVD is like finding the Rosetta Stone for every women-in-prison film that followed. Sure it has camp value, but its story of one woman's descent into the flawed penal system still resonates.
Night of the Comet
An entertaining and nostalgic blend of low-tech sci-fi and comedy that the most jaded film enthusiasts will appreciate. Solid acting and an intelligent script elevate what could have been a sleepy retrospective of valley girls and '80s culture into the perfect slice of cult cinema cheese. Fer sure, Fer sure!
This Film Is Not Yet Rated
A doc that shows you why you'd be telling the MPAA and Blockbuster to go fuck themselves. Mandatory viewing for anyone who claims they love movies.
WORST
Prison of the Psychotic Damned
Like a steaming pile of shit sitting squished into your DVD player. No shit.
The Gathering
Think The Da Vinci Code meets Touched by an Angel, only wretched and starring Christina Ricci, whose cute little indie cred is apparently all cashed in.
Prey
You know a flick has soured when you hope that one of its characters (the bitchy daughter first) will stray just far enough from the vehicle to become Serengeti-style Tender Vittles for a pack of hungry lions.
The Gravedancers & The Hamiltons
Lame horror flicks that should have never seen the light of day. Thanks a lot, After Dark Horrorfest.
Shrek The Third
All the DVD extras in the world won't make this flick worth watching a second time. Pity the kids whose parents stocking-stuffed this lump o' coal.
Black Christmas (2006)
This pathetic rehash doesn't have a shred of originality. One can hope Bob Clark never saw this sad-sack remake before his 2007 death.
