The 50 Best New Movies Available For Download On iTunes

It feels like a practice as ancient as hieroglyphics: Only a couple decades ago, passionate movie lovers with time to spare would walk into the nearest mom-and-pop video shop, rifle through the endless array of VHS tapes available for rental, and discover some obscure B-movie gem or catch up with popular hits they’d previously missed. A membership card was the key to the kingdom, and when the once-giant conglomerate Blockbuster Video established its dominance, the old dollar video spots held a nostalgic allure.

Flash forward to 2012, an Internet-controlled time when even Blockbuster has become, sad to say, irrelevant. These days, the equivalent to flipping through rental venues’ shelves is staring at a computer screen while investigating the archives of Netflix, which we so generously made ten times easier with our list of the best movies streaming right now.

In addition to the almighty Netflix, there’s also the option of downloading movies off of iTunes; unlike Netflix, however, iTunes requires a payment of, more often than not, $4.99 per flick, harking back to the leave-your-house rental days of yesteryear. Like we did with the Netflix streaming guide, allow us to make your searches infinitely simpler with our list of The 50 Best New Movies Available For Download On iTunes, focusing on current favorites you may have recently overlooked.

Written by Matt Barone (@MBarone)

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Genre: Comedy
Director: Todd Strauss-Schulson
Stars: John Cho, Kal Penn, Paula Garces, Danny Trejo, Thomas Lennon, Amir Blumenfeld, Danneel Harris, Neil Patrick Harris, Elias Koteas, Patton Oswalt, Eddie Kaye Thomas, David Krumholtz, Bobby Lee, Richard Riehle, RZA

Did the world need another Harold And Kumar movie? Of course not, but, having seen the fun-loving, danger-prone potheads third adventure, we’re glad that John Cho and Kal Penn returned another round of immaturity. In theaters, A Very Harold And Kumar Christmas utilized its 3D technology better than damn near every three-dimensional flick that came before it, as well as in its wake, and in the comfort of your home, the hard-R-rated comedy loses none of its offensive yet good-natured laughs.

Genre: Comedy
Director: Dan Rush
Stars: Will Ferrell, Christopher C.J. Wallace, Rebecca Hall, Michael Pena, Glenn Howerton, Stephen Root, Laura Dern

At first glance, Everything Must Go is off-putting. It's a Will Ferrell movie with laughs, but the gags are nowhere to be seen, nor any pratfalls, man-child freak-outs, or outlandish characters to render things sophomoric. There's just Ferrell playing a normal guy, in a film about how guys cope with such devils as alcoholism and domestic fallout. The man once known as Ron Burgundy is simply acting—well, at that—playing a role that's vulnerable, self-effacing, and down on his luck; how Ferrell handles all of those facets like a boss is the movie's charm, as well as why it's the funnyman's best acting to date.

Based on a Raymond Carver short story, Everything Must Go follows Nick Halsey (Ferrell), who's fired from his job due to booze, and whose wife leaves him, throws all of his shit on their front lawn, and changes their house's door locks. As Nick establishes residence on his lawn, he befriends an insecure kid (C.J. Wallace, son of Biggie Smalls and a fine young actor) and a recently married neighbor (Rebecca Hall), both of whom help him to not drink himself into a Pabst Blue Ribbon-doused grave.

The debut of writer-director Dan Rush, Everything Must Go coasts on Ferrell's nuanced performance, breaking the quiet drama up with sporadic, and effective, comedy moments that allow Ferrell's core fan base to connect with it. But, in the end, this small character piece is most notable for showing that he has a legitimate acting career to fall back upon once the lure of cashable duds like Land Of The Lost wears thin. Who would've known that we'd end up looking forward to that day?

Genre: Comedy
Director: Mike Mills
Stars: Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Melanie Laurent, Goran Visnjic, Kai Lennox

Those who paid attention to Hollywood’s recent awards season definitely know about Beginners, which is most recognized for co-star Christopher Plummer’s Oscar-winning performance, which also won just about every other possible “supporting actor” prize known to man.

And the elder statesman certainly earned each and every one of them. Alongside an also strong Ewan McGregor, Plummer plays a kind-hearted man who reveals his homosexuality to his son (McGregor) at the better-late-than-never age of 75. Mike Mills, who wrote the script based around his own life experiences, handles the material with so much warmth and contagious elation that it’s impossible not to share the positive sentiments.

Genre: Comedy
Director: Jeff Tremaine
Stars: Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Steve-O, Ryan Dunn, Chris Pontius, Preston Lacy, Danger Ehren, Dave England, Wee Man

Admittedly, part of what made Jackass 3 (initially released as Jackass 3D) such a worthy sequel, and not an unnecessary cash grab, was its brilliantly foul use of three-dimensional technology—where else can you see a guy vomit and dodge the puke while wearing cheap, plastic shades?

Still, despite the loss of such 3D touches on your computer screen, the Jackass gang’s third compilation of ridiculous and immoral stunts is just as hilarious as its predecessors, specifically because it follows the old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Which, fortunately for his future children, Johnny Knoxville disobeys when it comes to his own shattered bones and crushed genitals.

Genre: Comedy
Director: Glenn Ficarra and John Requa
Stars: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Julianne Moore, Marisa Tomei, Analeigh Tipton, Kevin Bacon, John Carroll Lynch

In a way, we're glad that Crazy, Stupid, Love wasn't a massive box office smash; if it had raked in loads of cash, the unimaginative suits in H-wood most likely would've pumped out a string of male-driven romantic comedies, and the majority, if not all, of them would've no doubt sucked. So, yes, we'll take a one-of-a-kind creative success like directors' Glenn Ficcara and John Requa (the screenwriters behind Bad Santa) and be appreciative that we didn't get another Gerard Butler embarrassment.

Across the board, Crazy, Stupid, Love beams with exceptional talent acting, well, exceptionally. As the film's central character, a recently single man awkwardly looking to make waves in the dating world, Steve Carell gives one of his best all-around performances; he's alternately funny and touching. Ryan Gosling, showcasing unforeseen comedic chops, effortlessly nails the funniest lines, while Emma Stone, further endearing herself to audiences as the next big thing, matches both wits and tenderness with Gosling.

Though an undeniable cheesiness sets into the final act, Crazy, Stupid, Love nevertheless combines genuine laughs with multiple love stories, and the final product is the best kind of date movie.

Genre: Comedy
Director: Jonathan Levine
Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston, Matt Frewer, Philip Baker Hall

Those who bought tickets to see 50/50 and expecting to laugh at Knocked Up 2.0. (the film's commercials were a bit misleading) must've wished they'd snuck in boxes of Kleenex along with the Twizzlers and gummy bears.

Written by real-life cancer survivor, and actual best friend of Seth Rogen's, Will Reiser, 50/50 does pull several authentic laughs out of its gravely serious premise, that of an average dude (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who finds out he has cancer and painfully comes to grips with the possibility of an early death. Rogen's presence (he basically plays himself) ensures sporadic bits of comic relief, and it's mostly successful, especially when Rogen and Gordon-Levitt try to use the latter's condition to get laid.

But director Jonathan Levine (The Wackness) knows what the film's biggest strength is: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, one of the industry's best young actors. And in 50/50, he's magnificent, conveying a gamut of emotions with naturalism and knocking the wind out of you when it's time for his character to accept his helplessness. Rarely does a movie targeted at the twenty-something crowd pack so much poignancy and grace.

Genre: Comedy
Director: Woody Allen
Stars: Owen Wilson, Marion Cotillard, Rachel McAdams, Kurt Fuller, Michael Sheen, Mimi Kennedy, Carla Bruni, Alison Pill, Tom Hiddleston, Corey Stoll, Kathy Bates, Adrian Brody, Léa Seydoux

Midnight In Paris is a movie that's so delightful, and so alive, that you don't want it to end. And when was the last time anyone could say that about a movie starring Owen Wilson? The latest from veteran writer-director Woody Allen, Midnight In Paris is a total charmer, following a pleasant screenwriter/hack, Gil (Wilson), who, on vacation in the storied French city, drifts away from his gold-digging fiancée (Rachel MacAdams), daydreams about becoming a respected novelist, and magically starts hanging out with past art world luminaries (including Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Salvador Dalí).

Yes, it's basically Rod “Twilight Zone” Serling by way of Woody Allen, but that's not exactly a lightweight description for any project. Midnight In Paris, with its wonderful performances and easily realized humor, whisks you away into its culturally vibrant and otherworldly elegance in the same way that Gil inhabits his own supernatural playland.

Genre: Comedy
Director: Jason Reitman
Stars: Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Patrick Wilson, Elizabeth Reaser, Collette Wolfe

Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody catches a lot of flack for her slang-laden scripts-turned-movies Juno and Jennifer’s Body, but we can’t imagine those same haters reasonably chastising Young Adult, Cody’s best screenplay yet and the harbinger of an under-appreciated, amazing performance from Charlize Theron.

Theron is a tornado of quiet destruction as Mavis, a successful teen-lit author who heads back to her hometown, crazily attempts to win back an old, now-married flame (Patrick Wilson), and befriends the former school punching bag (Patton Oswalt). Under Jason Reitman’s assured direction, it’s all handled with subtlety and finesse, charging along with uncomfortable moments galore and ending with an admirably un-Hollywood coda.

Genre: Kids & Family
Director: Martin Scorsese
Stars: Asa Butterfield, Ben Kingsley, Chloe Grace Moretz, Sacha Baron Cohen, Emily Mortimer, Ray Winstone, Christopher Lee, Jude Law, Helen McCrory, Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Griffiths

If you remember that first Hugo trailer, then you no doubt recall how quickly cinephiles' red flags began waving. Devoted film buffs knew that the almighty Martin Scorsese's latest, an adaptation of author Brian Selznick's whimsical look at silent movies and childhood adventure, was going to be a family-friendly diversion from Scorsese's usual grit, but the initial preview, marred by lame pratfalls and a grimacing dog, hinted at a miscalculation of Marmaduke's caliber.

But then we all woke up and remembered that's Martin fucking Scorsese we're talking about, and the iconic filmmaker's Hugo turned out to be anything but hackneyed. Utilizing 3D technology to gorgeous degrees, and anchored by a slew of delightful performances (namely Ben Kingsley's fragile turn as legendary director George Meiles), Hugo is uplifting and welcoming enough for the kids, but, really, it's a grown-up movie lover's playpen.

The film's third act, in particular, is a tour de force of grade-A storytelling and all-out magic. Scorsese presents a series of classic black-and-white, silent flicks in modern-day 3D, and the results are invigorating. Hugo sends the viewer out on a cinema-loving high, more than any other picture this year.

Genre: Kids & Family
Director: James Bobin
Stars: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones, Jack Black, Emily Blunt

Thanks to Jason Segal and his writing pal Nicholas Stoller, we all were given a shameless reason to feel like a kid again last year. Finally seeing his lifelong passion project come to fruition, co-writer Segal headlines the energetic and playfully charming The Muppets, a revival of Jim Henson’s iconic puppet characters that’s heaps of fun, despite its somewhat frustrating desire to merely reintroduce every single Muppet, rather than fashion a legitimate story for them to inhabit.

Such qualms seem arbitrary, though, when you’ve got Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy singing duets together once again—they’ll always be Hollywood’s coolest “it” couple.

Genre: Kids & Family
Director: Chris Miller
Stars: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton

Don’t tell our nieces, nephews, and younger siblings that we typed this, but we’d die happy if we never saw another Shrek movie. We’ve laughed sufficiently at the green ogre’s antics—there’s no need for additional chuckles at this point.

But a spin-off featuring Antonio Banderas’ suave and heroic feline Puss In Boots? Now that’s a wonderful idea, and, thankfully, last year’s realization of such a good call was one of 2011’s best animated films, not to mention one of the strongest even when you include several prior years. It’s not Up, for cat’s sake, but the harmless and agreeably lightweight Puss In Boots is better than we’d ever expected. That doesn’t mean we’re ready for an all-Donkey movie, however—Eddie Murphy has made us suffer enough lately.

Genre: Action & Adventure
Director: John Michael McDonagh
Stars: Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle, Liam Cunningham, Mark Strong, David Wilmot, Foinnula Flanagan, Sarah Greene, Michael Og Lane

One of film’s great character actors, Brendan Gleeson, gets his chance to lead the way in the cheerfully dark comedy The Guard; unsurprisingly, he’s bloody brilliant. Gleeson has a blast playing a disrespectful, law-breaking, and somewhat racist Irish sergeant who teams up with an American FBI agent (Don Cheadle) to bring down an international drug ring. The plot is conventional, and the action never overwhelms, yet Gleeson’s pitch-perfect turn as the colorful antihero is the kind of performance that merits attention in its own right. Everything else is secondary.

Genre: Action & Adventure
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Stars: James Franco, Andy Serkis, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, David Oyelowo, Brian Cox, Tom Felton

Can you blame unsuspecting critics and audiences for entering Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes with lowered expectations? Not only is director Rupert Wyatt's flick a seemingly unnecessary reboot of a franchise previously sullied by an awful remake (Tim Burton's 2001 misfire Planet Of The Apes), but it also stars an obviously paycheck-grabbing James Franco as a—get this—biotechnology scientist. So, yes, we, like many others, walked into the theater anticipating unintentional comedy and two wasted hours of our time. But fuck were we wrong.

Granted, Franco's performance is dull (it's as if he didn't realize that his paycheck gig was actually, you know, a good movie), and the humans in Wyatt's blockbuster are largely non-factors. Yet, that's all inconsequential when you've got some of the year's most awe-inspiring visual effects and Caesar, the film's central primate rendered with tremendous and tangible emotion by Andy Serkis. With Serkis' remarkable Caesar at its core, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (skillfully conceived by screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver) proves that summer bank-breakers can both wow visually and impact emotionally.

Genre: Action & Adventure
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings, Stellan Skarsgard, Idris Elba, Ray Stevenson, Colm Feore, Jaimie Alexander, Rene Russo

Comic fans didn't know what to make of Thor leading up to its release. With an unproven actor (Chris Hemsworth) playing the Norse God of Thunder, and sketchy production stills that made Asgard seem like a set from The Chronicles Of Riddick, Marvel's first big entry into the Summer 2011 blockbuster season had great potential for failure. So it remains one of the year's best surprises that Kenneth Branagh's triumph rivals the humor, wit, visual splendor, and overall fun of the first Iron Man flick.

And, much like Iron Man, Thor benefits immensely from its superlative leading man, Hemsworth, who checks in with an eye-opening showcase of authentic physicality and larger-than-life charisma. It's no small feat that the Australian newcomer isn't overshadowed by Thor's mighty effects, nor is the equally impressive Tom Hiddleston, who nearly steals the show as the antagonistic Loki.

Branagh, to his credit, was the perfect choice to direct, a veteran of Shakespearean productions capable of handling Thor's familial conflicts, yet, more importantly, surprisingly able to maneuver around grandiose action. Thanks to Branagh, Hemsworth, and Hiddleston, one of Marvel's least mainstream characters is now set to be one of The Avengers' biggest draws.

Genre: Action & Adventure
Director: Joe Johnston
Stars: Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Hugo Weaving, Sebastian Stan, Toby Jones, Tommy Lee Jones, Dominic Cooper, Neal McDonough, Derek Luke, Stanley Tucci

Marvel’s first three pre-Avengers flicks (Iron Man, Iron Man 2, and Thor) were all quite good, yes, but they were also curiously similar in tone and visual presentation, as if the comic book powerhouse was simply churning out sufficient carbon copies.

Captain America: The First Avenger, fortunately, has a vibe all its own, thanks to director Joe Johnston’s knack for recapturing the nostalgic sheen of World War II-era serials and pop art. The result, led by a passable Chris Evans and numerous dazzling action sequences, is certainly the most interesting of Marvel’s cinematic lot, even if it isn’t the all-around best.

Genre: Action & Adventure
Director: Evan Glodell
Stars: Evan Glodell, Jessie Wiseman, Tyler Dawson, Rebekah Brandes, Vincent Grashaw, Zack Kraus

Bellflower is the most exemplary do-it-yourself movie of the last five years. Written and directed by newcomer Evan Glodell, who also stars in the meagerly budgeted psychodrama, Bellflower posits the overdone concept of the apocalypse as a strange metaphor for a guy’s heartbreak after losing his girlfriend to another man. Surrounding Glodell’s raw and uncut love story are handmade muscle cars, a self-assembled flamethrower, a smattering of disturbing gore, and an anarchist’s spirit that’s as unapologetic as it is refreshing.

Genre: Action & Adventure
Director: Joe Cornish
Stars: John Boyega, Jodie Whitaker, Alex Esmail, Franz Drameh, Leeon James, Simon Howard, Luke Treadaway, Nick Frost

First-time writer-director Joe Cornish turned in one of the year's most wow-inducing debuts with Attack The Block, a hip, livewire, and kinetic alien invasion flick that should have evolved into the summer's most crowd-pleasing sleeper. Instead, unfortunately, people just slept on it altogether, but there's no reason why this English genre mash-up can't earn a cult following in years to come.

The story is simple: A gang of unlikeable thugs in South London mug an innocent woman, prepare to haul ass away from the crime scene, and stumble across the beginnings of a wide-scale E.T. onslaught. The invaders, which look totally kick-ass with their glowing teeth and shadow-like bear forms, wreak havoc, prompting the previously bad kids to become heroes, an arc that Cornish handles brilliantly, without resorting to schmaltziness or heavy-handed sentimentality.

Attack The Block is, ostensibly, Cornish's love letter to Steven Spielberg's earlier, youth-led genre fare (The Goonies, specifically) and John Carpenter's old bombastic action flicks (Assault On Precinct 13, Escape From New York). Like those classics, which gained their followings over time, Attack The Block will someday find its rightful audience. We'll be waiting.

Genre: Action & Adventure
Director: David Fincher
Stars: Rooney Mara, Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgard, Robin Wright, Steven Berkoff, Geraldine James, Yorick van Wageningen, Joely Richardson

Is The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo in the same league as David Fincher's best works (i.e., Fight Club, Zodiac, The Social Network)? Not quite, but, oddly enough, that's nothing to get all worked up about. Even at his most routine, Fincher is a master craftsman when it comes to grimy, darkly tinted thrillers, and his much-buzzed-about adaptation of the late Swedish author Steig Larsson's international best-seller is a gorgeously shot, masterfully acted, and enthralling dose of glossy Hollywood filmmaking.

With composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' pulsating and eerie score at his disposal, Fincher translates Larsson's otherwise pedestrian whodunit murder mystery into a brooding procedural that moves with calculated force. And through Rooney Mara, the director presents the book's beloved firecracker of a heroine, Lisbeth Salander, as a female badass for the ages. Mara, moving with a ghostly demeanor and balancing several inscrutable emotions at once, is a revelation—she's reason enough to endlessly praise The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Thankfully, Fincher and everyone else involved never slouch, either.

Genre: Documentary
Director: Steve James

OK, so our agendas are totally different, and director Steve James’ mission is far nobler than the one with which we assembled our recent list of Chicago’s douchiest bars. We’re not esteemed documentarians, though, and James is, having made the 1994 critical darling Hoop Dreams. Go ahead and pick the director’s powerful The Interrupters over our bar crawl simplifier—it’s much more important, anyway.

In 2011’s best documentary that not enough people had a chance to see, James follows, over one year’s time, a trio of Violence Interrupters, regular Chi-town citizens who’ve dedicated their lives to ridding the Windy City of crime one outreach at a time. The Interrupters isn’t flashy, or cut in stylish ways—it’s unpretentiously straightforward and unflinchingly honest, showing Chicago’s darkest sides while also reminding us that there are still plenty of folks out there willing to make a difference. The question is, who’s paying attention to them? Here’s your chance to do so.

Genre: Documentary
Director: James Marsh

Keep the handkerchiefs nearby for this one. From Man On A Wire director James Marsh comes Project Nim emotionally wrenching examination of a chimpanzee named Nim that anchored a 1970s experiment designed to see if apes could co-exist with people on a human level. Early on, the film is quite funny, reveling in Nim’s cuteness and genuine lovability. As Project Nim carries along, though, Marsh’s real intent becomes rather clear: By trying to make an animal human, Nim’s handlers erased their own humanity and, ultimately, led to the corruption and devastation of a kind-hearted creature.

Genre: Thriller
Director: José Padilha
Stars: Wagner Moura, Irandhir Santos, Andre Ramiro, Maria Ribeiro, Sandro Rocha

Don’t be dismayed by the fact that director/co-writer José Padilha’s Elite Squad: The Enemy Within is, technically, a sequel—it’s not all that important, frankly, if you’ve seen 2007’s Elite Squad, though Padilha’s first movie is also a knockout action thriller.

The Enemy Within, an uncompromisingly dark and violent look at Brazil’s criminal underworld and corruption, works like gangbusters all on its own. With intelligent characters, Padilha’s roaring film remains grounded in credibility, which makes it all the more satisfying whenever his shoot-’em-up action set-pieces begin and promptly pistol-whip the viewer into submission. Which happens at a breakneck frequency.

Genre: Thriller
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Stars: Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Bryan Cranston, Elliot Gould, Jennifer Ehle, John Hawkes, Sanaa Lathan

If you enjoy leaving your house without germ-infested paranoia and uncontrollable anxieties, steer clear away from Steven Soderbergh’s alarming Contagion. Arm yourselves with bottles of Purell, though, and you should be able to stomach the Academy Award-nominated director’s fast-paced and star-studded (albeit slightly overcrowded) look at how an airborne virus makes its way onto one unlucky person and rapidly spreads across the world, filling graveyards and inspiring widespread fear and panic quicker than you can say, “Gesundheit!”

Genre: Thriller
Director: Tomas Alfredson
Stars: Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Toby Jones, Tom Hardy, Ciarin Hinds, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Fencik, Stephen Graham

Densely plotted and nicely ambiguous, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy requires your undivided, cell-phones-off attention. In a complicated lead role, Gary Oldman is a subdued powerhouse, playing a former British spy who’s rehired to investigate possible Soviet spies hidden within the British Secret Intelligence Service.

The film’s impact doesn’t rest in the central mystery, which, admittedly, isn’t any easier to decipher once the end credits appear—it’s in director Tomas Alfredson’s (Let The Right One In) elegant direction, the time-capsule-like set design and fashion, and the ensemble of superb actors all bringing their respective A-games.

Genre: Thriller
Director: Christopher Smith
Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Sean Bean, John Lynch, Carice van Houten, Andy Nyman, Tim McInnerny, Kimberley Nixon

In lieu of spoiling anything about Black Death, we’ll just say this: You won’t see its thematic twists and revelations coming. As British genre filmmaker Christopher Smith’s medieval dread-fest begins, a young monk (Eddie Redmayne) tags along with a knight (Sean Bean) and his band of not-so-merry-men as they head into a remote village that’s somehow immune to the ravaging Black Death plague.

Hired by the Church, Bean’s team is tasked with finding the mysterious community’s resident necromancer (i.e., conjurer of the dead). Once they arrive in the village, Black Death takes a hard detour into areas of austere spirituality that, again, we can’t divulge. We can only recommend, emphatically.

Genre: Thriller
Director: Jason Eisener
Stars: Rutger Hauer, Molly Dunsworth, Brian Downey, Robb Wells, Gregory Smith

On a purely sensory level, seeing Hobo With A Shotgun for the first time in a packed, albeit small and independent, theater was one of the year's more enjoyable cinematic experiences. Surrounded by folks who either grew up on the exploitation genre pics of the 1970s and early '80s or can simply appreciate a trashy good time, we laughed, we cheered, we squirmed, and we couldn't wait to watch it again. If that's not the mark of a successful motion picture, then we don't know fuck-all about movies.

Better than any filmmakers who've tried before him (even Grindhouse collaborators Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, whose fake trailer contest inspired the original Hobo short), first-time feature director Jason Eisener and writer John Davies perfectly recaptured the anything-goes spirit of old drive-in schlock fests. The great Rutger Hauer's antihero remains hilariously deadpan while giving ridiculous monologues (the best one explaining his fascination with bears), the violence goes way overboard, and the music sounds like it was unearthed from Eli Roth's personal 8-track collection. Hobo With A Shotgun is about as unpretentious as horror-comedies get, and for that, it's a roaring success. Severed limbs and all.

Genre: Thriller
Director: Sean Hogan, Andrew Parkinson, and Simon Rumley
Stars: Luke de Lacey, Holly Lucas, Siubhan Harrison, James Oliver Wheatley

To put it bluntly, the sexually deranged horror anthology Little Deaths isn’t one you’d want to watch with your girlfriend—unless she’s the type of chick who subscribes to Fangoria and fantasizes about dying in a slasher movie.

Without a wraparound story, Little Deaths presents its trio of sick stories one-by-one, starting with director Sean Hogan’s opening segment, about an evil married couple whose hobby of torturing unsuspecting women literally bites them in the ass (and in other places); moving into Andrew Parkinson’s indescribable look at a woman’s bizarre connection to a disfigured lab prisoner that discharges some nasty liquids; and concluding with the underrated Simon Rumley’s aptly titled “Bitch,” the romantic story of a girl who abuses her lover by making him pretend to be a dog and gets her four-legged, violating comeuppance.

Indeed, Little Deaths is the anti-date movie. Proceed with caution.

Genre: Foreign
Director: Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado
Stars: Ania Bukstein, Menashe Noy, Ran Danker, Yael Grobglas, Lior Ashkenazi, Danny Geva, Henry David, Ofer Shechter

Billed as Israel’s first-ever horror movie, Rabies is difficult to classify as a straight-up horror flick. Sure, the elements are there for your run-of-the-mill slasher film, from the set-up of dumbass, horny teens getting lost in the woods to a sexy lady held captive by a knife-wielding madman. Yet, it doesn’t take long for the homicidal maniac to get sidelined and for filmmakers Ahron Keshales and Navot Paposhaddo to cleverly start killing off their characters in random and, at times, accidental ways.

Imagine a Friday The 13th sequel that tallies up a high body-count after Jason Voorhees suddenly decides to take a nap about 15 minutes into the movie.

Genre: Horror

Director: André Øvredal

Stars: Otto Jespersen, Hans Morten Hansen, Tomas Alf Larsen, Johanna Morck

Just when we thought we'd had enough of the whole found-footage subgenre of horror, along came TrollHunter, a creature feature crammed with enough dark humor, awesome visual effects, and wild ideas to rightfully earn its place alongside the likes of Cloverfield.

Taking cues from an eclectic range of influences (including Jurassic Park and Man Bites Dog), Norwegian writer-director André Øvredal mines a whole lot of fun out of his country's longtime obsession with trolls, the Godzilla-sized, ogre-ish ones that'd flick America's beloved little Troll keychain figurines like dirt off shoulders. A crew of ambitious documentary filmmakers trail an aged, rugged troll hunter through the woods as he chases down and kills a variety of beasties, such as a three-headed behemoth and somber monster given the facial expressions of an old, ailing man.

With genuine laughs and several rollicking action set-pieces, TrollHunter is a hoot that knows when to play it straight and when to wink at its own absurdities. If such praise doesn't leave you wanting to catch this one, just check out the trolls themselves; J.J. Abrams could've used some of Øvredal's input when designing his own giant monster in Super 8. TrollHunter shows its mammoth antagonists clearly and often—they're easily the year's coolest CGI creations thus far.

Genre: Horror
Director: Ben Wheatley
Stars: Neil Maskell, MyAnna Buring, Harry Simpson, Michael Smiley, Emma Fryer

By the end of British writer-director Ben Wheatley’s nightmarishly grim Kill List, you’re going to be short of breath—trust us. We’ve seen the film multiple times now, and, not only are we still wrapping our heads around Wheatley and co-scribe Amy Jump’s enigmatic script, the third act also continues to leave us shaken, invigorated, and deeply disturbed.

At its core, Kill List is a hit man drama, one in which a financially strapped family man (Neil Maskell) re-teams with a former army buddy (Michael Smiley) to murder three targets for a rich and powerful dignitary. And then hints of the occult seep into the mix, followed by a shocker ripped straight out of that classic horror flick…

Actually, we’ll let you figure that for yourselves. Just know that Kill List should become a must-see priority if you consider yourself to be a real genre head.

Genre: Horror
Director: James Wan
Stars: Rose Byrne, Patrick Wilson, Ty Simpkins, Barbara Hershey, Lin Shaye, Leigh Whannell, Angus Sampson

The first time you watch Insidious, the bloodless, old-school scare show from Saw director James Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell, the most likely reaction is unnerved fear, mixed with the exhilaration of realizing you've actually watched a genuinely scary movie—the total opposite of Hollywood's horror output in recent years. But it's not until the second or third time that one sits with Insidious that Wan's low-budget remixing of old-school haunted house movie tropes really earns its stripes.

In ways similar to Stanley Kubrick's The Shining (which, of course, is superior—relax, purists), Insidious maintains its scariness upon repeat viewings. Credit the slow, methodical pacing, which allows the film's well-timed jump scares to impact greatly (you'll never look at a baby's crib the same again), and Whannell's knack for creepily iconic imagery, such as a spirit that looks like Ozzy Osbourne in drag, malevolent ghouls that resemble those in the slept-on horror gem Carnival Of Souls, and a final shot reminiscent of Donald Sutherland's last hurrah in Invasion Of The Body Snatchers.

The frights come often and hit hard in Insidious, and it's been far too long since we've said that about a horror flick not made in France or Spain.

Genre: Horror
Director: Guillem Morales
Stars: Belén Rueda, Lluís Homar, Clara Segura, Julia Gutiérrez Caba

It shames us to say that we, too, totally missed the boat on Julia’s Eyes last year—blame it on the non-existent marketing campaign that didn’t inform anyone that the Guillermo del Toro-produced, Alfred-Hitchcock-meets-Dario-Argento chiller was available at one point in 2011 via IFC Midnight’s Video On-Demand.

The only person you can blame now, however, is yourself if the Guillem Morales-directed gem remains unseen. In it, the elegantly sexy Belén Rueda plays a woman whose unique medical condition—she’s gradually losing her eyesight with every moment of stress and agitation—makes it all the more difficult to identify her sister’s killer. Cue the white-knuckle suspense and unpredictable twists.

Genre: Horror
Director: Miguel Angel Vivas
Stars: Manuela Velles, Dritan Biba, Ana Wagener, Fernando Coyer, Martjin Kuiper

Evaluated on a purely technical level, Kidnapped is one of 2011’s most impressive horror films, with its experimental use of uniquely long single-take sequences and captivating split-screen moments. As a story, though, it’s seriously lacking, especially near the film’s end, when a few moronic decisions by the protagonists easily allow the bad guys (a trio of despicable home invaders) to gain the upper hand. Yet, sometimes, it’s best to enjoy lame-brained horror flicks for their intensity, and Kidnapped, right down to its whopper of a super-downer ending, is a real audience-destroyer.

Genre: Horror
Director: Pang Ho-cheung
Stars: Josie Ho, Eason Chan, Derek Tsang, Lawrence Chou, Juno Mak

In good conscience, we can’t enthusiastically recommend Pang Ho-cheung’s Dream Home, because, well, it’s one of the cruelest horror flicks we’ve seen in ages. As a proficiently made, unrelentingly shocking slasher movie exercise, though, this hard-bodied Chinese slaughterhouse is a real knockout, so if you have the stomach for it, Dream Home is a must-see. Just be prepared to withstand scenes in which a pissed-off woman who can’t afford a fancy new apartment creatively asphyxiates a pregnant building tenant and impales another resident with his massive bong. Yeah, it’s no joke.

Genre: Horror
Director: Kim Jee-woon
Stars: Byung-hun Lee, Min-sik Choi, Gook-hwan Jeon, Ho-jin Jeon

We've seen dozens of serial killer movies before, and it's become effortless to predict the narrative beats: Psycho murderer offs several innocent people, the hero tracks him down, there's the inevitable confrontation, and the good guy walks away victorious. I Saw The Devil, however, bucks that trend. Or, rather, rams a butcher's knife through it, one that's held by the villain and turned counter-clockwise by the good guy.

South Korean genre master Kim Jee-woon (A Tale Of Two Sisters, The Goof, The Bad, The Weird) goes for broke in I Saw The Devil, orchestrating a series of insanely graphic set-pieces involving, amongst other grotesqueries, severed Achilles tendons, rape, multiple homicide inside a taxi cab (one of Jee-woon's crowning technical achievements), and a guillotine.

The film's heightened gore would be cheaply gratifying if not for I Saw The Devil's role-reversal element; in a refreshing and intriguing change of pace, the killer (Min-sik Choi) becomes the hunted, tormented by a victim's furious husband (Byung-hun Lee). It's a cat-and-mouse game that blurs the line between hero and antagonist—that pools of blood are what's making the line tougher to see only increases I Saw The Devil's superiority.

Genre: Drama
Director: Justin Kurzel
Stars: Daniel Henshall, Lucas Pittaway, Aaron Viergever, Louise Harris, David Walker, Kieran Schwerdt

The Snowtown Murders is so much more than a serial killer film, though it certainly fits the criteria, and, most importantly, taps into the best of the genre’s elements. But first-time writer-director Justin Kurzel’s look at how real-life, Aussie murderer John Bunting won over a small, impoverished community of accomplices has a much deeper and intimate agenda.

Rather than enter the story through your typical cop-on-a-mission character, or even Bunting himself, Kurzel and co-writer Shaun Grant wisely focus on 16-year-old Jamie Harvey (Lucas Pittaway), an unhappy kid whose mother starts dating Bunting at a time when Jamie is in desperate need for a father figure.

The Snowtown Murders examines the ways in which evil can manipulate, and ultimately soil, the impressionable minds, an unsettling thesis that permeates the entirely bleak proceedings and materializes in the film’s chilling final scene.

Genre: Drama
Director: Sean Durkin
Stars: Elizabeth Olsen, John Hawkes, Sarah Paulson, Hugh Dancy, Brady Corbet, Louisa Krause

Ambiguity is the driving force behind first-time filmmaker Sean Durkin's disturbing gem Martha Marcy May Marlene. In his unconventional character study, about a mentally uncertain girl (breakout star Elizabeth Olsen) trying to regain sanity immediately after fleeing from a dangerous cult and its creepy leader, Durkin lays the puzzle pieces out elusively; it's not until the second viewing that Martha Marcy May Marlene's delicate nightmare and nuanced performances come together to yield something complete.

Even if the script's lack of answers and neatly tied-up resolutions leave you cold, much like we're sure Durkin's hauntingly abrupt and enigmatic ending certainly will, the feeling of dread that engulfs Martha Marcy May Marlene is suffocating. Largely responsible for that intensity is Olsen's all-in performance, a masterful balance of instability, paranoia, and fully earned likability. Unlike the film itself, it won't take multiple viewings for you to appreciate her skills.

Genre: Drama
Director: Lars von Trier
Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Alexander Skarsgard, Stellan Skarsgard, Charlotte Rampling, John Hurt, Udo Kier, Brady Corbet, Cameron Spurr

Compared to Lars von Trier’s previous film, the brutally savage and depressing Antichrist, his end-of-the-world, overlong melodrama Melancholia feels like a euphoric celebration of life. Which isn’t to say that it’s entirely upbeat; on the contrary, Melancholia, starring Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg as sisters clashing as another planet rapidly heads toward Earth for a fatally big bang, has its fair share of misery.

But von Trier also sprinkles flashes of optimism throughout, namely in Melancholia’s gorgeously staged, rapturous opening scenes and the hand-holding way his characters embrace their last seconds alive. What, it’s a Lars von Trier movie about the world’s end—of course no one survives. Fuck a spoiler alert.

Genre: Drama
Director: Daniel Nettheim
Stars: Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill, Frances O'Connor

The Hunter is, simply put, an elegant piece of gritty storytelling. Centered on a complicated, tough-as-nails man who finds his humanity in unexpected ways, director Daniel Nettheim's adaptation of author Julia Leigh's novel slowly and efficiently peels the layers back from pay-for-hire mercenary Martin David's (Willem Dafoe) chilly exterior. And with the always reliable Dafoe in the driver's seat, and performing as subtly badass and commanding as ever, The Hunter conveys a refined maturity that's magnetic.

Sent into the Tasmanian wilderness by a shady employer, Martin is tasked with locating the last known Tasmanian tiger in existence, a job made even tougher once he befriends the family that owns the home he's shacking up in, comprised of a beautiful, tender widow (Frances O'Connor) and her two little kids. Usually a loner who's all about his killing business, Martin reluctantly bonds with his housemates, and, in turn, distracts himself from work. Which, unsurprisingly, doesn't end well.

As for the film itself, though, The Hunter skillfully builds its taut, character-driven narrative all the way into a perfectly tuned ending that's slightly reminiscent of The Grey, only with more sustainable hope. Those able to appreciate nuanced drama and quiet thrills will be pleased.

Genre: Drama
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Stars: Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Marisa Paredes, Jan Cornet, Roberto Alamo

Robert Ledgard, the surgeon played by Antonio Banderas in acclaimed filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar's kinkily bizarre The Skin I Live In, hasn't had the easiest domestic life. First, his wife suffered extreme facial burns after a car accident, and then, once she caught a glimpse of her charcoal face in a mirror, she killed herself by jumping out of a window. Years later, Ledgard's daughter, who witnessed the mother's suicide firsthand, gets raped during a wedding reception, descends into a state of lunacy, and ends her life a la mommy.

So how does Ledgard react to life's one-two wallop of trauma? By seeking a therapist's counsel? No, sir—he kidnaps the rapist, imprisons the son-of-a-bitch in the dungeon-like basement of his mansion, and gives dude a gender overhaul, turning him into the spitting image of Ledgard's deceased spouse.

We don't know what's worse: Almodóvar's unbelievably sick imagination, or how attracted we are to the rapist's post-surgery appearance. Our reasoning for the latter: She (or he, whichever) is played by the ultra sexy Spanish actress Elena Anaya. Whatever helps us sleep at night, right?

Genre: Drama
Director: Jeff Nichols
Stars: Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Shea Whigham, Tova Stewart, Katy Mixon, Kathy Baker, Ray McKinnon

Paranoia and dread permeate independent writer-director Jeff Nichols' devastating, psychologically unhinged character study Take Shelter. In his best performance to date, Michael Shannon (Boardwalk Empire) whips up a nuanced storm of emotions as a small-town husband, and father to a young, deaf daughter, who begins having hallucinations and nightmares predicated on suspicions of an impending apocalypse. Nichols stages the dream sequences, which bleed into what seems to be the film's reality, as horror movie freak-outs best described as David Lynch meets Roman Polanski, and Shannon's mounting nerves consistently elevate Take Shelter's tension to near eruption.

But what truly makes Nichols' film such an unforgettable experience is how well he maneuvers around the story's heartfelt pulse: Shannon's character's love for his family; extra props go to Jessica Chastain for her excellent work as his vulnerably sympathetic wife. Take Shelter doesn't provide any easy answers, paying less attention to whether Shannon is crazy or legitimately foreseeing doom than showing how a man's desperation to protect his loved ones can test both his sanity and others's tolerance of him. It's a powerhouse drama and a chilling look at wavering psychosis all wrapped into one knockout of a package.

Genre: Drama
Director: Gerardo Naranjo
Stars: Stephanie Sigman, Miguel Couturier, Gabriel Heads, Irene Azuela, Noe Hernandez, James Russo, Jose Yenque

It figures that you’d need to head outside of Hollywood to catch the best action sequences of the year (so far). But you’d only need to venture as far as Mexico, where director Gerardo Naranjo sets the visceral drug trade thriller Miss Bala.

Though the story doesn’t flawlessly connect, and there are several why’d-they-do-that? moments, Miss Bala, about a beauty pageant hopeful (a marvelous Stephanie Sigman) who unwittingly gets caught up with narcotics-moving criminals armed with heavy firepower, packs a multitude of jaw-dropping, single-take outbursts of violence. It’s not a perfect film, but with Naranjo’s uncanny ability to rollick the sense via up-close-and-personal bloodshed, Miss Bala comes highly recommended.

Genre: Drama
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Albert Brooks, Bryan Cranston, Ron Perlman, Oscar Isaac, Christina Hendricks

Unsurprisingly, most casual moviegoers didn't know what to make of Drive. One dumbass, in fact, actually wanted to sue the film's backers for selling it as a brain-dead, Fast & Furious-styled action romp, which, of course, it's not. And that's what makes the fascinating Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn's first “mainstream” production such an oddity: a commercially released, movie-star-led subversion of popcorn entertainment, made with art-house sensibilities and a general disinterest in conventions.

Winding Refn wastes no time in laying his cards out; after a taut, bravura car chase sequence, Drive kicks into artistic high-gear with its hypnotic opening credits, scored by Kavinsky's '80s prog rock-inspired “Nightcall.” And then Ryan Gosling's nameless character, a stunt driver by day and getaway wheelman by night, quietly falls in love with a neighbor (Carey Mulligan) whose baby daddy is an ex-con in deep with mob types. Once Gosling steps in to help, Drive induces audience whiplash by exploding into beautifully choreographed moments of brutal violence.

The juxtaposition of a tender kiss and a nasty head-bashing in Drive's epic elevator scene embodies all that's special about the film: It's equal parts romantic, visceral, and unpredictable. A fairy tale for gear-heads who love a nice exploding head from time to time. And the year's most exciting and singular piece of pulpy entertainment, bar none.

Genre: Drama
Director: Drake Doremus
Stars: Felicity Jones, Anton Yelchin, Jennifer Lawrence, Charlie Bewley, Alex Kingston, Finola Hughes, Oliver Muirhead, Chris Messina

You’d have to be made of stone to not get a little weepy while watching Like Crazy, indie writer-director Drake Doremus’ atypical teen romance flick that got unfairly overlooked in late 2011. And by “atypical” we mean that Like Crazy—starring Anton Yelchin and an exceptional Felicity Jones—avoids the usual trappings of shitty Nicholas Sparks-esque films altogether.

The story of a taxing long distance relationship conveys the young lovers’ feelings through physical chemistry as much as honest dialogue, and Doremus’ uses of dreamlike visual flourishes and a montage-like structure give Like Crazy a hazy, hypnotic allure.

Genre: Drama
Director: Gavin O'Connor
Stars: Joel Edgerton, Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Morrison, Frank Grillo, Kevin Dunn

Warrior's dismal box office performance is one of the year's biggest “Y'all fucked up” indictments of moviegoers nationwide. The ingredients for a profitable run were all there: the tried-and-true underdog sports formula, the hugely popular MMA fighting angle, and commercials and trailers that sold it as this year's The Fighter. Had Warrior starred a name of Mark Wahlberg's status, director Gavin O'Connor might be active in the current awards season frenzy, but, alas, he's left to entertain the late praise of sleepers now waking up to the film's greatness on DVD and Blu-ray.

Well, better late than never. With a plot that's admittedly clichéd (two estranged brothers square off against each other at home and in the ring), Warrior looks and feels like every other movie of its kind, but very few flicks of this type benefit from a trio of dynamite acting jobs. As the pugilistic siblings, Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton are outstanding, as is Nick Nolte, who plays their formerly abusive, recovering alcoholic father who's desperate for another chance.

Warrior is a testament to how stellar acting and empathetic characters can uplift even the most familiar of stories into rousing, emotionally rich filmmaking.

Genre: Drama
Director: Terrence Malick
Stars: Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken, Laramie Eppler, Tye Sheridan, Fiona Shaw

Whether its loftiness dazzles your mind or bores you to tears, The Tree Of Life is a must-see film. After a six-year absence (following 2005's The New World), enigmatic filmmaker Terrence Malick returned with a philosophical examination of man's existence complete with psychedelic light shows, peculiar dinosaurs, and a voiceless Sean Penn. Epic in scope, The Tree Of Life is also cluttered in its execution, spending too much time trying to pad its central coming-of-age story (with Brad Pitt as a tough father in 1950's Americana) with forcibly transcendent imagery. But, in a climate overcrowded with lazy remakes and unimaginative sequels, Malick's ostentatious intentions are pretty magical.

The Tree Of Life is more of an experience than a movie, rewarding viewers stricken into their uncomfortable theater seats for 140 minutes with breathtaking visuals and free-flowing scene montages, both Malick trademarks. The argument that much of it doesn't connect (Seriously, what's up with those fucking dinosaurs?) is moot; The Tree Of Life, more than any film in recent memory, if not the last 30 years, is the exhaustive work of a filmmaker looking to push the medium's abilities to new heights, something that very few others ever attempt. We'll just have to accept those dinosaurs as byproducts of innovation.

Genre: Drama
Director: John Madden
Stars: Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington, Helen Mirren, Ciarin Hinds, Tom Wilkinson, Marton Csokas, Jesper Christensen

Espionage thrillers come and go, often fading away from moviegoers’ memories due to sameness and lameness. Which is why John Madden’s triumphant The Debt is worthy of more eyes than it received back during its inconspicuous August/September theatrical run.

Bouncing back and forth from 1997 to 1966, The Debt centers on a one-time Mossad secret agent (Helen Mirren/Jessica Chastain) whose closeted skeletons see the light of day after a former partner kills himself in public. Excellent performances (namely from Chastain) and an intelligent script (co-penned by X-Men: First Class writers Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman) elevate the proceedings to formidability.

Genre: Drama
Director: Alexander Payne
Stars: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Robert Forster, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard, Nick Krause, Beau Bridges, Rob Huebel, Mary Birdsong

For anyone who might hate on George Clooney, thinking that he's more of a social commentator than a proficient actor, have a go at The Descendants, the latest film from champion of subtle dramedies Alexander Payne (Election, Sideways). Your mother's biggest crush, a.k.a. Clooney, stars as a father living in Hawaii who's detached from his two young daughters (the excellent duo of teenaged Shailene Woodley and pre-teen Amara Miller) but forced to bond with them when his wife enters a coma after a boating accident. And, as the eldest kid informs him, his now-vegetable wife was cheating on him…with Matthew Lillard, of all people.

Payne, true to form, finds unexpected moments to evoke laughs, though the film's intelligent comedy never distracts from The Descendants' palpable meditations on family, internal suffering, and second chances. All of which are embodied with a movie star's finesse by Mr. Clooney, who manages to execute a tightrope walk of a performance: When you're ready to buy dude a beer and yuck it up, you're ready to give the man an “Everything's gonna be all right” pat on the back.

Genre: Drama
Director: Bennett Miller
Stars: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Robin Wright, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Chris Pratt

There's no getting around the fact that Moneyball is a sports movie, and a damn good one, at that. Detailing the Oakland Athletics' 2002 rise from an MLB whipping boys' squad to a formidable contender, director Bennett Miller (Capote) covers all of the genre's familiar territory: There are scenes covering the team's practices, as well as the prerequisite “big game” climax.

But Moneyball, based on Michael Lewis' non-fiction book Moneyball: The Art Of Winning An Unfair Game, is deeper than baseball. Beneath its bat-and-ball-covered surface lies a wonderfully inspiring tale of an underdog's refusal to back down against stronger opposition. Playing A's general manager Billy Beane, Brad Pitt hits countless dramatic homers, providing the sufficient touches of humor when needed and evoking the pathos necessary to elevate Beane's ultimate triumphs to motivational gold status.

Genre: Drama
Director: J.C. Chandor
Stars: Zachary Quinto, Paul Bettany, Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Simon Baker, Demi Moore, Penn Badgley, Aasif Mandvi, Mary McDonnell, Stanley Tucci

It’s perfectly natural to want to swing bats at the heads of all the Wall Street schmucks responsible for 2008’s world-damaging financial meltdown. So give rookie filmmaker J.C. Chandor a firm round of applause for managing to give the number-crunchers and rich persons of power behind the economic scenes a bit of humanity in Margin Call, a tightly paced and brainy thriller set over the course of one night and showing how the deer-in-the-headlights veneer of investment analysts are no match for fate’s ugly mug.

Genre: Drama
Director: Leon Ford
Stars: Ryan Kwanten, Maeve Darmody, Toby Schmitz, Patrick Brammall, Heather Mitchell, Marshall Napier

With the recent influx of superhero movies, it’s a shame that the Australian-made Griff The Invisible didn’t find a larger audience when it hit limited U.S. screens last summer. Nevertheless, writer-director Leon Ford’s quirky dramedy cleverly flips the suddenly in vogue homemade-superhero-with-no-powers conceit (Defendor, Kick-Ass, Super) into a sneaky little piece of unreliable psychosis.

At the center of Ford’s delightful and disarming character study is True Blood’s Ryan Kwanten, a fine actor who deserves to be known as more than Jason “Shirts Off” Stackhouse. Give Griff The Invisible a chance and you’ll see what we mean.