December 26, 2018 – Many of these deserve higher IMDb ratings, imo.
A badass ex-soldier is called upon to secretly find the President’s daughter, who is missing. Possibly Val Kilmer’s best film. You know a movie is well done when it improves on subsequent viewings. Bonus: Kristen Bell as you’ve never seen her, showing what a dramatic actress she can be.
Director: David Mamet
Writer: David Mamet
Cast: Val Kilmer, Derek Luke, Tia Texada, Kristen Bell
IMDb: 6.6
Where: iTunes, Amazon On Demand, Vudu
Boston Globe journalists uncover an avalanche of child sex crimes perpetrated by Catholic clergy. An All the President’s Men for a new generation. Won Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.
Director: Tom McCarthy
Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams
IMDb: 8.1
Where: Netflix, iTunes, Amazon On Demand, Vudu
One family’s struggle to survive and find each other after being caught in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. How Watts didn’t win Best Actress for this is puzzling. Maybe the second best performance ever (behind Paul Newman in The Verdict). Tom Holland became the new Spider-Man probably because they saw him in this film. A must-see movie.
Director: J.A. Bayona
Cast: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland
Original title: Lo imposible
IMDb: 7.6
Where: iTunes, Amazon On Demand, Vudu
An FBI agent (Blunt) learns the harsh realities of the war on drugs when she joins an interagency task force. One of the top movies of 2015, for sure. Can be watched again and again, which is the true sign of a well-done movie.
Director: Denis Villeneuve (Arrival)
Cast: Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro
IMDb: 7.6
Where: iTunes, Amazon On Demand, Google Play, Vudu
A recently divorced woman and her daughter move into a four-story brownstone in NYC. The home has a panic room, which has a hidden safe containing valuables that burglars know about and want to burgle. Smartly made, action packed. Deserves a higher IMDb rating, imo.
Director: David Fincher (Seven, Fight Club, The Social Network)
Cast: Jodie Foster, Kristen Stewart, Forest Whitaker
IMDb: 6.8
Where: iTunes, Amazon On Demand, Vudu
Savage tale of a Norse warrior/slave who agrees to journey to the Holy Land with a band of Crusaders. They end up somewhere else (North America), however, and must deal with an unknown land and its forces. Danish actors but spoken in English. As grimy as The Revenant, but even more intense. Haunting.
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Maarten Stevenson, Alexander Morton, Stewart Porter
IMDb: 6.0
Where: iTunes, Amazon on Demand, Google Play
A band of robbers take over a Wall Street bank. As the robbing and hostage negotiations take place, we learn that the bank’s owner has something very secretive in a safety deposit box. A clever heist film, plus a mystery about what’s being stolen, starring two great actors: Denzel Washington and Clive Owen.
Director: Spike Lee
Cast: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster
IMDb: 7.6
Where: Showtime, Netflix, iTunes, Amazon On Demand, Vudu
An Interpol agent and an American DA team up to investigate a possibly corrupt merchant bank that may be involved in arms brokering. Deserves a higher rating, imo.
Director: Tom Tykwer
Cast: Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl
IMDb: 6.5
Where: Starz, iTunes, Amazon On Demand, Vudu
Beautifully filmed, fictionalized account of the true story of Jeffrey Wigand, a whistleblower on the tobacco industry, and the assistance he receives from CBS 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman, as attempts are made to discredit him.
Director: Michael Mann
Cast: Russell Crowe, Al Pacino, Christopher Plummer
IMDb: 7.9
Where: iTunes, Amazon On Demand, Vudu
A modern take on Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. Ten strangers arrive at an isolated hotel during a terrible storm, and one by one each is mysteriously killed off. A clever, scary movie, with an unforeseen ending.
Director: James Mangold (Walk the Line)
Cast: John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet
IMDb: 7.3
Where: Max Go, iTunes, Amazon on Demand, Vudu
Difficult to explain, trippy sci-fi tale. Ethan Hawke is a time travelling agent who jumps time to prevent a major bomb attack in New York City. Along the way he meets some strange characters that affect his life. You may have to watch this more than once to understand it.
Directors: The Spierig Brothers
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook, Noah Taylor
IMDb: 7.5
Where: Crackle, iTunes, Amazon On Demand, Vudu
While on vacation in Hawaii, a young couple meets two other couples and subsequently learns of a double murder committed in Honolulu. It becomes evident that one of the couples are the murderers, but which couple is it? A clever, scary crime story. Has Chris Hemsworth (Thor) before he was famous.
Director: David Twohy (Pitch Black)
Cast: Milla Jovovich, Steve Zahn, Timothy Olyphant, Kiele Sanchez
IMDb: 6.5
Where: HBO, iTunes, Amazon on Demand, Vudu