It — Very interesting story and technically solid horror flick — 8*/10

This is the kind of horror movie I like. It doesn’t scare the shit out of you, it's not gory, it's super interesting with lots of nice details, you can't tell who's going to die when, with a few exceptions, you have a strong female member of the group, and a bunch of kids who give a solid cohesive performance.

Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1396484/

Alien: Covenant — Oh, it just gets so creepy... Loved it — 8*/10

Welcome back to the real creepiness of the Alien world. The overall sense of never being safe is finally truly back. Gotta love it.

Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup and Danny McBride (finally showing us his acting skills).

Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2316204/

A Cure for Wellness — An old-style horror crafted in a modern way — 8*/10

It's a horror film only as far as there are a few horrifying things, mostly psychological. It does, however, have an old horror type feel to it, like something you know is there, without getting any real evidence of it, ever.

The structure of the flick is amazing, incredible craft. It is captivating, even though at some point it falls flat, using too well-traveled roads, but it picks up again for a solid ending. Slow. Not for everyone. Excellent work by Gore Verbinski.

Celia Imrie.

Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4731136/

Miss Sloane — A powerful piece about a powerful woman — 9*/10

• Overall: Great psychological tension and superb intellectual puzzles that features a strong female model.
• Who is it for? Everyone. 
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4540710/
• Known actors: Jessica Chastain and John Lithgow.
• Cameos: 
• Setting: The high power political arena.
• Style: An intrigue or suspense, but quite either and a mostly both. It's great. Very intellectual.
• Pacing: Perfect. You lose yourself in it.
• Intro: Even though it uses an old trick, it does it with great impact. 
• Story: Captivating, full of details, suspenseful, powerful, a great intellectual battle with amazing plots and counter plots. The mood is amazing and enveloping. 
• Ending: Excellent. If you're quick enough, you'll see it coming a little while beforehand, just long enough to appreciate the stratagem.
• Epilogue: Short, to the point. Even though it doesn't serve any purpose, it does settle us back down, which should be the only goal of any good epilogue. 
• Dialogs: Powerful.
• Characters: Strong female lead, powerful women's voices, lots of depth to them all, well developed and very realistic. 
• Acting: Amazing.
• Visuals: Powerful.
• Camera Work: Some really superb work here.
• Costumes: Slick, chic and perfect.
• Afterthoughts: I was stunned, even if I anticipated something good. What surprised me the most was the way it passed its ethical stances without sounding preachy.

I loved the fact that male sex work for female clients was so simply presented without drama or judgment. The male escort is kind of an incompetent and invasive, but at least it turned out alright.

I can't believe this is rated so low. Patriarchy at its worst again?

Nocturnal Animals — A psychological movie you should open your mind to — 10*/10

• Overall: A masterfully brooding, riveting, yet beautiful film by Tom Ford.
• Who is it for? Anyone who likes a good moody movie.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4550098/
• Known actors: Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon and Isla Fisher.
• Cameos: Laura Linney, Andrea Riseborough and Michael Sheen.
• Setting: The very successful. Way above the masses.
• Style: Brooding, psychological near suspense.
• Pacing: An incredible almost continuous stop-and-go. It feels slow, really slow, like being stuck in thick molasse, because what happens is so tense and it doesn't happen all at once. Nonetheless, things proceed at a steady pace, inescapably, sometimes against our will.
• Intro: The credits are difficult to watch, because we don't like that kind of harsh reality, but also because movies usually convey only beauty even when it's ugly.
• Story: It takes you to the edge, tensed, and suspends you there for what seems like a long time. You can't help, but be on this edge... and finally jump. Then, it takes you down slowly into reality, making you see that not everything is as you'd like it to be. I love the way the stories are mixed and paralleled. The mood is masterful. Some scenes are difficult, gut wrenching. You would want to do anything but what happened. Still it is riveting.
• Ending: Absolutely perfect.
• Epilogue: None, whatsoever. Love it!
• Dialogs: Powerful, simple, to the point.
• Characters: Great, realistic, extremely deep and well developed. 
• Acting: Amazingly strong.
• Visuals: Incredibly beautiful in a very pure manner,  but also in a realistic way.
• Costumes: Beautiful.
• Score: Very moody. Perfect.
• Afterthoughts: I was blown away by this production and absolutely loved it. Only two little things bothered me. Unfortunately, it panders to two ideas we too often circulate in society that are completely false and make a lot of people miserable. First that we always turn into our parents. Second, that if we love someone we should try everything to make it work. Beyond that, I think it's perfect.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo — An intrigue of an impressive perfection — 10*/10

• Overall: A brain warper. It will transport you in its world with disarming ease.
• Who is it for? An absolute must for anyone who isn't too emotionally sensitive.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1132620/
• Known actors: Noomi Rapace.
• Setting: Sweden.
• Style: Intrigue and investigation with strong psychological drama.
• Pacing: Slow, a perfect stew, right until its culmination.
• Intro: The setup is quick, everything is put into place right away.
• Story: Full of details and very psychological. The perfection of this film is in the way the intrigue develops. Each discovery is natural, realistic and very organic. It doesn't feel forced and each time it draws you in more until you're unable to move away, transfixed by the easy flow of events. The mood is absolutely entrancing. Perfect.
• Ending: Surprising, strong. Perfect.
• Epilogue: I normally hate epilogues, this one is so well done that it absolutely needs to be there.
• Dialogs: Great, although, with subtitles, it can be difficult to judge.
• Characters: Awe inspiring. Incredible depth, extremely well detailed and full of life, or the lack of it.
• Acting: Powerful. Hypnotic. Perfect.
• Visuals: Strong, slick, simple, perfect.
• Special Effects: 
• Camera Work: 
• Afterthoughts: Even knowing the intrigue, it's still amazing to watch. It's that good. Thoroughly entertained, especially on an intellectual level.

I recommend watching the second chapter too (read my review here).

Snowden — A must for all and a great intellectual thriller — 8*/10

• Overall: Oliver Stone turned something pretty dry, near boring, into an incredibly intense piece. He's a genius who excels at playing with emotions.
• Who is it for? Everyone. First and foremost, we should all be familiar with that story, it's important for our future. We are going to increasingly be dependent on technology so we should know how it can expose us.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3774114/
• Known actors: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley and Rhys Ifans.
• Cameos: Nicolas Cage, Tom Wilkinson and Timothy Olyphant.
• Setting: Behind the computer side of intelligence gathering.
• Style: Suspense based biographical retelling of real events dramatized for the screen.
• Story: I have no doubt that what is presented is accurate, even though it is obviously dramatized. That way, it makes for great entertainment as well as being an eye opener. It keeps you riveted from start to finish.
• Ending: It is what it is since it's based on true events.
• Epilogue: History is a never ending epilogue.
• Dialogs: Solid.
• Characters: Well built.
• Acting: Excellent, although I'm surprised at Joseph Gordon-Levitt modifying his voice again.
• Visuals: Great.
• Special Effects: One of the few films where computer skills are represented correctly.
• Afterthoughts: It's an important story to tell. I think whistleblowers do not get enough credit for their contribution to society, and his was huge. Thanks for helping, Oliver Stone.

Morgan — A nice low key moody tense science-fiction film — 8*/10

• Overall: Interesting intrigue and suspense based sci-fi with a bit of action.
• Who is it for? Anyone looking for some low-key but tense sci-fi just a bit of violence.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4520364/
• Known actors: Kate Mara, Michelle Yeoh and Paul Giamatti.
• Cameos: Brian Cox.
• Setting: Isolated research center deep in the wood.
• Style: Moody, tense sci-fi.
• Intro: A shock, then the long quiet. Slightly unsettling. You get into the mood right away.
• Story: The science-fiction part is intellectual, because there are no visible signs of it. The mood is tense throughout. You don't know what's what and who's who. There's a palpable intrigue, but it's sort of hidden. There's violence, sometimes action. It's very moody.
• Ending: Great. Surprising. Loved it.
• Epilogue: It makes the movie. Perfect.
• Dialogs: Realistic, intense.
• Characters: Each character is extremely well developed and with nice depth. If we could feel them as much as we do, there would be no movie or it would be really bad. More over, there's no real presence of archetypes. Very well done.
• Acting: Excellent. Across the board.
• Visuals: Beautiful, haunting.
• Afterthoughts: Very satisfied. I thought for a while just as the conclusion was getting underway that it would fall apart and lose the mood it had built all along, but no. Really nice.

Interestingly enough, this flick passes the Bechdel test.

Eyes Wide Shut — Another dramatic masterpiece by Stanley Kubrick — 10*/10

• Overall: To most, it will look like an erotic drama when in reality it's a critique of the rampant conservative ideologies that everyone is running after.
• Who is it for? Those ready to be catapulted, slowly. Everyone should at least give it a try.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120663/
• Known actors: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Sydney Pollack, Rade Serbedzija, Vinessa Shaw and Leelee Sobieski.
• Setting: Opulent society.
• Style: Dramatic and stark with a slow-developing intrigue and a simmering suspense.
• Pacing: Slow. It feels like pulling out a strong and healthy tooth while under local anesthesia.
• Intro: Very smooth and with a solid dose of reality within a posh environment.
• Story: It's like going down the rabbit hole with Alice, things get crazier and crazier and only a good slap in the face can end it all. Reality can be scary to those who keep their eyes shut so tightly and Stanley Kubrick proves it here.
• Ending: What better ending is there than 'fuck'? Genius.
• Dialogs: Strong, realistic.
• Characters: Deep and well thought out.
• Acting: Superb. Perfect.
• Visuals: Beautiful.
• Score: Somber and mood enhancing.

Awake — Excellent intrigue and a nice simmering suspense — 8*/10

• Overall: It's not perfect, but the intrigue will easily get you going and the suspense will then pick up.
• Who is it for? Those looking for a nice intrigue with a bit of suspense. Nothing scary there.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0211933/
• Known actors: Hayden Christensen, Jessica Alba and Terrence Howard.
• Cameos: Christopher McDonald.
• Setting: Very rich.
• Style: An intrigue that hides everything from you until each reveal.
• Pacing: A very nice crescendo.
• Intro: Pretty much straight to the point.
• Story: At first glance, it looks like a romance, but it turns into something else halfway through. Feels realistic. Nice tension. Good twists. First time around, you really get caught up in the intrigue.
• Ending: The last line is lame or badly delivered, I don't know, but it's really annoying.
• Characters: A bit simple, but you can really feel them.
• Acting: Nice performance on the part of everyone, but Hayden Christensen is probably showing the limit of his capabilities.

Our Kind of Traitor — Disappointing suspense with Russians and spies — 6*/10

• Overall: At first it's interesting, then it's not. It could have been much more.
• Who is it for? Those in need of a spy flick.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1995390/
• Known actors: Ewan McGregor, Naomie Harris and Stellan Skarsgård.
• Setting: At first, lavish, then minimalist.
• Style: A mix of Russian mafia and average spy.
• Pacing: A first, tense, then it feels undefined.
• Intro: A bit jerky, difficult to get into it.
• Story: It almost feels like they ran out of budget halfway through. You have nice tension in the beginning, but then you get entangled in bureaucracy and half-ass plans with incompetents. Too bad.
• Ending: Gutsy and well done, if a bit simple.
• Epilogue: Interesting, but still simple.
• Dialogs: Between average and simple.
• Characters: Well defined but without real emotional depth.
• Acting: Good.

Money Monster — A tense dramatic suspense you should see — 9*/10

• Story: Powerful, interesting, captivating. Good drama where you'll change your mind more than once.
• Style: A tense suspense with a nice little intrigue.
• Pacing: Quite fast.
• Ending: Perfect.
• Epilogue: We could have done without, but it's really short and doesn't mess anything.
• Dialogs: Excellent. Right on the dot. A bit too slick to be truly realistic, but it all fits.
• Characters: Nice depth and easily understandable for the main characters and secondary ones. Others were a bit too archetypical, but they were mostly insignificant.
• Acting: Superb for the most part. A few members of the supporting cast were less than stellar, but still good.
• Known actors: George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Caitriona Balfe.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2241351/
• Entertainment value: High.
• Who is it for? A must see for almost everyone.

Angels & Demons — The Da Vinci Code was just better — 7*/10

• Story: Following in the footsteps of The Da Vinci Code (read my review here) Ron Howard tried to recreate the same magic combination. Unfortunately, this time, while the intrigue isn't too bad, it isn't as strong as the previous chapter while the background story is markedly less interesting. So, to compensate, he cranked up the suspense and the action resulting in an unfortunate creation with a number of logical flaws.
• Setting: Rich Vatican and Roman history.
• Pacing: Raggedly fast.
• Ending: Predictable.
• Characters: Uninteresting.
• Acting: Good.
• Known actors: Tom Hanks and Ewan McGregor.
• Special Effects: Not bad, but showing flaws.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0808151/
• Entertainment value: Nice.
• Who is it for? Those who require more of The Da Vinci Code.

The Da Vinci Code — A great intrigue plunging into Christian myth — 8*/10

This great movie by director Ron Howard is a bit difficult to rate straight on. The reason for its initial popularity was the great intrigue and the fabulous backstory. Having seen it a second time today, I can say that the rest, beyond the visual, is as great. I will say no more beyond encouraging anyone who hasn't seen it to do so.

• Known actors: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Jean Reno, Ian McKellen, Paul Bettany, Alfred Molina and Jürgen Prochnow.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0382625/
• Entertainment value: Excellent the first time, then not so much.
• Who is it for? Anyone who hasn't seen it.

10 Cloverfield Lane — A psychologically tense almost claustrophobic intrigue with a solid twist — 8*/10

• Story: The intro will solidly put you in. The psycho vibe will slowly immerse you. The intrigue will get you going. And finally, you'll probably have a nice smile to see the movie making a sharp turn and going in such a different direction.
• Setting: Very limited environment that gives a good sense of isolation.
• Style: Psychological.
• Pacing: This movie has one pace in the first part and a totally different one in the second.
• Ending: Great. It's just right. Almost perfect.
• Dialogs: Very well done. Realistic.
• Characters: Well thought out. Although you don't feel a lot of depth to them because of how little you get to know them, you know very well who each person his and how they play off each other.
• Acting: Solid. Absolutely no complaints there.
• Known actors: John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Bradley Cooper.
• Visuals: Well done. Good details, especially in the bunker.
• Special Effects: Nice. Could have been better. However, we can easily understand that limitation since they were not the center piece.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1179933/
• Entertainment value: Pretty solid, especially if you like the psycho vibe.
• Who is it for? Everybody should at least try this. It will be a hit with those who like psycho stuff, and don't mind the movie taking a pretty radical turn in style.

13 Hours, The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi — Propaganda aside it's great — 8*/10

• Scenario: The production has too much American propaganda, a very one sided story and a serious undertone of G.I. Joe underlying its heroes. However, the rest is almost without reproach, another entertaining flick by Michael Bay, one of his better. Solid acting, excellently paced scenario, sound logic, interesting characters, captivating story, riveting suspense, good dialogs and astounding action with some touching drama and a few very minimal jokes.
• Visual & sound: Great, nothing was spared.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4172430/
• Who is it for? Those who don't mind the gung-ho attitude, it's a great action suspense flick.

Krampus — A dark side to Christmas can also easily entertain — 7*/10

• Scenario: Yes it's somewhat silly and the characters are exaggerated in the intro as any Hollywood movie is prone to do, but there's a nice kind of humour to this darker tale of Christmas. You'll cross path with some bits of horror and drama. You'll visit action and one liners. However, I assure you, you'll be entertained to a nicely warm degree. I love the ending!
• Known actors: Adam Scott, Toni Collette and David Koechner.
• Visual & sound: Pretty good. Very nice visual style.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3850590/
• Who is it for? Those looking for a different kind of Holliday movie and who don't mind a bit of darkness.

Air — A novel and tense, if quiet, apocalyptic sci-fi — 7*/10

• Scenario: The story line is a bit predictable and there are a number of logical flaws in the scenario which make some actions non sensical. However, excellent settings, good tension, interesting intrigue, solid acting and great ideas build a very entertaining movie.
• Known actors: Norman Reedus, Djimon Hounsou and Sandrine Holt.
• Visual & sound: Great.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2091478/
• Who is it for? For those looking for a nice low key film with tension in an apocalyptic setting.

Better than its been rated by others.

Crimson Peak — A thrill in fantastic settings — 8*/10

• Scenario: The story is extremely simple, but the rest is impeccable. More over, you can really feel a lot of emotional depth to the characters even if they aren't very complexe. It's a solid thriller with a great ambiance.
• Known actors: Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain and Tom Hiddleston.
• Visual & sound: Superb on both counts. It will drag you in against your will.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2554274/
• Who is it for? Those looking for a thrill but not a full on horror or those for a taste for the fantastic.

The Frighteners — A funny paranormal intrigue that shouldn't be missed — 9*/10

• Scenario: A very interesting and detailed story with great ideas. Love the dialogs and the characters, great acting, flowing fast paced light action as well as nice twists and a delicious intrigue with the perfect ending. Lots of jokes mixed a bit of tight suspense that might give you a good fright the first time around. You'll want to see it again, just because it's such a solid movie.
• Known actors: Michael J. Fox, Jake Busey, Chi McBride, Troy Evans and R. Lee Ermey
• Visual & sound: At the time, they were perfect, now, the visual is getting a little old, but still nice.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116365/
• Who is it for? Anybody who doesn't mind a little fright. A must for fans of Fox, Jackson, Walsh or Elfman.

Excellent work by Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Danny Elfman. This is the flick that put Jackson and Walsh on the map, thanks to Robert Zemeckis.