MV5BYmM0YjFkNjktZjdjNC00N2Y3LWFlN2YtNTBkOGI3ZjJkNzEzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDUxNjc5NjY@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,726,1000_AL_.jpg — Dark Waters (1993)

**Directed by: Mariano Baino**
**Starring: Louise Salter, Venera Simmons, Mariya Kapnist**
**Rated: R**
**Running Time: 1 h 34 m**
**TMM Score: 4.5 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Directing, Production Design, Atmosphere, Story**
**WEAKNESSES: Slightly Schmaltzy Climax, Mild Pacing in First Act**

Dark Waters (1993)

October 13, 2020

After the death of her father, a young girl travels to a remote convent on an island to find out why her father funded it for years.

MV5BNzJlYmZhNTMtMWM2Yy00MDZiLWJlOGMtMTRkOTEzYmZlZWQ5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,656,1000_AL_.jpg — Hagazussa (2017)

**Directed by: Lukas Feigelfeld**
**Starring: Aleksandra Cwen, Celina Peter, Claudia Martini, Tanja Petrovsky**
**Rated: NR (Suggest R for Disturbing Violent Content)**
**Running Time: 1 h 42 m**
**TMM Score: 4.5 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Directing, Cinematography, Story, Sound Design**
**WEAKNESSES: Pacing, Small Target Audience**

Hagazussa (2017)

October 5, 2020

A woman living in isolation faces judgement and persecution from a group of nearby villagers, who believe the woman to be a witch.

MV5BYTIzYTA5MDEtY2I0OS00OGJhLTlmMDctZWRlMGRjYzAxZDQzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_.jpg — The Contender (2000)

**Directed by: Rod Lurie**
**Starring: Joan Allen, Gary Oldman, Jeff Bridges, Christian Slater, Sam Elliot, William Petersen, Philip Bakker Hall, Robin Thomas**
**Rated: R for Strong Sexual Content and Language**
**Running Time: 2 h 6 m**
**TMM Score: 4.5 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Writing, Acting, Directing, Themes, Relevance**
**WEAKNESSES: Slightly Heavy-Handed**

The Contender (2000)

March 2, 2020

The Vice President is dead and the President seeks to place Senator Laine Hanson in the open spot. Meanwhile, Senator Shelly Runyon opposes the nomination, and seeks to make his own moves.

The Straight Story (1999)

February 28, 2020

An elderly man decides to drive across several states on a lawnmower to see his estranged brother who has just had a stroke.

MV5BZDlkOGE4YTUtYWRlZS00YjFkLWE3NmUtNzNlNjdiZTk2NzdhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDY2MjcyOTQ@._V1_.jpg — The Art of Self Defense (2019)

Directed by: Riley Stearns
Starring: Jessie Eisenberg, Alessandro Nivola, Imogen Poots, Steve Terada, Phillip Andre Botello
Rated: R for Violence, Sexual Content, Graphic Nudity and Language
Running Time: 1 h 44 m
TMM Score: 4.5 Stars
STRENGTHS: Black Humor, Story, Acting
WEAKNESSES: -

The Art of Self Defense (2019)

January 7, 2020

After being brutally mugged, Casey Davies enrolls in a Karate course taught by an eccentric sensei.

MV5BMzBlMTJlNGMtOWQ5Zi00NzUzLTljNGUtYmUwYzI3NDFhMzlmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjI3NDAyNg@@._V1_.jpg — Synonyms (2019)

**Directed by: Navid Lapid**
**Starring: Tom Mercier, Quentin Dolmaire, Louise Chevillotte**
**Rated: NR (Suggested R for Strong Graphic Nudity and Sexual Content, and for Language)**
**Running Time: 2 h 3 m**
**TMM Score: 4.5 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Directing, Writing, Story, Cinematography**
**WEAKNESSES: Mild Pacing Issues**

Synonyms (2019)

December 20, 2019

A young Israeli man flees to Paris to begin a new life.

MV5BOWZlMjFiYzgtMTUzNC00Y2IzLTk1NTMtZmNhMTczNTk0ODk1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTAyODkwOQ@@._V1_.jpg — Star Wars: Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi (1983)

Directed by: Richard Marquand
Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Billy Dee Williams
Rated: PG for Sci Fi Action Violence
Running Time: 2h 16m
TMM Score: 4.5 Stars
STRENGTHS: Satisfying Conclusion, VFX, Characters
WEAKNESSES: Story not as Strong as Predecessor

Star Wars: Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi (1983)

December 18, 2019

The epic conclusion of the original Star Wars trilogy…

MV5BMGUwZjliMTAtNzAxZi00MWNiLWE2NzgtZGUxMGQxZjhhNDRiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjU1NzU3MzE@._V1_.jpg — Knives Out (2019)

**Directed by: Rian Johnson**
**Starring: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfeild, Christopher Plummer, Frank Oz, Riki Lindhome**
**Rated: PG-13 for Thematic Elements Including Brief Violence, Some Strong Language, Sexual References, and Drug Material**
**Running Time: 2 h 10 m**
**TMM Score: 4.5 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Subversion of Expectations, Writing, Directing, Acting, Humor, Themes**
**WEAKNESSES: Pacing in First Act**

Knives Out (2019)

December 10, 2019

A gentleman sleuth investigates the death of a patriarch of an rich and eccentric family.

MV5BMDhkN2FhYTktYWUwNy00NTE5LWJiYjYtMGNlODIyNDc5MWZhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTAyODkwOQ@@._V1_SY1000_SX666_AL_.jpg — The Age of Innocence (1993)

**Directed by: Martin Scorsese**
**Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis Michelle Pfeiffer, Winona Ryder, Miriam Margolyes, Richard E Grant, Geraldine Chaplin**
**Rated: PG for Thematic Elements and Some Mild Language**
**Running Time: 2 h 19 m**
**TMM Score: 4.5 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Writing, Production Design, Themes, Acting**
**WEAKNESSES: Pacing**

The Age of Innocence (1993)

November 28, 2019

A young lawyer in high society 1870s New York falls in love with a woman separated from her husband, while he is engaged to the woman’s cousin.

Do the Right Thing (1989)

November 15, 2019

Set on the hottest day of the year in Brooklyn. A snapshot of a neighborhood dealing with racial tensions.

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**Directed by: Rainer Werner Fassbinder**
**Starring: Hanna Schygulla, Klaus Lowitsch, Ivan Desny, Gisela Uhlen, Elisabeth Trissenaar, Gottried John, George Eagles**
**Rated: R**
**Running Time: 2 h**
**TMM Score: 4.5 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Characters, Themes, Writing, Directing, Cinematography**
**WEAKNESSES: Some Pacing**

The Marriage of Maria Braun (1978)

November 8, 2019

Shortly after the end of World War II, a newly married woman in post-war Germany struggles to survive without her husband.

Halloween (1978)

October 31, 2019

A psychotic mental patient who has been imprisoned for fifteen years after the brutal murder of his sister escapes confinement and returns to his hometown to kill again.

MV5BNzFjZmM1ODgtMDBkMS00NWFlLTg2YmUtZjc3ZTgxMjE1OTI2L2ltYWdlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTAyODkwOQ@@._V1_SY1000_SX650_AL_.jpg — A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

**Directed by: Wes Craven**
**Starring: Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, Johnny Depp, Ronee Blakley**
**Rated: R**
**Running Time: 1 h 31 m**
**TMM Score: 4.5 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Atmosphere, Story, World Building, Characters, Creativity**
**WEAKNESSES: Schmaltzy Moments**

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

October 25, 2019

A slain child murderer returns to haunt the dreams of the children whose parents killed him.

MV5BNGVjNWI4ZGUtNzE0MS00YTJmLWE0ZDctN2ZiYTk2YmI3NTYyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTkxNjUyNQ@@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,674,1000_AL_.jpg — Joker (2019)

**Directed by: Todd Phillips**
**Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz,Shea Whigham, Frances Conroy, Marc Maron, Glenn Fleshler**
**Rated: R for Strong Bloody Violence, Disturbing Behavior, Language and Brief Sexual Images**
**Running Time: 2 h 1 m**
**TMM Score: 4.5 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Joaquin Phoenix, Themes, Writing**
**WEAKNESSES: Some Heavy-Handedness, Mild Pacing**

Joker (2019)

October 4, 2019

A character study of Arthur Fleck, a man widely ignored and beat down by society.

MV5BNGY5NWIxMjAtODBjNC00MmZhLTk1ZTAtNGRhYThlOTNjMTQwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTc1NTQxODI@._V1_.jpg — Sling Blade (1996)

**Directed by: Billy Bob Thornton**
**Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Dwight Yoakam, Lucas Black, John Ritter, James Hampton**
**Rated: R for Strong Language, Including Descriptions of Violent and Sexual Behavior**
**Running Time: 2 h 15 m**
**TMM Score: 4.5 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Writing, Acting, Themes**
**WEAKNESSES: Mild Pacing and Predictability Problems**

Sling Blade (1996)

September 23, 2019

After twenty-five years in captivity, Karl Childers, a mentally challenged man, is released from the hospital where he was put after he murdered his mother and her lover.