30 Days of Night
By David Slade
This latest in the trendy line of movie adaptations of dark comic books (see 300, Sin City) takes on the vampire genre, and actually delivers an entertaining flick. The movie has a pleasantly morbid and gritty feel to it, and the bloodsuckers are a departure from the prototypical vampires: jagged, serrated teeth, inhuman screeching (okay, that gets annoying after a while), and completely un-sexy. And that’s what I liked about this movie: it doesn’t rely on über-charismatic vamps half-seducing their victims while they devour them and the tired old garlic and holy water routine. As the movie progresses, you get a real sense of complete doom for the hapless Alaskan town that won’t see the sun for a month. And that’s pretty cool. Click on the image to buy now!
 

Sharkwater
By Rob Stewart
This cinematic shark hugfest is actually more than a scientific and compassionate look at one of Earth’s most “amazing and mysterious” creatures. It’s also a visually stunning documentary, and those who enjoy all the shark documentaries on the Discovery Channel will love every minute of it. (You might even stand up and clap when Stewart goes after poachers off Costa Rica.) But while the documentary focuses on trying to save the reputation of the species, along with the species itself, you’ll also get some amazing underwater imagery of other denizens of the oceans. Just don’t go looking for a shark to embrace when you next hit the water.
 

Lust, Caution
By Ang Lee
The setting—occupied Shanghai during the Second World War—is magnificently captured with sweeping cinematography. The cast is superb; I’ve always liked Tony Leung, Joan Chen is underrated, and newcomer Wei Tang dazzles. The sex scenes are steamy enough to earn an NC-17 rating. Over the entire movie lies the melancholy foreshadowing of an inescapable fate and a love destined to fail. And Lee’s sure hand delivers again, adding to an incredibly diverse repertoire that ranges from The Hulk to Brokeback Mountain. What’s not to like? Click on the image to buy now!