Shorted out
The latest and most ambitious 2008-crash movie is at once chilling and hilarious.
Walls of water
Roar Uthag does a fine job in appropriating disaster Americana for Norwegian use.
Nine lives Glass
Alejandro G. Iñárritu's 19th-century story of revenge puts the wilderness ahead of all else.
Fischer, revisited
In "Pawn Sacrifice," Edward Zwick transforms Tobey Maguire into the mad-hatter grandmaster.
Bridge too far
Steven Spielberg's retelling of a famous Cold War spy incident is at its best when it picks Capra over Le Carré.
A shocker
In the early 1960s, Stanley Milgram tried understanding obedience, and used a trick to get there.
Dennis the Martian
At its best, Ridley Scott's latest space epic is a superbly intelligent peon to human ingenuity.
Southern discomfort
Alex R. Johnson's "Two Step," billed specifically as a Texas thriller, brilliantly delivers the dark side of that state.
Smart dolls
In "Ex Machina," Alex Garland plays on artificial intelligence, hacking, porn, sex and paranoia.
The old writer speaks
Frank Langella's rendition of an aging and vulnerable New York writer is acting of rare beauty.
Klieg lights
Kristen Wiig is extraordinary in a stunning black comedy about madness, media and money.