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10 Cloverfield Lane came out of nowhere. The film was shot under a different title and did not receive a trailer until less than two months from its theatrical release. Because of the secrecy surrounding its production and the lack of details surrounding the film's plot, I will be very careful about what I say and do not say about 10 Cloverfield Lane. Basically, the film is about a woman who wakes up in a bomb shelter after being in a car accident and finds herself under the care of a suspicious man named Howard. 10 Cloverfield Lane uses precise storytelling to tell an astonishingly intense and mysterious story that left me gasping for air and brimming with excitement over how excellent this film turned out to be.

To avoid spoilers, I'll keep my comments on 10 Cloverfield Lane's story fairly vague. After Michelle wakes up and is with the stranger Howard, she has no idea whether anything this man is saying about the circumstances of her being there are true or not. So the audience, much like Michelle, is using every detail, in every frame, to put together what is actually going on in this bomb shelter. This makes for a very engaging experience because the viewer is constantly using updated information to decide whether or not to trust Howard.

The film also does not explain everything through dense exposition; the film gives the viewer most (but not all) the pieces to the puzzle and allows the viewer do some of the mental work. The screenwriters Josh Campbell, Matthew Stuecken, and Damien Chazelle (Whiplash writer/director) did a fantastic job of creating a really interesting mystery for the viewers to actively participate in.

This mystery would not be nearly as interesting if it was not heightened by suspense. John Goodman plays Howard, and he brings an intensity to the role that makes him incredibly imposing on screen with Michelle and Emmett (the other person in the bomb shelter). Howard's short temper combined with his unknown backstory, make every one of Michelle and Emmett's encounters with Howard even more intense than the last. The best way I can describe the intensity of this movie is imagine being locked in a room that is slowly filling with smoke. At first it's breathable, but as time goes on, your lungs begin filling with smoke, and eventually you are gasping for dear life.

10 Cloverfield Lane never lets you get too comfortable, but at the same time, does not skimp out on character development. Michelle is played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and while at first she plays a cliché, helpless heroine, she develops into much more than that. Her character arc feels natural, and her arc gives the film an emotional thread I was not expecting. John Gallagher Jr. is likable as Emmett, but Winstead and Goodman really standout with their outstanding performances.

While J.J. Abrams' name is all over the trailers and promotions, do not let that fool you; he only produced the film. I'm actually glad he not direct 10 Cloverfield Lane, not because he would not have done a great job, but because it gave Dan Trachtenberg a chance to direct his first feature film. Every director strives for it, but only great directors have it: and that's style. It's one of those things you know it when you see it, and Trachtenberg certainly has it. This guy is going to be getting a lot of work after his excellent job on 10 Cloverfield Lane. Keep your eyes on what Trachtenberg does next.

This thriller does take a big turn in a different direction at a point in the film, but I loved the turn overall and truly felt like the film earned this payoff. I have one complaint with this switch the film takes, but even being vague about this detail would give too much away. I will say the last shot is one my favorite final shots to a film… ever.

I went into 10 Cloverfield Lane knowing nothing (not even seeing one trailer), and I was wonderfully surprised. The film's many twists and turns are meant to be experienced in the theater, so go out and see it before anyone else can dampen your individual movie-going experience. 10 Cloverfield Lane is the first great film of 2016; it slowly ramps up the tension, scene by scene, until it's nearly unbearable, before eventually revealing that monsters indeed come in many forms.

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Marvel has gone hard-R before, but never like this. Deadpool is the latest comic book movie and tells the story of Wade Wilson, an ex- mercenary, who is transformed into the wise-cracking, 4th wall- breaking, sword-wielding, revenge-seeking super…. hero? Outside of a guy wearing a suit and having superpowers, the comparisons to your traditional comic book movie end there. Deadpool's obscene, violent, and hilarious take on the superhero genre is a thoroughly entertaining, though imperfect, step closer towards reaching the full potential of the comic book movie industry.

The success of Deadpool rested almost entirely on the shoulders of Ryan Reynolds. Thankfully, Reynolds is one of the best casting decisions I have ever seen in a comic book movie. Reynolds was born to play Deadpool, and his enthusiasm while playing the role is unmatched. I cannot imagine anyone else pulling off Deadpool, and this is a huge credit to the studio for trusting Reynolds with another chance to play this controversial and explicit comic book character.

Deadpool's entire hour and forty minute runtime is filled to the brim with laughs. Dirty jokes, shocking images, and 4th wall breaks are just a few of the many forms Deadpool's laughs take. However, when you have 100 plus minutes of jokes, not every one of them is going to hit. Thankfully, after every miss, the downtime between that and the next funny joke is very minimal. Deadpool definitely goes for quantity over quality when it comes to laughs, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Deadpool is extremely violent, but all of the violence works in tandem with the character himself and the tone the movie strives for. The film is directed by Tim Miller, and while this is his first feature film, he does a fantastic job of actually showing the gory action in a coherent and enjoyable manner. The punches, gunshots, and slices all have visual impact and are NOT hidden or censored by the use of many cuts or other lazy filmmaking techniques. However, some backgrounds and images that have a deep depth of field appear unfinished, and at times, don't look good at all. I'm not sure if this was from budgetary constraints or a rush to meet the release deadline in post-production, but it was a minor distraction and worth noting.

The story in Deadpool ties all the gore and laughs together. The story is a fairly simple revenge tale, but it has some emotional weight to it that gives the movie an element I was not expecting. I cared about the man under the mask and his relationship with his girlfriend, Vanessa. And although this relationship is impossible to relate to (at least I would hope so), you still buy them as a couple, and this gives the movie higher stakes. Another thing I liked about the story is it goes back and forth from the present to Deadpool's origin story, which I thought gave the movie a good sense of pacing.

One of my biggest complaints I have with the movie is the villain, Ajax. I'm not super familiar with Deadpool and his comics or who (if anyone) is his main antagonist, but Ajax is a very boring and stereotypical villain. I get that his stern demeanor contrasts with Deadpool's wise-cracking personality and opposites facing off generally makes for an interesting dynamic, but I found him as a buzz kill to all the other awesome things going on around him. His powers are not even interesting either. Just because villains sometimes have a tendency to overshadow the hero, like the Joker overshadowed Batman in The Dark Knight, doesn't mean you have to copout with a villain like Ajax.

The highest praise I can give Deadpool, that I can rarely say for others movies, is everyone in front and behind the camera feels like they are having a blast making it and are trying their hardest to give fans and movie lovers a movie that's not only a lot of fun, but also good. I hope this movie does well financially to reinforce the fact you don't have to follow a standard superhero formula in order to satisfy fans, and critics alike. If the subject matter requires it, you can go R-rated and not limit yourself creatively. There have been other R-rated Marvel comic book movies, but Deadpool embraces its R rating like no other and hopefully paves the way for other brilliant and unique places comic book movies could go in the future.

If you're easily offended by extreme violence, nudity, etc, skip Deadpool altogether. Everyone else? Get your brown pants/red pants/whatever color pants on, and go support a movie that is unapologetically different from any other movie I have ever seen.

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The Witch is a horror film set in 17th century New England, and after a family's youngest child is taken into the forest under supernatural circumstances, paranoia challenges the family's Christian beliefs and threatens their lives in ways they never could have imagined. The Witch premiered at Sundance last year, and following rave reviews, has finally received a wide release. The Witch is a very different horror film that relies on atmosphere, disturbing imagery, and sound to craft a slow, but terrifying, horror experience.

The story in The Witch takes familiar ideas of witchcraft and Satanism and puts them in an isolated setting with a family of six on the outskirts of the forest. The father and mother preach strict religious values, so after their youngest child goes missing, the family slowly begins to point fingers and the dark situation becomes a witch hunt within their own family. I liked this unique spin on witchcraft and demons, but I only wish the characters were more interesting. The mother and oldest daughter were the two most interesting characters, with the rest of the family being entirely forgettable.

The dialogue is taken straight out of the 1600s, so while it is authentic, some lines and words are hard to make out. Because this dialogue is combined with thick accents and some characters mumbling, there were times were I was legitimately missing entire sentences. The Witch does explore some interesting themes for a horror film, like faith and isolation, which I appreciated.

But most importantly in a horror film, is it scary? Yes, in chunks but not as consistently as I would have hoped. The scares are not jump-scares or anything like that. The scares are enhanced, and sometimes carried, by sound entirely. There are many times in The Witch where there is nothing on screen but the forest in the distance or a rabbit in the barn, but the sound gives you an unshakeable feeling that something terrible is about to happen. It's some of the best use of sound design I've seen in a horror film in some time.

There's also some really disturbing imagery I can still visualize a day after seeing The Witch. The use of off-screen space is cleverly utilized to add to the more psychological moments. There are palpable moments of dread throughout, but after these sporadic moments, there are lengthy scenes of downtime with the family speaking to one another in the cabin. So while The Witch does have atmosphere, the pacing of the scares and the storytelling makes for a somewhat uneven film from start to finish. However, the final 10 minutes are so incredibly twisted and satisfying that it makes up for the slower moments up until that point.

While I mentioned I was not in love with the characters in The Witch, the film uses the forest as a character itself, and very good one at that. The forest has an unmistakable presence and is completely captivating because of the potential darkness that lies within. Shooting on location with the forest and beautiful landscapes, combined with excellent costume design, results in a low-budget film that looks incredible. The cinematography is breathtaking, and I love the film's use of desaturated color to add to the dark tone.

While The Witch is slow at points and some characters are not very engaging, I still found the film to be a beautiful and unique take on the horror genre. Not to mention the last 10 minutes will remain etched in my head for the foreseeable future. If a horror movie can affect a viewer for even a moment following it's conclusion, it's definitely worth a watch from any horror fans who thinks they can stomach lots of gore, mutilation, and goats?

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