Thriller
Phil Bacharach
Generating suspense from a story that is a matter of historical record is no easy thing. That was the primary challenge facing Ben Affleck and Chris Terrio, the director-star and writer, respectively, of Argo, a thriller inspired by a real-life covert operation that helped rescue six U.S. embassy workers out of Iran during the 1979 hostage crisis. It's a testament to the skills of the filmmakers that Argo delivers a deluge of suspense even when its ending is never in doubt.

Horror
Rod Lott
Despite being unleashed from Twisted Pictures, those people who brought us all those Saws, The Tortured has sat in the shelf now for about two years, skipping a wide release on its way to DVD. It's easy to see why: It's strong, sick stuff that delights in punching and kicking its audience as its vengeful characters do their prey.

Music
Joshua Boydston
The Melvins Lite with Tweakbird
9 p.m. Saturday
Opolis
113 N. Crawford, Norman
opolis.org
820-0951
$15

Rock
Joshua Boydston
After an uneven presence following 2008’s hard rock-leaning Season of Poison, Shiny Toy Guns is back with its third release, appropriately titled III.

Features
Mia Ledet
Gena Showalter and P.C. Cast
7 p.m. Tuesday
Barnes & Noble
6100 N. May
bn.com
843-9300

Drama
Rod Lott
Sienna Miller looks every bit the Hitchcock blonde she plays in The Girl, an HBO original film about the relationship between actress Tippi Hedren and the director who gave her not only her big break, but big trouble.

Thriller
Rod Lott
247˚F is as compelling as you'd think about a movie set almost entirely in a sauna would be: not at all, once you think about it. I'm all for films set in single and/or small spaces, but this one has nowhere to go.

Thriller
Rod Lott
For very different reasons, I'll watch any movie with Vincent Price, Bill Murray, Jackie Chan or Carla Gugino. Falling into the first category is 1962's Confessions of an Opium Eater, a rare Price vehicle rare no more, thanks to a DVD debut from Warner Archive.

Horror
Rod Lott
Famously, tragedy plus time equals comedy. Do they also equal horror? Up to you, but Chernobyl Diaries goes for it anyway.

Hip Hop/Rap
Ryan Querbach
Seattle-based rapper Macklemore has once again teamed up with producer Ryan Lewis to cook up an album that is nothing short of fantastic.