Documentary
Rod Lott
At I.S. 318 junior high in Brooklyn, N.Y., the “geeks are the athletes,” and Brooklyn Castle is the story of how these inner-city kings and queens fight to keep their standings.

Documentary
Rod Lott
Although now I can’t remember the publication, I recall reading an article about con artist Frédéric Bourdin and thinking, “This would make a really good documentary.” A few years later, The Imposter is that documentary.

Horror
Rod Lott
What’s an Academy Award-winning director like Barry Levinson doing in a found-footage horror movie like The Bay? Trying to revive a Rain Man career, I’d assume, following 15 years of flops like Envy, Bandits and Man of the Year. Here's another.

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.

Horror
Rod Lott
The Frankenstein Theory is like no other Frankenstein film you've seen: rendered in found footage.

Drama
Rod Lott
Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master is my least favorite of the director’s half-dozen films. That said, he has yet to make a bad one.

Thriller
Rod Lott
File Compliance under “stranger than fiction.” Although not a documentary, it is based on a true story, and one so utterly outrageous that many will refuse to believe it anyway.

Sci-Fi
Rod Lott
When I first saw Holy Motors, it was in a way that would make director Leos Carax cry, “Mon dieu!”: on a small window on my computer screen. That’s hardly the proper showcase for a film that set Cannes all abuzz, especially for courting year-end votes from critics’ groups.

Horror
Rod Lott
Hey, kids! Remember the hysteria surrounding Y2K? Ahhh, so quaint ...

Thriller
Rod Lott
And just like that, director Frédéric Jardin leaps onto my ongoing radar for his work on Sleepless Night, a powerhouse French-language thriller. The crime film begins with action and rarely lets up during its 98-minute sprint.