3. The Rum Diary
Fans of Hunter S. Thompson will relish the opportunity to see Johnny Depp embody the Gonzo journalist yet again. In an early tale of the anti-hero/activist, Thompson finds himself in another liquor and drug fueled escapade, battling greedy land barons and falling in love with a dangerous woman.
2. Martha Marcy May Marlene
Elizabeth Olsen gives a revelatory performance in Sean Durkin's haunting debut film. It immerses you completely in the fractured mind of a woman struggling to break the psychological grip of the cult she recently escaped from, and find some sense of normalcy.
1. In Time
As he did with Gattaca back in 1997, Andrew Niccol presents another slick sci-fi film with an innovative premise. Justin Timberlake stars as a man living in a world where time is the only currency that matters, where the rich can buy immortality and the poor struggle to live another day. Niccols blends fast paced action with an intelligent use of metaphor for one of the biggest surprise films of the season.
DVD Pick of the Week: Attack the Block
Combine the awe and childhood wonder of Steven Spielberg movies(or JJ Abrams' Super 8) with the urban grit of Walter Hill(The Warriors) and you'll get Attack the Block, the most inventive alien invasion film in recent memory. Bristling with energy and led by a fresh faced cast of newcomers, the film features a gang of South London street toughs who inadvertently turn their neighborhood into target #1 for a horde of inky black alien creatures. Written and directed by Joe Cornish(The Adventures of Tintin).
