The Divide (2011)

when people stop being polite... and start getting real...
When an apocalyptic event descends on the Big Apple, a small group of survivors take refuge in the basement of their apartment building.  Trapped with no hope of escape, knowing that the world outside is a post nuclear wasteland anyways, the group hunkers down.  The situation is grim, but the survivors actually manage to make it worse.  This film takes place almost entirely in a basement. The director's use of the confined space is impressive (think Buried or The Exam).  The tone  is reminiscent of Tres Dias and Bellflower and has an ambiance similar to Alien and Sunshine - gritty, scary, out of control, and little depressing.  This film is powerful.  Watching it is like being run down by a truck that you know is going to hit you no matter what you do to escape.  The only thing that keeps The Divide from getting the maximum 5 Poblanos is pacing - the middle of the film drags a tad; 10 or 15 minutes less of this film could have made an improvement.  Nonetheless, I think it is brilliant and I absolutely loved it.

The Divide gets 4 out of 5 Poblanos!

Director: Xavier Gens
Writer: Karl Mueller, Eron Sheean
Starring: Lauren German, Michael Biehn (Grindhouse, Tombstone, The Abyss, Aliens), Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes), Courtney B. Vance, Rosanna Arquette
Rotten Tomatoes: 26%
Metacritic: 28 out of 100

Adventureland

One crazy summer
James' summer plans fall through.  Instead of going to Europe, he ends up at home with his parents, working in an amusement park called Adventureland.  This film is laugh out loud funny.  It is also a bit heartbreaking.  Overall, it is very entertaining.  Its fun to see these actors outside of their big films - Twilight, The Social Network, and Buried.

Adventureland has thrills and spills and lots of laughs to get 4 out of 5 Poblanos!

Director: Greg Mottola
Writer: Greg Mottola
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart and Ryan Reynolds
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Metacritic: 76 out of 100

Exam (2009)

Time's up, pencils down

Eight candidates competing for the same job are seated in a room for an exam. Each is given a piece of paper, a pencil, and very little instruction. Told that the first candidate to answer their question is the winner, they are given 80 minutes and the instructor leaves the room.  Each candidate turns his or her page over to find it blank. And the next two hours are pretty wild. Exam explores the limitations, possibilities, and dangers that one room can hold. I put this film right alongside Hitchcock's Rope or Rodrigo Cortés' Buried. Minimalistic and intense, this film is a great thriller which had me hooked from the opening credits.

Exam passes the test with 4 out of 5 Poblanos!

Director: Stuart Hazeldine (Exam is his feature film directorial debut. He has written screenplays for Knowing with Nicholas Cage, Scott Derrickson's remake of The Day The Earth Stood Still, and the upcoming screen adaptation of Milton's Paradise Lost.)

Writer: Stuart Hazeldine, Simon Garrity

Starring: Luke Mably,  Adar Beck, Chukwudi Iwuji, Jimi Mistry, and Nathalie Cox

Rotten Tomatoes: 63%

Metacritic: not reviewed

The Nines (2007)

What the heck is going on?
Ryan Reynolds (Green Lantern, Buried, Blade: Trinity) stars as three different characters alongside two other actors who also play three different characters.  Sound confusing?  It is, but in a good way.   John August (screenwriter of several Tim Burton films - Big Fish, Corpse Bride, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) tells a story of characters whose lives are intertwined.  Using the same actors for multiple roles could have been a confusing mess but August pulls it off well.  Mislabeled as a 'thriller' because it was not very thrilling.  It was however engrossing, funny, and unpredictable. 

A good film with an interesting pay-off, The Nines gets 3 out of 5 Poblanos!

Director: John August
Writer: John August
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hope Davis and Melissa McCarthy
Rotten Tomatoes: 65%
Metacritic: 52 out of 100

Buried (2010)

Will no one help Ryan Reynolds?
A civilian truck driver delivering supplies in Iraq is kidnapped and Buried alive.  Disoriented, Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds) uses every tool at his disposal to free himself from impending doom while his captors try to milk him for ransom money.  I love the idea of imposing limitations on film making as Hitchcock did in Rope.  Spanish Director Rodrigo Cortés limits himself to a coffin and the result is stunning.  It is emotional, funny, thrilling, and just plain good.  I was hanging on every frame of this one.  Bottom line - he might be alone in a box, but Ryan Renolds needs no help.  He puts on an amazing one man show.

5 out of 5 Poblanos!

Director:  Rodrigo Cortés
Writer:  Chris Sparling
Starring: Ryan Reynolds
Rotten Tomatoes -  86%
Metacritic - 65 out of 100