I DON'T FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE [2017]

Indie-actor Macon Blair makes his directorial debut with the neo-noir comedy I Don't Feel at Home in this World Anymore.
Frustrated and depressed by the useless apathetic world around her, a young woman is robbed and finds the only way to make things right is to take matters into her own hands.  AKA Falling Down for the Trump era.
With it's bursts of uber-violence, twisted humor and a cast of low-life criminals, it's obvious Blair is heavily influenced by the directorial/screenwriting works of his regular collaborator Jeremy Saulnier.  Things tend to get pretty outrageous and unbelievable but it's Melanie Lynskey's nuanced performance that manages to keep everything grounded in a warped sense of reality.  The script could have used a bit more tightening up but thankfully it never ceases to shock and amuse.

3 fucking spoilers out of 5

DON'T BREATHE [2016]

Fede Alvarez directs Don't Breathe, a home invasion thriller that flips the usual story on it's head and isn't afraid to get really really vicious with it.
Three young thieves wait until dark to break into a blind man's house thinking it's an easy score only to find he's a lot more than what they bargained for.
Despite it's simplicity and thinly written characters, Don't Breathe manages to constantly up the intensity and thrills with clever menace.  There's all sorts of minor themes and ideas thrown around in the background but they never detract from the fact that the film intends you to nervously be gasping for air by the time the credits start rolling.

3½ ladybugs out of 5

EVIL DEAD [2013]

Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell & Roger G. Tapert, the lunatics who brought you the camp cult classic The Evil Dead give their producing stamp of approval on director Fede Alvarez's psychotic remake, simply titled Evil Dead. 

Overflowing with shockingly gory sequences and disturbing violence, the film surprisingly has a wickedly dark, DARK sense of humour I found absent in the trailers.  It's been a long time since a horror film has been this bloody and fun, without sacrificing it's substance over style.  Like the original, it aims to shock and it does so with flying colors, pleasing this gorehound who was cautious going into this remake.  Apparently Raimi wants to combine the character of Ash with the surviving character of this film into a future story, which makes me wonder if this is really a remake or sequel.

3½ "drug withdrawls" out of 5