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Twin brothers skilled in running illegal and barely legal operations, Smoke and Stack (Michael B. Jordan), return to their hometown in the deep south after a rough welcome in Chicago. Now, on the opening night of their latest Juke Joint, try as they might, it would seem evil just has other plans for them; in particular, cousin Sammie’s (Miles Canton) gift for music has a particular draw to all things, good, bad, supernatural and the natural alike. Now, with this confluence of events it would seem surviving the night may be a tall ask for these sinners. Written and Directed by Ryan Coogler, this Tarantino, Peele, and Rodriguez inspired pulpy adventure raises tensions high with clever shades of good and evil sketched and blurred just the same. Bending history with horror the genre melange of the Jim Crow South met with mobsters, monsters, splashes humor, and irreverence release pressure at a metered pace as gore spurts and splatters satisfying the taste for blood. The Coogler/Jordan connection delivers the goods from start to finish, the two have clearly established a workflow and understanding that elevates each other’s work, meanwhile the rest of the ensemble move in step just the same. And, with geek out cinematography moments interspersed throughout the entire film, paired with a handful of great musical soundtrack moments, this creative take is fresh enough, original enough, and fun enough to call audiences back to the theatre. Running a little long with a two hour and seventeen minute runtime, regardless, fans of grindhouse fun, beckon the call! Sinners is rated R.

A widowed wife and psychologist, Violet (Meghann Fahy), returns to the dating world, but, her first date in years is interrupted by a series of haunting “air drop” style messages. Before long Violet finds herself manipulated to do the unthinkable to spare her young son at home. In all, a deadly game of cat and mouse is afoot, finding the puppet master within 50 feet of her will take careful sleuthing, will Violet be able to stop her aggressor before it’s too late for all? Written by Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach and Directed by Christopher Landon, this Hitchcockian inspired suspense/thriller makes effort to bring a 21st century twist to a classic tale of manipulation and forced hand, which, for the most part, works. Albeit, the pacing does slug a bit in Act II, which could have been tightened to improve flow, but the pulp factor and even searing rendition of piano bar “Baby Shark” gives the audience just the right amount of off beat chuckle with psychological terror. Coming in with a brief 100 minute runtime, this quick ride to the finish doesn’t waste time in Act III as the hinges come off and the action also manages to induce a few laughs, for better, for worse. The end result is still fun, and while the ensemble’s performances aren’t earth shattering, there’s just enough substance to keep things interesting. Looking for that good old armrest gripper, you’ve found your choice for the weekend. Drop is rated PG-13.

Heller (Rami Malek) is an a codebreaker and analyst for the CIA, but, when his wife (Rachel Brosnahan) is killed by a group of international terrorists in London, the desire to trade his desk jockey job for field operative to settle the score becomes real. Unsupported by his superiors, finding a way to bring the group down will take every trick in the book to outsmart them all, but at what cost? Written by Ken Nolan, Gary Spinelli, and Robert Littell and Directed by James Hawes this perfectly milquetoast thriller works like a paint by numbers script of Mr. Robot crossed with Jason Bourne, which is to say cyber espionage with timid wit in the face of dichotomic spy action, bullet dodging and car chasing has never been so right down the fairway, until now. In fact there’s something to be said for a good ol’ late 90’s spy/tech/thriller, it’s just too bad that the boundaries weren’t pushed further, the “surprises” weren’t better concealed, and the archetypes so predictable. Further, starting with a lag in Act I, while character building, the overall story doesn’t hook us to invest heavily or sufficiently in the characters. Instead we’re left to let the dirge roll out and overstay its welcome, coming in at two hours and three minutes of runtime, a swifter editor’s knife could have improved the pacing and urgency to drive the film forward. The Amateur is rated PG-13.