Summer Heat

It seems the director was trying to make an erotic thriller of sorts; all the elements are present: ruggedly attractive Nordic stars, guns, drugs, and a mysterious figure behind the scenes. But while the cinematography is beautiful, and the events seem like they could be suspenseful, a lot of it comes off as detached or just strange.

The island scenery itself is almost enough to make the film worth seeing, and the acting and writing isn't bad by any means. But it's hard to feel any real fear (or any emotion) from the characters, and without that it's impossible to really get into the film. It all feels a bit abstract; interesting, but not compelling.

Baghead

There have been way too many attempts in the "realistic horror" genre since Blair Witch convinced people that any random person with a camera equals art (or at least profit). But with similar production values and a bit more scripting, Baghead does a decent job of creating something new.

One couple and one pseudo-couple, starving actors all, go off to a cabin in the woods to write a movie in which they can star to break in to the industry. After one of them has a dream about a mysterious figure in the woods with a brown paper bag over his head, they decide that they've found their plot. But was it really a dream? (cue dramatic music)

The shooting, dialog, and direction all have an extremely realistic style, which accentuates the fact that the characters are all average to the point of being mildly comical. Some might find the pacing a bit slow, but I think it heightens the few startling moments, and in the end it's worth it.

TransSiberian

When you think of Woody Harrelson, your first thought is probably not one of the most hair-raising thrillers ever made. And to be fair, while he does lead the bill, the real star is the fantastic Emily Mortimer (although Woody is great in his own right). Padded out with Sir Ben Kingsly and a great supporting cast, this movie will, frankly, mess you up.

Following a brief prelude filmed in Russian, we get a proper introduction to our stars: a couple of Christian missionaries traveling home on the Trans-Siberian Express after some months work in China. Woody as the husband is a goofy but sweet train buff, and Emily is his used-to-be-a-bad-girl spouse. A cute couple on a vacation in Siberia. Nothing could go wrong.

Muted colors and bleak landscapes work wonderfully here, as the mounting tension of seeing what could go wrong next stands out all the more. Characters are tangible and extremely well acted, and the plot is a masterpiece in escalating psychological warfare. The plot twists are by turns surprising and inevitable in all the right places to keep that wonderful feeling of dread growing in the audience at a steady pace.

Better than Fargo, which is a pretty obvious comparison (Siberia actually seems more heavily populated than North Dakota, although probably colder). Absolutely worth watching multiple times.