Storage 24 (2012)

Storage 24 (2012)  87 min   -   Horror | Sci-Fi Metascore: 52/100 (6 reviews) In London, a military plane crashes leaving its highly classified contents strewn across the city. Completely unaware that the city is in lockdown, a group of people become trapped inside a storage facility with a highly unwelcome guest. Director:  Johannes Roberts Stars:  Noel Clarke, Colin O'Donoghue, Antonia Campbell-Hughes, Laura Haddock

THE BUZZ: Noel Clarke grinds out a handful of microbudget films a year in the UK, though in the US he's more the kind of performer who causes people to use this site to answer the question: What movie was he in? Magnolia Pictures follows their now-standard procedure of releasing the movie on VOD a month or so before its theatrical run, which is proving to be a savvy business model for the indie studio. In terms of the film itself, the premise is so ingenious we're surprised no one has thought of it before.

The Tower (2012)

	The Tower (2012)  121 min   -   Action | Drama A Christmas Eve party at a luxury residential building takes a horrific turn when a fire breaks out. Director:  Ji-hoon Kim Stars:  Sang-kyung Kim, Sul Kyung-gu, Ye-jin Son, Mina Cho

THE BUZZ: This South Korean disaster flick found its audience over the holidays, becoming a huge hit on its native soil. Here in the States, it could be another indie breakout for distributor CJ Entertainment, the studio behind recent successful promotions of A Werewolf Boy andMasquerade.

Matru ki Bijlee ka Mandola (2013)

	Matru ki Bijlee ka Mandola (2013)  Comedy Metascore: 46/100 (5 reviews) Harry is an industrialist who loves his daughter Bijlee, and the bond they share with Harry's man friday, Matru. Bijlee's plan to wed the son of a politician, however, brings twists and turns in the lives of Matru, Bijlee and Mandola. Director:  Vishal Bhardwaj Stars:  Pankaj Kapur, Imran Khan, Anushka Sharma, Arya Babbar

THE BUZZ: Imran Khan and Anushka Sharma are Bollywood crossover stars, while their elder, Pankaj Kapur, is a respected contemporary of Om Puri. Their combined appeal should turn director Vishal Bhardwa's latest into his biggest Stateside hit to date. Also, I wish that my typical day looked just like this poster.

$ellebrity (2012)

	$ellebrity (2012)  89 min   -   Documentary Metascore: 53/100 (4 reviews) Celebrity photographer Kevin Mazur gives an all access pass to life behind the velvet rope and in front of the camera. Director:  Kevin Mazur Stars:  Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kid Rock

THE BUZZ: Some of the chiefs behind this documentary on the rise of paparazzi culture have graciously contributed the photos for our event coverage over the years, and we wish them the best with the roll out of their new work.

The Baytown Outlaws (2012)

	The Baytown Outlaws (2012)  98 min   -   Action | Comedy | Crime Metascore: 32/100 (10 reviews) When three redneck brothers agree to help a woman save her son from an abusive father, they become targets on the run from an odd cast of characters. Director:  Barry Battles Stars:  Billy Bob Thornton, Eva Longoria, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Clayne Crawford

THE BUZZ: This grindhouse-cinema tribute looks fun enough; too bad you can't drink and smoke in any theater. Seems ultimately unmissable for Billy Bob Thornton's performance since he barely says anything in the trailer and completely owns those 2.5 minutes.

Fairhaven (2012)

	Fairhaven (2012)  81 min   -   Comedy | Drama Metascore: 54/100 (9 reviews) Dave returns to his hometown on the Massachusetts coast for his father's funeral, where his reunion with two old friends provides a healthy dose of reality. Director:  Tom O'Brien Stars:  Chris Messina, Rich Sommer, Tom O'Brien, Sarah Paulson

THE BUZZ: Chris Messina and Sarah Paulson are the best-known names in this indie drama, but there's an interesting story to be found in Messina's creative relationship with Tom O'Brien, the writer/director/co-star of Fairhaven. Both actors came up in New York City's theater scene, and as Messina found himself being typecast in Hollywood after his "Six Feet Under" breakthrough, he and O'Brien began working on a script that eventually became this project.

Struck by Lightning (2012)

	Struck by Lightning (2012)  90 min   -   Comedy | Drama Metascore: 42/100 (11 reviews) After being struck and killed by lightning, a young man recounts the way he blackmailed his fellow classmates into contributing to his literary magazine. Director:  Brian Dannelly Stars:  Chris Colfer, Rebel Wilson, Christina Hendricks, Dermot Mulroney

THE BUZZ: Unlike most of his "Glee" schoolmates, Chris Colfer might put the New Directions era behind him and wade into the world of filmmaking; his screenplay has earned favorable comparisons to everyone's favorite high school comedies, and there's the built-in cool factor knowing that his character narrates the story from the grave. That's totally Winona-approved.

Quartet (2012)

	Quartet (2012)  98 min   -   Comedy | Drama Metascore: 61/100 (21 reviews) At a home for retired opera singers, the annual concert to celebrate Verdi's birthday is disrupted by the arrival of Jean, an eternal diva and the former wife of one of the residents. Director:  Dustin Hoffman Stars:  Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Billy Connolly, Tom Courtenay
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THE BUZZ: As the third season of "Downton Abbey" is released in the U.S., no doubt older audiences will indulge in Dustin Hoffman's directorial debut, which places Maggie Smith front and center as the grande dame who shakes up the populace of a home for quippy octogenarians. Reviews have been polite, as you might expect, but little more.

Dark Skies (2013)

	Dark Skies (2013) Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller As the Barret family's peaceful suburban life is rocked by an escalating series of disturbing events, they come to learn that a terrifying and deadly force is after them. Director:  Scott Charles Stewart Stars:  Keri Russell, Josh Hamilton, Dakota Goyo, J.K. Simmons
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THE BUZZ: What currently reads like an "American Horror Story: Asylum" sub-plot gets stretched into a feature from director Scott Charles Stewart, who will hopefully ease off the visual-effects indulgences that turned his first two movies -- Legion and Priest -- into unintended spectacles. The first trailer was refreshingly old school.

Snitch (2013)

	Snitch (2013)  Action | Drama | Thriller A father goes undercover for the DEA in order to free his son who was imprisoned after being set up in drug deal. Director:  Ric Roman Waugh Stars:  Dwayne Johnson, Susan Sarandon, Jon Bernthal, Rafi Gavron

THE BUZZ: Stuntman-turned-filmmaker Ric Roman Waugh takes the reins for Dwayne Johnson's second attempt to come across like an everyman (see: Walking Tall). What's most encouraging is the supporting cast, which is populated by three guys from some of the butchest cable TV programs in recent times: Jon Bernthal ("Walking Dead"), Harold Perrineau ("Oz"), and Michael Kenneth Williams ("The Wire"). We have to wonder if this movie would have been even better as a mini-series?

A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III (2012)

	A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III (2012)  Comedy A graphic designer's enviable life slides into despair when his girlfriend breaks up with him. Director:  Roman Coppola Stars:  Charlie Sheen, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Katheryn Winnick

THE BUZZ: The first trailer didn't quite stoke my enthusiasm for Roman Coppola's follow-up to the visual achievement that was CQ, but I have faith that his new work is much more than a costume party starring Charlie Sheen. And if I'm wrong, I will finally side with a close friend who asserts that there is no space in the current art world for musings of the Coppola Aristocracy.

Happy People: A Year in the Taiga (2011)

	Happy People: A Year in the Taiga (2011) 90 min   -   Documentary A documentary on the indigenous people living in Bakhtia, the heart of the Siberian Taiga; some 300 villagers whose daily routines have barely changed over the last century and live according to their own values and cultural traditions. Directors:  Dmitry Vasyukov | Werner Herzog Stars:  Werner Herzog

THE BUZZ: Werner Herzog's nature documentaries have their own category of awesomeness, as well as a niche audience who see them regardless of their subject matter. Happy People, which Herzog co-directed with Dmitry Vasyukov, has laid relatively low on the festival circuit over the past two years, and seems more quietly spectacular than his recent higher profile work.

Race 2 (2013)

	Race 2 (2013) Thriller | Action | Crime | Drama Ranvir treads through the world of the Indian mafia in Turkey as he looks to avenge the death of his lover and partner in crime, Sonia. Directors:  Abbas Alibhai Burmawalla | Mastan Alibhai Burmawalla Stars:  Saif Ali Khan, Anil Kapoor, John Abraham, Deepika Padukone

THE BUZZ: Saif Ali Khan returns to the role of Ranvir with a higher-profile cast for this sequel to the 2008 hit. Bipasha Basu will somehow reprise her role of the deceased Sonia, too.

Beautiful Creatures (2013)

Beautiful Creatures (2013)  Drama | Fantasy Ethan longs to escape his small Southern town. He meets a mysterious new girl, Lena. Together, they uncover dark secrets about their respective families, their history and their town. Director:  Richard LaGravenese Stars:  Alice Englert, Viola Davis, Emma Thompson, Emmy Rossum

THE BUZZ: Warner Brothers might not ever replicate the success of the Harry Potter franchise, but this four-book series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl has potential to thrill die-hard fans of Ethan Wate and Lena Duchannes while introducing newbies to the secrets of Gatlin County. I like how the studio has followed the Potter model of getting adult-oriented filmmakers to handle youth-skewing source material; in this case, screenplay doctor and sometime director Richard LaGravenese might find his greatest success to date. Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to seeing more Jack O'Connell, yet another cast member from the defunt program Skins who is getting a Hollywood shot. Playing the mysterious Lena is Alice Englert in her first major role.

Side Effects (2013)

Side Effects (2013) Crime | Drama | Thriller A woman turns to prescription medication as a way of handling her anxiety concerning her husband's upcoming release from prison. Director:  Steven Soderbergh Stars:  Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum, Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones

THE BUZZ: Originally pitched as a "thriller set in the world of pharmacology," the updated premise sounds a bit like an edgy Nicholas Sparks novel written expressly for Rooney Mara and Channing Tatum. But really it's Tatum's third film with Steven Soderbergh - and quite possibly the director's last feature before exploring his TV options. Soderbergh's remarks on trying to make narratively rich box-office hits makes me feel he could have 1) bailed from studio moviemaking after Haywire; 2) taught a summer session at a deserving film school; and 3) pitched AMC for an early 2013 program.

Outside Satan (2011)

Outside Satan (2011) - [NYC] 110 min   -   Drama Metascore: 61/100 (10 reviews) In a village on the French Opal Coast, a drifter engages in a perplexing relationship with a young woman who has suffered abuse. Director:  Bruno Dumont Stars:  David Dewaele, Alexandra Lemâtre, Christophe Bon, Juliette Bacquet

THE BUZZ: Director Bruno Dumont (Hadewijch/Twentynine Palms/Humanité) specializes in quasi-faith allegories, spontaneous acts of violence, long shots, stillness, and other interminable acts of outsider filmmaking. Longtime producer Rachid Bouchareb is at Dumont's side for his latest; given Bouchareb's increased cache and Satan's wildly mixed reviews, consider the bait laid for the art-house sect.

Broken City (2013)

Broken City (2013)  109 min   -   Crime | Drama | Thriller Metascore: 48/100 (25 reviews) In a city rife with injustice, ex-cop Billy Taggart seeks redemption and revenge after being double-crossed and then framed by its most powerful figure: Mayor Nicholas Hostetler. Director:  Allen Hughes Stars:  Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jeffrey Wright

THE BUZZ: From Menace II Society through The Book of Eli, Allen and Albert Hughes always worked in tandem as directors and producers, but Allen has gone solo for this presumably hard-boiled genre film written by Brian Tucker, who has no produced screenplays to his credit but has two projects in development -- a remake of Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Basic Instinct soundalike called The Arrangement. Looking at Mark Wahlberg's upcoming movies, this one almost gets lost in the shuffle; for Russell Crowe, it's a pivotal role between a potential Oscar nomination for Les Misérables and his take on the character Jor-El in the Superman reboot Man of Steel.

Stand Up Guys (2012)

Stand Up Guys (2012)  Comedy | Crime Metascore: 41/100  A pair of aging con men try to get the old gang back together for one last hurrah before one of the guys takes his last assignment -- to kill his comrade. Director:  Fisher Stevens Stars:  Al Pacino, Alan Arkin, Christopher Walken, Julianna Margulies

THE BUZZ: The old pals/last hurrah sub-genre is wheeled back out for a go-round with three actors who could probably do it better without a script. And you have to wait until August for Red 2.