Cloverfield (2008)
Jan 19, 2008Found Footage Monster Movie
A J.J. Abrams produced film that was made under an absolute pall of secrecy. Released, it turns out to only be a fairly ordinary monster movie that is shot Found Footage style
Drew Goddard
The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
May 13, 2012Meta-Fictional Horror Film
Joss Whedon scripted work that is less a horror film than a meta-horror film that is constantly deconstructing the genre and subverting its cliches. A rare genre entry less about visceral impact than it has brains to spare
World War Z (2013)
Jun 22, 2013Zombie Apocalypse
You wonder what this can do with such an overworked genre as the zombie apocalypse. It is not a film that reinvents the wheel for the genre but spins the basics out into an exciting, international locale hopping survival story
The Martian (2015)
Oct 24, 2015Astronaut Stranded on Mars
This year's Gravity. A film that has worked out the science to the nth degree (and made it digestible for mass audiences). Ridley Scott rides the drama like a pro and makes one of his most enjoyable films in some time
Project Hail Mary (2026)
May 23, 2026Space Expedition/Alien Contact
A popular hit based on a book by Andy Weir, who wrote The Martian, where Ryan Gosling is a scientist who undergoes a space expedition and makes alien contact in an effort to save the Earth