Here are some of Film Critic Michael Snyder’s favorite movies currently in theaters or on demand:

 POLISSE

An extremely powerful French ensemble drama about the Child Protection unit of the Paris police force. A movie that should be seen, not shunned, for its volatile subject matter — by anyone who cares about the welfare of the innocent and abused and the toll taken on those who defend the helpless.

THE AVENGERS

Epic and intimate, witty and thrilling, this true blockbuster follows the escapades of superheroes Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, the Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye as they band together to save the world. A satisfying culmination of the recent series of live-action movies from Marvel Films with terrific actors, including Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, and Scarlet Johanssen, humanizing the comic-book icons.

 GOD BLESS AMERICA

This bracing mega-dark comedy is writer-director Bobcat Goldthwait’s scathing attack on America’s obsession with celebrity culture, reality TV, and materialism as well as the population’s general coarseness, selfishness and sense of entitlement. A divorced office worker, brilliantly played by Joel Murray, snaps when he loses his job and his ex-wife and daughter turn on him. Teaming with an alienated high-school girl, he goes on a killing spree.

TONIGHT YOU’RE MINE

Gutsy and entertaining romantic comedy about two bickering musicians — a guy and a girl — who find themselves handcuffed together at a rock festival where they are set to perform with their respective bands. Over the course of a day, they start to fall for one another. Actually shot at a renowned Scottish music fest.

SOUND OF MY VOICE

When a couple of fledgling investigative journalists attempt to infiltrate a suburban Southern California cult headed by a mysterious, charismatic young woman, they find themselves in over their heads. A chilling, provocative low-budget mix of psychological drama and found-footage tension.

Originally Broadcast May 21, 2012. Reverend Billy Graham, Jerry Falwell and the Religious Right. With Kevin Rooney, Jimmy Dore, Frank Conniff, and Michael Snyder.

Read More »