Your Weekend Alternatives, by Tyler Smith

This weekend offers a shockingly bad collection of new theatrical releases, many of them Halloween-themed. There is the dour-yet-stupid The Snowman, directed by Tomas Alfredson, about a Norwegian serial killer. There is Dean Devlin’s Geostorm, a disaster movie starring poor Gerard Butler. Don’t forget Tyler Perry’s Boo 2!, the sequel to his Madea-based horror comedy. And, of course, there is Leatherface, the origin story of the killer from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

By all accounts, these films are pretty awful. Thankfully, we’re in the early weeks of Oscar season, which means there are several other films in theaters right now that are actually worth a look. Currently available are films like The Foreigner, American Made, Wind River, Battle of the Sexes, Marshall, The Florida Project, Loving Vincent, Stronger, Wonderstruck, and The Killing of a Sacred Deer.

Of course, these films aren’t showing everywhere. Many of them are still in limited release. So, I thought I’d suggest some films you can watch at home instead of dragging your ass out to the theater and slapping down fifteen bucks, all just to see a terrible movie in the theater.

So, instead of seeing The Snowman, I’d suggest David Fincher’s Zodiac, Ben Affleck’s Gone Baby Gone, or Michael Haneke’s Funny Games (U.S.).

Rather than Geostorm, check out Sebastian Cordero’s Europa Report, Kerry Conran’s Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, or Frank Marshall’s Alive.

Not in the mood to see Tyler Perry’s latest opus? Try watching Eli Craig’s Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, Joe Dante’s Gremlins, or Mel Brooks’ classic Young Frankenstein.

And, of course, rather than Leatherface, I think you should watch Ryuhei Kitamura’s The Midnight Meat Train, Antonia Bird’s Ravenous, or David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows.

These films are all available on Netflix right now. Many of them you’ve likely already seen, some maybe not. Either way, I’m a firm believer that one need never settle for a mediocre film. There will always be a better one out there.