"Sicario" Review (****½)

Emily Blunt stars as FBI agent Kate Macer in "Sicario."

French-Canadian director Denis Villeneuve's new addition to his dramatic, suspenseful filmography ("Incendies," "Prisoners") is "Sicario"—a brutal thriller about a government task force and its hunt for a violent drug cartel along the United States/Mexico border. Armed with a brilliant cast and a heart-pounding score, Villeneuve delivers one of the year's most beautifully shot, exhilarating films.

Review: "Everest" (***½)

Editor's note: We're excited to introduce our newest writer, Alexis Ahlzadeh, with this review! We think you'll enjoy her personality and confidence as much as we do. Love to write about the movies you love (or hate)? Email lucy@reelga.com with any interest in contributing. -LD

Josh Brolin stars as Beck Wethers in "Everest."

In previous years, the Venice Film Festival has kicked off its opening night with highly buzzed about, critically-acclaimed films like "Black Swan," "Gravity," and "Birdman." This year, that opening slot belonged to "Everest," the tragically true story of a guided expedition to the top of Mount Everest in 1996. The innate visual grandeur of the journey up Mt. Everest was left to carry the film as it failed to delve into the many interesting characters and artistic aspects that could have set it apart from other stories of its kind.