"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: "Prisoners" (****)

Jake Gyllenhaal and Hugh Jackman star in "Prisoners"

If 2012 was a banner year for film production in Georgia, 2013 has been what dreams are made of. The Atlanta Film Festival showcased more Georgia indies than ever before, including some of the best I've ever seen—"Congratulations!" and "euphonia." However, we mustn't neglect the films that were shot here but conceived outside of the state's boundaries. Hollywood studio productions that shoot here for the tax credits often use Georgia to double as locations that fit their story better, but the films still use plenty of local talent in terms of both cast and crew. Offering not only our talented actors and craftsmen, Georgia's geographic diversity also speaks for itself—allowing easy access to pretty much any type of setting the filmmakers need. We've already seen plenty of Georgia-shot films released in cinemas and VOD this year, including "42," "The Internship," "Jayne Mansfield's Car," "Killing Season," "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" and "Savannah." Several more releases are lined up for later this year, such as "ACOD," "CBGB," "Anchorman: The Legend Continues" and—the biggie—"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire." But if I were a betting man, I would count on Denis Villeneuve's "Prisoners" to still be one of the best by the time all is said and done.

Villeneuve first gained notice in the late 1990s for his native French Canadian work, but his career took off in 2010 with his Academy Award nominated film, "Incendies" (which coincidentally screened at the 2011 Atlanta Film Festival). Villeneuve's film contains a nearly tangible sense of his precise vision, echoed in the consistency and accountability between the striking visuals and stirring themes embedded deep in the screenplay. Making use of Georgia's bleak 'bridge ices before road' winter, famed cinematographer Roger Deakins turns our coldest season into a murky Pennsylvania fall, setting an unwavering, incredibly icy tone from start to finish. "Prisoners" boasts a stellar, all-star cast, but Deakins' photography is the indisputable standout.