This week’s edition of the movie rankings are a prime example why you should attend film festivals. Out of the seven new additions – not named Oblivion, The Lords of Salem, and Pain & Gain – four of them came from screenings yours truly attended at the 8th annual Sunscreen Film Festival in St. Petersburg, Florida this past weekend. And The Story of Luke, winner of the fest’s best feature honor, is one of the more complete flicks out there. Seek it out my fellow, Shockers.

Here’s how the 2013 movie rankings are shaping up thus far:

1. Side Effects
2. Trance
3. Warm Bodies
4. The Company You Keep
5. Escape from Planet Earth
6. Oz the Great and Powerful
7. Evil Dead
8. 42
9. The Croods
10. 21 and Over
11. The Story of Luke
12. Snitch
13. The K Effect
14. Spring Breakers
15. Louder than Love: The Grande Ballroom Story
16. Beautiful Creatures
17. The Place Beyond the Pines
18. Empire State
19. Gangster Squad
20. Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters
21. Phil Spector
22. The Iceman
23. Dead Man Down
24. Hecho en Mexico
25. Stoker
26. Confine
27. Texas Chainsaw 3D
28. Bless Me, Ultima
29. Mama
30. Broken City
31. Oblivion
32. The Last Stand
33. The Shift
34. Admission
35. Emperor
36. Stand Up Guys
37. Dark Skies
38. Olympus Has Fallen
39. Monk
40. The ABCs of Death
41. The Lords of Salem
42. The Last Exorcism Part II
43. Jack the Giant Slayer
44. The Host
45. Room 237
46. The Call
47. Safe Haven
48. John Dies at the End
49. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
50. A Haunted House
51. Bullet to the Head
52. Identity Thief
53. A Good Day to Die Hard
54. G.I. Joe: Retaliation
55. Parker
56. Pain & Gain
57. 6 Souls
58. Scary Movie 5

Not screened: Movie 43, Phantom, InAPPropriate Comedy, Tyler Perry’s Temptation, Mud

REVIEWS (click on title for full write-up)

OBLIVION

The Lords of Salem

Put it this way, Rob Zombie is a homage filmmaker with amazing ideas. You just wonder if he’ll ever be able to harness enough talent behind-the-lens to match-up with his brilliant mind; which would then lead to the crafting of a sound original story. But he did nail the Halloween remake!

The K Effect

Though it drags a bit wrapping up, you have never seen a documentary directed like this. A brilliant technical game plan easily brings you through its at times dreary subject matter.

Pain & Gain

Look for my full review later this week. It will be scathing. Lot’s of pain and no gain.