Area 51 is everything that's wrong with not only found footage films, but also weak-minded sci-fi thrillers that think crazed talking heads and fuzzy shadows are scary enough.
Mad Max: Fury Road is an artfully crafted adrenaline ride that's powered by Miller's incomparable sense of storytelling through the most primitive, high-speed rawness that's ever been captured on camera.
Pitch Perfect 2 is the bigger, bolder, and more ambitious sequel you'd expect, and despite derivative storytelling, Elizabeth Banks orchestrates an undeniably catchy tune that audiences can happily sing along to.
Time Lapse is a funky little time-travel thriller that blends single-setting suspense with sci-fi tension, and despite some fuzzy logic, it makes for a surprisingly neat watch.
The Connection might seem like a simple cops vs. gangsters story, but Cédric Jimenez's attention to humanistic detail allows for a more weighty and emotional watch versus those films that only focus on shoot-outs and stereotypes.
One of the better found footage movies I've seen over the last few years is a little flick called Grave Encounters. Written and directed by The Vicious Brothers, aka Colin Minihan and Stuart Ortiz, the film blends elements of psychological terror, first-person jolts, and haunted house horror into a story about paranormal investigators and a creepy-ass asylum. It's one of those films about searching for answers you desperately want without thinking of the possible consequences, yet the Vicious Bros. never rely on repetitive genre norms like other lesser copycats.
Birthed from a place of nightmares, "Tiptoe Through The Tulips" captivated modern horror audiences when Rose Byrne heard the eerie track echoing through her home in the first Insidious. A small child runs from room to room, Rose follows, and we get a usual jump scare - but the addition of Tiny Tim's high-pitched serenading adds a level of unsettling dread. It's a song that's otherwise innocent, yet when paired with the right circumstance, the inner hellishness of Tiny Tim's true satanic nature is unlocked and revealed to the world.