Friday Flicks: Is Iron Man 3 the Best Blockbuster of the Year?

TIME breaks down which films to see and which to avoid this weekend.

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The Iceman

Tagline: Loving husband. Devoted father. Ruthless killer.

Every week, it seems as though there is a movie “inspired by actual events,” and The Iceman is the latest entry. Richard Kuklinski (Michael Shannon) was the eponymous Iceman, and Israeli-born director Ariel Vromen (Danika) tracks the notorious contract killer from his early days in the mob until his arrest for the murder of more than 100 men (when he was finally caught, in 1986, neither his wife nor daughters knew about his real profession). The impressive cast includes the likes of Winona Ryder, James Franco, Chris Evans and David Schwimmer.

And impressive can pretty much sum up the critical reaction. “A stylish and compellingly grubby attempt to discover what kind of man would be capable of such a prolonged and industrious murder spree,” points out the Daily Telegraph. “This is Shannon’s movie and underlines his status as arguably the most exciting U.S. screen actor since Pacino and De Niro were in their heyday,” raves the Independent. And Variety is almost as giddy, when discussing “a finely chiseled thriller that reflects the cold-blooded efficiency of its murderous subject in every frame and detail.”

TIME REVIEW: A Killer Role for Michael Shannon

NewsFeed’s Flicks Pick: This week has thrown up arguably the best reviewed movies of the year to date and there’s plenty of plus points among the three. The choice depends on whether you want to go down the road marked blockbuster, romance or, ahem, “inspired by actual events.”

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