2016 In Film: The Year In Review
A review of the year 2016 in film (based on original theatrical release), ranked in personal preference from best to worst.
Includes up to 10 of the Best Quotes and Scores of the year, along with the Best Performances of the year.
Includes up to 10 of the Best Quotes and Scores of the year, along with the Best Performances of the year.
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- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsKim Min-heeHa Jung-wooCho Jin-woongA woman is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress, but secretly she is involved in a plot to defraud her.Breathtakingly gorgeous; every composition, from the settings, designs, costumes, to the music and the actors -- the entirety of the mise en scène -- is absolute perfection.
A film of twists and turns that are earned because the plot works so well from scene to scene. You don't spend the entire film trying to outguess it but instead are so enraptured by it that it can take you by surprise.
It's also a provocation, one that rides the line between exploitation and art quite daringly. You can justify good chunks of what happens in here, but maybe not all of it (or the extent of it). But taken as a cathartic release from the tyranny of a patriarchal society (and also the Japanese occupation of Korea, which is a subtext I won't pretend to completely understand) it is fitting and has its own brazen clarity. Look on my works, ye Mighty and despair...for you don't get to touch.
<b>Quote of the Year-</b> "I wish that I had breast milk so I could feed you." - Somehow, this quote is earned. Bravo.
<b>Score of the Year-</b> Cho Young-wuk - Gorgerous and stirring.
<b>Scene of the Year-</b> The thimble grinding of the tooth in the bathtub. This is foreplay, literally and figuratively. It's the first time you realize something else is going on, and the tension between the implied sexuality of it and the audience wondering if their the ones imagining it is exactly what the characters are feeling too. Sound design and acting perfection. - DirectorDamien ChazelleStarsRyan GoslingEmma StoneRosemarie DeWittWhile navigating their careers in Los Angeles, a pianist and an actress fall in love while attempting to reconcile their aspirations for the future.The perfect amalgamation of Hollywood past and present. The slow transition from the wistful allure of dreams to the tangible pop of reality. The music and the songs are instant classic (by the second viewing it felt like coming home they fit so snugly and felt so right).
What the epilogue suggests is not "what could have been", so much as "what could never be." Life is a beautiful breathtaking musical of love and passion and romance and adventure, even if it doesn't end up how you think and doesn't follow a tightly scripted path. If you spend too much time worrying about why your life isn't a Hollywood fairy tale romance, you will miss out on the musicality and the truth of the present. Classic musicals are a state of mind not a state of being. - DirectorDavid MackenzieStarsChris PineBen FosterJeff BridgesToby is a divorced father who's trying to make a better life. His brother is an ex-con with a short temper and a loose trigger finger. Together, they plan a series of heists against the bank that's about to foreclose on their family ranch.<b>Scene of the Year-</b> Final scene of the film. The rugged back and forth, so much tension implied without them having to explicitly say it. They both lost someone, one of them right, the other empathetic.
- DirectorBarry JenkinsStarsMahershala AliNaomie HarrisTrevante RhodesA young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.A singular and personal vision. An expression of a feeling, a mood, a time and place that together form empathy, understanding, and art. It's a film of moments, moments weighted with the unseen and the deeply felt with the help of three different superb actors at different times, having to convey all that's changed and unchanged without any exposition.
The soundtrack is gorgeous, capturing the sublime and the superficial, the life and the atmosphere of the piece.
I want to nitpick the ending but it's not yet time for that. Maybe I just wanted more, but that doesn't necessarily mean the film is at fault. I would simply ask, "What's the message here, if any? It gets better...eventually and kinda randomly?" - DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsBlake JennerTyler HoechlinRyan GuzmanIn 1980, a group of college baseball players navigate their way through the freedoms and responsibilities of unsupervised adulthood.
- DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsAmy AdamsJeremy RennerForest WhitakerA linguist works with the military to communicate with alien lifeforms after twelve mysterious spacecraft appear around the world.This is good old fashioned cerebral, heady, thought-provoking science-fiction. It's also a somber picture; one that tries ambitiously to meld the heart with the mind. It mostly works, though in spite of what many are calling a formulaic plot (it's necessary, I think, and part of a larger theme).
Amy Adams is basically herself but with the usual variations; this is her as stern, determined, soft-spoken thinker, broken or maybe always has been. It's a subtly engaging performance, the kind Adams has been doing great work with for a while now.
The score is foreboding and ominous, fitting in not just with sci-fi history but also the kind of emotional tinkering Arrival plays with. Villenueve is a master of slow building suspense using striking and casual compositions in alternating rhythms.
I wish Renner had been given more to do, more depth, more anything really. And I really wish the decoding of the language wasn't glossed over in a montage. It was built up as an incredibly complex and nearly impossible task, and then suddenly they had made really good progress with it. A few more minutes could have done wonders here. - DirectorJeff NicholsStarsMichael ShannonJoel EdgertonKirsten DunstA father and son go on the run, pursued by the government and a cult drawn to the child's special powers.A touching father-son road trip movie with a sci-fi twist. Michael Shannon is brilliant as usual. It's amazing how low-key most of this film is. It truly is more interested in the family dynamic, the protective power of the parent over the child, than it is in mythology and explanation.
- DirectorTerrence MalickStarsChristian BaleCate BlanchettNatalie PortmanA writer indulging in all that Los Angeles and Las Vegas have to offer, undertakes a search for love and self via a series of adventures with six different women.This is very much a "Malick" film. It's no secret that his late stage resurgence has become increasingly insular; image driven, sensory experiences with less and less in the way of conventional plot. "To the Wonder", and now this, are the culmination of his oeuvre for better and worse. He's making straight stream of consciousness films now, too old to care about pleasing any audience or studio.
Only true auteurs can get away with this kind of reckless artistic abandon, and Malick surely is one. But just like with anyone else, it's also not a perfect system. In his quest to stop striving for perfection and trying to please everyone, there are going to be hits and misses. "To the Wonder" suffered from a lack of focus. It felt like a 15 minute scene from one of his other, better movies, stretched to full film length. "Knight of Cups" fares better, though it's still not perfect.
Like "To the Wonder", "Knight of Cups" is a one note premise stretched too thin. Hollywood is shallow, life has no meaning, drugs, women, money, etc. For my money though, "Cups" does strike some actual chords, getting close to revelations through that special Malick touch. The cinematography is tremendous, as usual, and the music memorable and apt. The titular story, which is told in voice over throughout the course of the film, has relevance and feels like an organic part of the film.
I have a feeling this late career films are going to be divisive. Each one will speak to someone in a different way, or not speak at all. That's not a bad thing.
Quote of the Year- "See the palm trees? They tell you anything's possible."
The Hollywood dream machine this movie indicts in one perfect, succinct thought. - DirectorNicolas Winding RefnStarsElle FanningChristina HendricksKeanu ReevesAn aspiring model, Jesse, is new to Los Angeles. However, her beauty and youth, which generate intense fascination and jealousy within the fashion industry, may prove themselves sinister.The Neon Demon leans heavily on "it's the journey not the destination" and Ebert's famous line about how it's not what the film is about, it's how it is about it. Impeccably shot, gorgeously hypnotic, with stellar performances (that robotic acting is a statement), pulsing music and a non-stop permeating sense of ill-at-ease.
It's too bad that ultimately the script doesn't live up to the filmmaking prowess (is it any surprise that NWR's best film is "Drive", the one he did not actually write?) Most of the blame should be put on the ending, not because it's bad necessarily, but that it is so flabbergastingly obvious, with over-the-top compensations that it feels a bit like a cop out, the proverbial towel being thrown bloodily and raggedly in.
Quote of the Year- "Beauty isn't everything. It's the only thing."
Score of the Year- Cliff Martinez
Scene of the Year- Eating eyeball? Necro? Triangle?
Shot of the Year- Triangle? LA? - DirectorFede AlvarezStarsStephen LangJane LevyDylan MinnetteHoping to walk away with a massive fortune, a trio of thieves break into the house of a blind man who isn't as helpless as he seems.
- DirectorTravis KnightStarsCharlize TheronArt ParkinsonMatthew McConaugheyA young boy named Kubo must locate a magical suit of armour worn by his late father in order to defeat a vengeful spirit from the past.
- DirectorKaryn KusamaStarsLogan Marshall-GreenEmayatzy CorinealdiMichiel HuismanWhen a man accepts an invitation to a dinner party hosted by his ex-wife, the unsettling past reopens old wounds and creates new tensions.Another in a series of cult-minded horror movies that have been enjoying a renaissance of sorts lately. A dinner party in the Hollywood Hills, between old friends, and an ex-couple with a dead son whom they both grieve in their own ways (ostensibly leading to their divorce).
What happens is an exploration of those classic themes, grief and acceptance, with a a modern twist. Characters are well-drawn, the acting is good to great all around, and there's genuine suspense. What's missing is surprise or newness. With this kind of story it's easy to guess where it's going, and while the ride there is fun and well crafted, it still has that common destination. There's an almost twist at the end, that plays like one, but in reality is nothing but a coda for things to come, and quickly, after that. - DirectorRobert EggersStarsAnya Taylor-JoyRalph InesonKate DickieA family in 1630s New England is torn apart by the forces of witchcraft, black magic and possession.Creepy and authentic. There's a lot to like here, but also that nagging sense of too much control and restraint. The best horror movies feel like they can careen out of control at any second, like you're in the hands of a madman--even when the movie is sly and subtle and restrained, i.e. Halloween or Alien--but that's not quite the case here. It's fussy and temperamental; the eye for horror without any of the feeling.
But there are scenes that conjure some of that black magic (including a nasty opening scene involving the titular hag and a kidnapped baby) and a great sense of place and space with strong performances all around. - DirectorEthan CoenJoel CoenStarsJosh BrolinGeorge ClooneyAlden EhrenreichA Hollywood fixer in the 1950s works to keep the studio's stars in line.Good fun. Full of lots of Old Hollywood homages, sly winks and nods and knowing humor. It's a movie I'm sure will be more appreciated on repeat viewings. As it is, it feels slight; not being overtly hilarious (The Big Lebowski) nor earnestly human (Raising Arizona) nor cuttingly satirical (Burn After Reading) enough to completely sell itself on its own merits.
The "Would that it were so simple" scene is an instant classic.
Would that it were so simple? - DirectorTom FordStarsAmy AdamsJake GyllenhaalMichael ShannonA wealthy art gallery owner is haunted by her ex-husband's novel, a violent thriller she interprets as a symbolic revenge tale.An interesting and beautifully framed film that works very well from scene to scene. But it's overall impact left me cold and wanting. It's exploration of a superficial group of people may have wound up too much so.
- DirectorShane BlackStarsRussell CroweRyan GoslingAngourie RiceIn 1970s Los Angeles, a mismatched pair of private eyes investigate a missing girl and the mysterious death of a porn star.Holly: [At party] Dad, there are whores here n'stuff.
Holland March: Don't say n'stuff. Just say, Dad, there are whores here. - DirectorDan TrachtenbergStarsJohn GoodmanMary Elizabeth WinsteadJohn Gallagher Jr.A young woman is held in an underground bunker by a man who insists that a hostile event has left the surface of the Earth uninhabitable.Basically a well executed thriller that manages to mine tension from well trod ground (that is confined space female kidnapping plots).
But where the plot becomes it's own, in an ingenious twist, is in the central mystery of "what happened above ground." Because the answer is revealed quickly, not kept in a box until the answer doesn't deliver. Then the film becomes, "what happens if my insane and deranged kidnapper (so good, John Goodman) is actually right about everything he says, and no one can leave the fallout shelter, but this guy IS still damn crazy."
I would have liked to see this twist get one more comeuppance at the end (by the time his Martian rantings are proven true he's already dead and the film instantly switches gears). It's too bad because it's by far the most interesting part of the story.
Parts of the film definitely have an Abrams touch; the quick flashy action scenes, where logic and sense cease to exist because everything is over so fast it doesn't have time to register as ludicrous. As a result of this, Mary Elizabeth Winstead's Michelle turns into MacGuyver in some scenes (she figures out how to save herself and destroy a giant alien spaceship in about 2 seconds flat with only some junk lying around a pickup's floor).
Richard Brody called the score "overly insistent" and that's just about perfect. It's obnoxious and distracting, especially towards the beginning.
Still, the movie works and many parts of the film are undeniably effective. An auspicious directing debut for Dan Trachtenberg. - DirectorJeremy SaulnierStarsAnton YelchinImogen PootsAlia ShawkatA punk rock band is forced to fight for survival after witnessing a murder at a neo-Nazi skinhead bar.
- DirectorMel GibsonStarsAndrew GarfieldSam WorthingtonLuke BraceyWorld War II American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, serving during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people and becomes the first man in American history to receive the Medal of Honor without firing a shot.Corny as hell but also vital, intense and at times truly transporting. The chaos of war is wholly apparent here. It's not just quick edits, it's cohesive editing done quickly and with precision to create impact. It's astonishing how powerful some of these scenes are.
But all the drama doesn't really work. Or it works like you expect but even cheesier and more obvious than you thought possible. Garfield is good, but his good old boy voice sums up this movie perfectly. What the hell is that mixed up with all this other good? Why is the dichotomy so alarming? If it's intentional it doesn't work. - DirectorWoody AllenStarsJesse EisenbergKristen StewartSteve CarellIn the 1930s, a Bronx native moves to Hollywood and falls in love with a young woman who is seeing a married man.A nice nostalgia trip. Gorgeous golden cinematography and subtle performances. It's a surprisingly dark movie, unsurprisingly melancholic.
It actually makes for an interesting pair with La La Land (which is what I did, inadvertently). They share similar old-fashioned themes and a love for old Hollywood, with a similar resolve about the fate of living and loving. Though for me, LLL sticks the landing better. - DirectorDavid LoweryStarsBryce Dallas HowardRobert RedfordOakes FegleyThe adventures of an orphaned boy named Pete and his best friend Elliott, who happens to be a dragon.
- DirectorJake SzymanskiStarsZac EfronAdam DevineAnna KendrickTwo hard-partying brothers place an online ad to find the perfect dates for their sister's Hawaiian wedding. Hoping for a wild getaway, the boys instead find themselves out-hustled by an uncontrollable duo.
- DirectorNa Hong-jinStarsJun KunimuraHwang Jung-minKwak Do-wonSoon after a stranger arrives in a little village, a mysterious sickness starts spreading. A policeman, drawn into the incident, is forced to solve the mystery in order to save his daughter.I kept having to pause this which I don't recommend as a way of watching this film; it's almost entirely based on the total buy-in of mind, body and soul into the atmosphere and action presented within. Losing that ride through the world, having to re-enter it and engage mentally again creates a disconnect and a discordance.
The plot is either nonsensical beyond belief or so stupidly straight-forward considering its running time that that's the only reasonable explanation. I don't know.
I do know that the seance/exorcism scene is incredible and hypnotic, even as you realize you don't understand what it is the shaman is doing; not that you're meant to in this case, but it's an apt metaphor for the whole film. - DirectorGareth EdwardsStarsFelicity JonesDiego LunaAlan TudykIn a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire's ultimate weapon of destruction.Mostly good fun. The new characters seem interesting, but probably don't get enough depth. I like the underlying theme of the unsung heroes of the rebellion though I'm not sure if it ever really rang true in the end. It's mostly there as a sign post and when the main characters die it feels more like a necessary act for the films that follow as opposed to any kind of inevitability about the sacrifices and futility of war.
Mikkelsen is a bit wasted and he shouldn't have been. Mendelsohn is good, though I wish he would have gotten some juicier scenes (the opening confrontation between these two is probably the best for both).
There's a bit too much fan service in this. The CGI Tarkin and Leia aren't necessary. They were distracting and are going to age extremely poorly. It was fine for them to do it, but close-ups of their faces was needless. They should have kept the shots wide and distant, and up close with their backs turned. Vader kicking ass was both cool and eye-roll inducing. I still don't know how to feel about that. Is there nothing sacred anymore? - DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsBrad PittMarion CotillardJared HarrisIn 1942, a Canadian intelligence officer in North Africa encounters a female French Resistance fighter on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. When they reunite in London, their relationship is tested by the pressures of war.A fun adventure where every scene plays extremely well and yet something still winds up missing. I think Marion Cotillard's Marianne gets the short end of the stick here. The whole movie plays off the premise of "is she or isn't she" and yet when we find out, we don't really get an idea of why besides the basic expository one.
Everything has been done when it comes to storytelling (or so they say), but it's doubly so when you don't give your characters enough life to stand out, to feel different than what's come before. And that's mostly what happens here. She's a type and not flesh and blood. It's hard to feel her pain. - DirectorScott DerricksonStarsBenedict CumberbatchChiwetel EjioforRachel McAdamsWhile on a journey of physical and spiritual healing, a brilliant neurosurgeon is drawn into the world of the mystic arts.Perfectly enjoyable fun. Sound familiar? Doctor Strange being a
different kind of hero doesn't really excuse most of this film's
conventional plotting.
There's a much more interesting film in here, one in which Mads
Mikkelsen isn't the main villain (yet) and getting in the way of the
hero's journey and in which Tilda Swinton is even more ambiguous. Her obvious parallels to Stephen are perfectly apt and yet not allowed enough time to breathe and spin. It's all a last minute reveal and then a call to arms because plot and all is well because plot.
A lot has been made of the "trippy" special effects, and I guess they
are compared to the traditional visuals employed in these types of
movies. But let's not get carried away. Besides the travels through
space and mind it's mostly buildings moving around like they're in
Inception.
I didn't buy the last end credits scene. Useless and not earned. I'm
sick of hero's with photographic memories. Let the hero be exceptional on their own merits. Action scenes could be less choppily edited. But still, it's fun in ways other recent Marvel movies haven't been. - DirectorAndrew StantonAngus MacLaneStarsEllen DeGeneresAlbert BrooksEd O'NeillFriendly but forgetful blue tang Dory begins a search for her long-lost parents and everyone learns a few things about the real meaning of family along the way.
- DirectorJames WanStarsVera FarmigaPatrick WilsonMadison WolfeEd and Lorraine Warren travel to North London to help a single mother raising four children alone in a house plagued by a supernatural spirit.Scene of the Year- Nun room
Shot of the Year- Nun shadow - DirectorCan EvrenolStarsMehmet CerrahogluGörkem KasalErgun KuyucuA squad of unsuspecting cops go through a trapdoor to Hell when they stumble upon a Black Mass in an abandoned building.Baskin is a surreal hear-trip invitation to a black mass. What
starts as an atmospheric cop thriller, set in some backwoods Turkish
town most definitely doesn't end that way. I couldn't tell you what
exactly this movie was on about; it becomes a back and forth between two different plot strands that incoherently come together to signify nothing, not just in terms of meaning but also in tension, drama or audience engagement.
But it doesn't matter as much as you may think. This film has its own unique aura, one that can't be denied, and it makes you feel you've witnessed something that you shouldn't have. There is some truly twisted stuff in this film, some of it probably a tad too much (not in terms of good taste but in a comical form of one-upmanship with itself).
Mad props to the best horror heavy of the year, *beep* Mehmet Cerrahoglu as Baba. May he haunt every child's nightmares for the entirety of their formative lives. - DirectorDavid YatesStarsEddie RedmayneKatherine WaterstonAlison SudolIn 1926, magizoologist Newt Scamander arrives in New York during his worldwide tour to research and rescue magical creatures as something mysterious leaves trails of destruction in the city, threatening to expose the wizarding world.There's some really good world-building in this film. America in the 1920's? Absolutely brilliant what is done with it. It feels like a very organic extension of the Harry Potter universe; like it has always been this way and we are peeking back in time in a fictional universe (and not like a different universe altogether, or just shameless fandom branding).
However the plot leaves a lot to be desired. The "Fantastic Beasts" wrapper doesn't wind up nearly as exciting as the world around it. It's a very basic fetch quest type story that merely serves to introduce new characters and places and things; it also serves to dumb-down and grind the interesting stuff to a halt. The action scenes aren't great -- choppy, bad CGI, mindlessness (though not the mating dance which was a real delight) -- they go on a tad too long and don't add much overall.
Rowling clearly knows what she's doing, yet for some reason resorted to a paint-by-numbers plot to get her points across. Maybe it was studio interference (albeit only for the first film, to re-introduce things in a simple way) or maybe all the good stuff is being saved for later (ugh, world-building).
Sorcerer's Stone used a fairly simple plot to build a world, yet it felt like an organic extension of what we were seeing and how it was being shaped and presented to us. Here it feels cheap, unfinished and of two disparate ideas. - DirectorAnthony RussoJoe RussoStarsChris EvansRobert Downey Jr.Scarlett JohanssonPolitical involvement in the Avengers' affairs causes a rift between Captain America and Iron Man.Scene of the Year- Brawl
- DirectorJon FavreauStarsNeel SethiBill MurrayBen KingsleyAfter a threat from the tiger Shere Khan forces him to flee the jungle, a man-cub named Mowgli embarks on a journey of self discovery with the help of panther Bagheera and free-spirited bear Baloo."Clean, cleverly judged, and hypercontrolled. It represents, in short, the state of the art. Without disputing that, I would simply ask, What art?" -Anthony Lane
As succinct and accurate a sentiment as can be expressed about modern big budget filmmaking. I liked the film but I just feel so cold thinking about it afterwards. - DirectorRob ZombieStarsMalcolm McDowellRichard BrakeJeff Daniel PhillipsFive carnival workers are kidnapped and held hostage in an abandoned, hellish compound where they are forced to participate in a violent game, the goal of which is to survive twelve hours against a gang of sadistic clowns.It's one of Zombie's lesser works probably, but there's still enough going on here to recommend.
Richard Brake as "Doom-head". This should have been the movie. He gives a breathtaking, mesmerizing, screen-grabbing performance full of dread, anger, humor, and psychosis. He is the beating, blistering id of this film. More of him in anything and everything in the future please (this would go down as one of the great villain performances in horror history if the rest of the movie were up to snuff and had wider reach -- actually it still might).
The simple premise of this film really seems to belie something else going on beneath the surface. Something about the rich destroying and using the poor, the way we feed on each other, the gratification we get from it and so on. The action scenes are so choppy and blurry and poorly edited that it seems to become the point. Why can't we enjoy this? Why aren't we allowed to see the carnage in the moment? Only the aftermath, the blood on the walls.
I'm probably reading too much into it, but this film also offers a Mexican Nazi midget and an assortment of other villains that are pure off the wall Zombie so there's that too.
"Look into the eyes of a true Champion!"
"I ain't no *beep* clown."
These are both almost instant classic quotes, all courtesy of one Richard Brake. - DirectorPaul FeigStarsMelissa McCarthyKristen WiigKate McKinnonFollowing a ghost invasion of Manhattan, paranormal enthusiasts Erin Gilbert and Abby Yates, nuclear engineer Jillian Holtzmann, and subway worker Patty Tolan band together to stop the otherworldly threat.
- DirectorJames DeMonacoStarsFrank GrilloElizabeth MitchellMykelti WilliamsonFormer Police Sergeant Barnes becomes head of security for Senator Charlie Roan, a Presidential candidate targeted for death on Purge night due to her vow to eliminate the Purge.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsMark RylanceRuby BarnhillPenelope WiltonAn orphan little girl befriends a benevolent giant who takes her to Giant Country, where they attempt to stop the man-eating giants that are invading the human world.
- DirectorTodd PhillipsStarsJonah HillMiles TellerSteve LantzLoosely based on the true story of two young men, David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli, who won a three hundred million dollar contract from the Pentagon to arm America's allies in Afghanistan.
- DirectorMike FlanaganStarsJohn Gallagher Jr.Kate SiegelMichael TruccoA deaf and mute writer who retreated into the woods to live a solitary life must fight for her life in silence when a masked killer appears at her window.This is a simple genre exercise, nothing more. Its premise is sound and uncomplicated -- a blind woman attached in her cabin in the woods all alone at night -- and the storytelling and characters basically non-existent in service of thrills and chills.
The problem is, it's competently made, but it offers nothing new outside its set-up. It's neither an interesting story/character study, nor some crazy new take on the genre, so tight and intense as to become profound in and of itself. It's pleasing enough and then forgettable.
My biggest gripe is that although the deaf angle provides a few unique scenes (including a ridiculous opening wherein her neighbor gets stabbed by a window right next to her which she doesn't hear, neglecting her peripheral vision which should be heightened) it doesn't matter nearly enough. It's forgotten for stretches and only serves as an easy way to let the killer sneak up on her. There's no tension from how much sound she's making as she's sneaking around, something she would have no way of gauging, or scenes where the audience is blanked into her silence (there's an occasional glitchy static sound meant to represent her hearing but it's not used for much) nor anything else completely unique like that. - DirectorJustin LinStarsChris PineZachary QuintoKarl UrbanThe crew of the USS Enterprise explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a new ruthless enemy, who puts them, and everything the Federation stands for, to the test.The story, plotting and villain feel so generic and slight; neither Roddenberry Trek nor even the writing touch of Pegg are noticeable.
The cast is still spot on (new character Jaylah is a delight) and there's fun to be had but it's not anything that would feel unique or special outside the Trek fan service, homages and universe. - DirectorClint EastwoodStarsTom HanksAaron EckhartLaura LinneyWhen pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger lands his damaged plane on the Hudson River in order to save the flight's passengers and crew, some consider him a hero while others think he was reckless.
- DirectorJodie FosterStarsGeorge ClooneyJulia RobertsJack O'ConnellFinancial TV host Lee Gates and his producer Patty are put in an extreme situation when an irate investor takes them and their crew as hostage.I wanted to like this, really, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it was a lot of "relevant" hoopla for a been there done that story. The bad guy is caught and all is good right? Yeah, it's not that easy and I wish the movie had had more cojones at the end to own up to how messy this all really is and how there are no easy answers and no scenarios where "catching the bad guy" makes everything all right.
- DirectorHenry JoostAriel SchulmanStarsEmma RobertsDave FrancoEmily MeadeA high school senior finds herself immersed in an online game of truth or dare, where her every move starts to become manipulated by an anonymous community of "watchers."Surprisingly enjoyable for a while, even while you're spotting all the obvious ways it's manipulating and pulling you where it wants. But it really craters at the end, pushing its timely and important message right in your face and slapping you repeatedly with it until nothing and no one can breathe anymore.
There was a better way to follow through with this storyline and there were definitely way more uses for a completely unappreciated Juliette Lewis. - DirectorRoxanne BenjaminMatt Bettinelli-OlpinDavid BrucknerStarsChad VillellaMatt Bettinelli-OlpinKristina PesicFive interlocking tales of terror follow the fates of a group of weary travellers who confront their worst nightmares - and darkest secrets - over one long night on a desolate stretch of desert highway.What's really the most fun about this film is how all the segments, while being original stories in their own right, are all tied together in some way so that everything that happens feels like it's all connected (there seem to be some theories out there about this, and while I picked up on some of it, I don't think any of it matters much in the grand scheme of things--it's just for good fun, nothing profound).
The first segment is also the last in a way, the so-called wraparound. It's directed by the group Radio Silence, who had one of the better segments in the original V/H/S but whose Devil's Due was a trainwreck. Unfortunately this segment is closer to the latter. There are some creatures seeking payment, "looking to collect" as one character puts it. These creatures inspire dread at first, but are quickly shown way too much and their CGI feel detracts overall. On the other end is a basic home invasion part that lasts way too long until the reveal of how it ties together.
The second segment, "Siren", is an interesting oddity until you realize it has nowhere to go and nothing to say. It sets you up with a subplot about grief and some genuine unease (and great chemistry between the leads) but then it just goes casually and boringly stupid. The best part about it is the transition to the next segment.
The third segment, "The Accident", is quite good and probably the best of the bunch. It's about a guy trying to save a woman's life after hitting her with his car. The only person he can "find", is the 911 operator on his phone. He goes through a creepy abandoned hospital and performs surgery all while listening to the laughing delight of more and more listeners on the other end of his phone. It's a weird one and transfixing.
The fourth segment, "Jailbreak", is also quite good. It's probably the trippiest of the bunch. It's about a guy who is trying to save his long missing sister from a parallel dimension he doesn't begin to understand--and that she doesn't want to leave. There isn't much else to this one, just unease and a brooding efficiency leading to a final scene you probably saw coming. - DirectorTim MillerStarsRyan ReynoldsMorena BaccarinT.J. MillerA wisecracking mercenary gets experimented on and becomes immortal yet hideously scarred, and sets out to track down the man who ruined his looks.
- DirectorNicholas StollerStarsSeth RogenRose ByrneZac EfronWhen their new next-door neighbors turn out to be a sorority even more debaucherous than the fraternity that lived there before, Mac and Kelly team with their former enemy, Teddy, to bring the girls down.Pretty much shambles even by low-stakes unnecessary sequel standards. But it's pretty funny, mostly.
- DirectorByron HowardRich MooreJared BushStarsGinnifer GoodwinJason BatemanIdris ElbaIn a city of anthropomorphic animals, a rookie bunny cop and a cynical con artist fox must work together to uncover a conspiracy.I guess this is about prejudices and discrimination of all kinds but I don't think it's very smart or incisive, or even particularly clever or witty. It picks the prejudices it wants to deal with and mostly sticks to those, while also undermining those same messages by reducing many others to those same kinds of stereotyping (rednecks, Italian mafioso, etc) and there doesn't seem to be any indication this is intentional or meant as subversiveness.
Maybe it doesn't matter that much, this movie isn't meant to be a deep and thorough undertaking but it still hurts the film when its messages are blatantly obvious and screamed in your face and then slyly ignored when there's plot needed and a joke to be had.
The rest of it is pretty standard modern animated pop-culturally aware farce. - DirectorMike FlanaganStarsElizabeth ReaserLulu WilsonAnnalise BassoIn 1967 Los Angeles, a widowed mother and her daughters add a new stunt to bolster their seance scam business by inviting an evil presence into their home, not realizing how dangerous it is.Mike Flanagan just gets so close yet again, yet falls disappointingly short. Oculus is still his best work, and the promise that both Hush and this prequel to a PG-13 board game prequel show, is that if given the right opportunity he might really be capable of a cold-blooded classic.
This is a film that shouldn't exist, should never have gotten theatrical distribution and definitely shouldn't have attracted the likes of Flanagan (okay, he probably did this to increase his clout in the industry, but still). He musters some great work here, following familiar supernatural cliches but bringing his own touch to the proceedings.
The setting is beautiful, the characters likable and not completely square. The atmosphere is given time to build, he luxuriates in teasing and messing with audience expectations (as a way of spiting this, and goosing the audience lulled into a slow burn placation, he includes an explosive scene wherein the actual demon is seen shoving his fist down the little girl's throat. It's both too much and a necessary jolt at the time, a conundrum if ever there was one and a small encapsulation of everything right and wrong within this film).
It's too bad some of the nice work done in the first 2/3rds of the film is undone by a cliched, boring, exorcism-lite finale. None of it is very scary, and it all has the feel of fitting into the "Ouija" franchise package, whatever in God's name that could mean. Considering the stakes here, what Flanagan does is still impressive. - DirectorDavid AyerStarsWill SmithJared LetoMargot RobbieA secret government agency recruits some of the most dangerous incarcerated super-villains to form a defensive task force. Their first mission: save the world from the apocalypse.
- DirectorDavid F. SandbergStarsTeresa PalmerGabriel BatemanMaria BelloRebecca must unlock the terror behind her little brother's experiences that once tested her sanity, bringing her face to face with a supernatural spirit attached to their mother.A solid backbone is here. The storyline is simple, but effective and creepy. The darkness gimmick works well and provides a few decent scares. The cast is game. It just never evolves. It never ups the horror quotient. It is exactly what you think it is and it never challenges that notion or brings it to the next level.
- DirectorJaume Collet-SerraStarsBlake LivelyÓscar JaenadaAngelo Josue Lozano CorzoA mere 200 yards from shore, surfer Nancy is attacked by a great white shark, with her short journey to safety becoming the ultimate contest of wills.The Shallows just does not work. Not for overt reasons but for many small ones that add up to complete indifference. The film takes the smart "Jaws" road and reveals the shark slowly, however it never amounts to much. It's shown right away briefly, attacks giant dead whales and leaps out of the water to decapitate guys yet somehow because those glimpses are mere blips, that terror is supposed to still be there. It's not.
Blake Lively is mostly good, however her backstory is both too much and too little. She apparently does most of her own surfing yet you wouldn't know it from the awful photoshopping of her face in the close-ups during the more dangerous waves (once you see some CGI like that you can't take any of it seriously. It's an instant tune-out of the mind).
The movie devolves at times into a survival thriller but not a very good one. She's eating live crabs within 6 hours of being stranded (just to spite a seagull wittily named Steven, who we are supposed to love but is only ever treated with disdain). She also uses her doctoral skills to sew herself up quite resourcefully, thought it's hard to tell what exactly she does leading to the feeling that it just doesn't make any logical sense.
Ultimately, this movie, with its stripped down premise, needed tense, taut direction. What it got is shambly, choppily edited and ineffectual. - DirectorJosh GordonWill SpeckStarsJason BatemanOlivia MunnT.J. MillerWhen his uptight CEO sister threatens to shut down his branch, the branch manager throws an epic Christmas party in order to land a big client and save the day, but the party gets way out of hand...Not nearly as crazy unhinged as you're hoping. This is after all from (some?) of the writers of The Hangover, and we know that their talk about the madness is way better than the actual thing (see also: Hangover sequels, 21 & Over, Bad Moms, etc). This also explains why the first Hangover is the only one that really works -- it's all after the fact.
What you've got here is an old-fashioned Christmas redemption story with a likable cast (Olivia Munn being just one of the boys and inventing new hardware by being a good programmer, err...what?) and a bit of new-fashioned raunch. - DirectorZack SnyderStarsBen AffleckHenry CavillAmy AdamsBatman is manipulated by Lex Luthor to fear Superman. Superman´s existence is meanwhile dividing the world and he is framed for murder during an international crisis. The heroes clash and force the neutral Wonder Woman to reemerge.Just doesn't work. It's overstuffed and incoherent. Part of that is poor writing, part is poor filmmaking, part is poor planning. There are flashes of a better film in here, but they don't stick.
It wants to be quite literally everything. The be all end all. Yet, we already know this is all just universe building. We know sequels are coming. We know because that's the marketing, because it's forecast in the film itself. And yet, Superman still "dies" at the end. They still fight the greatest enemy ever. It all feels like a farce. Nothing here matters, not does it even try to.
Shot of the Year- Superman god - DirectorAnthony Scott BurnsKevin KölschNicholas McCarthyStarsMadeleine CoghlanSavannah KennickRick Peters'Holidays' is an anthology feature film that puts a uniquely dark and original spin on some of the most iconic and beloved holidays of all time by challenging our folklore, traditions and assumptions.Some good, some bad, but mostly average segments in this anthology film with a fitting horror premise.
Valentine's Day - So far overdone that even if it had wit or panache it couldn't have been saved.
St. Patrick's Day - There's almost something here but it's either stupid beyond belief or containing a premise not meant for a short. Bewildering.
Easter - Really solid overall (with a great Easter Bunny costume/makeup job) but goes nowhere fast.
Mother's Day - Interesting to a point, but it's been done and the ending doesn't work.
Father's Day - Really well made and creepy, but it goes exactly where you expect and doesn't seem to mean much more than that.
Halloween - Ok Kevin Smith, this is lame and gross and not nearly funny enough.
Christmas - Entertaining enough.
New Year's Eve - Good solid fun. Exactly how a segment of this should be. Really solid twist that doesn't need to be a "gotcha" moment to work. - DirectorAntoine FuquaStarsDenzel WashingtonChris PrattEthan HawkeSeven gunmen from a variety of backgrounds are brought together by a vengeful young widow to protect her town from the private army of a destructive industrialist.Even with its great cast and expensive look it never rose above mediocrity for me. It felt safe and lacking in genuine excitement.
- DirectorMichael BayStarsJohn KrasinskiPablo SchreiberJames Badge DaleDuring an attack on a U.S. compound in Libya, a security team struggles to make sense out of the chaos.A good story reduced to its simplest terms but Bay stills find a way to reduce it even more, mostly through its lack of subtlety and its cacophonous and interminable battle scenes that lose their tension from sheer force of gluttonous will.
- DirectorAdam WingardStarsJames Allen McCuneCallie HernandezCorbin ReidAfter discovering a video showing what he believes to be his vanished sister Heather, James and a group of friends head to the forest believed to be inhabited by the Blair Witch.The only reason this movie had any glimmer of hope was that of director Adam Wingard, who after You're Next and The Guest could do no wrong, at least within the genre community. This was an interesting choice for him to break mainstream and on paper probably made sense. However, the combination of this film NOT actually fitting Wingard's talents and the general feeling that Blair Witch is an un-sequelizable film fed its own demise. The proverbial lightning in a bottle, as it were, cryptically out of reach.
What the movie really suffers from, is a lack of ingenuity and uniqueness. Not just within the confined realm of the opaque "Blair Witch" mythology (if anything, it should have resisted that ghoulish urge) but also within the dried-out decrepit husk of the found-footage film.
Wingard doesn't try to bring anything new to tried and true conventions (or wasn't allowed, but who knows), so much as apply a little muster on top of it to hope it works one last time. It mostly doesn't. Half the scares are tediously obvious, the other half mostly unknowable sudden explosions of noise or movement (the "jump" scare, a term used too loosely to signify any attempt at fraying the audience's nerves. There's a right way to do it, and sparingly, ask Johhny C).
The little bits of mythology (those wooden figures, standing in the corner, etc) are overused, though thankfully not expanded upon. There's a hint at something new in the form of a cut on the bottom of one woman's foot, but this winds up not amounting to much, at least in terms of pay-off, tension or surprise.
The ending actually contains some myriad degrees of tension, truly earned and the result of well-shot and constructed scenes. But again, there's no payoff. They don't mean much, especially the blistering ending which seems to be leading to a great movie-style haunted house freak-out traverse before suddenly cutting to black by way of a baffling character decision.
Maybe Wingard isn't meant to be a straight-forward terror machine, he prefers his comedy and his genre machinations. He also prefers well-thought out soundtracks (and at least in The Guest, some elaborate set decoration and lighting). This isn't the first time a horror director has faltered trying to re-establish a dormant franchise, or by sticking their hand in the found-footage garbage disposal. - DirectorConrad VernonGreg TiernanStarsSeth RogenKristen WiigJonah HillA sausage leads a group of supermarket products on a journey to discover the truth about their existence and what really happens when they are picked off the shelf.
- DirectorWilliam Brent BellStarsLauren CohanRupert EvansJames RussellAn American nanny is shocked that her new English family's boy is actually a life-sized doll. After she violates a list of strict rules, disturbing events make her believe that the doll is really alive.Night Of the Living Dummy: The Movie - Rebooted For Nostalgists
Solid enough premise though surprisingly lacks creepiness. It eschews jump scares (outside of two terrible dream sequences) and follows its own humdrum rhythm. I want to commend it for that but it never delivers much more and the story never makes much sense.
The ending avoids the typical expectations here, and while there are mentions of a ripoff of Housebound in some reviews, this isn't really valid here. If this had gone the supernatural route it would have been just like a zillion other films. Damned if you do, damned if you don't; everything has been done. Plus that reveal was a lone bright spot. - DirectorBurr SteersStarsLily JamesSam RileyJack HustonFive sisters in 19th century England must cope with the pressures to marry while protecting themselves from a growing population of zombies.
- DirectorJon LucasScott MooreStarsMila KunisKathryn HahnKristen BellWhen three overworked and under-appreciated moms are pushed beyond their limits, they ditch their conventional responsibilities for a jolt of long overdue freedom, fun and comedic self-indulgence.Mostly bad, unfunny and formulaic way past a fault. The cast really deserved better. The worst things any of the moms do is drink at night and not cook breakfast every morning.
I mean I get it, but this movie's comedy is based on the bad behavior on display and in that case it doesn't really deliver (nothing even remotely close to Hangover level stuff here). - DirectorJason ZadaStarsNatalie DormerEoin MackenStephanie VogtA young woman's desperate search for her twin sister brings her to a ghost-filled stretch of wilderness known as the 'Suicide Forest.'It's pretty average. It's amazing how complacent and content it is to not even try anything remotely new or unique. It just goes about its business in as rote a way as possible.
The Forest, The Sea of Trees, Aokigahara Forest deserved better from films this year. - DirectorRoland EmmerichStarsLiam HemsworthJeff GoldblumBill PullmanTwo decades after the first Independence Day invasion, Earth is faced with a new extra-Solar threat. But will mankind's new space defenses be enough?I don't know what this is. Winking self-parody? Sure, absolutely. The first one to 11? Sure, if more CGI and bigger stuff and more nonsense is 11. How about less chemistry between actors, less good Goldblum (a near impossibility) oh and a *beep* giant spider as the final boss! Err, I mean, main villain that's a many legged queen alien that just happens to resemble a spider because the imagination can be a desolate place sometimes.
Emmerich doesn't get the master of disaster respect he kind of deserves, and this is why (also some of his other movies, whatever, I do have a point).
People are saying Will Smith dodged a bullet by starring in Suicide Squad (and sure, Collateral Beauty too) instead of this. That's like saying he dodged a bullet by maiming himself. It's a better outcome but no less painful and also what was the point of it all? - DirectorMike MillsStarsAnnette BeningElle FanningGreta GerwigThe story of a teenage boy, his mother, and two other women who help raise him among the love and freedom of Southern California of 1979.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsAndrew GarfieldAdam DriverLiam NeesonIn the 17th century, two Portuguese Jesuit priests travel to Japan in an attempt to locate their mentor, who is rumored to have committed apostasy, and to propagate Catholicism.