Will’s 2016 Movie Log
The bad year is over, and I saw almost all of the movies I intended to. So go ahead, friend; distract yourself from news for a minute with this movie stuff! Here I have my 10 favorite, five least favorite and then every other damn movie I saw in 2016 reviewed briefly for your pleasure. And here we go…
Top Ten…
10. Sing Street
John Carney (‘Once’) mixes music and love for the third time in my favorite of his films yet. This time it’s the story of a bunch of school kids in 1985 Ireland who form a pop band so that one of them can impress a girl. A truly rousing movie, optimistic and infectious in such a way that it makes you feel like you too might be that wonder-filled kid again, discovering your music and first love. ‘Sing Street’ gives us authentic-feeling kids, a fun pop soundtrack including a few pretty good original songs, amusing jokes, and even some fairly moving moments as our young hero finds his way in the world. (Now streaming on Netflix.)
9. Swiss Army Man
Writers/directors Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert said they set out to make a movie about a man who rides a farting corpse and by the end you’re crying. And I’ll be damned if they didn’t kind of pull that off. Alright, maybe everything doesn’t quite come together in this truly bizarre indie flick starring Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe, but I award full points for creativity. Funny and surprisingly thoughtful at times, this story of the adventures of a cast-away and a talking corpse is one of the most wildly entertaining things I’ve seen in years. (Look for this one to show up on Amazon Prime soon.)
8. Sausage Party
If you went into this thing expecting just the easiest hotdog-bun sex jokes that were advertised you may have left surprised how thoughtful this raunchy animated comedy actually was. Seth Rogen’s spoof of kiddie animated flicks (with original songs by Disney composer Alan Menken) is a sharp and hilarious religious satire with an all-star cast of comedian voice actors. Highlights include Edward Norton as a Woody Allen-inspired bagel and Nick Kroll as a douche (a coincidence, given his ‘Parks and Recreation’ radio persona?).
7. Green Room
Talk about rotten luck! On the drive back from a decidedly underwhelming tour, a punk-rock band ends up taking a last-minute gig at what turns out to be a neo-nazi hangout in a tiny Oregon town and must survive the night against ferocious dogs, ‘Deliverance’-style rednecks and skinheads lead by Patrick Stewart in a scary yet perfectly understated villainous performance. Director Jeremy Saulnier (‘Blue Ruin’) is quickly becoming a master of suspense for our era. (Now streaming on Amazon Prime.)
6. The Nice Guys
This hilarious buddy-private-eye action-comedy from writer/director Shane Black feels like a movie that should have come out a few decades ago — and I mean that in the best way possible. Russell Crowe gives maybe his best performance a decade, Ryan Gosling (perfecting his comic timing) seems to be in his golden age of movies, and 15-year-old Angourie Rice is terrific playing Gosling’s smart-ass daughter.
5. Manchester by the Sea
Casey Affleck stars as a troubled handyman forced to be his nephew’s guardian after his brother dies. This intense drama from writer/director Kenneth Lonergan slowly lets the main character’s harrowing past be revealed, giving further weight to the rest of the story, and providing us with a believable, very moving story. It’s nearly as depressing as everyone seems to be joking, but not without hope. Affleck gives his best performance yet, Michelle Williams turns in typically great supporting work, and you can expect to see more of breakout star Lucas Hedges in the near future.
4. Arrival
The opposite of ‘Independence Day,’ ‘Arrival’ is a thoughtful science fiction film concerned with the importance of communication and the way we think about time. Moody and with gorgeous cinematography (Bradford Young, ‘Selma,’ ‘A Most Violent Year’) and a typically stellar lead Amy Adams performance, this is an alien genre picture that dares to be different.
3. Moonlight
Writer/Director Barry Jenkins’ ‘Moonlight’ finds the poetry in the pivotal as well as the seemingly smaller moments of a young man’s life at three different ages. Based on a play by Tarell Alvin McCraney, this is a great slice-of-life drama with fantastic performances that lets scenes play out naturally, allowing the film to breathe at its own pace (not a Hollywood pant).
2. Indignation
Based on a novel by Philip Roth and beautifully directed by Ang Lee’s frequent producer James Schamus, this tragic coming-of-age tale sunk its teeth into me deeper than any other drama this year. The excellent Logan Lerman plays a Jewish freshman attending an Ohio college in 1951, encountering anti-Semitism and sexual confusion while his childhood friends from Jersey are being killed in the Korean War. Sound depressing enough? The flick’s got your back there, but it’s also funny, perceptive, and honest. And one particularly frustrating and absurd conversation our protagonist has with his school’s dean may be one of the best scenes I’ve seen in any movie recently.
1. La La Land
From Damien Chazelle, the director of 2014’s excellent ‘Whiplash,’ comes this lovely and clever modern update/love-letter to the classic movie musicals of yesteryear. It’s both a worthy throwback to those ’40s and ’50s films while at the same time being something very new and exciting. Ryan Gosling especially isn’t the most natural singer, but both him and Emma Stone sell their songs (original music by Justin Hurwitz) well, dance pretty good, and could act circles around the likes of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers (not that those two weren’t a charming pair as well). With fun dance numbers backed up by real emotion, ‘La La Land’ is a wonderful time and a gorgeous-looking film I don’t doubt will continue to entertain and inspire well into the future.
… and the Worst…
5. The Brothers Grimsby
I like Sacha Baron Cohen, so it hurts me especially to tell you that ‘The Brothers Grimsby’ is 83 minutes of Cohen confusing that which is gross with that which is funny. The irony is that the movie ends up being inappropriate for the age group I’m guessing would most enjoy this sort of stuff. Stay clear of this one. Way clear.
4. Inferno
Just how bad is the Ron Howard’s third Dan Brown adaptation starring Tom Hanks? Well, I had a choice between including this or Duncan Jones’ ‘Warcraft’ for this list, and I chose ‘Inferno.’ It’s that bad. Boring, stupid, and bad. Coincidentally, in both films Ben Foster plays a character bent on wiping out the human race. Watching this movie might just make you sympathetic to that cause.
3. Gods of Egypt
On the bright side, unlike the other movies on this list, ‘Gods of Egypt’ might do just fine for an ironic viewing with friends and whatever amount of alcohol you deem appropriate for such an occasion. On the not-so-bright side, the guy who made ‘Dark City’ made this shit? Jesus. Terrible CGI, writing, acting, I could keep going here. At least Geoffrey Rush seems to be having a good time, and Gerard Butler got paid again. (Now Streaming on HBO Now.)
If you feel like reading a few more paragraphs of me making fun of this movie, my original review is linked below…
2. The Eyes of My Mother
This brutal and seriously disturbing “art” film clearly wants you to think there’s a purpose to all the violence you’re watching — so does anyone feel like explaining that message to me? The fact that this pointless movie seems to have been made by people with a certain amount of skill makes me hate it even more. I’m so over all this watching violence for the sake of making you think about why you’re watching violence for entertainment or whatever the hell Michael Haneke bullshit is going on here. Fuck this movie. It’s boring and gross.
1. Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice
No one knows how to punish an audience for two and a half hours like (the appropriately-titled) ‘Sucker Punch’ auteur Zack Snyder. Say what you will about Marvel; at least they try to make their movies fun. Adjectives that come to mind for ‘Batman V Superman’ include “miserable,” “long,” “pretentious,” “loud,” “very dumb,” “obnoxious,” and did I mention miserable? There’s a scene in this in which Holly Hunter realizes there’s a jar of pee sitting in front of her. That’s really not a bad metaphor for the experience of any poor soul with taste attempting to view ‘Dawn of Justice.’
I beg of you, in the name of all fun and harmless adventure films, please do the world of entertainment a giant favor and don’t buy a ticket to see ‘Justice League’ next year. There’s no reason to assume things are gonna get any better over at the troubled DC headquarters anytime soon with the sadistic Snyder still running the show…
My full review below…
And now every other new movie I watched in theaters this year…
The Finest Hours
Apparently the actual former coast guard who one of the lead actors in this film portrays said “I had no idea it was that dangerous” at the film’s premier. So it would seem safe to assume a fair amount of artistic license was taken here (like the artistic license Aussie Eric Bana takes here for his “southern accent” — ooh, burn!), but at the end of the day this is still a pretty exciting adventure film with a likable hero. So for a real-life-hero kinda story Disney dumps into theaters at the end of January, not too bad… (Now streaming on Netflix.)
Hail, Caesar!
The fact that the Coen Brothers’ period Hollywood satire isn’t really about anything barely matters when they can put on a show as fun as this one. Highlights include the usually smooth George Clooney playing yet another moron for the Coens, a hilarious Alden Ehrenreich (soon to be a younger generation’s Han Solo) as a dopey Western movie star and a stellar Ralph Fiennes as the director attempting to harass a decent performance out of him. As far as Coen comedies go, this ain’t ‘The Big Lebowski’ but it’s still a very enjoyable light entertainment that even makes time for Channing Tatum to showcase those Magic Mike dance moves. (Now Streaming on HBO Now.)
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
So below if you want you can read the review I wrote in February in which I argue it’s not that bad. But really I don’t know any more. I can tell you I’ve not thought of it a single time since February and seeing as you’ve now missed your opportunity to watch this with a midnight audience after a few drinks I’m going to say skip this or save it for an airplane…
Deadpool
Though it’s hypocritical in the nature of its genre satire, cheap-looking and almost too annoying for its own good, I can’t deny ‘Deadpool’ is still a pretty good time. I’m guessing at this point you’ve either seen it or would never go near a movie like this. Either way you probably made the right call. (Now streaming on HBO Now.)
How to Be Single
This garbage chick flick pretends to be on your side by not hooking up every single character with a nice non-threatening man for a fairy tale ending. Just two of them. Rebel Wilson likes to party too much and Dakota Johnson has to take some time to work on herself. And that’s all okay too. This is supposedly daring and provocative in 2016. Women, you deserve better than this crap.
Zoolander 2
Really, what is there to say about a movie as stupid as this one except whether it made you laugh or not? Well it ain’t the first movie. That’s for sure. So if you’re a Derek Zoolander aficionado who’d prefer not to tarnish your opinion of the first film’s dumb comedy nirvana, that’s your call to make. But if you’re still curious, know that there are a few pretty funny scenes in this unnecessary and lamé motion picture. Catch it on an airplane or while drunk-cruising Netflix and you’re good.
Race
The story of Jesse Owens Olympic race in Hitler’s Germany should have made for an exciting and relevant movie. Too bad Disney turns it into an incredibly average sports picture.
The Witch
This artsy genre flick trades in the jump scares for a genuinely chilling atmosphere. Horror fans take note. (Now streaming on Amazon Prime.)
Triple 9
Excitingly directed by John Hillcoat (who helmed the excellent western ‘The Proposition’), ‘Triple 9’ is convoluted at times but still a better-than-average crime thriller that makes good use of a great cast.
London Has Fallen
This lame action sequel features one of my least favorite movie stars (Gerard Butler, the dude from ‘Gods of Egypt’) shouting racist things at muslim terrorists as he butchers them to protect I Frankenstein — I mean the U.S. president, who is played by Aaron Eckhart. Just what we need to start off a Trump presidency…
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
Charming in spurts though uneven as a whole, this adaptation of Kim Barker’s popular memoir struggles with the awkward task of reducing the war in Afghanistan to merely the backdrop for one white woman’s journey of self-discovery and romance. (Naturally the Hollywood white-wash casting job of a few characters isn’t helping the case for political correctness.) I guess if you love Tina Fey you could stream it on a rain day or something; your call…
Zootopia
In Disney’s ‘Zootopia,’ Ginnifer Goodwin voices a rabbit who moves to the titular city of interspecies harmony to become a cop, something we’re told a bunny has never done, and which is highly discouraged. Once there she chases and eventually befriends a con-artist fox (a charming Jason Bateman) and becomes mixed up in a case of missing predators and related predator attacks, which is turning the whole all-animals-respect-each-other-here idea of the city upside down. Can we deny our genetics and truly follow our dreams, or is it, you know, the racist option? You think this is the 1950’s? Or a Gerard Butler movie?
The one knock I’ll give ‘Zootopia’ is that its inspirational anthem, Shakira’s “Try Everything,” is a slightly more obnoxious tune than The Lego Movie’s “Everything Is Awesome,” although I don’t think they’re intentionally spoofing pop music this time. Other than that, this is a clever, great-looking animated film that’s usually amusing and occasionally very funny. (Now streaming on Netflix.)
10 Cloverfield Lane
Loosely tied to the 2008 hit ‘Cloverfield’ (although you don’t need to know that movie before seeing this one), ‘10 Cloverfield Lane’ is a sweet little contained thriller with a crazy good performance by John Goodman. The less you know about this one the better; I encourage you to dive in…
The Lobster
In a future where individuality is discouraged and having a romantic partner is the law, singles are rounded up and brought to a hotel at which they have 45 days to find a mate or else be turned into an animal. As a piece of art, this very original film may be damn near perfect. Yet while I enjoyed some of the humor, I still didn’t like the movie as much as I wanted to. Still, if you care about the cinema and you can take things really, really dry, you owe it to yourself to check it out. (Now streaming on Amazon Prime.)
Midnight Special
Directed by Jeff Nichols (2013’s pretty good ‘Mud’ and 2011’s excellent ‘Take Shelter’), you can think of ‘Midnight Special’ as a sort of meditation on parenthood and faith disguised as a science-fiction thriller, though it works well as both. Michael Shannon does a predictably great job playing a character, who, while intense and a bit scary, is also a loving father. Though I understand not everyone is loving the ending (it worked fine for me), I’d say this deserves to be seen by movie fans just on the basis of being a genre film that’s the opposite of predictable. (Now streaming on HBO Now.)
Everybody Wants Some!!
Starring a likable cast of young actors (most of whom, in typical movie fashion, are clearly too old to be the undergraduates they’re playing), Richard Linklater’s period coming-of-age comedy doesn’t exactly break new cinematic ground (the guy just made ‘Boyhood’ — give him a few years, alright?). It does, though, give us sweet pop soundtrack, a fun crowd to hang out with for two hours and even some insightful moments of male bonding. Works for me.
The Boss
Look, you know as well as I do Melissa McCarthy can spew ridiculous insults like nobody’s business. So naturally there’s some worthy chuckles to be had in moments of her doing just that, many of which I imagine were improvised. But ‘The Boss’ is still just another lame comedy made kind of watchable by McCarthy, as opposed to a good comedy she can do proper justice to.
The Invitation
From director Karyn Kusama (‘Girlfight’) comes this nifty little contained thriller about a creepy dinner party. It’s a nice slow burn towards an exciting climax, so if you hate new-agey Los Angeles pretentious types and love suspense this one’s worth checking out. (Now streaming on Netflix.)
The Jungle Book
This new adaptation of the Rudyard Kipling classic is a wondrous spectacle to behold, especially when you consider director Jon Favreau shot the whole thing on studio lots in Los Angeles. Naturally, the money-grubbing empire known as Disney has already announced an unnecessary sequel, and while that kind of pisses me off, I can’t deny the movie I’m supposed to be talking about now is kind of delightful. (Now streaming on Netflix.)
The Huntsman: Winter’s War
Directed by the guy who’s about to make a ‘Highlander’ reboot (yep, that’s a real thing that Hollywood thought we wanted), this is the lame sequel (though incorrectly advertised as a prequel) to the not-that-bad-actually ‘Snow White’ movie from four years ago with Kristen Stewart. So where’s she at? Well, she slept with the director of that movie while she was dating that movie and Universal execs apparently thought that A) we really wanted a sequel and B) only on the condition that a hussy like her not be a part of it. Let’s see, 115 million dollar production budget (which you can probably double to include advertising), 164 million in worldwide box office… and… Nope, looks like you lose, A-holes! Go to hell.
Keanu
Comedy Central’s Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele’s jump to the big screen is an action movie spoof about a couple of squares who enter into a crime-filled adventure to rescue a kitten from a gangster. When ‘Keanu’ is in full parody mode (‘The Matrix’ and ‘John Wick’ are among specific marks), it’s just okay. This movie works best when it’s just these guys’ shtick. Scenes such as Key explaining to gang members how George Michael is truly a bad motherfucker or Peele flirting with a romantic interest while simultaneously making sure it’s clear to her that he did not at all take part in the murders she perpetrated in his company are pretty damn funny. If you like these guys I’d say it’s worth a watch at home. (Now streaming on HBO Now.)
A Bigger Splash
In ‘A Bigger Splash’ Tilda Swinton plays Marianne Lane, a rockstar fresh out of vocal chord surgery, who is surprised by an impromptu visit by friend and ex-lover Harry Hawkes (Ralph Fiennes) and his newly-discovered daughter (Dakota Johnson) while relaxing at her Italian home with her boyfriend (Matthias Schoenaerts). The result is a leisurely-paced but solid drama with some excellent acting. Swinton, who speaks only in flashbacks and whispers, takes on the challenge of playing a mostly-silent character most admirably, and Fiennes excels playing a character perhaps more obnoxious than any in his very colorful acting career. Also Ralph Fiennes dancing is something I’m telling you you want to see.
Captain America: Civil War
So William Hurt plays the secretary of state who tells The Avengers that they’re in trouble and they now have to do what the UN tells them to because there’s been some collateral damage in their last few adventures. Are you frickin’ kidding me? The Avengers should tell this guy to go fuck himself and not call them next time there’s a goddamn giant alien space alligator in New York, or Spectre Nazis trying to take over the world. Yeah, a few people died because of those things, but guess who stopped them. Is political red tape really the next new exciting place for these superhero movies to go?
Look, this movie (directed by the Russo brothers, who made 2014's far superior ‘Winter Soldier’) is pretty entertaining, and I especially enjoyed Tom Holland as the new Spider-Man. But these Marvel movies are starting to get a little exhausting on the whole, and I sure wouldn’t mind a plot that actually makes sense or takes the story somewhere new. I’m not saying these kinds of movies can’t be corny and fantastic, but logic can be nice in that mix too. If you’re a fan who’s offended by that statement, explain the villain’s plan to me in this movie step by step? Can’t do it, can you? (Now streaming on Netflix.)
Love & Friendship
In this adaptation of one of Jane Austin’s lesser known novels, Kate Beckinsale stars as Lady Susan Vernon, a cunning manipulator loved by those under her spell and despised by those a bit wiser. Basically the movie is her trying to secure a stable future for her and her daughter by conning men into marrying them. It took me a minute to keep enough of the characters strait (there are a lot of them and the first few scenes all begin with a handful of people standing with a description title on the screen as means of introduction), but once I did I was able to enjoy this amusing little romantic tale. Kate Beckinsale, always better than Hollywood has taken her for, is excellent as the lead, and Tom Bennett is hilarious as an awkward but wealthy suitor. (Now streaming on Amazon Prime.)
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising
There’s not too many belly laughs to be found in ‘Neighbors 2,’ but it is filled with chuckles, and I liked the way it satirized the sexism of college Greek life. Also, unlike most R-rated comedies these days it’s rarely mean-spirited, and it has a good bit of fun playing around with the traditional homophobic, bros-before-hoes (“you can’t call them hoes, that’s not cool anymore,” Zac Efron tells Dave Franco in one scene) attitudes of frat-boy man-children. Like most of its main characters, ‘Neighbors 2’ is scrappy, doesn’t always quite have it together, and when all is said and done is pretty difficult not to like.
X-Men: Apocalypse
Brian Singer’s fourth X-Men flick is a pretty good one until it falls apart in the final act. Jennifer Lawrence looks bored at this point, but we get some nice work from Michael Fassbender, and a new Storm (Alexandra Shipp) who’s thankfully better than Halle Berry. ‘Apocalypse’ also suffers from Marvel character-overload, and I’d like to see something a little different to justify future installments; 2014’s ‘Days of Future Past’ gave us that, and hopefully this spring’s ‘Logan’ will follow suit.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
This parody of out-of-touch pop stars may amount to one extended joke, but in the hands of the Lonely Island boys, it ends up funny enough to make 86 minutes pass by fairly quickly. Of course with these guys the music ends up being the best bits, with highlights including a song advocating gay marriage that constantly pauses its message to affirm Sandberg’s character’s straightness, and a song that compares sex with the military raid that killed Bin Laden.
The Conjuring 2
James Wan’s sequel to his 2013 horror hit ‘The Conjuring’ gives us more of the same, and that’s mostly a good thing here. This time paranormal investigating couple Ed and Lorraine Warren travel to England to help a family dealing with the same old spooky house stuff. This movie even answers the old “why wouldn’t they just move?” question by having trouble follow them when they’re not at home. This may not be the type of horror film that stays with you like, say 2014's excellent ‘The Babadook,’ (you can check that out on Netflix) but it’s still a stylish and scary fun ride, which also features a great performance by the child actor Madison Wolfe as a young girl tormented by demons.
Now You See Me 2
This witless sequel to one of my least favorite films of 2013 is a heist movie that denies us any of the heist process, instead letting us only sort of see the tricks that went on after our heroes have their victories. Perhaps that’s because most of what they do is wildly implausible if not actually impossible to begin with. Morgan Freeman (paycheck, baby!) says at one point “the best tricks are the ones that work on different levels.” He may be right, but he sure isn’t talking about this product of smoke and mirrors.
Warcraft
Based on that video-game you know all about from your nerdy friend but were totally too cool to have played yourself, ‘Warcraft’ is Universal Pictures’ latest attempt to get another big franchise going for itself to compete alongside its ‘Fast & Furious’ vehicles with those infernal superhero flicks. This movie, which seems to expect you to be familiar with its world’s mythology, was directed by David Bowie’s son Duncan Jones, who made the excellent sci-fi flick ‘Moon’ seven years ago, as well as the pretty-good sci-fi flick ‘Source Code’ five years ago. Given his talent and self-declared love for the game, it’s a shame he couldn’t have made a more clever, thrilling adaptation that could appeal to those unfamiliar with the source material. Though the special effects are occasionally impressive, it’s mighty difficult to take these goofy-looking orcs — who look like they might have escaped from the story-boards of the next ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ sequel — seriously, especially when they’re in the frame with actual humans.
I was hoping ‘Warcraft’ would at least be an enjoyable dumb movie that would go down smooth with the pizza I ate before watching it. What I got instead was mainly boredom and confusion. Do the world of men a favor, skip this crap and discourage the sequels these cynical Hollywood douchers want to force down our throats.
Central Intelligence
Here’s a big dumb spy farce intended to hook you on the promise of another Kevin Hart comedy in which he’s matched with a tough guy foil. I find it a bit ironic to that end that Dwayne Johnson should actually end up being the funnier one here, scoring some laughs as a jolly, fanny-pack-sporting super-spy. I have hope that someday Johnson will put that charisma of his to good use in a comedy with a better script than this one (am I naive to hope that could be this summer’s ‘Baywatch’ flick?), but ‘Central Intelligence’ is proof that time hasn’t quite come yet…
Finding Dory
Everyone’s favorite fish with a crippling cognitive disability is back for another adventure in Pixar’s ‘Finding Dory.’ It’s been one year since the events of ‘Finding Nemo,’ and the the Blue Tang sidekick to Albert Brooks’ Clownfish father from that movie remembers her parents’ existence and sets off to find them. This brings her (and always a few steps behind her Marlin and Nemo) to a marine life institute, where she encounters cockney seals, self-conscious whales, a grumpy octopus, and the horrors of the kids touching pool, recalling the toddler play sequence from ‘Toy Story 3.’
As with all Pixar films, ‘Finding Dory’ always has its heart in the right place, both when it comes to the family and friend relationships, as well as some not-so-subtle lobbying against the animal captivity of aquariums and zoos. It’s a fast-paced and very enjoyable ride with a predictably great sense of humor and charm to boot. A very good Pixar sequel with an excellent short-film attached.
Independence Day: Resurgence
How you feel about this sequel to the 1996 hit will largely depend on how you feel about German wannabe-Spielberg director Roland Emmerich. He’s a guy who makes big, corny blockbusters that are blissfully free of logic. But these movies usually seem to be made in the spirit of fun rather than cynicism I consider myself a casual fan. I’m not really gonna defend this movie (unless you wanna go after the sublime Jeff Goldblum —try it, bro!) and I’m certainly not going to argue the bland Liam Hemsworth isn’t a piss-poor leading man replacement for the charismatic Will Smith. But then I’m also not going to lie and say I didn’t kind of enjoy the flick, with special regards to this wonderfully absurd sequence in which Goldblum drives a school bus full of kids in a desert chased by a giant alien queen. Dramatic gold.
The BFG
Though sometimes a little CG-heavy for my tastes, this new Steven Spielberg adaptation of the Roahld Dahl novel is an pleasant children’s film that will only disappoint you if you’re expecting a new Spielberg classic. Otherwise you can just sit back, enjoy the effects, the likable performances (Oscar winner Mark Rylance is the titular giant and excellent 12-year-old newcomer Ruby Barnhill his young friend), the sweeping John Williams music and (if you read the book as a kid) some childhood nostalgia.
Captain Fantastic
A Father (Viggo Mortensen) raising his children in the woods to be strong and smart without all the modern conveniences that turn the rest of us into ignorant sheep takes his children on a road trip so as to crash his late wife’s funeral. It’s an interesting idea for a fish-out-of-water comic drama, and the movie itself is mostly well-executed, if occasionally just a bit too cute for its own good. It features some hilarious satire, and good performances all around, especially from Mortensen and the excellent young English actor George MacKay (‘Pride’).
Ghostbusters
After the first trailer for Sony’s ‘Ghostbusters’ reboot got a lot of hate on the internet, Sony seemed to zero in on the haters with purely sexist reasoning behind their dislike of this film. And there did seem to be a lot of them, although apparently the studio went through and deleted a lot of the less-offensive comments on the trailer’s Youtube comments to give their movie some hot controversy buzz and encourage women to see it as a statement. In the end (much like Sony’s ‘The Interview’) I say the final product really wasn’t good or bad enough to be worth all that fuss. 2016’s ‘Ghostbusters’ is okay, and the cast (especially Kate McKinnon) score some laughs here, but I sure wish they’d kept more of the dry tone and less of the story of the 1984 classic.
Star Trek Beyond
Here’s another fun ‘Trek’ adventure film in this reboot series, this time directed by Justin Lin of Fast & Furious 4–6 (I think J.J. Abrams left to do like another space movie or something?). Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto continue their good work as odd-couple besties Kirk and Spock, and Simon Pegg (with a screenplay credit this time) is still charming and funny as the teleport-meister Scotty. Also returning is the late Anton Yelchin as Chekov; it’s bittersweet to watching him play this role for the last time, and the movie pays tribute to him with style without that aspect being too distracting. As for new characters, Idris Elba dons a scary alien mask as a menacing (if slightly underwritten) villain, and The Kingsman’s Sofia Boutella (soon to be harassing Tom Cruise in undead form in Universal’s ‘Mummy’ reboot) shines as the acrobatic alien badass Jaylah. ‘Star Trek Beyond’ breaks no new ground but remains a light, spectacular good time of a summer blockbuster.
Don’t Think Twice
Charming comic Mike Birbiglia (you can watch his specials as well as his autobiographical comedy ‘Sleepwalk with Me’ on ‘Netflix) wrote and directed this film about an improv troupe groping with the sudden success of one of their members. It’s a funny, sweet little movie that features a standout performance from Gillian Jacobs (‘Community,’ ‘Love’).
Jason Bourne
If it doesn’t quite justify reopening the Jason Bourne cinematic saga after ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’ seemed to tie up the Matt Damon trilogy nicely in 2007, ‘Jason Bourne’ still remains a better-than-average action-thriller with a few truly spectacular sequences. At this point I might prefer if Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon just make an original action movie instead, but hell, if they need to make another ‘Bourne’ I guess I’ll be there…
Hell or High Water
From the writer of 2015’s excellent ‘Sicario’ comes this very solid drama/heist/western mashup about two brothers who turn to robbing banks so they can keep their family home. Chris Pine is the good criminal with some morals. Ben Foster (in typical Ben Foster fashion) is a crazy person. And Jeff Bridges is Rooster Cogburn — I mean, a Texas ranger hot on the boys’ trail. An exciting, satisfying film.
Sully
The story of the miracle on the Hudson and its aftermath, including investigation into the incident, is a fairly straightforward movie. Sully is a good guy apparently, and airlines are run by money-grubbing schmucks who’d rather call a hero incompetent than pay for another damn plane. And that’s kind of all I’m getting out of this one, although of course we’re also talking about Clint Eastwood and Tom Hanks here, so it’s not like it’s a poorly made film or anything…
The Magnificent Seven
Antoin Fuqua will always be advertised as “the director of Training Day.” And while that’s still technically true, it might be more fair to audiences to mention that his resume also includes even sillier films than that 2001 hit — films like ‘Shooter’ and ‘The Equalizer.’ Like the movies of ‘Independence Day’ auteur Roland Emmerich, Mr. Fuqua’s films are usually at least a little bit dumb, and I kind of like all of them. This remake of ‘The Magnificent Seven’ is competently made, features good performances from Denzel Washington and Vincent Dinofrio and less-than-satisfying performances from Peter Sarsgaard and Chris Pratt. James Horner (in sadly one of his last scores) writes some solid music — though nothing as rousing or memorable as Elmer Berstein’s iconic theme tune — and breakout star in-the-making Hailee Bennett plays a tough frontier lady who shows an awful lot of cleavage for any non-prostitute attending a church service in the 1800s. The ending shootout is pretty cool, and the rest of the movie seems to exist mostly to get you there.
The original film doesn’t quite rank with the best of classic westerns, but the cool factor of a team including Yul Brenner, Steve McQueen, and Charles Bronson paired with the music and that innocent early 60’s charm (that part is especially hard to replicate today) made it essential viewing for a generation movie fans. If you’ve never seen the 1960 film and enjoy westerns, definitely check it out, and maybe Netflix the new movie if you’re bored on a rainy day at some point…
The Girl on the Train
I gather if you’ve read the book you may be disappointed, but I found this to be a pretty entertaining thriller, with a great lead performance from Emily Blunt (one of the best leading actresses right now). It’s not exactly art in the same way the ‘Gone Girl’ was (and I guarantee ‘Gone Girl’ was brought up in this film’s pitch) but if you know nothing about the story (and like me aren’t the type to guess the non-obvious conclusion/twist) I think you’ll have a good time.
Doctor Strange
Just when I think I’m over Marvel they go and make another movie that’s just new enough to keep for interest a little longer. That movie this year would be ‘Dr. Strange,’ a very entertaining fantasy adventure of which the stimulating visual palette makes one think of ‘Inception’ experienced through an acid trip (is anyone surprised this character hails from the 1960s?). The movie would be better if it didn’t force humor in places or occasionally remind you it’s connected to the ever-expanding Marvel cinematic universe, but ‘Dr. Strange’ is still a different and energetic enough to make for a refreshing night out.
Hacksaw Ridge
Directed by Mel Gibson (I know some of you will stop reading this now and that’s okay too…) ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ tells the true story of Desmond Doss, a man who enlisted to fight in World War II, yet opposed violence and refused to pick up a gun. After putting up with the expected harassment from his military peers and superiors who called him a coward, Doss would go on to save the lives of 75 men in Okinawa, and become the first conscientious object to receive a Medal of Honor.
Doss is played (very well I might add) by Andrew Garfield, who, after those unfortunate ‘Spider-Man’ pictures, is clearly getting his career on track at this time. Some of the aw-shucks cute dialogue between him and his belle (Teresa Palmer) back in Virginia rings a little corny, and you can certainly accuse this rather old-fashioned movie of hypocrisy as it talks up Doss’ commitment to non-violence and yet expects us to be thrilled at the combat scenes. Still, these scenes are staged for maximum dramatic impact, and are often (appropriately) quite disturbing. Would we expect any less from the guy who gave us ‘Braveheart’ and ‘Apocalypto?’ At the very least it’s a very inspiring bit of history wrapped up in a moving and entertaining film.
Loving
Proof that director Jeff Nichols (‘Take Shelter,’ ‘Mud,’ ‘Midnight Special’) is absolutely one of the top recent filmmaking talents to watch, ‘Loving’ is the true story of Richard and Mildred loving, whose marriage sparked the Loving vs. Virginia supreme court decision protecting interracial marriages from racist state laws. This isn’t the sweeping Hollywood drama you might expect here, and really that’s a good thing. ‘Loving’ is a sincere and quietly moving film, as unassuming and strong as its lead characters.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
An amusing if totally unnecessary prequel to the ‘Harry Potter’ series. Despite a teensy bit of J.K. Rowling’s political commentary playing a role in the story, most of the main plot and special effects stuff struck me as a big fat “seen that, don’t care.” ‘Fantastic Beasts’ is at its best when simply relying on the charms of its star, Eddie Redmayne, perfectly cast as a mad scientist sort of character, racing about in child-like wonder of his magical creatures, as well as awkwardly bonding with his human accomplices (most notably the likable Katherine Waterston). I expect there are going to be a lot more of these movies to come, and so for now I just hope the filmmakers don’t forget to keep including characters like these two for those of us who’ve kind of been over all of the wand-waving mayhem for a while now.
Nocturnal Animals
The second film from fashion designer Tom Ford (you can watch his first, the excellent ‘A Single Man,’ on Netflix), ‘Nocturnal Animals’ tells the story of a Los Angeles gallery owner (Amy Adams) who becomes disturbed and engrossed in her ex-husband’s (Jake Gyllenhaal) novel. And so a good chunk of the film also becomes the novel’s story, a creepy ‘Deliverance’/’Straw Dogs’ type story of a nice suburban family terrorized by violent country hicks. It’s a weird, violent movie in which the two stories don’t exactly come together, but if you’ve been missing some David Lynch-style surrealism this stylish flick might do the trick. Also, can we talk about how great Michael Shannon is? (He’s in this movie too.) He’s pretty awesome…
Moana
While not exactly as exciting or innovating as some of Pixar’s best, this is still a very strong thinking-inside-the-box (or should I just be nice and say “old-fashioned”?) Disney movie with likable characters and a few pretty good songs. Seems like this Lin-Manuel Miranda guy’s not too bad at this whole lyrics thing. Maybe he should give Broadway a try sometime…
Jackie
Natalie Portman gives a terrific performance as Jackie Kennedy in this quiet little character piece set in the days following JFK’s assassination. Don’t expect a three-act screenplay, but maybe that’s for the best. ‘Jackie’ captures a confusing time with untethered story-telling.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
My favorite scene of the movie? Um, maybe when the rebel pilot’s about to take off near the end and the rebel base guy calls them on the radio and he’s like “hey, where do you guys think you’re going? What’s the name of your ship?” And the pilot says “Rogue One?” (He just makes that up. No one in the film has said “rogue” or “one” until this moment.) Then the other guy says “hey, that’s not a real ship!” and the pilot goes “fuck you! It’s the name of the movie now bitch!” I’m fairly certain I remembered this dialogue accurately.
Anyway, ‘Rogue One’ is a slick, cool movie that has stormtroopers and X-wings and Darth Vader in it, so if that’s all you wanted to see I guess you were happy. I enjoyed parts of it, but it wasn’t exactly fun, which is a word synonymous with the best films of the series. I’m hoping future ‘Star Wars’ installments will focus less on getting fans excited by things that they recognize and forge ahead to new territory. It’s looking like we’re going to get a new ‘Star Wars’ movie every Christmas till the end of time, so here’s hoping Disney takes a few risks sooner rather than later…
Silence
Martin Scorsese’s passion project about Portuguese Jesuit priests in 17th-century Japan is a slow drama which ponders questions of faith, loyalty and violence. It has some good acting, some great cinematography, and some awkwardly-placed comedy attempts. If anyone should be able to experiment with a movie like this one, I say it’s Martin Scorsese. That being said ‘Silence,’ though in parts impressive, didn’t really do much for me on first viewing. Still excited to see what this guy does next though…
