U.S. Release Date: 2016-12-21
MPAA Rating: "PG"
Genre: Animated
Director: Garth Jennings, Christophe Lourdelet
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C. Reilly, Tori Kelly, Taron Egerton, Nick Kroll, Nick Offerman
An ephemeral pleasure but a pleasure nonetheless.
U.S. Release Date: 2016-12-02
MPAA Rating: "R" (Profanity, Violence)
Genre: Drama
Director: Pablo Larrain
Cast: Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup, John Hurt, Richard E. Grant, Caspar Phillipson, John Carroll Lynch, Beth Grant
"Jackie" is more of a curiosity than a good film and, like Camelot, its impact is fleeting and nebulous.
U.S. Release Date: 2016-12-16
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Profanity, Adult Themes)
Genre: Drama
Director: David Frankel
Cast: Will Smith, Edward Norton, Kate Winslet, Michael Pena, Helen Mirren, Naomie Harris, Keira Knightley, Jacob Latimore
Unable to generate an honest emotional response, the filmmakers resort to cheap trickery and heart-string rending music.
U.S. Release Date: 2016-12-16
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence)
Genre: Science Fiction/Adventure
Director: Gareth Edwards
Cast: Felicity Jones, Peter Cushing, Jimmy Smits, Mads Mikkelsen, Riz Ahmed, Forest Whitaker, Wen Jiang, Donnie Yen, Alan Tudyk, Ben Mendelsohn, Diego Luna, James Earl Jones
As one of 2016’s most anticipated films, it doesn’t let down the legions who have been waiting for it.
U.S. Release Date: 2016-12-09
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Profanity)
Genre: Musical
Director: Damien Chazelle
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, John Legend
None of Hollywood’s recent offerings has lifted me up with the potency and grace of "La La Land", one of the year’s most effervescent samples of pure entertainment.
U.S. Release Date: 2016-11-23
MPAA Rating: "R" (Profanity, Sexual Content, Adult Themes)
Genre: Drama
Director: Kenneth Lonergan
Cast: Casey Affleck, Lucas Hedges, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler, Gretchen Mol
Unforced acting couples with a nuanced, insightful script to tell a story that, although seemingly simple, is achingly complex.
U.S. Release Date: 2016-11-18
MPAA Rating: "R" (Profanity, Drugs, Sexual Content, Violence)
Genre: Drama
Director: Barry Jenkins
Cast: Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders, Alex Hibbert, Andre Holland, Jharrel Jerome, Jaden Piner, Janelle Monae, Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali
Emotionally and thematically, "Moonlight" addresses universal subjects, and its power comes as a result of our identification with the characters.
U.S. Release Date: 2016-12-09
MPAA Rating: "R" (Profanity, Sexual Content)
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Director: John Madden
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Mark Strong, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Allison Pill, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jake Lacy, Sam Waterston, John Lithgow
As a dramatic thriller, it does what it needs to do to keep the audience involved and interested.
U.S. Release Date: 2016-11-23
MPAA Rating: "R" (Profanity, Sexual Content, Nudity)
Genre: Comedy
Director: Mark Waters
Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Kathy Bates, Tony Cox, Christina Hendricks, Brett Kelly, Jenny Zigrino
At its best, it feels like an echo of its predecessor. At its worst, it’s unfunny, crass, and uncomfortable (not in a good way).
U.S. Release Date: 2016-11-23
MPAA Rating: "PG"
Genre: Animated
Director: Ron Clements & John Musker
Cast: Auli’I Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Jermaine Clement, Temeura Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Alan Tudyk
If "Moana" seems like a throwback to the animated Disney films of the late 1980s and early 1990s, it’s not a coincidence.