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.
U.S. Release Date: 2016-11-23
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Sexual Content, Nudity, Profanity)
Genre: Thriller/Drama
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Cast: Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard, Jared Harris, Lizzy Caplan
"Allied" probably isn’t prestigious enough to attract much Oscar buzz but it’s too good to be tossed into theaters without a publicity push.
U.S. Release Date: 2016-11-23
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Profanity, Sexual Content)
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Director: Warren Beatty
Cast: Alden Ehrenreich, Lily Collins, Warren Beatty, Matthew Broderick, Annette Bening, Alec Baldwin, Candice Bergen, Martin Sheen, Oliver Platt
Features some nice performances and contains some strong material but, as a whole, the movie is too slow and too long to really work.
U.S. Release Date: 2016-11-18
MPAA Rating: "R" (Profanity, Sexual Content)
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Director: Kelly Fremon Craig
Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, Haley Lu Richardson, Blake Jenner, Kyra Sedgwick, Woody Harrelson, Hayden Szeto
With a smart, perceptive script and an arresting lead performance by Hailee Steinfeld, the film rises to the top of a crowded genre.
U.S. Release Date: 2016-11-18
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Sexual Content, Nudity, Profanity)
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Director: Tom Ford
Cast: Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Isla Fisher, Ellie Bamber, Armie Hammer, Karl Glusman, Robert Aramayo
Represents an effective melding of visceral and intellectual filmmaking.
U.S. Release Date: 2016-11-18
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Fantasy violence)
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Director: David Yates
Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Colin Farrell, Ezra Miller, Samantha Morton, Ron Perlman
"Fantastic Beasts" is an enjoyable stand-alone but its position as the progenitor of a new franchise remains unclear.