Search for 2016
E.T. There, I’ve gotten it out of the way - the obligatory mention of the classic 1982 collaboration between director Steven Spielberg and screenwriter Melissa Mathison that every critic will make when reviewing The BFG. The truth is, howev...
U.S. Release Date: 2016-07-01
MPAA Rating: "PG"
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Ruby Barnhill, Mark Rylance, Penelope Wilton, ...
D.W. Griffith’s 1915 silent movie, The Birth of a Nation, remains one of the most controversial epics ever committed to film. The bold, innovative techniques employed by the director are offset by a repugnantly racist second half that depicts m...
U.S. Release Date: 2016-10-07
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Profanity, Sexual Content, Nudity)
Genre: Drama
Director: Nate Parker
Cast: Nate Parker, Armie Hammer, Colman Domingo, ...
In 1999, the now-defunct Artisan Entertainment introduced horror fans to The Blair Witch Project, a film so unique in approach and intent that it became an immediate art house sensation. In a marketing blunder that underestimated the differences betw...
U.S. Release Date: 2016-09-16
MPAA Rating: "R" (Profanity, Violence)
Genre: Horror
Director: Adam Wingard
Cast: James Allen McCune, Callie Hernandez, Corbin Reid, ...
It would be fair to characterize Bridget Jones’s Baby as a huge step up from the previous Bridget Jones outing, 2004’s The Edge of Reason, although it’s not quite in the same league as 2001’s Bridget Jones’s Diary. Why w...
U.S. Release Date: 2016-09-16
MPAA Rating: "R" (Profanity, Sexual Content, Nudity)
Genre: Comedy/Romance
Director: Sharon Maguire
Cast: Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth, Patrick Dempsey, ...
Sony Pictures wisely decided not to unveil The Brothers Grimsby to critics. Would that they had shown the same deference to the general public… There are bad films and then there are bad films. This is a textbook example of the latter - a productio...
U.S. Release Date: 2016-03-11
MPAA Rating: "R" (Profanity, Sexual Content, Nudity, Violence)
Genre: Comedy
Director: Louis Leterrier
Cast: Sacha Baron Cohen, Mark Strong, Isla Fisher, ...
Spoiler Alert! Nothing overt but I hint at some plot developments that some readers may not want to know about until after they’ve seen the movie. Depends on your concerns about a “virgin movie-going experience.” Despite the name...
U.S. Release Date: 2016-05-06
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence, Profanity)
Genre: Action/Adventure
Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Cast: Chris Evans, Daniel Bruhl, Martin Freeman, ...
Bucking the summer movie empty spectacle approach, Captain Fantastic is about something. Despite the title, which might stir images of a superhero story, this is a human drama about the bonds that hold and sever families and the conflict between two ...
U.S. Release Date: 2016-07-22
MPAA Rating: "R" (Profanity, Sexual Content, Nudity)
Genre: Drama
Director: Matt Ross
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Shree Crooks, Nicholas Hamilton, ...
Spoiler Note: The review reveals the name of a couple of high profile actors who make cameo appearances. I think these are supposed to be surprises, although they’re inconsequential. Nevertheless, if you don’t want to know, don’t re...
U.S. Release Date: 2016-06-17
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence, Profanity, Nudity)
Genre: Action/Comedy
Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Amy Ryan, ...
It’s easy to understand why Collateral Beauty, at one time viewed as a potential Oscar contender, was removed from awards consideration by Warner Brothers. (They decided to dump it into theaters on the same day as Rogue One, possibly hoping no ...
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, ...
Colossal might look like a monster movie. Indeed, it may feature a Godzilla-like giant lizard leveling a major city in the Far East but, in many ways, that’s just window dressing. Allegorical in the extreme, Colossal is really a drama about...
U.S. Release Date: 2017-04-17
MPAA Rating: "R" (Profanity)
Genre: Science Fiction/Drama
Director: Nacho Vigalondo
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Jason Sudeikis, Austin Stowell, ...