2016 MOVIE GUIDE
4 STARS
– 聽Stone & Gosling are heartbreaking in Chazelle’s dazzling L.A. musical
– Barry Jenkins explores three life stages of gay black man’s identity struggle
– Denzel stars/directs Viola Davis in brilliant adaptation of August Wilson play
– Natalie Portman is Oscar worthy as Jackie Kennedy after JFK assassination
– Jeff Bridges hunts Chris Pine in “No Country”-style crime drama
– Eight-hour doc聽is powerful document on U.S. race relations
– Viggo Mortensen surprisingly hilarious raising聽family off the grid
3 1/2 STARS
– Amy Adams translates alien communications in Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi gem
– Jeff Nichols quietly effective look at interracial marriage case Loving v. Virginia
– True story of black women who made history behind scenes at NASA
– Doc about Brian DePalma is insightful, personal look into director’s career
– Dev Patel & Nicole Kidman give heartfelt roles as lost boy searches for home
– Asghar Farhadi聽(“A Separation”) chills with Best Foreign Flick winner
– Casey Affleck gives heartbreaking, overrated portrait of grief
– South Korea’s Chan-wook Park directs a twisting erotic thriller
– Marvel’s R-rated superhero is hilarious ‘Mortal Kombat’ meets ‘Orgazmo’
– Tom Hanks is heroic Sully Sullenberger in this inspiring Clint Eastwood drama
– Beckinsale dazzles聽in comic take on Jane Austen’s “Lady Susan”
– Sundance champ on Nat Turner hurt by聽off-screen controversy
– Woody Allen remains prolific with “love rectangle” in ’50s NY vs. LA
– Isabelle Huppert tracks down rapist in Paul Verhoeven’s chilling聽erotic thriller
– After unnecessary opening, Tom Ford unleashes a stylish thriller
– Mel Gibson explores 1st conscientious objector to win Medal of Honor
– Search for magical armor a triumph of stop-motion animation
– Fassbender-Vikander-Weisz shine in morality melodrama
– Fantasy about power of storytelling via Liam Neeson tree monster
“Toni Erdmann” – German international darling explores rare father-daughter relationship
– Jessica Chastain gives power performance as a ruthless D.C. lobbyist
– Doc about boy who deals with Autism through Disney animated films
– Disney turns Kipling’s classic into a star-studded 3D/IMAX wonder
3 STARS
– Cumberbatch tames superhero ego in wonderfully weird origin story
– Indie gem explores first date between Barack-Michelle Obama
– Palme d’Or winner explores frustrating red tape of disability benefits
– Disney animated romp boasts surprisingly deep social commentary
– Ava DuVernay delivers searing doc on 聽racial disparity in U.S. prison system
–听Doc narrates James Baldwin’s unfinished novel on racism
– Jesuit priests suffer in Japan as Scorsese explores faith vs. doubt
– Rachel Weisz & Timothy Spall courtroom drama about Holocaust denier
– Brad Pitt & Marion Cotillard聽mine WWII intrigue聽in Zemeckis spy romance
– Marvel Phase 3 kicks off with crowded but wildly entertaining romp
– Joseph Gordon-Levitt delivers career role in Oliver Stone’s biopic
– Cannes standout sends Sasha Lane on Midwest jaunt
– “Star Wars” Chapter 8 marches to beat of own Imperial drum
– Jarmusch’s quiet exploration of Adam Driver’s bus driver poet
–听Auli’i Cravalho & The Rock sing animated tunes by Lin-Manuel Miranda聽
– Third Wahlberg-Berg pairing recalls Boston Marathon bombing
– Shannon-Spacey mine comedy from 1970 Oval office meeting
– Biopic tracks聽Jesse Owens defying Hitler at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
– Alex Gibney’s timely doc explores consequences of Stuxnet virus
– Doc chronicles sexting scandal of Anthony “Carlos Danger” Weiner
– Blunt’s聽killer performance keeps so-so script on the rails
– Pixar’s underwater sequel recaptures the “Finding Nemo” magic
– Gyllenhaal聽plays聽widower in聽offbeat comedy by聽Jean-Marc Vall茅e
– Eggers’ shocking horror flick more visually impressive than narratively
– Bening runs hipster聽boarding house in 1979 Santa Barbara
– J.J. Abrams left, but sci-fi franchise is still firing on all cylinders
– Denzel reunites with Antoine Fuqua for his first Western
– J.K. Rowling spinoff is so-so, but a delight for Harry Potter fans
2 1/2 STARS
– Coens’ Hollywood lampoon cluttered聽with sideshows, but funny quote
– Cranston goes undercover to prevent drugs spilling across the border
– Ewan McGregor’s directorial debut is heavy-handed and cynical
–听Peter Berg nails gripping action, misses big picture of聽Gulf oil spill
– Emilia Clarke-Sam Claflin find聽chemistry in tearjerker based on book
– Sequel is no “Days of Future Past,” but “X” still marks the spot
– Animation is “Toy Story” unleashed, asking what pets do all day
– Hiddleston is convincing Hank Williams in often superficial聽biopic
– DeNiro-Ramirez shine but biopic covers too much of Dur谩n’s career
– Great seeing Zellweger back, starts hilarious, gradually fizzles
– Foster holds Clooney, Roberts hostage in compelling, implausible film
– Affleck combines Will Hunting & Jason Bourne as ass-kicking savant
– Damon delivers nonstop action, but 5th film pales to the original聽trilogy
– Benghazi film isa 聽fine tribute to those who risk all, but film doesn’t take risks
聽– Solid cast makes mostly fun, if forgettable, new聽take on old classic
– Remake聽delivers thrilling chariot race, but can’t match Wyler’s 1959 classic
– Purists can chill; ladies are game, but not much new here in this reboot
2 STARS
– Great cast lost in effects-driven sequel no one really wanted
– Tom Cruise action sequel fueled by聽paternity questions
– Nicolas Sparks finds chemistry between leads, but cliche weepy ending
– Affleck takes on Cavill in dark, crowded DC superhero crossover
– Margot Robbie shines as Harley Quinn, but the sloppy script is a mess
– Greek聽absurdist black comedy聽is a total snoozer, but points for originality
– Tom Hanks returns in weakest chapter of Ron Howard-Dan Brown franchise
– Star-studded magician sequel has too many tricks up its sleeve
– CGI turtles make us miss Jim Henson’s puppetechtronics
– Stiller-Wilson sequel starts off funny, quickly plunges into stupidity
1 STAR
– Alien blockbuster sequel sorely misses Will Smith
– Terrence Malick’s latest shatters line between profound, pretentious
Review from Past Years:
