FENCES

Denzel Washington directs and stars as former professional baseball player Troy who has a negative view of life.  His wife Rose is the optimist with a calming attitude.  Tensions stirred within the family when Troy denies his teenage son's dream of playing college football,  but comes home with a baby he  had through an affair.  Great acting but a dark story that probably happens more often then we want to believe.  I give it an 8.  Stars Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, and Jovan Adepo.

LA LA LAND

While pursuing showbiz fame, jazz pianist Sebastian falls for aspiring actress Mia, and the two embark on an intense love affair.  But as their  separate paths of ambition force them to make tough choices, their relationship starts to fray.  Great to see a musical with colorful clothing.  However, often the dancing and singing overshadowed the story line.  I give it an 8.  Stars Josh Gosling and Emma Stone.

JACKIE

Seen through the eyes of iconic First Lady, then Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, Jackie is a searing and intimate portrait of one of the most important and tragic moments in American history--placing audiences in her world during the days immediately following her husband's assassination.  Known for her extraordinary dignity and poise, here we see a psychological portrait of the First Lady as she struggles to maintain her husband's legacy and the world of "Camelot" that they created and loved so well.  Sad time for America and the First Lady but played like a Academy performance.  Be prepared that there are few if any light moments.  I give it an 8.  Stars Natalie Portman.

Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them

The year is 1926, and Newt Scamander has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures.  Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without incident, were it not  for a No-Maj (or, Muggle) named Jacob, a misplaced magical case, and the escape of some of Newt's fantastic beasts, which could spell trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds.  A very fun movie with great special effects.  The story is by J. K.  Rowling and is awesome in the Harry Potter style.    I give it an 8.  Stars Eddie Redmayne, Dan Fogler.

Manchester By The Sea

While working as a handyman in Boston, taciturn loner Lee Chandler gets word his brother Joe has died of a coronary.  After returning to the siblings hometown, Lee receives another shock:  He is named legal guardian of Joe's 16 year old son.  Not a simple story.  Flash back piece together Lee's life and why he is a taciturn loner.  Great acting and very, very real.  It will be up for the Academy.  I give it a 9.  Stars:  Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler.

Arrival

When  mysterious spacecrafts touch down across the globe, an elite team-led by expert linguist Louise Banks- is brought together to investigate.  As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks and the team race against time for answers and to find them, she will take a chance that could threaten her life, and quite possibly humanity.  This is not your run of the mill sci-fi movie.  The flashbacks get you wondering if they are the past or the future.  I give it an 8.  Stars Amy Adams, Forest Whitaker and Jeremy Renner.

Loving

Loving celebrates the real-life courage and commitment of interracial couple Richard and Mildred Loving, who married and then spent the next nine years fighting for the right to live as a family in their Virginia hometown.  Their civil rights case, Loving v. Virginia, went all the way to the Supreme Court, which in 1967 reaffirmed the very foundation of the right to marry - and has gone down in history as an inspiration to couples everywhere.  Slow at times but a piece of history that needs to be told.  I give it a 7.  Stars Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga.

Moonlight

Set amid the height of Miami's War on Drugs,  this tender, heartbreaking story follows one man across three defining chapters in his life as he wrestles with the beauty and pain of falling in love, while grappling with his sexuality.  I expected violence and drug gore but there was none.  The story centers on character development and does a fantastic job.  I give it a 9.  Stars Mahershala Ali, Naomie  Harris,  Janelle Monae.

The Handmaiden

A gripping and sensual tale of two women-- a young Japanese Lady living on a secluded estate, and a Korean woman  who is hired to serve as her new handmaiden but is secretly plotting with a conman to defraud her of a large inheritance.  By sensual we mean soft porn.  Some of the scenes are very explicit.  My movie companion and I needed a drink after the movie.  Although the story line is good, it leaves nothing to the imagination.  I give it a 5.  Stars no one you have heard  about.

Aquarius

Clara , who has vowed not to leave her quickly gentrifying home in Recife, Brazil, until her death faces confrontation with the new owners of the building who want her to sell and move out.  Her steadfastness brings about a mysterious confrontation, tingeing even Clara's most familiar routines with tension.  A very long movie even though it is very good, a good 30 minutes could have been eliminated.  Brace yourself for some raw sex scenes.  I give it an eight.  Stars Sonia Braga.

Girl On The Train

During her daily rail commute divorcee Rachel Watson observes the happily married couple living in a house near the train route.  One day, she witnesses a scene that enrages her--and soon finds herself deeply entangled in the ensuing mystery.  I give it a seven.  Rachel is a alcoholic and doesn't remember a lot of  her experiences.  Very emotional movie and I am not that type.  I would have gone to the police long before she took things into her own hands.  It stars Emily Blunt, Haley Bennett, Rebecca Ferguson.

The Birth Of A Nation

Very, very intense movie and at times hard to watch.  The movie follows a slave and preacher Nat Turner, whose financially strained owner, Samuel Turner, accepts an offer to use Nat's preaching to subdue unruly slaves.  As he witnesses countless atrocities against himself and his fellow slaves, Nat orchestrates an inspirational uprising in the hopes of leading his people to freedom.   I give the movie a seven.

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children

When Jake discovers clues to a mystery that spans alternate realities and times, he uncovers a secret refuge known as Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.  As he learns about the residents and their unusual abilities, Jake realizes that safety is an illusion, and danger lurks in the form of powerful, hidden enemies.  Jake must figure out who is real, who can be trusted, and who he really is.  I would have gotten more out of the movie if I was 12 years old.  Great  technological side effects.  I am sure the movie followed the book.  Upper elementary and young teens would love it.  I give it a five.  Judy Dench is the only known star.

The Dressmaker

A great movie about revenge.  Beautiful and talented Tilly Dunnage, after years working exclusively in Parisian fashion houses, returns home to the Australian outback to reconcile with her eccentric mother, Molly.  Once there, armed with her sewing machine and haute couture style, Tilly transforms the women of the town, exacting sweet revenge on those who did her wrong.  Don't miss this movie.  Tilly and Molly are fantastic and stud muffin, Teddy is the best looking man that I have seen in ages.  You will laugh a lot, cry a little and get angry.  I give it a solid 9.  Stars Kate Winslet, Judy Davis and Liam Hemsworth. 

Bridget Jones's Baby

Breaking up with Mark Darcy leaves Bridget Jones over 40 and single again.  Feeling that she has everything under control, Jones decides to focus on her career as a top news producer.  Suddenly, her love life comes back from the dead when she meets a dashing and handsome American named Jack.  Things couldn't be better, until Bridget discovers that she is 43 and pregnant.  Now, the befuddled mom-to-be must figure out if the proud papa is Mark or Jack.  Just as good and just as hilarious as Bridget Jones's Diary.  You won't even miss Hugh Grant.  This is one of the years' "Must See".  I give it a high 8--almost a nine.  Stars Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth and Patrick Dempsey.

Sully

On January 15, 2009, the world witnessed the "Miracle on the Hudson" when Captain "Sully" Sullenberger glided his disabled plane onto the frigid waters of the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 aboard.  However, even as Sully was being heralded by the public and the media for his unprecedented feat of aviation skill, an investigation was unfolding that threatened to destroy his reputation and career.  A movie to be seen on the big screen where the landing is up-front and in your face.  A real feel good movie that will keep you cheering.  I give it an eight.  Stars:  Tom Hanks who is the movie.

The Light Between Oceans

World War I veteran Tom accepts a job as a lighthouse keeper in a remote  site in Australia.  He woes and marries Isobel to live with him at this remote site.  Unfortunately, she has a series of miscarriages and is distraught with not being able to have a child.  They find a child floating in the ocean on a lifeboat, who they take to raise as their own and Tom gives in to Isobel's pleading to keep the child.  Tom discovers that the child's mother is searching for the child and her missing husband.  I did not read the lengthy book so there are missing pieces.  If  Isobel cried one more time, I was going to smack her.  She comes off as a spoiled brat.  I suggest one reads the book and then see the movie.  I give it a 6.  Stars Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Rachel Weisz.

White Girl

Equipped with platinum blonde hair and a winning smile, NYC college girl Leah seeks out pleasure in any form.  Between getting high with her roommate and snoring lines with her boss, Leah falls for Blue, a young man dealing drugs on her corner.  Within days, the two are selling dime bags to her boss and his downtown friends, collecting fast cash, and living the high life.  But summer love crashes to a halt when Blue is arrested and Leah is left with a ton of  his coke.  Enlisting the aid of an overpriced lawyer, Leah finds herself deep in debt and over her head as she pushes all limits to get Blue back.  Leah is the ultimate dumb blond--no even dumber than you can imagine with the morales of an alley cat.  Mostly, I just wanted to smack her.  The movie was a wake-up call for my generation.  The movie is not for the faint hearted.  For parents, you will realize why young college students should be in a supervised dorm.  I give it a 4.  Stars Morgan Saylor, Brian Marc, Justin Bartha, and Chris North.

Hell or High Water

Faced with losing the family farm to foreclosure, brothers Toby and Tanner decide that their best move is to rob some banks.  Not surprisingly, their plans quickly go awry, and a grizzled but relentless lawman picks up their trail.  Not your standard shoot 'em up story.  Some great lines and great acting.  You are actually rooting for the brothers.  I give it a nine.  Stars Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine and Ben Foster.

Indignation

When he is admitted to a rigidly Christian college in the Midwest, Marcus Messner also achieves another goal:  to get away from his domineering Jewish dad.  But Marcus's optimism is soon tempered by a nettling dean and signs of anti-Semitism on campus.  Add to the mix a bat-shit crazy girl who is chasing him.  Not a thriller but one of those touchy feely ones.   I give it a five.  Stars Logan Lerman, Sarah Gadon.

Florence Foster Jenkins

It is the 1940's in New York and heiress Florence Foster Jenkins has a music passion but unfortunately  her singing voice is always-off-key.  Florence's passion drives her to become an opera singer.  When she announces her plans to sing at Carnegie Hall, her husband St. Clair goes to extreme lengths to make sure  she never becomes aware that the angelic voice she hears in her head lacks any resemblance to the voice people hear when she sings.  Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant how can this go wrong.  Based on a true story, it is funny and sad.   I give it a nine.  Stars Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant.

Ghostbusters

In this reboot of the 1984 classic, it's the ladies doing the ghost-busting.  After writing a book suggesting that ghosts are real, Erin Gilbert and Abby Yates are called upon to lead the fight when spooks overrun Manhattan.  Two laughs in one week and I am loving it.  Not an academy award winner but the  special events and dialogue are good.  I give it a seven.  Stars Melisa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon.

Bad Moms

Looking behind the veneer of perfection sought by American mothers, this comic tale follows a trio of  fed-up unappreciated suburban mothers as they set out to liberate themselves, leaving their parental responsibilities behind.  Very, very funny movie and if you have ever been involved in the PTA you will laugh yourself silly.  But it is not a bad silly movie, it is very good and hits home.  I give it an eight.  Stars Mila Kunis,
Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn.

Captain Fantastic

Deep in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, isolated from society, a devoted father dedicates his life to transforming his six young children into extraordinary adults.  But when tragedy strikes the family, they are forced to leave their self-created paradise and begin a journey into the outside world that challenges his idea of what it means to be a parent and brings into question everything he's taught the children.  Not a comedy but there are some humorous moments.  I give it a seven.  Stars Viggo Mortensen.

The Innocents

Upon the conclusion of the second World War, a nurse, Mathilde is treating the last  of the French survivors of the German camps in Warsaw, Poland when a panicked Benedictine nun appears at the clinic, begging Mathilde to follow her back to the convent.  What she finds there is shocking:  a holy sister about to give birth and  a several more in advanced stages of pregnancy.  Mathilde enters the sisters' fiercely private world, dictated by the rituals of their order and the strict Reverend Mother.  Fearing the shame of exposure, the hostility of the new anti-Catholic Communist government, and facing an unprecedented crisis of faith, the nuns increasingly turn to Mathilde as their belief and traditions clash with harsh realities.  Based on a true story, not for the faint of heart.  The crimes of war that involve civilians are laid out in graphic detail.  The movie is well done.  I give it an 8.  Stars Agata  Kuleszo.

Free State Of Jones

This epic action-drama is set during the Civil War.  It follows a defiant Southern farmer Newt Knight and his extraordinary armed rebellion against the Confederacy.  Banding together with small farmers and local slaves, Knight launched an uprising that led Jones County, Mississippi to secede from the Confederacy, creating a Free State of Jones.  Knight continued his struggle into Reconstruction, distinguishing him as a compelling, if controversial, figure of defiance long beyond the War.  The movie can be slow at times but good.  We too often forget about this part of history.  I give it an eight.  Stars Matthew McConaughey and Gary Ross.

Money Monster

Landing in dire financial straights after following a stock market tip from bombastic TV persona Lee Gates, fuming Kyle Budwell takes the Lee hostage on live television and threatens to kill him and the CEO of the losing stock unless they apologize for the bad tip.  A different kind of thriller but good.  I give it a 7.  Stars George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Jack O'Connell.

Love & Friendship

This is an adaptation of Jane Austen's novella Lady Susan.  Set in the 1790s, the film follows the title character, a beautiful young widow as she arrives in Churchill, to wait out colourful rumours about her dalliances circulating through polite society.  While there, she embarks upon securing a husband for herself, but the Churchill waters are troubled when handsome, eligible Reginald DeCourcy and cheerful Sir James Martin arrive.  After a series of dramatic turns, Lady  Susan ultimately risks destruction when her jealous rival comes to call, uncovering a revelation that leads to the denouncement of denouncements.  The characters needed name tags to determine who is sleeping with whom.  Still an entertaining movie. Stars:  Kate Beckinsale, Xavier Samuel, and Tom Bennett.  I give it a seven.

The Meddler

A recent widow and eternal optimist, Marnie Minevini moves from New Jersey to Los Angeles to be closer to her daughter-a successful-but single- screenwriter who firmly draws strict personal boundaries for her mother.  Armed with an iPhone and a full bank account, Marnie sets out to make friends, find her purpose, and possibly open up to someone new.  Marnie is played by Susan Sarandon who gives a career-best performance in this charming movie.  Rose Byrne plays the daughter and is equally as good.  Both mothers and daughters will love this movie.  I give it a seven.

Marguerite

French socialite Marguerite Dumont has one great passion in life:  singing opera.  Unfortunately, she is exceedingly bad at it.  But no one  is brave enough to tell her.  She throws her heart and soul into preparing for her first solo recital.  Humorous but sad, the movie has some good laughs.  I guess we would call it a "dark comedy".  It is based on a true story.  I give it a 6.  Stars:  Catherine Frot, Andre Marcon, Michel Fau.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2

There is a new wedding on the horizon for the wacky Portokalos clan--and with it comes a new assortment of family crises and secrets.  Not as good as the first one but a good laugh.  I give is a 6.  Stars Nia Vardalos; John Corbett, Lanie Kazan.

Eye In The Sky

Eye In The Sky stars Helen Mirren as Colonel Katherine Powell, a UK-based military officer in the command of a top secret drone operation to capture terrorists in Kenya.  Through remote surveillance and on-the-ground intel, Powell discovers the targets are planning a suicide bombing and the mission escalates fro "capture" to "kill".  But as am American pilot Steve Watts is about to engage, a nine-year old girl enters the kill zone, triggering an international dispute reaching the highest levels of US and British government over the moral, political, and personal implications of modern warfare.  This is an excellent thriller and is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat.  I give is an 8.  Stars Helen Mirren and Aaron Paul.

Hello, My Name Is Doris

Doris is an unassuming office worker living in her childhood home despite the recent death of her mother.  But when she finds inspiration in the ideas of a self-help guru, the arrival of a handsome new co-worker heralds a new obsession.  This charming comedy effortlessly moves between laughs and real feeling to paint a touching portrait of a dreamer.  Touching and well-acted comedy  that  will touch your heart.  I give it a 7.  Stars Sally Field, Max Greenfield, Tyne Daly.

Son of Saul

Amid the horrors of Auschwitz, prisoner Saul Auslander has the grim duty of transporting corpses from the camp's gas chambers to the crematoria. But when he thinks he recognizes his son's body, Saul sets out to save the boy from incineration.  Very dark movie and leaves one devastated by the horrors of the concentration camps.  It reduced one member of our group to tears and gave me nightmares.  It is very graphic and leaves little to the imagination.  I can't even rate it.  Stars Geza Rohig, Leverte Molnar.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Based on Kim Barker's memoirs about her experiences covering the Afghanistan war, this satirical look at a hopelessly confused conflict also chronicles the obstacles encountered by female journalists in a rigidly conservative region.
It is not a roll in the aisle and hold your sides laughing comedy but a factual look at a female in a war zone.  Having been in Viet Nam in 1968, it rang very true.  I give it an 8.  Tina Fey is outstanding.  Stars Tina Fey and Billy Bob Thornton.
 

Mustang

Enraged by her granddaughters flirtations with some male classmates, a strict Turkish grandma  refuses to let her young charges out of the house to keep them from ruining their marriage chances.  But the girls find ways to circumvent the restrictions.  While humorous, it is a dark comedy.  The girls while kept prisoner in their home, are abused by the religious uncle who lives there.  Still it gives another view of the Turkish culture but I think this is small village mentality.  I give it a 7.  Stars Gunes Sersoy, Doga Zeyrep Doguslu, Tugloso Sunguroglu.

DEADPOOL

Based upon Marvel Comics most unconventional anti-hero, DEADPOOL tells the origin of the former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool.  Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.
Not since Trainwreck have I seen a movies so funny.   The language is bad and the humor off-color but you will love it.  Oh by the way the audience was mainly under 40.  Stars no one you have heard of except Leslie Uggams who plays the old blind roommate to the anti-hero.

Hail, Caesar

This is an all- star comedy set during the latter years of Hollywood's Golden Age.  The movie follows a single day in the life of a studio fixer who is presented with plenty of problems to fix.  The jury is out on this one.  At times funny and at times lost in space but maybe funny to the writer and director.  Half-way through, I started looking at my watch which is hard to do in a dark theater.  I give it a 5.  Stars  Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, Ralph Fiennes, Scarlett Johanson and etc., etc.,   You got it--an all star cast.

45 Years

Geoff and Kate Mercer's plans for a 45th wedding anniversary party are upset by some unexpected news:  A body found in the Swiss Alps has been identified as Geoff's long-ago love Katya, who perished in an accident 50 years earlier.  Movie wins the touchy -feely award.  If you want action, this is not your movie.  Very deep insights into emotions by Kate about if her marriage was a rebound from the long dead girlfriend.  Geoff seems to be impervious to the whole situation Kate is going through.  His actions are stupid at times but that is the movies.  I give it a 6.  Stars Charlotte  Rampling and Tom Courtenay.

Jane Got A Gun

When her husband barely survives a murder attempt by an outlaw gang he once belonged to, steely Jane Hammond takes the law into her own hands to defend her homestead and protect injured spouse--with help of a former lover.  The movie got off to a slow start mainly because it was an 1860's Western.  Once the plot is laid out, you can get into it.  I give it a 7.  Stars Natalie Portman, Joel Edgeton, Noah Emmerich.

The Lady In The Van

In this touching human drama adapted from writer Alan Bennett's bestselling memoir, in 1973 he befriends the elderly Miss Shepard, who's living in a van that's been parked in his driveway for 15 years.  It does seem unbelievable but these two have a chemistry that is touching.  Oh! Alan has a mother too that needs caring for but not in his house.  I am of the firm belief that Maggie Smith lends magnificence to everything she touches.  The movie is touching with light humor and great acting.  I give it an 8.  Stars Maggie Smith, Alex Jennings, Jim Broadbent.

The Revenant

Set in the 1820's American frontier, this snowy thriller follows fur trapper Hugh Glass as he relentlessly seeks retribution against the companions who left him for dead in the Missouri River's icy waters after he was mauled by a bear.  I was surprised that this movie was not just gore and guts but actually a good story.  Not everyone was evil, especially the captain of the expedition that made the two companions promise to care for Hugh after the bear mauling.  One of those companions killed his son and did his best to kill Hugh.  The other companion was unaware of all these evil deeds.  All in all, not for the faint of heart.  I still am trying to figure out why all of them didn't die of hypothermia in those icy waters.  I give it a 7.  Leonardo's grunting got old.  Stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Set thirty years after the events of Episode VI, The Force Awakens follows a downed storm trooper on a journey which reconnects him with heroic faces from the past.  New characters take shape.  Planetary scavenger Rey and incomparable x-wing pilot Poe dominate the movie and set a future for the Star Wars Epics.  Just a plain fun, fun movie that you will not want to miss.  I give it an eight.  Stars Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamil, Daisey Ridley.

The Danish Girl

This movie should get the Academy for Movie Whisperer.  The dialogue is very hush, hush but considering the subject matter, maybe it should be.  In 1930, Danish painter Einar Wegener elects to have gender-reassignment surgery with the blessing of his wife, Gerda.  This is a true life narrative of personal courage and also sheds light on the medical origins of transsexual surgery.  The movie is well done even if it should be louder and with more diction.  I give it a 7.  Eddie Redmayne is phenomenal in his part.  Stars Eddie Redmayne, Alica Vikander, Ben Whishaw.