MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 2 (2016)
Kirk Jones’ film based on Nia Vardalos’ original screenplay which is a follow up to her 2002 film of the same name is a clichéd but highly enjoyable film detailing that all families regardless of ethnicity are dysfunctional to a certain degree while having very similar problems. You can’t help but be taken in by the good nature and loving qualities that these characters possess while finding easily relatable storylines to one’s own life with “the family.” Nia Vardalos again s
BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE (2016)
Zack Snyder’s film based on a screenplay by Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer which takes its inspiration from THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS by Frank Miller and The Death of Superman Story arc while attempting to follow an original premise of its own. Though I found the first thirty minutes of this picture quite compelling and intriguing it quickly dissipated into a storyline that stretched the imagination along with a “who cares what happens kind of attitude.” I mean how many times
ALLEGIANT(2016)
Robert Schwentke’s film with a screenplay by Stephen Chbosky, Bill Collage, Adam Cooper & Noah Oppenheim is based on the third and final book in the DIVERGENT series by Veronica Roth (DIVERGENT, INSURGENT, ALLEGIANT). It should be pointed out that this film is only the first half of the story with the second half entitled ASCENDANT to be released next year. This is a science fiction drama with a strong theme that all human life is precious, regardless of who is considered dam
MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN (2016)
Patricia Riggen’s film from a screenplay by Randy Brown and based on Christy Beam’s memoir MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN is a joy to behold and definitely not for the cynical minded. I absolutely loved this film because it is so well crafted in detailing the tragic circumstances of a child getting sick with an incurable disease and the impact if had on a family regarding their faith in God, their finances, their marriage, their business and just about everything you can imagine. Much
SING STREET (2016)
John Carney’s film which he also wrote and produced is a semi-autographical film that is a fine companion piece to his previous films ONCE and BEGIN AGAIN and all concern the characters’ quest to make music that reflects their lives as portrayed on screen. I truly enjoyed this most charming film with an excellent cast that includes Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Lucy Boynton, Jack Reynor, Aiden Gillen and Maria Doyle Kennedy. It also features a fine musical score sung by the characters
THE YOUNG MESSIAH (2016)
This is a good film directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh with a screenplay by himself and Betsy Giffen Nowrasteh based on Anne Rice’s book CHRIST THE LORD: OUT OF EGYPT. It was felt in changing the title it would make it more accessible to the film going public, however this book was an international bestseller so I personally disagree with the decision. The film however is well made in trying to detail the young life of Christ of which little is known. What Ms. Rice did was extensive
THE BROTHERS GRIMSBY (2016)
This film has been directed by Louis Leterrier from a screenplay by Sacha Baron Cohen and Phil Johnston and though perhaps better than some of Mr. Cohens’ previous entries, still manages to give off an air of desperation and “how low can we go to achieve a laugh,” type of mentality. I don’t really like low humor or the kind of humor that only someone of a degenerative mind set would find amusing. I think Sacha Baron Cohen is a very good actor when given a proper script to wor
10 CLOVERFIELD LANE (2016)
This suspense thriller directed by Dan Trachtenberg and produced by J.J. Abrams (LOST, STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, STAR TREK) with a screenplay by Josh Campbell, Matt Stuecken & Damien Chazelle, is an interesting film that leaves you guessing up to the end. However, without revealing too much, this in many ways is a companion piece to CLOVERFIELD, a film from J.J. Abrams about 8 years ago that also kept one guessing only to realize you were dealing with a Godzilla redux, al
ZOOTOPIA (2016)
A Walt Disney animated film directed by Byron Howard and Rich Moore is an absolutely charming, sophisticated, well written, funny and very enjoyable animated film that I can't recommend enough. Though the intended audience is probably children and their families, I found it so appealing from an adult's point of view that I hope a more mature audience is made aware of this film's extraordinary charms. A beautiful screenplay by Jared Bush and Phil Johnston details the unlikely
LONDON HAS FALLEN (2016)
Babak Najafi's film with a screenplay by Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt, Chad St. John & Christian Gudegast is the kind of brainless affair that unfortunately I as a film reviewer have to sit through every once in awhile. A sequel of sorts to OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN, a film which detailed the taking and destruction of the White House by terrorists, is essentially the same story except this time it's the city of London that has been taken hostage. Simplistc in plot with mi