James Franco and Bryan Cranston do a great job of playing boyfriend vs. the future father-in-law in "Why Him?" Though much of the movie is stock humor and formulaic comedy we have seen before, the screenplay by John Hamburg and Ian Helfer and expert direction by Hamburg [..]
Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)
Universal Pictures, DreamWorks Animation, and Oriental DreamWorks have come out with "Kung Fu Panda 3," a sequel to the first two films of 2008 and 2011. Though not as innovative as its predecessors, number three is nonetheless entertaining and extremely visually attractive. Producer Melissa Cobb and [..]
Wakefield (2016)
Bryan Cranston plays attorney Howard Wakefield who one day decides to vanish. leaving his wife and two teenage daughters wondering what happened. They have no idea that he is hiding in the attic above the garage, spying on them. This improbable and [..]
The Boss (2016)
Melissa McCarthy and her husband Ben Falcone have come up with another low-brow comedy called "The Boss." As in "Tammy" back in 2014, director Falcone and star McCarthy offer viewers formulaic and predictable comedy mixed with dirty language and disgusting behavior. In this debacle, the Falcones [..]
Moonlight (2016)
The Best Picture of 2016 is....."Moonlight," a coming of age story of an African-American teenager from director-screenwriter Barry Jenkins ("Medicine for Melancholy" 2008). Jenkins put together a sensitive story that won the Oscar for Best Picture of 2016, the first film with an all-black cast to win [..]
La La Land (2016)
It would seem that some of the charm of old Hollywood has returned to the big screen in "La La Land." Director-screenwriter Damien Chazelle ("Whiplash" 2014) has given us a romantic drama musical that is favorably compared to the MGM musicals of the 1930's, 1940's, and 1950's. [..]
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
"10 Cloverfield Lane" is an engrossing science fiction thriller from producer J. J. Abrams and first time director Dan Trachtenberg. This well done story of three people confined in an underground bunker during a reported alien attack on the earth is a sequel to the 2008 motion [..]
Criminal (2016)
A convoluted plot and a worn-out story line with mediocre performances pretty much describes "Criminal." Director Ariel Vromen ("The Iceman" 2012) and screenwriters Douglas Cook and David Weisberg weave a tale of a convict who is implanted with the memories of a deceased CIA agent, the objective [..]
The Jungle Book (2016)
Walt Disney Pictures has another winner out this year called "The Jungle Book." This is the third version by Disney, after the initial 1967 animated film and the 1994 live action product. Producer-director Jon Favreau employed the latest technologies in computer-generated imagery, photorealistic rendering, and motion [..]
Jason Bourne (2016)
Matt Damon is back and better than ever as "Jason Bourne." Producer-director Paul Greengrass ("The Bourne Supremacy" 2004 and "The Bourne Ultimatum" 2007), who also wrote the screenplay with Christopher Rouse, has given us an exciting story about an "out in the cold" Bourne trying to uncover [..]