Movies watched in 2016
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- DirectorJean-Marc ValléeStarsMatthew McConaugheyJennifer GarnerJared LetoIn 1985 Dallas, electrician and hustler Ron Woodroof works around the system to help AIDS patients get the medication they need after he is diagnosed with the disease.What an amazing movie... One of the best actings I've seen in a long, long time. Sublime Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto, no words to express how deep their acts have reached me. A real life story carried by honest feelings of empathy, compassion, fear of death and friendship. Absolutely recommendable.
(January 5th 2016) - DirectorEric DarnellTom McGrathConrad VernonStarsBen StillerJada Pinkett SmithChris RockThe Madagascar animals join a struggling European circus to get back to New York, but find themselves being pursued by a psychotic animal-control officer.Such a fun and witty movie! I love those penguins :D
(January 6th 2016) - DirectorTony KayeStarsEdward NortonEdward FurlongBeverly D'AngeloLiving a life marked by violence, neo-Nazi Derek finally goes to prison after killing two black youths. Upon his release, Derek vows to change; he hopes to prevent his brother, Danny, who idolizes Derek, from following in his footsteps.A tale of self growth and acknowledgement of one's flaws and humanity. Brutal scenery and cinematography, awesome life lesson learned from the infamous side.
However, to me this movie could have dug deeper on the emotions and nature of the characters, and the implications of their actions. It somehow feels like it doesn't get where it was supposed to get, it's probably that it should've been a bit longer. The first quarter of the movie is absolutely magnificent, but from there it just goes too fast and doesn't cut deep enough into Derek's transformation or the real reasons why he wants to make Danny stay away from the life he has previously preached. So, my verdict is that this is a very good movie but not the masterpiece it could've been if the second half of it would've been made with more patience and profoundness. At some point the movie loses its boldness and brutality, the atmosphere it had at the beginning, and that makes it feel "soft".
(January 7th 2016) - DirectorMichael RadfordStarsDemi MooreMichael CaineLambert WilsonIn 1960s London, an elderly janitor convinces a glass-ceiling constrained executive to help him steal a handful of diamonds from their employer, the London Diamond Corporation.(January 8th, 2016)
- DirectorJohn WellsStarsMeryl StreepDermot MulroneyJulia RobertsA look at the lives of the strong-willed women of the Weston family, whose paths have diverged until a family crisis brings them back to the Oklahoma house they grew up in, and to the dysfunctional woman who raised them.This is one great movie... Sublimely, brilliantly carried on by the all-time-spectacular Meryl Streep and the profound, talented and strong Julia Roberts. A piercing story that reaches its peak when Streep and Roberts interact, two expressive minds letting torrents of emotions come out of them. The daughters can't help but feel dreadful about their mother's bold sincerity and physical aspect (awesome how Streep is shown with and without her wig alternatively for impact and identity). The dinner scene must be one of the greatest ones of its kind I've seen and the length of it just made it get better and better, as if a whole day passes by while the family's women work on their issues. The scene where Streep runs aimlessly through the grass field stages the whole emotional plot: why she takes the pills, what is it that she can't bear in her heart and needs to drown alongside their side effects. When life gets too heavy to carry on her shoulders and she realizes that all she used to call life, is over.
Have I said that Julia Roberts is a 11/10 yet?
(January 10th, 2016) - DirectorSam MendesStarsKevin SpaceyAnnette BeningThora BirchA sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend.Funny, witty, touching, mad. American Beauty goes from moments of crazy, looney comedy, to scenes of pure drama in a snap. It shows us how we all contain a little madness inside ourselves, whether it is how we struggle and punish ourselves for our ambitions and failures, how we see ourselves physically, or how lost we are within a life that makes us feel like walking phantoms. This movie keeps you on your toes from the beginning to the end, wondering what will be next, whether the music is going to switch the movie's mood again, watching characters develop, unveil and converge deliciously as their stories walk very different paths but coincide in one point: everyone ends up finding themselves in the end. The plot and story are simple and typical, a broken family stained by issues of self worth, mid-life crisis and blatant teenage insecurity; the strong point of it is how it's told, how exceptionally out of his mind Kevin Spacey is, how Thora Birch embodies the typical insufferable high schooler (with a lot more within herself to give), and how well Annette Benning plays a frustrated woman who just wants to find her place in the world. Wes Bentley rounds it all up by embracing that madness, a madness that he beautifully just is in himself, a madness that finds a way to be expressed through an unconventional, baudelairean visual taste that only artists can understand. And Mena Suvari is, essentially, the catalyst of it all; the American beauty, the one that gives and takes everything, the one that provides the magnificent last 10 minutes of the movie, and the reason why Kevin Spacey meets such a tragic end at the peak of his life.
(January 11th, 2016) - DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsLeonardo DiCaprioTom HanksChristopher WalkenBarely 17 yet, Frank is a skilled forger who has passed as a doctor, lawyer and pilot. FBI agent Carl becomes obsessed with tracking down the con man, who only revels in the pursuit.Second/third time I watch this movie, pleasant as always, such a neat and catchy storyline with a background of young sweetness.
(February 2nd, 2016) - DirectorTarsem SinghStarsLee PaceCatinca UntaruJustine WaddellIn 1920s Los Angeles, a bedridden patient in a hospital captivates a young girl with a fantastic tale of heroes, myths, and villains on a desert island.(February 6th, 2016)
- DirectorPhilipp StölzlStarsTom PayneStellan SkarsgårdOlivier MartinezIn 11th-century Persia, a surgeon's apprentice disguises himself as a Jew to study at a school that does not admit Christians.(February 13th, 2016)
- DirectorTodd HaynesStarsCate BlanchettRooney MaraSarah PaulsonAn aspiring photographer develops an intimate relationship with an older woman in 1950s New York.I am pretty sure this movie just changed my life.
Erase that. I don't like falling short when I really must not.
I am completely sure this movie changed my life.
To be honest, when it started I thought Cate Blanchett had believed her role of cold, unsatisfied woman way too much. I thought she would be too impersonal and distant for what her role could have meant for the movie. Rooney Mara, on the other hand, seemed too innocent, too untouched, too "blank" for the responsibility it was going to mean being such-a-woman's partner. At first, Blanchett's blunt attitude felt cranky, almost awkward judging for the straighforwardness of her insinuations. But that too, that was also planned. Carol just underestimated where she was getting into at first, because she didn't know she would fall in love like that after a life of insecurity and dullness.
These two actresses, these two miracles of human beings, stop taking part into the movie to BECOME the movie. They lift not you, but your soul up from the seat to take it to a whole new universe where the theatre doesn't exist and you are looking straight into reality. Every glance, every gesture, every single detail of their interaction is so perfect yet so natural it's unreal. There are no words to express the immensity of love I myself felt within their trip together, nor the agonic state of nervousness that crossed me from when they split till the very last moment when they look at each other in acknowledgement and love.
There's no use in commenting the aspects of this movie at all. Words cannot make justice to what it has truly made me feel, to the absolutely goddamn soul-tearing act of both protagonists, to the true fear I was feeling when it was foreseen that they might not end up together. It was not a fear for them as a fictional couple, not even as a could-have-been real life couple, but a fear for love itself. A fear that love might not happen at the moment when it has to, a fear that after all love cannot tackle everything to impose itself. A fear that if love wasn't going to be enough for these two women, then it just plain and simply doesn't exist.
But it does, because it is there. Because it might be complicated but it is there, and when it is, it can move mountains and destroy boundaries to unite two souls that have to be together.
This movie has simply confirmed me that I believe in real things, and must continue to be myself and never lose hope in who I am. And for this it has enabled me to let go of the painful things and strive only for the good ones. I feel alive again ever since a moment I cannot even recall anymore.
Thank you.
Just, thank you.
(February 17th, 2016) - DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsJamie FoxxChristoph WaltzLeonardo DiCaprioWith the help of a German bounty-hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal plantation owner in Mississippi.(March 10th, 2016)
- DirectorVictor FlemingGeorge CukorSam WoodStarsClark GableVivien LeighThomas MitchellA sheltered and manipulative Southern belle and a roguish profiteer face off in a turbulent romance as the society around them crumbles with the end of slavery and is rebuilt during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods."Gone with the wind" is more of a once-in-a-lifetime experience than a movie. I'm pretty sure that watching it for the first time in my life has been something that I will quite never experience again. The photography, the script, the lighting, the plot, the acting... Everything is just, I won't say perfect because what I mean is that all of those couldn't fit anywhere else but in this movie. All of them combined create a whole new universe, a real sensation of throwback that makes the viewer connect with the story from the first scene to the last. I don't think there was a single moment when I didn't believe we were in fact watching the happening of the Civil War years through a camera pointed at that dot in the chronological axis. Overall, this is much more than a very good movie. This is a piece of art taken care of from the smallest detail in the manners shown by the characters, to the most significant scenes where colors, shape and ambience take over to create unforgettable bits of cinema. This is a movie that just can never happen again. It can't be re-done, it can't be remastered, it can't be rendered. It's like a diamond crimped deep into the crown of cinema's divinity.
Plain and simply, you can't die without living through what it feels to gift your eyes the pleasure of watching "Gone with the wind" for the first time. It is something that just never happens again, four precious hours of your life in which your body and soul open to it all and so many things can happen. So many things.
So don't go "I will think about it tomorrow", you can't. Watch this movie once, twice, a hundred times, but never forget the night that you watched it for the first time.
(April 1st, 2016) - DirectorHugh HudsonStarsAntonio BanderasClément SibonyRupert EverettLife and events of the man who realized one of the most important discoveries of the 19th century: Altamira's caves.(April 5th, 2016)
- DirectorMike BinderStarsKevin CostnerOctavia SpencerGillian JacobsA grieving widower is drawn into a custody battle over his granddaughter, whom he helped raise her entire life.Genius... Just a genius movie with brilliant lines of dialogue that cross the dangerous line of the race issue in a righteous, brilliant and thought-provoking way. In my opinion, this is a must see in order to understand the true implications of how race is treated nowadays by both sides: black, and white.
(April 19th, 2016) - DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsHarvey KeitelTim RothMichael MadsenWhen a simple jewelry heist goes horribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.(June 26th, 2016)
- DirectorEd HarrisStarsEd HarrisViggo MortensenRenée ZellwegerTwo friends hired to police a small town that is suffering under the rule of a rancher find their job complicated by the arrival of a young widow.(July 9th, 2016)
- DirectorMichael ThurmeierGalen T. ChuStarsRay RomanoDenis LearyJohn LeguizamoWhen Scrat's acorn sends an asteroid to Earth, the Herd must find a way to stop the asteroid from hitting Earth with the help of a returning friend.(July 10th, 2016)
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsMartin SheenMarlon BrandoRobert DuvallA U.S. Army officer serving in Vietnam is tasked with assassinating a renegade Special Forces Colonel who sees himself as a god.(July 29th, 2016)
- DirectorMary HarronStarsChristian BaleJustin TherouxJosh LucasA wealthy New York City investment banking executive, Patrick Bateman, hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he delves deeper into his violent, hedonistic fantasies.(August 3rd, 2016)
- DirectorChris RenaudStarsLouis C.K.Eric StonestreetKevin HartThe quiet life of a terrier named Max is upended when his owner takes in Duke, a stray whom Max instantly dislikes.(August 8th, 2016)
- DirectorDavid F. SandbergStarsTeresa PalmerGabriel BatemanMaria BelloRebecca must unlock the terror behind her little brother's experiences that once tested her sanity, bringing her face to face with a supernatural spirit attached to their mother.(August 25th, 2016)
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsAdrien BrodyThomas KretschmannFrank FinlayDuring WWII, acclaimed Polish musician Wladyslaw faces various struggles as he loses contact with his family. As the situation worsens, he hides in the ruins of Warsaw in order to survive.(August 30th, 2016)
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroRay LiottaJoe PesciThe story of Henry Hill and his life in the mafia, covering his relationship with his wife Karen and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito.(September 1st, 2016)
- DirectorTimur BekmambetovStarsJack HustonToby KebbellRodrigo SantoroJudah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince falsely accused of treason by his adopted brother, an officer in the Roman army, returns to his homeland after years at sea to seek revenge, but finds redemption."When it comes to cinematography, the 2016 version of Ben-Hur is quite lackluster. My thoughts on this behalf are that probably the budget fell a bit short, because there weren't many sceneries to pick through and it just was clear that the screenplay was reduced to the minimum "expensive" action.
However, and this is a very big however, this movie is emotionally moving to the core. I don't know if it lives up to the original version because unfortunately I have never seen it complete, but it does live up to the soul tearing story of Judah Ben-Hur; the rich jew who ends up enslaved by the same nation which he tried to ignore as much as possible to live in peace. Especially throughout the second half of the screenplay, the story gets super intense emotionally speaking, and there are some very meaningful messages infused into it. At many points of it, it was really difficult to hold back my tears. I need to point out that I hadn't cried with a movie really feeling what was happening ever since I watched Mel Gibson's 'Forever young' being like 6 years old.
So, comprehensively, 2016 Ben-Hur probably doesn't compare to the epicity of the 1959 original version (which I will make sure to check out) and it surely isn't brilliantly done technically speaking, but it does contribute with a lot of beautiful moments and ideas that do stick into one's mind. All of its merit, which in my opinion is big, comes from the fact that it's a movie made to move people with ideas that are very applicable and relevant to today's world. By the way, Jesus' character is somewhat very touching in this movie; his personality is very well depicted and his actions and words made me understand the faith on him a bit more."
(September 3rd, 2016) - DirectorSergio LeoneStarsClint EastwoodLee Van CleefGian Maria VolontèTwo bounty hunters with the same intentions team up to track down a gang of outlaws led by a psychotic Mexican bandit, who is plotting an audacious bank robbery.(September 5th, 2016)
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsTakashi ShimuraNobuo KanekoShin'ichi HimoriA bureaucrat tries to find meaning in his life after he discovers he has terminal cancer.(September 6th, 2016)
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsJosh HartnettEwan McGregorTom SizemoreThe story of 160 elite U.S. soldiers who dropped into Mogadishu in October 1993 to capture two top lieutenants of a renegade warlord, but found themselves in a desperate battle with a large force of heavily armed Somalis.(September 8th, 2016)
- DirectorJames MarshStarsEddie RedmayneFelicity JonesTom PriorStephen Hawking gets unprecedented success in the field of physics despite being diagnosed with motor neuron disease at the age of 21. He defeats awful odds as his first wife Jane aids him loyally."A sublime story about overcoming barriers and difficulties to fulfill one's life. Aside Hawking's life and storyline, this movie teaches a big lesson about love. What it means to love someone and decide to set them free after dedicating their life to the good of the others. Wonderful acting and catharsis. Heartfelt. Inspiring. A deserved legend status."
(September 9th, 2016) - DirectorRon HowardStarsRussell CroweEd HarrisJennifer ConnellyA mathematical genius, John Nash made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a harrowing journey of self-discovery.(September 13th, 2016)
- DirectorTim BurtonStarsMia WasikowskaJohnny DeppHelena Bonham CarterNineteen-year-old Alice returns to the magical world from her childhood adventure, where she reunites with her old friends and learns of her true destiny: to end the Red Queen's reign of terror.(November 13th, 2016)
- DirectorWoody AllenStarsMia FarrowDianne WiestMike StarrA nostalgic look at radio's golden age focusing on one ordinary family and the various performers in the medium.(November 22nd, 2016)
- DirectorDavid YatesStarsEddie RedmayneKatherine WaterstonAlison SudolIn 1926, magizoologist Newt Scamander arrives in New York during his worldwide tour to research and rescue magical creatures as something mysterious leaves trails of destruction in the city, threatening to expose the wizarding world.(December 10th, 2016)
- DirectorVondie Curtis-HallStarsJamie FoxxLynn WhitfieldLee Thompson YoungThe story of Stan "Tookie" Williams, the former leader of the "Crips" gang. Stan wrote award-winning children's books, brokered peace treaties between warring gangs, and won a Nobel Peace Prize nomination before he was executed.This is one of those TV movies whose very short technical quality is completely irrelevant, because the depth of the story is so well attained that good shots or correct timeline just don't matter. I loved this movie because it manages to trigger that very necessary sense of questioning, that moment we feel we need to rationalize or re-learn those things we were sure we had straight in our minds. This is a movie that depicts reality in a raw way, that avoids masking the facts or forcing you to empathize with the protagonist just because: it just displays a set of values framed inside a real life story that you're absolutely free to reflect about. The goal of this movie isn't to sanctify a criminal or convince you to understand evilness: it just gives you an infinite space to think freely, to extract your thoughts and redefine what they were before you watched.
(December 18th, 2016) - DirectorGeorge LucasStarsMark HamillHarrison FordCarrie FisherLuke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the mysterious Darth Vader.(December 20th, 2016)
- DirectorIrvin KershnerStarsMark HamillHarrison FordCarrie FisherAfter the Rebel Alliance are overpowered by the Empire, Luke Skywalker begins his Jedi training with Yoda, while his friends are pursued across the galaxy by Darth Vader and bounty hunter Boba Fett.(December 24th, 2016)
- DirectorRichard MarquandStarsMark HamillHarrison FordCarrie FisherAfter rescuing Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt, the Rebel Alliance attempt to destroy the second Death Star, while Luke struggles to help Darth Vader back from the dark side.(December 29th, 2016)
- DirectorGarth JenningsChristophe LourdeletStarsMatthew McConaugheyReese WitherspoonSeth MacFarlaneIn a city of humanoid animals, a hustling theater impresario's attempt to save his theater with a singing competition becomes grander than he anticipates even as its finalists find that their lives will never be the same.(December 29th, 2016)