Patriots Day - Movie Review

The Movie: Patriots Day

The Director: Peter Berg (Deepwater Horizon)

The Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Kevin Bacon, John Goodman, J.K. Simmons, Michelle Monaghan, Christopher O'Shea, Rachel Brosnahan, Jake Picking, Lana Condor, Jimmy O. Yang, Melissa Benoist, Alex Wolff, Themo Melikidze, John Fiore, and Khandi Alexander.

The Story: Based on true events, “Patriots Day” is a powerful story of a community’s extraordinary courage in the face of adversity and chronicles in detail one of the most sophisticated and well-coordinated manhunts in law enforcement history. - Official Website

Monster Trucks - Movie Review

The Movie: Monster Trucks

The Director: Chris Wedge (Epic)

The Cast: Lucas Till, Jane Levy, Thomas Lennon, Barry Pepper, Rob Lowe, Danny Glover, Amy Ryan, Holt, McCallany, Frank Whaley, and Aliyah O'Brien.

The Story: A high school senior ends up with a monster in his monster truck and it's up to them to save their town from a corporate created environmental disaster.

Truman (SIFF 2016) - Movie Review

The Movie: Truman

The Director: Cesc Gay

The Cast: Ricardo Darín, Javier Cámara, Dolores Fonzi, Eduard Fernández, Oriol Pla, and Elvira Mínguez.

The Story: Julián receives an unexpected visit from his friend Tomás, who lives in Canada. For four intense days, the two men, accompanied by Julián’s faithful dog, Truman, will share emotional and surprising moments prompted by Julián’s complicated situation. - trumanfilm.com

xXx: The Return of Xander Cage - Movie Review

The Movie: xXx: The Return of Xander Cage

The Director: D.J. Caruso (The Disappointments Room)

The Cast: Vin Diesel, Donnie Yen, Deepika Padukone, Ruby Rose, Tony Jaa, Toni Collette, Samuel L. Jackson, and Ice Cube

The Story: Extreme athlete turned government operative Xander Cage coming out of self-imposed exile and on a collision course with deadly Xiang. - Official Facebook Page

The Birth of a Nation - Movie Review

The Birth of a Nation is based on the life of Nat Turner and his rise from slavery into leading a rebellion. The film was written, produced, and directed by Nate Parker who also plays the lead character along with performances from Aja Naomi King, Armie Hammer, Gabrielle Union, Aunjanue Ellis, Jackie Earle Haley, and Penelope Ann Miller.

The Eyes of My Mother (SIFF 2016) - Movie Review

The Movie: The Eyes of My Mother (Official selection of the 2016 Seattle International Film Festival)

The Director: Nicolas Pesce

The Cast: Kika Magalhaes, Will Brill, Olivia Bond, Diana Agostini, Flora Diaz,

The Story: A young, lonely woman is consumed by her deepest and darkest desires after tragedy strikes her quiet country life. - Official Website

The Love Witch - Movie Review

The Movie: The Love Witch (Official Selection of the 2016 Seattle International Film Festival)

The Director: Anna Biller

The Cast: Samantha Robinson, Gian Keys, Laura Wadell, Jeffrey Vincent Parise, Robert Seeley, Jennifer Ingrum. Randy Evans, and Lily Holleman

The Story: Elaine, a beautiful young witch, is determined to find a man to love her. In her gothic Victorian apartment she makes spells and potions, and then picks up men and seduces them. However, her spells work too well, leaving her with a string of hapless victims. When she finally meets the man of her dreams, her desperation to be loved will drive her to the brink of insanity and murder. - Official Website

Hidden Figures - Movie Review

The Movie: Hidden Figures

The Director: Theodore Melfi

The Cast: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons, Mahershala Ali, Aldis Hodge, Glen Powell, Kimberly Quinn, Olek Krupa, Kurt Krause, Saniyya Sidney, and Ron Clinton Smith.

The Story: Based on a true story. A team of African-American women provide NASA with important mathematical data needed to launch the program's first successful space missions. - IMDB.com

Don't Breathe - Movie Review

The Movie: Don't Breathe

The Director: Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead)

The Cast: Stephen Lang, Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovato, Emma Bercovici, and Katia Bokor

The Story: A group of thieves makes a big mistake when they attempt to break into the house of a blind man who turns out to have a few surprises waiting for intruders.

A Monster Calls - Movie Review

The Movie: A Monster Calls

The Director: J.A. Bayona (The Impossible)

The Cast: Lewis MacDougall, Sigourney Weaver, Liam Neeson, Felicity Jones, and Toby Kebbel

The Story: A mythical tree monster comes to the aid of a boy who is struggling with the reality of losing his mom to a terminal condition.

Fences - Movie Review

The Movie: Fences

The Director: Denzel Washington (Antwone Fisher)

The Cast: Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Stephen Henderson, Jovan Adepo, Russell Hornsby, and Mykelti Williamson.

The Story: A black man in 1950's New York trying to raise and hold together a family while struggling with the demons of his own upbringing.

2016 Recap - The Animated Films

2016 was dominated once again by Disney as they had two films from Walt Disney Animation and one from Pixar Studios release with a ton of critical acclaim. Out of all the animated films I saw, two stood out as being the clear front runners and it went down to the wire of creating this post to decide which one would be listed as this year's favorite animated film.

Sing - Movie Review

The Movie: Sing

The Director: Christophe Lourdelet and Garth Jennings

The Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C. Reilly, Taron Egerton, Tori Kelly, Jennifer Saunders, Jennifer Hudson, Nick Kroll, and Nick Offerman.

The Story: In a modern civilization populated by animals, a koala struggles to keep his theater, and his father's dreams, alive. To keep from getting shut down, he puts on a singing competition that turns out to be much more than anyone bargained for.

2016 Recap - The Korean Films

During the summer of this year, I discovered that my local AMC theater had an ongoing program of Korean film screenings which gave me a great opportunity to see some really great stuff I never would have otherwise had a chance to watch. Read below for a list of all of my Korean film reviews including my 2016 TwoOhSix favorite!