My Movies: 2016
by DougInNC | created - 02 Jan 2016 | updated - 19 Dec 2016 | PublicWhat Doug watched in 2016.
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1. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)
PG-13 | 131 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
Ethan and his team take on their most impossible mission yet when they have to eradicate an international rogue organization as highly skilled as they are and committed to destroying the IMF.
Director: Christopher McQuarrie | Stars: Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg
Votes: 411,046 | Gross: $195.04M
If I wanted to watch Bond, which I don't, I would watch Bond. This seems to me a complete rip-off. There were some plot twists that kept my attention when I awoke from a mid-movie nap.
2. Elysium (I) (2013)
R | 109 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
In the year 2154, the very wealthy live on a man-made space station while the rest of the population resides on a ruined Earth. A man takes on a mission that could bring equality to the polarized worlds.
Director: Neill Blomkamp | Stars: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, Alice Braga
Votes: 471,170 | Gross: $93.05M
Sci Fi worth watching. A story line that is compelling and a future that is imaginative but keeps a connection to what could be real some day.
3. Ginger & Rosa (2012)
PG-13 | 90 min | Drama
A look at the lives of two teenage girls - inseparable friends Ginger and Rosa -- growing up in 1960s London as the Cuban Missile Crisis looms, and the pivotal event that comes to redefine their relationship.
Director: Sally Potter | Stars: Elle Fanning, Alice Englert, Annette Bening, Oliver Platt
Votes: 11,775 | Gross: $1.01M
Too many stereotypes for me in this one. I could see that some audiences would like it more that I do.
4. The Dramatics: A Comedy (2015)
Not Rated | 89 min | Comedy, Romance
Romantic comedy about an actress who stars in a sexually explicit mini-series adaptation of a best-selling erotic chick-lit novel, and her loving but tortured stoner boyfriend is forced to deal with it.
Director: Scott Rodgers | Stars: Kat Foster, Scott Rodgers, Timm Sharp, Thomas Sadoski
Votes: 557
Ying meet yang. Reminded of this one by watching Begin Again a few weeks later. Both have a bond that breaks, but this one is more a matter of milking your time while Begin Again is cream rising to the top.
5. The Station Agent (2003)
R | 89 min | Comedy, Drama
When his only friend dies, a man born with dwarfism moves to rural New Jersey to live a life of solitude, only to meet a chatty hot dog vendor and a woman dealing with her own personal loss.
Director: Tom McCarthy | Stars: Peter Dinklage, Patricia Clarkson, Bobby Cannavale, Paul Benjamin
Votes: 73,438 | Gross: $5.74M
A splendid viewing for the introvert in all of us! I believe I could watch this one again. The writing stays true to topic and true to character. Boy! There certainly are some characters in this movie ... just as there are in the world. For more in this genre see: http://introvertspring.com/movies-inspire-introverts/ Comment there: "... The Station Agent would be a great fit on this list. After a recent viewing, I knew Michaela's Introvert Spring might cover the topic of movies. A simple search found this blog post, and the first comment is what I wanted to share anyway, so now I will reinforce it. Nothing beats Bennie and Joon for entertainment. Wallflower never wavers from its theme. Amelie left me a bit bewildered, but is recommended by many. The Station Agent covers the introvert field with aplomb and is surely worth your time."
6. School of Rock (2003)
PG-13 | 109 min | Comedy, Music
After being kicked out of his rock band, Dewey Finn becomes a substitute teacher of an uptight elementary private school, only to try and turn his class into a rock band.
Director: Richard Linklater | Stars: Jack Black, Mike White, Joan Cusack, Adam Pascal
Votes: 330,952 | Gross: $81.26M
The things you do for family: Like watch a movie about which there is a Broadway musical someone in the clan has seen. As a movie it is fine, but don't expect more than is reasonable. Good to see Joan Cusack still has the acting bug for the quirky role.
7. Inside Out (I) (2015)
PG | 95 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
After young Riley is uprooted from her Midwest life and moved to San Francisco, her emotions - Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness - conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house, and school.
Directors: Pete Docter, Ronnie Del Carmen | Stars: Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling
Votes: 785,760 | Gross: $356.46M
It took guts to make this movie and fit an adult topic into a children's format. Surprisingly, it works. One could deeply evaluate this film or make superficial quips. The latter is easier and takes fewer college degrees, so: 1. Some thoughts are just a train wreck waiting to happen; 2. Joy couldn't find meaning in life without sadness.
8. Begin Again (II) (2013)
R | 104 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
A chance encounter between a down-and-out music business executive, and a young singer songwriter new to Manhattan, turns into a promising collaboration between the two talents.
Director: John Carney | Stars: Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Adam Levine, Hailee Steinfeld
Votes: 166,983 | Gross: $16.17M
Kiera Knightly is such a fine actress. How did she get paired with Adam Levine? He simply isn't much of an actor. Oh, he tried, but every scene with him was one you couldn't wait to have end. James Corden was better, and I wouldn't have expected such. If you love the creative types, this movie is for you ... and ditto if you loath them! I usually decry the use of stereotypes as characters, but a good movie knows how to make them work on its behalf; this is a good movie.
9. The Usual Suspects (1995)
R | 106 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The sole survivor of a pier shoot-out tells the story of how a notorious criminal influenced the events that began with five criminals meeting in a seemingly random police lineup.
Director: Bryan Singer | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Stephen Baldwin
Votes: 1,145,746 | Gross: $23.34M
The usual Hollywood movie. That is all.
10. The Painted Veil (2006)
PG-13 | 125 min | Drama, Romance
Dr Walter gets married to the beautiful Kitty but soon finds out that she is cheating on him. Battling his way through problems, he heads to China to fight a dreaded disease spread in a small village.
Director: John Curran | Stars: Naomi Watts, Edward Norton, Liev Schreiber, Catherine An
Votes: 95,953 | Gross: $8.06M
Restful, relaxing, but enough drama to keep my attention. I like the setting in China. I like the evolution of the characters. I felt you could grasp the nature of all the principle subjects.
11. The Big Short (2015)
R | 130 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
In 2006-2007 a group of investors bet against the United States mortgage market. In their research, they discover how flawed and corrupt the market is.
Director: Adam McKay | Stars: Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt
Votes: 484,798 | Gross: $70.26M
A "mockumentary?" My fault for thinking that this movie would truly shed light on the 2008 financial crisis, but it stayed true to the specificity of its name and focused on those who shrewedly, boldly, ridiculously shorted the U.S.A. housing market beginning in 2007. The "mock" element was that it made a mockery of the only persons who understood the reality or realty. Could they all have been so quirky? I have to think this was an attempt to embellish entertainment into a documentary, thus my terminology that this was a "mockumentary."
12. 12 Monkeys (1995)
R | 129 min | Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
In a future world devastated by disease, a convict is sent back in time to gather information about the man-made virus that wiped out most of the human population on the planet.
Director: Terry Gilliam | Stars: Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt, Joseph Melito
Votes: 646,850 | Gross: $57.14M
There are far better time travel movies than this one, especially "Primer." Maybe I have seen too many that deal with the paradox that changing the past will change the current day and the future.
13. Waitress (2007)
PG-13 | 108 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Jenna is a pregnant, unhappily married waitress in the deep south. She meets a newcomer to her town and falls into an unlikely relationship as a last attempt at happiness.
Director: Adrienne Shelly | Stars: Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion, Jeremy Sisto, Cheryl Hines
Votes: 48,834 | Gross: $19.07M
Weak! Not only did I find the movie lacking, but it virtually destroyed any interest in seeing the play "Waitress" debuting now, in Spring, 2016.
14. Between Us (2012)
R | 90 min | Drama
Two couples reunite over two incendiary evenings where anything can happen in this darkly comedic story of best friends, marriage, love, disappointment and dreams.
Director: Dan Mirvish | Stars: Julia Stiles, Melissa George, Taye Diggs, David Harbour
Votes: 1,159
Just between us, I liked this one while my wife thought it had very little going for it. This is not a movie for the action-seeking viewer, and I'm not that guy. The consensus on IMBD is that people hate the movie or love it, very little in between. I loved it for the engaging dialogue and the excellent acting. Other reviewers thought the dialogue was dull, but generally gave decent marks to the actors. By coincidence, this is a movie based on a play, while the most recent movie I watched, "Waitress" is being turned into a play as we speak.
15. A Little Chaos (2014)
R | 117 min | Drama, Romance
Two talented landscape artists become romantically entangled while building a garden in King Louis XIV's palace at Versailles.
Director: Alan Rickman | Stars: Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman, Stanley Tucci, Matthias Schoenaerts
Votes: 25,397 | Gross: $0.55M
Mildly entertaining story as some episodes from the past are leaked to the audience in pieces. Not great character development. Strong woman's role will appeal to many.
16. A Stolen Life (1946)
Passed | 109 min | Drama
When a woman's twin sister is drowned, she assumes her identity in order to be close to the man she feels her sister took from her years before.
Director: Curtis Bernhardt | Stars: Bette Davis, Glenn Ford, Dane Clark, Walter Brennan
Votes: 4,090
Good work by Bette Davis. Not so impressed with Glenn Ford despite being told in the movie preview that this was one of two movies (Gilda) that really launched his post-war (1946) career. Seeing a skinny Walter Brennan was interesting, prior to him finding his characteristic voice intonations. Pantsuits were a fashion item in 1946, though secondary to dresses.
17. Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill (2016 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 90 min | Biography, Drama, Music
It's 1959 in a seedy bar in Philadelphia, and Billie Holiday is giving one of her last performances interlaced with salty, often humorous, reminiscences to project a riveting portrait of the lady and her music 4 months before her death.
Director: Lonny Price | Stars: Audra McDonald, Shelton Becton, George Farmer, Clayton Craddock
Votes: 590
Drunk people are not funny. The movie was touching, but slow and quite uneventful. Good that it was only 90 minutes. Maybe Diana Ross in Lady Sings the Blues would be a better Billie Holiday experience.
18. Nights in Rodanthe (2008)
PG-13 | 97 min | Drama, Romance
A doctor, who is travelling to see his estranged son, sparks with an unhappily married woman at a North Carolina inn.
Director: George C. Wolfe | Stars: Diane Lane, Richard Gere, Christopher Meloni, Viola Davis
Votes: 26,358 | Gross: $41.85M
"Home!" We didn't expect to see shots from North Topsail Beach, NC, and Snead's Ferry, NC, in the opening few minutes. We recently visited the house in Rodanthe, NC, where this was filmed, so that was a very much expected sighting. The actor portrayals were strong, consistent, and realistic. One of the better romantic comedys.
19. The Imitation Game (2014)
PG-13 | 114 min | Biography, Drama, Thriller
During World War II, the English mathematical genius Alan Turing tries to crack the German Enigma code with help from fellow mathematicians while attempting to come to terms with his troubled private life.
Director: Morten Tyldum | Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Allen Leech
Votes: 825,275 | Gross: $91.13M
Very good story with an excellent early sound track. The goodness faded as the movie wore on, but a few twists kept our attention. Overall it left a good impression, and Kiera Knightly is terrific - - particularly in this role. Did Cumberbatch get it right or overplay his acting?
20. Eye in the Sky (2015)
R | 102 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Col. Katherine Powell, a military officer in command of an operation to capture terrorists in Kenya, sees her mission escalate when a girl enters the kill zone triggering an international dispute over the implications of modern warfare.
Director: Gavin Hood | Stars: Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman, Barkhad Abdi
Votes: 91,512 | Gross: $18.70M
A lot to like about this one, but still seemed to have weaknesses. It surprisingly sustained a story for two hours centered around one event. I should appreciate that the writers and directors did not feel compelled to revert to flashbacks to make the story broader. There were parallels to business (decision making becomes passing the choice to someone higher in the chain; fudging the data) and insights into human nature (emotion as well as calculation) that were called out well.
21. Taken (I) (2008)
PG-13 | 90 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A retired CIA agent travels across Europe and relies on his old skills to save his estranged daughter, who has been kidnapped while on a trip to Paris.
Director: Pierre Morel | Stars: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Leland Orser
Votes: 634,651 | Gross: $145.00M
Bill S. recommendation, second by Gar.
Good enough and paced well enough to hold one's attention. The characters were not complex and somewhat predictable. The chase scenes were their usual Hollywood silliness, and the (French) cops were their usual Hollywood idiots. How is that at an American in Paris walks into a room full of Albanians and the entire conversation is conducted in English?
The question left hanging was, "How far would one go for one's child?" Apparently, one would shot a friend/colleague's wife. Is that deep or had we gone too far?
22. The Ghost Army (2013)
TV-PG | 68 min | Documentary, History
During World War II, a group of American GI's undertook a mission to create a traveling road show of deception on the battlefields of Europe. Their secret mission was kept a secret for nearly 50 years after the war's end.
Director: Rick Beyer | Stars: Wesley Clark, Peter Coyote
Votes: 619
23. City Island (2009)
PG-13 | 104 min | Comedy, Drama
Prison guard Vince tells Molly from acting class, that one inmate is his 24 y.o. love child. Vince takes him home to stay with his family - straight A son with fat girl fetish, college dropout/stripper daughter and cute wife.
Director: Raymond De Felitta | Stars: Andy Garcia, Julianna Margulies, Steven Strait, Emily Mortimer
Votes: 32,560 | Gross: $6.67M
Funny family angles all around.
24. Polish Wedding (1998)
PG-13 | 105 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The film centers on a big Polish family. Jadzia is the mother and the ruler of the Pzoniak family (she has five children). Though she's happily married to Bolek, she is also having a ... See full summary »
Director: Theresa Connelly | Stars: Claire Danes, Gabriel Byrne, Lena Olin, Jon Bradford
Votes: 3,438 | Gross: $0.56M
A mystery, not comedy. What was that? Lena Olin is great in this, even upstaging Claire Danes, which is hard to do. Gabriel Byre does well, too.
25. The Bodyguard (1992)
R | 129 min | Action, Drama, Music
A former Secret Service agent takes on the job of bodyguard to an R&B singer, whose lifestyle is most unlike a President's.
Director: Mick Jackson | Stars: Kevin Costner, Whitney Houston, Gary Kemp, Bill Cobbs
Votes: 147,726 | Gross: $121.95M
Whitney Houston was a great performer, and Kevin Costner a pretty good actor. They come together well in this one.
26. Charade (1963)
Passed | 113 min | Comedy, Mystery, Romance
Romance and suspense ensue in Paris as a woman is pursued by several men who want a fortune her murdered husband had stolen. Whom can she trust?
Director: Stanley Donen | Stars: Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau, James Coburn
Votes: 85,590 | Gross: $13.47M
Audrey Hepburn fetish returns in 2016. This is a simple, fun film.
27. Inside Job (2010)
PG-13 | 109 min | Documentary, Crime
Takes a closer look at what brought about the 2008 financial meltdown.
Director: Charles Ferguson | Stars: Matt Damon, Gylfi Zoega, Andri Snær Magnason, Sigridur Benediktsdottir
Votes: 78,986 | Gross: $4.31M
I needed to see this film again ... just to get angry! Oh, well, the past is the past until it is repeated, which could happen again soon given the lack of sound changes after the mid-2000s financial crisis. I believe they failed to highlight the actions of Congress that contributed, particularly around mortgage encouragement through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
28. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
PG-13 | 197 min | Drama, Romance, War
The life of a Russian physician and poet who, although married to another, falls in love with a political activist's wife and experiences hardship during World War I and then the October Revolution.
Director: David Lean | Stars: Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Geraldine Chaplin, Rod Steiger
Votes: 82,100 | Gross: $111.72M
The greatest movie I know.
29. The Mod Squad (1999)
R | 92 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Three problem teens sent to jail are offered a deal to work with an undercover cop, uncover an intricate drug ring and are caught in a deadly set-up. With cops on their trail, they have little time to solve the case and clear their names.
Director: Scott Silver | Stars: Claire Danes, Omar Epps, Giovanni Ribisi, Dennis Farina
Votes: 9,507 | Gross: $13.26M
Brought back memories of the TV show and was true to form.
30. Brokedown Palace (1999)
PG-13 | 100 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Two women are arrested for smuggling while vacationing in Thailand.
Director: Jonathan Kaplan | Stars: Claire Danes, Kate Beckinsale, Bill Pullman, Jacqueline Kim
Votes: 24,057 | Gross: $10.11M
Gripping drama throughout.
31. The Natural (1984)
PG | 138 min | Drama, Sport
A middle-aged unknown comes seemingly out of nowhere to become a legendary baseball player with almost supernatural talent.
Director: Barry Levinson | Stars: Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger
Votes: 52,477 | Gross: $47.95M
Simple storytelling.
32. The Intern (I) (2015)
PG-13 | 121 min | Comedy, Drama
Seventy-year-old widower Ben Whittaker has discovered that retirement isn't all it's cracked up to be. Seizing an opportunity to get back in the game, he becomes a senior intern at an online fashion site, founded and run by Jules Ostin.
Director: Nancy Meyers | Stars: Robert De Niro, Anne Hathaway, Rene Russo, Anders Holm
Votes: 274,273 | Gross: $75.76M
Engaging, though maybe it dragged in the middle. Anne Hathaway is hard to resist.
33. Toy Story (1995)
G | 81 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A cowboy doll is profoundly threatened and jealous when a new spaceman action figure supplants him as top toy in a boy's bedroom.
Director: John Lasseter | Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney
Votes: 1,068,895 | Gross: $191.80M
A modern classic.
34. The Remains of the Day (1993)
PG | 134 min | Drama, Romance
A butler who sacrificed body and soul to service in the years leading up to World War II realizes too late how misguided his loyalty was to his lordly employer.
Director: James Ivory | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, John Haycraft, Christopher Reeve
Votes: 84,475 | Gross: $22.95M
Very good storytelling. They don't make many like this, so enjoy it.
35. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
PG-13 | 116 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
In the early 1960s, CIA agent Napoleon Solo and KGB operative Illya Kuryakin participate in a joint mission against a mysterious criminal organization, which is working to proliferate nuclear weapons.
Director: Guy Ritchie | Stars: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki
Votes: 332,711 | Gross: $45.45M
Did not seem true to the TV series without the same level of interplay between Ilya and Solo. Relied on action scenes instead.
36. Lions for Lambs (2007)
R | 92 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Injuries sustained by two Army rangers behind enemy lines in Afghanistan set off a sequence of events involving a congressman, a journalist and a professor.
Director: Robert Redford | Stars: Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Michael Peña
Votes: 52,718 | Gross: $15.00M
Haven't I seen this before? No, not THIS, but many others like it that say "stick it to the man" and "stand up for what you believe" using different words and images than another of its ilk, but still being of the same cloth.
37. Premium Rush (2012)
PG-13 | 91 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
In Manhattan, a bike messenger picks up an envelope that attracts the interest of a dirty cop, who pursues the cyclist throughout the city.
Director: David Koepp | Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Shannon, Dania Ramirez, Sean Kennedy
Votes: 118,500 | Gross: $20.28M
I see excellence in a somewhat average film. Excellent crafting of story that kept the viewer intrigued and invigorated by jumping timelines (but always being clear where you stood) and revealing the plot in increments. There was fairly good character discovery, too.
38. The Martian (2015)
PG-13 | 144 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
An astronaut becomes stranded on Mars after his team assume him dead, and must rely on his ingenuity to find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive and can survive until a potential rescue.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Kate Mara
Votes: 925,805 | Gross: $228.43M
Better than I thought it could be, though none of the acting merited any particular recognition.
39. The Revenant (I) (2015)
R | 156 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A frontiersman on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s fights for survival after being mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team.
Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Will Poulter, Domhnall Gleeson
Votes: 874,606 | Gross: $183.64M
I'm going way up there to 8 stars on this, but I should lower it a bit. The '8' is recognition of movie making majesty in the setting and bringing the viewer close to all the critical action. Few movies are made that put you "in the scene" like this, especially a difficult scene like this wild no-man's land of the great white north in such rustic times. The story is incredible if somewhat fanciful, such as Glass going from dragging a mutilated ankle to running on that same limb without time for it to be set or heal. I could overlook those warts and appreciate the presentation.
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