The Night Manager

Not bad. Not surprising. 2 big stars, gorgeous backdrop, pretty typical thriller/gangster/espionage type caper stuff.

The Boss

Not McCarthy's best film, by far. Big let down.

Eye in the Sky

Opposite end of the spectrum from Whiskey Tango Foxtrot: here we have Ms. Gravitas herself, Helen Mirren, in what might in any other time in history be a slight, inconsequential film about a small incident where a bunch of people in power tried to have a conscious about what happens when you push the big red button, or rather, tell someone from afar, to push the big red button.
The outcome is easy to predict, the suspense suffers for that and a little girl is used to hang a whole film on. By the end you ask yourself, Is that all there is?

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Something about the tone of this movie that seemed off. Casting Fey for starters, maybe. It's early on in the war, serious business, but scene after scene asks us to bend our brains toward humor, no matter how slight, no matter how dark. Maybe it wasn't dark enough. It's not just about a clueless journalist who gets plopped into a war, it's about a clueless set of filmmakers who think history, depth and gravitas are somehow old-fashioned, unneeded fluff in the business of selling popcorn.
You come away thinking, well, no, I really don't think war is funny, and, is that all there is?

Embrace of the Serpent

Next to The Witch, best film I've seen so far. Oscar nominated foreign film from Columbia. Shot in black and white, gorgeous black and white.
Based on 2 true stories, intertwined around a shaman. A total immersion into the country and native life of the area with loads of white people behaving badly yet again.
Frightening how much the world has lost in the name of profit and greed. And yet, the film, for me, very hopeful and uplifting finally, despite the massive losses.

Oranges & Sunshine

Seriously horrid story of how hundreds of otherwise abandoned and foster children were secretly shipped off to Australia to be used for... whatever. I'd like to see the documentary about this story. Why isn't this a documentary? Not much of a story, just the unraveling of the old story and an attempt at fixing the adults these battered and abandoned and abused children have turned into.

Triple 9

Not much better than an old Kojak rerun. Watchable, ultimately silly police drama w/way too many known faces.

Hail Cesar

Nope. No. Not at all. Not even Fluff.

Jane Got a Gun

Has hell frozen over? A western with a female lead. Yippee. Not spectacular, other than there's a FEMALE LEAD! Whoop!
Watchable. Appropriately slower paced.
Thank you I'd like some more please!

The Witch

Best film of the year so far. Quite unexpected. Not just another horror film. I'd call it political actually: constrained family, religion force-fed at all times, another bunch of anglo-saxons trying to make a life in the wilderness. What could go wrong? Heh.

13 Hours - Steve Jobs - The Look of Silence

 Figured this would be a typical Michael Bey explosions galore fiasco, and since my expectations were low, wasn't too bad, as ra-ra military/might=right type of films go. Krasinkski was at times a little overwrought but that was the writing. Did succeed in creating a horrible portrait of chaos. Very hard to understand how any one would willingly put themselves in this position, even for money. Was not as overtly political as I thought it would be either.

Would never have sat through this if the 2 leads weren't up for awards. Strident, crass, unlikable, unsympathetic portrait. Hard to watch. Another one I won't be seeing again.

Followup doc to The Act of Killing which should have won the Oscar the year it came out. This continues the story of Indonesia in the 1960s and the horrible truth that the group of people who caused over 1 million people to be killed are still in power and basically still threatening anyone who questions the past as they are still defining it.
What might be most amazing is how these 2 films were made and what Joshua Cunningham had to go through (along with his anonymous crew) to get these images and interviews.
This is history and important filmmaking. Produced by Werner Herzog and Errol Morris among others.

The Revenant

A little on the long side and pretty much all-Leo all the time, but it looks amazing. I read that only natural light was used. What a difference.
Tom Hardy checks in once again as the bad guy. Ok, Tom. But soon you need to try something different.
It's not a story I want to search out in book form so I can read more about it. Simple straightforward revenge story. Film script added a native american wife and child, may have made Leo's character more sympathetic I guess.
Quite a few parallel storylines going on. I say the makeup department deserves the credits on this film. Although the bear attack was (still) a little too much CGI-ish for my taste, Leo's sorry state was the best special effect.
Honestly, the landscape and the lighting (amazing night scene lit only by torches) were the stars for me here, although I highly expect Leo to be nom'd for best actor and maybe even win it. Not sure who he'd be up against.
Like other recent Iñárritu films, enjoyable while you're sitting through it, but I have no desire to see it again (Birdman was this way for me too).

Iris

Even though it's great fun to see a glimpse of this woman's life which has been spent traveling the world in search of fashion and accessories that speak to her, like most things based on fashion and accumulation of stuff, all I end up seeing is excess, needless and pointless excess.
One of Albert Maysles (Grey Gardens) last films. Yes she's a character, but she must have started with money. Otherwise, if I could I'd dress like her in a heartbeat: color, color, color, big jewelry, everything is a statement piece.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Had to buy tickets ahead of time even though the film had been out for a full week. Went to the first show on Saturday morning after new year's. Theater was empty when we walked in and only filled up maybe halfway.
Entertaining enough, very reminiscent of the original so I guess it's fine for whichever generation we're in now. Still a shocking lack diversity in these films. Maybe the next one will do better.
And Carrie Fischer looks great.

Badlands, Texas, National Geographic

Odd little 6-part series about a murder/death in a ghost town called Terlingua on the border of Texas and everything else. The only thing scarier about how fast a whole town can turn against one of its own, is what actually may have caused the death here: drinking and bad judgement.

And then there were none

Watchable 3 part miniseries with so many stars it makes your head spin. And still, one by one.... well, you know the story.

Concussion

Great that this film got made, important topic but still... a little light on the NFL I thought. And a little late for all the players who have died and are already affected by too many concussions. If watching NFL games this season is any indication, some things *have* changed. Players, who appear to have taken hits to the head/helmet are taken off the field to see if they did suffer a concussion. Really hope this film keeps a good number of kids out of this sport.
Film itself is very dry, predictable.

The Big Short

Finally a high caliber film with excellent actors (99% male), great writing, fascinating subject matter. Almost all of it over my head, but you get the drift. Almost all the big actors working against type which is fun to watch. Really works against your viewerly expectations of good guys and bad guys. This is a film full of bad guys, just of varying degrees. And the humor really made it. Not funny Ha Ha, but funny, "oh, they're really all making money on the stupidity/gall of big bankers and they're really all betting on the economy to collapse." So.... black humor I guess you'd say.
In any case, could have been dry as hell, but due to fast paced editing and Steve Carell's non-stop verbal harangues, you just can't take your eyes off it. Great stuff.

Bridge of Spies

Yes, sat through another Tom Hanks film. Decided to see it due entirely to the presence of Mark Rylance who was so amazing in Wolf Hall. Good here too, just not enough of him. Predictable enough, very ra-ra USA and very, uber white. Sigh.

Sisters

Enjoyable. Better than Baby Mama, imo. Although watching 40-somethings cavorting around like they're at a college frat party can get a little tedious, while you're watching, it's entertaining enough. Just don't think about it too much as you leave the theater. Pretty silly.