Not quite as powerful as it could have been, Clint Eastwood’s True Crime at least offers a couple fine performances and has a compelling enough of a story, though the screenplay could’ve used more work.
Manhunter is probably one of the better psychological thrillers and a tad underrated especially for a film of the ‘80s and while there are plenty of elements from that era (look no further than the electronica score) but the performances are so dang compelling led by William Petersen and Tom Noonan.
Although not as strong story wise as “Cowboy Bebop” or “Ghost in the Shell”, “Terror in Resonance” is still one of the stronger anime shows to be produced. The animation style stands out from the bunch and both the English and Japanese voice cast are well done.
“Scream”: The TV Series isn’t great but at least it was better than I expected especially as a fan of the movies series (sans #3). At times it attempts its own identity which was welcoming and I was digging the season… until the finale where the killer’s reveal was hardly surprising.
Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation” is just a bad series that I suppose young kids might enjoy but any fan of the original will find to be an abomination that will lead one to appreciate the newest incarnation.
There might’ve been an interesting story behind Backtrack and certainly the final 20-minutes aren’t half bad, albeit it was predictable, yet the previous 70-minutes were a bit of a slog to sit through in spite of a respectable performance by Adrien Brody.
Sharkansas Women’s Prison Massacre is the latest movie attempting to take advantage of the Sharknado craze and while I guess some might find some fun out of it, I never found it funny and was a chore to even sit through.
When it comes to animated movies, especially those geared solely toward younger viewers (8 and under), I can be lenient when critiquing them but man, Norm of the North has to be one of the worst “modern” animated films in recent memory.
The Driftless Area isn’t a great movie but it’s still watchable thanks to a few strong performances, specifically Anton Yelchin, Zooey Deschanel and John Hawkes. The DVD released through Sony is pretty basic with only one extra while the video/audio transfers are OK.
Alpha and Omega: Dino Digs is a DTV short film (clocking in at only 45-minutes) that was made for kids and kids only. The animation was, most of the time, laughable and looked cheap as heck. Beyond that, the material wasn’t funny.
Although it could’ve been better, I was pleasantly surprised by Regression thanks to Amenábar’s writing and direction combined with yet another great performance by Ethan Hawke with honorable mention for Emma Watson and David Thewlis.
Tumbledown is one of the nice surprises of 2016 showcasing great performances from its two leads, Rebecca Hall and Jason Sudeikis, and while it’s not the most challenging films, I appreciated the understated tone as any movie dealing with death and grief can become overly dramatic.
A Prayer for the Dying could’ve been a great movie and instead, thanks to studio interference, we get something that’s merely ‘good’. The acting from Rourke and Hoskins was probably the saving grace, not to mention Liam Neeson’s brief role, and in the end, I was fairly entertained.
The Lady in the Van is a well made drama with another standout performance from Maggie Smith with honorable mention to Alex Jennings. It’s an interesting story that tells a story of an unusual woman.
“Attack on Titan”: Part I is an incredible anime series and perhaps one of my favorites alongside or just behind “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.” The voice acting is excellent and the story compelling from beginning to end, and that’s to go along with beautiful animation.