I love watching movies and talking about them afterwards. I tend to favor sprawling romantic epics (Out of Africa is one of my all-time favorites) and “chick flicks” such as Sense and Sensibility, but I also enjoy a good black comedy (Ruthless People anyone?). There are a few “guilty pleasures” on my must-see list as well, movies that probably aren’t very good but still manage to draw me in anytime they’re on TV (Millennium, This is Where I Leave You and Fever Pitch come to mind).
Judge me if you’d like. I stand by all my picks. I’m a woman of eclectic tastes.
So far 2016 has been a disappointment, cinematically speaking. Here we are in early December, and I’ve yet to see anything memorable. I was really looking forward to The Girl on the Train, but left the theater disappointed. Same with Captain America: Civil War and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
And don’t even get me started on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. That’s 2 ½ hours I’ll never get back again. Note to directors and editors: Two hours is the perfect length for most movies. Even Out of Africa could benefit from a 20- to 30-minute reduction—as long as you don’t take out any of Robert Redford’s scenes.
Of course, December is usually the best month for movies. That means there’s still hope for this year. I saw 2 of my favorite films of 2015—Spotlight and Brooklyn—around the holidays, and there are a number of promising titles coming out in the next few weeks. In no particular order, here are a few that are pretty high on my list:
- Lion: I got a strong Slumdog Millionaire vibe from the preview, and that’s a good thing.
- Manchester by the Sea: I like Casey Affleck, and this one has end-of-year awards written all over it.
- La La Land: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone and music. Sounds like a winner to me.
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: I’ve always been a big Star Wars fan, so this one speaks for itself.
And while it definitely doesn’t belong on this list, I thought the preview for Why Him? looked pretty funny. As I said before, I’m a woman of eclectic tastes.
Happy holidays everyone. Maybe I’ll see you at the movies!