Author: tlkabtmovies
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La La Land [2016] ★★★★
Hollywood has always had a soft spot for musicals. “The Broadway Melody” in the 1920’s, “Singin’ in the Rain” and “An American in Paris” in the 1950’s, “Oliver!” in the 1960’s and “Chicago” in the early 2000’s. In 2011, french director Michel Hazanavicius hired Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo to star in his film “The Artist”,…
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![The Worst Movies of the Year [2016]](https://tlkabtmovies.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/worst-2016-title1.jpg?w=1024)
The Worst Movies of the Year [2016]
It’s time we go through the year’s worst movies. From Robert DeNiro to Ben Stiller, 2016 was a year to forget for so many actors and we’re here to celebrate them. No, not really. So without further ado, I give you my personal list of the absolute worst films I’ve seen this year. As always,…
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Passengers [2016] ★★
Picture this: you’re in hibernation mode, on your way to a distant planet where you’ll be starting a new life. The journey takes 120 years to reach its destination but somehow a glitch in the system occurs and you’re forced to wake up 90 years early. You’re all alone on a spacecraft and there’s absolutely…
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Demain Tout Commence [2016] ★★★
Omar Sy has developed an irresistible persona as a comedian, which has served him well in such films as “Les Intouchables” and last year’s underrated “Chocolat”. In that context, his latest film, “Demain Tout Commence”, is a charming, funny and touching family melodrama with another winning performance by Sy. In short: it’s a crowd-pleaser. Sy…
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Rogue One: A Star Wars Story [2016] ★★★½
I don’t pretend to be the biggest Star Wars geek in the galaxy, but I do know a good Star Wars film when I see one, and “Rogue One” is exactly that. For one, it cleverly and effortlessly works as a link between episode III and Episode IV while working perfectly well as a standalone…
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Collateral Beauty [2016] ★★½
Nothing kicks off the Holiday season like a heartwarming movie featuring an all star cast that includes Will Smith, Helen Mirren, Keira Knightley, Edward Norton, Michael Pena and Kate Winslet. Smith is no stranger to dramatic roles, having previously starred in “Seven Pounds” and the highly rewarding “The Pursuit of Happyness”. In “Collateral Beauty”, he…
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Moana [2016] ★★★
I’ve been a sucker for Disney animated features ever since my mom took me to see Aladdin back in 1992, and I still approach every new film with a combination of excitement and cautiousness. Will it be as good as the previous one? Disney hit a bullseye earlier this year with the amazing “Zootopia”, and…
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Incarnate [2016] ★½
Aaron Eckhart plays a man haunted by his past. Is he haunted by how much his career has fallen since starring in Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight”? Na, nothing that interesting. He’s playing a scientist with the ability to heal possessed people by entering their subconscious mind. His latest subject? A young boy (David Mazouz from…
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Lion [2016] ★★★
It may be less than perfect, but “Lion”, starring Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman, has enough emotional moments to satisfy moviegoers seeking a heartwarming true story. When the film opens, we meet Saroo, a 5 year old boy who lives in poverty with his mother, sister, and big brother in a small indian village. One night,…
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Underworld: Blood Wars [2016] ★½
I don’t know what Underworld purists (if any) would make of this fifth (and hopefully last) installment, but personally, I couldn’t wait for it to end. And when it was finally over, I breathed a sigh of relief. “Blood Wars”, once again starring Kate Beckinsale as the vampire death dealer still fighting the war between…
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Arrival [2016] ★★★★
Filmmaker Denis Villeneuve follows up “Incendies“, “Prisoners”, “Enemy” and “Sicario” with his most ambitious movie yet. “Arrival” is a first rate science-fiction movie: Clever, completely immersive and hauntingly beautiful. In short: it’s a masterpiece. But artistic ambition can be a bitch in this day and age. Audiences seeking a straightforward story might complain about the…
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Allied [2016] ★★★
World War II movies have been around since…well World War II, that you start to wonder if there’s still room for more. But I have faith in director Robert Zemeckis (“Cast Away”, “Forrest Gump”) and I have nothing but admiration for Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard. They play intelligence officer Max Vatan and French Resistance fighter…
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![NDU INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL [2016]](https://tlkabtmovies.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/untitled-1.jpg?w=1024)
NDU INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL [2016]
It was such an exciting experience to attend this year’s edition of the NDU international film festival, sponsored by Bank of Beirut. The festival has been going strong since it was first introduced back in 2006, showcasing some of the finest young filmmakers in the country. I’ve been attending the festival for several years now, but…
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Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them [2016] ★★★½
Little did I dream when I first encountered the magical world of Hogwarts some 15 years ago (wow has it been that long?) that I would become so attached to Harry Potter and his friends, and enjoy the experience of revisiting this world every couple of years. “Now what?” was my first reaction when “Deathly Hallows…
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Shut In [2016] ★★
Tagline says “a heart pounding thriller” but all I saw was a thriller made by people who have never seen a real thriller before. Naomi Watts plays a widowed child psychologist who lives with her bedridden son. When one of the boys she’s treating goes missing one night, she becomes convinced that some kind of ghost…
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Trolls [2016] ★★★
They were everywhere when I was growing up: in movies, on TV, in toy stores. I’m talking about Trolls, the miniature creatures with colorful hair who spend most of their time singing and dancing. While mainly aimed at kids, this 2016 version of “Trolls” has enough classic songs to satisfy older audiences as well. Needless…
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American Pastoral [2016] ★★
Ewan McGregor’s directorial debut is a disappointing take on Phillip Roth’s Pulitzer-winning 1997 novel about a family man (McGregor) who finds his life spiralling out of control when his 16 year old daughter (Dakota Fanning) rebels by committing a terrorist act during the Vietnam War. On paper, you can’t go wrong with a family drama…
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Doctor Strange [2016] ★★★
It’s always refreshing to encounter a new kind of hero in this already overstuffed superhero cinematic universe. DC unleashed “Batman V Superman” and “Suicide Squad” earlier this year, while Marvel delivered one of their best movies yet: “Civil War”. Is there room for more? The answer is yes and he goes by the name of…
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Hacksaw Ridge [2016] ★★★½
Mel Gibson’s tribute to Private Desmond T. Doss, the man who single-handedly saved 75 wounded soldiers during the battle of Hacksaw Ridge in 1945 Japan, is nothing short of a triumph. Gibson also stages some of the best action scenes I’ve seen in a war movie, but that’s not the only reason why “Hacksaw Ridge” works…
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Ouija: Origin Of Evil [2016] ★★½
If you saw the horrible first movie back in 2014, then you’re probably trying to avoid this prequel, and understandably so. But to be completely honest, “Origin of Evil” is a much scarier film. For one, it has a decent story to tell and a genuinely creepy atmosphere. Sure it borrows a lot from “The…
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