ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY || December 16th, 2016
COLLATERAL BEAUTY || Will Smith faces his demons in “Collateral Beauty,” featuring an ensemble cast including Helen Mirren, Edward Norton, Keira Knightley, Naomie Harris, Kate Winslet, and Michael Peña. After the loss of his daughter, Smith’s character begins writing letters to “things” (i.e. love, death, etc) and finds them visiting him, personified, and trying to help move him along the path of forgiveness and grief.
STREAM
FENCES || Denzel Washington stars in and directs this adaptation of August Wilson’s Broadway stage play, “Fences,” which Denzel and Viola Davis both performed on Broadway and no reprise their roles on screen. The film tells the story of a family dealing with race and racing their children in 1950s United States. This is definitely catching the eye of many pundits in regards to the Oscars.
RENT
A KIND OF MURDER || In a type of noir, “A Kind Of Murder” and its plot are not what grabbed my attention, but the cast, including Patrick Wilson, Jessica Biel, Vincent Kartheiser, and Haley Bennett. I’m not a huge fan of Wilson’s but it is nice to see Biel acting again and I’d love to see Haley Bennett in more.
RENT
ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY || Disney’s first foray into filling the gaps between the Star Wars films, “Rogue One” bridges Episode III to the iconic first film, Episode IV. With “A New Hope” beginning with Princess Leia being in possession of the plans to the Death Star, director Gareth Edwards (“Monsters” and “Godzilla”) lays out an epic adventure that shows exactly how those were come by. Felicity Jones plays lead with Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Jiang Wen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Riz Ahmed, and Forest Whitaker filling in the unforgettable newest chapter in the saga, blending old with new.