My Life as a Zucchini

Director Claude Barras

Genre Animation | Family

Cast Gaspard Schlatter, Sixtine Murat, Paulin Jaccoud, Michel Vuillermoz

Rating PG-13

Release Date February 24th, 2017 (English Subtitles)

“After his mother disappears, a young boy is sent to a foster home with other orphans his age where he begins to learn the meaning of trust and true love. his mother disappears, a young boy is sent to a foster home with other orphans his age where he begins to learn the meaning of trust and true love.”

“Courgette (Zucchini) is an intriguing nickname for a 9-year-old boy. Although his unique story is surprisingly universal. After his mother’s disappearance, Courgette is befriended by a police officer Raymond, who accompanies him to his new foster home filled with other orphans his age. At first he struggles to find his place in this strange, at times, hostile environment. Yet with Raymond’s help and his new-found friends, Courgette eventually learns to trust and might find true love.”

I Am Not Your Negro

Director Raoul Peck

Genre Documentary

Cast James Baldwin, Dick Cavett, Samuel L. Jackson

Rating PG-13

Release Date February 3rd, 2017

“Writer James Baldwin tells the story of race in modern America with his unfinished novel, Remember This House.”

From director Raoul Peck, I Am Not Your Negro is a powerful documentary focusing on Race in modern america. The film is based on the unfinished novel Remember This House, written by the late writer/actor James Baldwin. The film is narrated by Samuel L. Jackson. Check out the official trailer below for the film critics are raving about. 

20th Century Women

Director Mike Mills

Genre Comedy | Drama

Cast Annette Bening, Elle Fanning, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup

Rating R

Release Date January 20th, 2017

“The story of three women who explore love and freedom in Southern California during the late 1970s.”

Written and directed by Mike Mills, 20th Century women is a comedy drama with a very solid cast. The film stars Annette Bening, Elle Fanning, Greta Gerwig, and Billy Crudup. Check out the official trailer below. 

Hidden Figures

Director Theodore Melfi

Genre Drama

Cast Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner

Rating PG

Release Date January 6th, 2017

“A team of African-American women provide NASA with important mathematical data needed to launch the program’s first successful space missions.”

“As the United States raced against Russia to put a man in space, NASA found untapped talent in a group of African-American female mathematicians that served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in U.S. history. Based on the unbelievably true life stories of three of these women, known as “human computers”, we follow these women as they quickly rose the ranks of NASA alongside many of history’s greatest minds specifically tasked with calculating the momentous launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, and guaranteeing his safe return. Dorothy Vaughn, Mary Jackson, and Katherine Johnson crossed all gender, race, and professional lines while their brilliance and desire to dream big, beyond anything ever accomplished before by the human race, firmly cemented them in U.S. history as true American heroes.”

Passengers

Director Morten Tyldum

Genre Adventure | Drama | Romance

Cast Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt, Michael Sheen, Andy Garcia

Rating PG-13

Release Date December 21st, 2016

“A spacecraft traveling to a distant colony planet and transporting thousands of people has a malfunction in its sleep chambers. As a result, two passengers are awakened 90 years early.”

“The spaceship, Starship Avalon, in its 120-year voyage to a distant colony planet known as the “Homestead Colony” and transporting 5,259 people has a malfunction in two of its sleep chambers. As a result two hibernation pods open prematurely and the two people that awoke, Jim Preston (Chris Pratt) and Aurora Dunn (Jennifer Lawrence), are stranded on the spaceship, still 90 years from their destination.”

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Director Gareth Edwards

Genre Action | Adventure | Fantasy

Cast Felicity Jones, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen

Rating PG-13

Release Date December 16th, 2016

“The Rebellion makes a risky move to steal the plans for the Death Star, setting up the epic saga to follow.”

“Jyn Erso, a Rebellion soldier and criminal, is about to experience her biggest challenge yet when Mon Mothma sets her out on a mission to steal the plans for the Death Star. With the aid of the Rebels, a master swordsman, and non-allied forces, Jyn will be in for something bigger than she thinks.”

La La Land

Director Damien Chazelle

Genre Comedy | Drama | Musical

Cast Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Amiée Conn, Terry Walters

Rating PG-13

Release Date December 9th, 2016

“A jazz pianist falls for an aspiring actress in Los Angeles.”

“Mia, an aspiring actress, serves lattes to movie stars in between auditions and Sebastian, a jazz musician, scrapes by playing cocktail party gigs in dingy bars, but as success mounts they are faced with decisions that begin to fray the fragile fabric of their love affair, and the dreams they worked so hard to maintain in each other threaten to rip them apart.”

Jackie

Director Pablo Larrain

Genre Biography | Drama

Cast Natalie Portman, John Hurt, Peter Sarsgaard, Billy Crudup

Rating R

Release Date December 2nd, 2016

“Following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy fights through grief and trauma to regain her faith, console her children, and define her husband’s historic legacy.”

“JACKIE is a searing and intimate portrait of one of the most important and tragic moments in American history, seen through the eyes of the iconic First Lady, then Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy (Natalie Portman). JACKIE places us in her world during the days immediately following her husband’s assassination. Known for her extraordinary dignity and poise, here we see a psychological portrait of the First Lady as she struggles to maintain her husband’s legacy and the world of “Camelot” that they created and loved so well.”

Moana

Director Ron Clements, John Musker

Genre Animation | Adventure | Comedy

Cast Dwayne Johnson, Auli'l Cravalho, Alan Tudyk, Phillipa Soo

Rating PG

Release Date November 23rd, 2016

“A young woman uses her navigational talents to set sail for a fabled island. Joining her on the adventure is her hero, the legendary demi-god Maui.”

“The main character will be Moana Waialiki, a sea voyaging enthusiast, and the only daughter of a chief in a long line of navigators. When her family needs her help, she sets off on an epic journey. The film will also include demi-gods and spirits taken from real mythology.”

Check out the official teaser trailer below.

Check out the brand new trailer from the 2016 Olympics TV Spot below.

Allied

Director Robert Zemeckis

Genre Action | Drama | Romance

Cast Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard, Jared Harris, Daniel Betts

Rating Unrated

Release Date November 23rd, 2016

“In 1942, an intelligence officer in North Africa encounters a female French Resistance fighter on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. When they reunite in London, their relationship is tested by the pressures of war.”

From director Robert Zemeckis (Flight, The Walk), Allied is an action drama with plenty of romance to satisfy Brad Pitt fans. The film stars Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard, Jared Harris, and Daniel Betts. Check out the official trailer below.

Lion

Director Garth Davis

Genre Drama

Cast Rooney Mara, Nicole Kidman, Dev Patel, David Wenham.

Rating PG-13

Release Date November 23rd, 2016

“A five-year-old Indian boy gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia; 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.”

Directed by Garth Davis, Lion is a powerful drama with a stellar cast including Rooney Mara, Nicole Kidman, Dev Patel, and David Wenham. Check out the official trailer below.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Director David Yates

Genre Adventure | Family | Fantasy

Cast Ezra Miller, Eddie Redmayne, Colin Farrell, Ron Perlman

Rating PG-13

Release Date November 18th, 2016

“The adventures of writer Newt Scamander in New York’s secret community of witches and wizards seventy years before Harry Potter reads his book in school.”

Directed by David Yates, who also directed the last 4 Harry Potter Films, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is said to be an extension of the wizard world and not necessarily a sequel or a prequel for that matter. The is the first film in the Harry Potter universe not based on a novel and it will be the screenwriting debut for J.K. Rowling. It will release in theaters everywhere on November 18th, 2016. Check out the trailer below.

Check out the official Comic-Con trailer below.

Arrival

Director Denis Villeneuve

Genre Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Cast Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg

Rating PG-13

Release Date November 11th, 2016

“A linguist is recruited by the military to assist in translating alien communications.”

“When mysterious spacecraft touch down across the globe, an elite team - lead by expert linguist Louise Banks - are brought together to investigate. As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks and the team race against time for answers - and to find them, she will take a chance that could threaten her life, and quite possibly humanity.”

Elle

Director Paul Verhoeven

Genre Drama | Thriller

Cast Isabelle Huppert, Laurent Lafitte, Anne Consigny, Charles Berling

Rating R

Release Date November 11th, 2016

“A successful businesswoman gets caught up in a game of cat and mouse as she tracks down the unknown man who raped her.”

“Michèle seems indestructible. Head of a successful video game company, she brings the same ruthless attitude to her love life as to business. Being attacked in her home by an unknown assailant changes Michèle’s life forever. When she resolutely tracks the man down, they are both drawn into a curious and thrilling game-a game that may, at any moment, spiral out of control.”

Doctor Strange

Director Scott Derrickson

Genre Action | Adventure | Fantasy

Cast Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel McAdams, Tilda Swinton, Mads Mikkelsen

Rating PG-13

Release Date November 4th, 2016

“A former neurosurgeon embarks on a journey of healing only to be drawn into the world of the mystic arts.”

My knowledge of Doctor Strange is severely lacking, that I will admit. The film is directed by Scott Derrickson who directed Sinister and The Exorcism of Emily Rose. The fact that this is a Marvel film that stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Rachel McAdams is all I really need to know. I am looking forward to it, check out the teaser trailer below.

Want more?! Check out the official full-length trailer below.

Hacksaw Ridge

Director Mel Gibson

Genre Biography | Drama | History

Cast Andrew Garfield, Teresa Palmer, Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey

Rating R

Release Date November 4th, 2016

“WWII American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, who served during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people and becomes the first Conscientious Objector in American history to be awarded the Medal of Honor.”

Directed by Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge is a drama based on true events starring Andrew Garfield, Teresa Palmer, Sam Worthington, and Luke Bracey. So far critics are ecstatic and I can't wait to see it! Ignore all of the Mel Gibson haters and check out the official trailer below.

Loving

Director Jeff Nichols

Genre Biography | Drama

Cast Ruth Negga, Joel Edgerton, Will Dalton, Dean Mumford

Rating PG-13

Release Date November 4th, 2016

“Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple, are sentenced to prison in Virginia in 1958 for getting married.”

Loving is a heartfelt drama based on true events sure to make an impression on viewers. It is directed written by Jeff Nichols, the man who delivered some of the best under the radar films in the last few years including Take Shelter, Mud, and Midnight Express. The cast includes Ruth Negga, Joel Edgerton, Will Dalton, and Dean Mumford. Check out the official trailer below.

Deepwater Horizon

Director Peter Berg

Genre Action | Drama | Thriller

Cast Mark Wahlberg, Kate Hudson, Kurt Russell, John Malkovich

Rating PG-13

Release Date September 30th, 2016

“A story set on the offshore drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, which exploded during April 2010 and created the worst oil spill in U.S. history.”

Based on the incredible true story, Deepwater Horizon is directed by Peter Berg who previously directed Lone Survivor which also starred Mark Wahlberg. Rounding out the stellar cast is Kate Hudson, Kurt Russell, John Malkovich, and Ethan Suplee. Deepwater Horizon hits theaters on September 30th, 2016, and will be shown everywhere including IMAX theaters. Check out the trailer below.

Sully

Director Clint Eastwood

Genre Biography | Drama

Cast Tom Hanks, Anna Gunn, Aaron Eckhart, Sam Huntington

Rating PG-13

Release Date September 9th, 2016

“The story of Chesley Sullenberger, who became a hero after gliding his plane along the water in the Hudson River, saving all of his 155 passengers.”

“On January 15, 2009, the world witnessed the “Miracle on the Hudson” when Captain “Sully” Sullenberger (Tom Hanks) glided his disabled plane onto the frigid waters of the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 aboard. However, even as Sully was being heralded by the public and the media for his unprecedented feat of aviation skill, an investigation was unfolding that threatened to destroy his reputation and his career.”

Kubo and the Two Strings

Director Travis Knight

Genre Animation | Adventure | Family

Cast Charlize Theron, Rooney Mara, Matthew McConaughey, Ralph Fiennes

Rating PG

Release Date August 19th, 2016

“Kubo lives a quiet, normal life in a small shoreside village until a spirit from the past turns his life upside down by re-igniting an age-old vendetta. This causes all sorts of havoc as gods and monsters chase Kubo who, in order to survive, must locate a magical suit of armor once worn by his late father, a legendary Samurai warrior.”

Directed by Travis Knight who produced ParaNorman and The Boxtrolls, Kubo and the Two Strings delivers a stellar cast of voice actors including Charlize Theron, Rooney Mara, Matthew McConaughey, Ralph Fiennes. It will release in theaters this summer, check out the trailer below.