[7.00/10] The Salesman (2016)

The Salesman (2016)

Quick Review: Growing from an emotional family drama dealing with trauma to a strained revenge thriller with a twist, and really smoothly so, "The Salesman" is a neatly-crafted slow burner that is pretty credible in its approach but unlike the director's previous movie "A Separation", this one never manages to maintain the tensity strongly enough throughout, with the stage play parts feeling a bit distracting and out of place. The climax is worth the wait though, and the acting is believable.

[4.50/10] Fist Fight (2017)

Fist Fight (2017)

Quick Review: The 'bully teacher' role suits Ice Cube quite a lot, and he does a pretty good job at looking mean and throwing stuff around, the actual fist fight is sort of amusing to watch, and little Ally's performance of Big Sean's "I Don't Fuck with You" is a true laugh-out-loud moment, but Day is obnoxious, and the script is a bit too heavy on crude humor to be truly hilarious, plus, "Fist Fight" fails to convey its 'stand up for yourself' message properly, ending up being moronically over-the-top.

[5.50/10] Paterson (2016)

Paterson (2016)

Quick Review: The oddly peculiar charms this movie possesses can't be denied, as well as the fact that Adam Driver is really captivating in the lead, giving a quiet yet engaging performance as the bus driver who tries to find happiness in little things in his ordinary day-to-day life, plus, Farahani steals the show, but those unaware of Jarmusch unusual style could find "Paterson" a bit sluggish, pointless, and at times even awfully pretentious, and actually, that is not far from the truth. Yawn.

[6.25/10] The Light Between Oceans (2016)

The Light Between Oceans (2016)

Quick Review: While the first half completely focuses on the romance between the two central characters without being too corny, or deeply emotional for that matter, "The Light Between Oceans" shifts its delicate tone drastically, turning into a moral dilemma with melodramatic nature. Speaking of nature, the scenery is gorgeous in a refined way, and the whole movie is shot with elegance. Fassbender and Vikander both turn in brilliant performances.

[3.50/10] Guardians (2017)

Guardians (2017)

Quick Review: Rushed, messy and laughably cheesy, Russia's answer to "The Avengers" is an amateurish superhero flick, whose generic plot, horribly dull characters, and clumsy, bland villain make it the worse in the genre since "F4". The film is made with only 5 million USD, and it shows -- both the VFX and practical effects range from okay to downright lame, and the action, while plenty, is badly done for the most part, with Khan's introduction part being the only cool moment in this bummer.

[7.00/10] 20th Century Women (2016)

20th Century Women (2016)

Quick Review: Set in 1977 Cali, it captures the feel of this period both vibrantly, and accurately. The most interesting thing about it, though, is how it makes its humane story about personal struggles very abstract in its approach with a three-act plotting and somewhat eccentric delivery. In the end "20th Century Women" is all about Bening and her ability to drive the whole film with an award-worthy performance that is affecting, quirky and amusing all at once.

[8.25/10] John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)

Quick Review: It is John Wick vs. everyone in this slickly-shot sequel that easily surpasses the great first movie. Uncompromisingly violent yet so stylish in its brutality, "Chapter 2" delivers buckets of thrills with its taut plot, and versatile action consisting of crazy stunts, fierce hand-to-hand combats, and blood-filled shootouts. Reeves seems thoroughly 'addicted to vengeance' as Wick, showcasing that you don't need to be muscly to be a badass action star.

[4.50/10] Collateral Beauty (2016)

Collateral Beauty (2016)

Quick Review: It is elegantly-shot, and it has collected one of the very best actors working today, thinking it really gives them the opportunity to take part in something all-so original and that is "Collateral Beauty" main flaw -- it never realizes how silly its premise is, how ridiculous the whole thing turns out, and how it entirely wastes the big amount of talent on screen, throwing them into a story that fails to evoke any real emotion, ending up being very preposterous, instead of truly heartfelt.

[6.00/10] XX (2017)

XX (2017)

Quick Review: Filmed by 4 female directors, and consisting of 4 shorts, "XX" is basically a 50% hit and 50% miss horror anthology, that kicks of strongly with the original, and grisly "The Box", but then it gets mediocre real quick with the half-baked "The Birthday Party". The creature short "Don't Fall" is the most beastly and macabre of them all, followed by the "Her Only Living Son", which fails to impress. The stop-motion animation in between the tales is creepily artsy and the sheer highlight.

[5.50/10] Gold (2016)

Gold (2016)

Quick Review: Yes, McConaughey delivers yet another dedicated main performance of a greed-driven gold digger with guts and determination, but his rather convincing turn is not enough to cover up the fact "Gold" lacks any kind of glow execution or plot-wise, being an incoherent mess with some great ideas on paper, but real lifeless in presentation, wasting its entire potential by focusing more on the cliches, and losing its identity roving between a couple of genres, trying to fit in all of them.

[6.50/10] The Founder (2016)

The Founder (2016)

Quick Review: The retro tone, and outstanding set design will send you straight away into the era the whole thing takes place in, but that is not the film's biggest asset -- it's Keaton and his commanding, yet fascinating performance as the business-driven central character ready to step on anyone to achieve his goal. Due to its unfair nature "The Founder" may leave a bad taste in your mouth, but it daringly reveals some spicy facts behind the foundation of the world's most famous food chain.

[6.00/10] Sword Master (2016)

Sword Master (2016)

Quick Review: Based upon "Death Duel", this Tsui Hark produced wuxia flick may be overloaded with CGIs, but the result is a pure eye-candy extravaganza that stuns with its lush scenery and real swanky swordplay. What it delivers in spades visually, the movie lacks narratively, having a tangled story with no clear direction that doesn't make much of a sense due to its numerous sub-plots, and too many characters involved. That said, "Sword Master" has to be seen for its sweeping imagery.

[7.00/10] T2 Trainspotting (2017)

T2 Trainspotting (2017) 

Quick Review: Less grim, reckless, disruptive, and melancholic than its cult classic predecessor, but more grownup in its approach as it should be, "T2" explores nostalgia kind of touchingly, without losing its sharp humor and fun lunacy. Boyle proves to be one of the most extraordinary directors working today, filming this sequel with a vivid, wacky, and edgy visual style that is entirely bonkers, and the original cast returns with a bang, adding another dimension to their cranky characters.

[4.50/10] Rules Don't Apply (2016)

Rules Don't Apply (2016)

Quick Review: Taking place in late 1950s Hollywood, the film captures the atmosphere of its setting in an authentic manner, even if its murky, joyless retro tone is not necessarily pleasurable nor that appealing. The cast on the other hand is especially well-picked, but apart from Collins, who delivers a lively perfomance as the wannabe actress, none of the rest stand out, due to a superficial script with no sense. Not to mention the romance lacks any spark, and the direction is a mess.

[6.75/10] The Red Turtle (2016)

The Red Turtle (2016)

Quick Review: Some viewers may be underwhelmed by the utter lack of dialogue, but those with an open mind would realize real fast that this mute animated feature is amazing at telling its simple, yet unusual story with fairy tale-like fantasy elements through its imagery. Calming, quietly emotional, and deeply mesmerizing, "The Red Turtle" impresses with its hand-drawn animation, use of color and attention to detail, proving that visual storytelling needs no words to move or make an impact.

[6.00/10] Bleed For This (2016)

Bleed for This (2016)

Quick Review: History remembers more accomplished sports dramas, especially boxing ones, but for what it is, despite being straightforward, therefore mostly predictable, "Bleed for This" is a well-made piece about passion, ambition, as well as mental strength that succeeds largely due to Teller's ability to carry a movie on his shoulders, being very convincing in both his physical, and emotional struggles. Featuring proper fighting, the film has an entertainment value that brings all the thrills.

[4.75/10] Fifty Shades Darker (2017)

Fifty Shades Darker (2017)

Quick Review: Ironically lighter in tone than its already terribly sugary predecessor, "Fifty Shades Darker" is very vanilla even when it attempts to be naughty, and that remains this series' biggest issue, along with the fact that the entire affair feels a bit too fabricated. And it's not the lack of chemistry to blame, as both leads share such, even though they can't act at all, but it's the badly adapted script's fault, as it turns the movie into a cheesy, unintentionally funny romance with zero edge.

[4.25/10] Shut In (2016)

Shut In (2016)

Quick Review: Naomi Watts is no stranger to horror, giving her best with the given material, and making the film watchable here and there, but too bad the material is extremely poor -- suffering from an awkward script and confusing narrative, and limited by a snowy, isolated setting that is not particularly eerie, "Shut In" should have really stayed locked in and never released, as it doesn't contain a single scare, failing to thrill with its supposed-to-be-likely horror story with so little sense.