Struggling from the suffocating pressure to spend quality time with you relatives during winter break? Want an activity where you can still be present, but you don’t have to exert yourself with taxing communication? Watch one of these great films, or all of them. Below you’ll find a list of movies that we would recommend to pass the time, they’re in no particular order of importance and are separated only by genre.
Animation: Kubo and the Two Strings
“If you must blink, do it now.”
The line that opens Laika’s new film “Kubo and the Two Strings” is not a suggestion to the audience, but a command. From the beginning, it’s clear that Kubo was designed to make its audience not want to blink. The film’s painstaking attention to detail and glorious set pieces will leave you enthralled by Laika’s intricately woven spell.
Laika Studios– the masterminds behind other critically acclaimed masterpieces like “ParaNorman,” “Box Trolls,” and “Coraline” – proudly bear the torch of the 120-year-old technique of stop-motion animation. Meticulously handcrafted, and aided by some computer-generated wizardry, Laika’s films are sculptures brought to life.
Sci-Fi: Arrival
“Arrival” is not the sci-fi alien invasion action romp you might’ve expected from trailers. In fact, “Arrival” is not an action movie at all. Instead, it’s a deep-thinking procedural film that’s guaranteed to make you pause and ponder on mankind’s true purpose in the larger cosmos. Those willing to forgo their initial expectations will be rewarded with arguably one of the best sci-fi movies of the decade.
Amy Adams gives a compelling performance as Louise Banks, a linguistics expert brought in by the U.S. government to communicate with unidentified lifeforms that no one can understand. Can Louise uncover their true purpose for arriving on earth? Will she decode their complex language and find a way to answer the most important question in human history: Why are they here?
Sci-Fi/Fantasy: Rogue One
Gritty, gripping, and gorgeously shot – “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” – is a guaranteed must-see for fans who have watched the first entry back in 1977 and for newcomers who have never seen a “Star Wars” film in their lives.
“Rogue One” is a welcomed addition to the “Star Wars” ever-expanding universe and a movie that will undoubtedly be in the personal collection of moviegoers when it arrives on Blu-ray and DVD. Don’t miss your chance to see this in theaters.
Comedy: Deadpool
Ryan Reynolds stars as Wade Wilson, a charismatic and smart-mouthed mercenary who gets subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him horribly disfigured but also nigh-unkillable. After realizing that he can never return to his old life, he dons a new persona: “Deadpool.”
“Deadpool” is the most accurate movie adaptation of a comic book character to date; it’s also brilliantly written and brutally violent. Made with a strict budget of $58 million, “Deadpool” is one of the most markedly successful R-rated movies in the market, raking in over $745 million in both domestic and global ticket sales.
“Deadpool” is an engaging and enigmatic character. He’s lewd, crude, but he also has a soft spot. He’s an atypical antihero, which may confuse audiences at first because he has no qualms about killing villains. Nevertheless, as the layers of his character begins to be pulled back, a genuine motive materializes. Viewers will understand that he’s not all too bad. He kills people, but the people caught in his crosshairs often deserve what’s coming to them.
Drama: Moonlight
“Moonlight” is a sobering coming-of-age story about a boy who struggles to find acceptance in a society that doesn’t care about his existence. This mature, dark, and twisted tale doesn’t shy away from its heavy and often overbearing themes. Instead, it dives directly into the hard life of Chiron, our protagonist, never letting up for a moment. This is not a happy-go-lucky film, this is an intense drama that focuses its attention on the unspoken paradigms of the male community: sexuality, identity, and most of all, masculinity.
Romance: La La Land
“La La Land” is bound to leave an indelible impression on viewers, especially those jaded by the musical genre. Sweet, charming, and authentic “La La Land” will surprise you and leave you wanting more long after the credits are gone. Oh, and Ryan Gosling plays the lead role in this film. You know who Ryan Gosling is, right? He’s not really a big deal. Just a multi-talented superstar that ends up appearing in many of your favorite movies.
Let’s be honest, 2016 has been a tumultuous and tiresome year. Celebrities are dropping like flies, elections have not panned out in the ways many expected.
Hopefully, at least one of these suggestions will brighten up the remaining days that this unforgiving year can throw at us. So try to relax, enjoy time with your loved ones, have a Happy New Year, and don’t forget to keep it locked here at Chapelboro.com for more content.
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