Presenting 100 movies that will define 2016! How many will you have seen by year’s end?
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: Set before A New Hope, the universe at last discovers how the rebels got ahold of the original Death Star plans.
X-Men: Apocalypse: The X-Men unite once more to fight their greatest enemy yet: Apocalypse.
Warcraft: A 3D epic adventure of world-colliding conflict based upon Blizzard Entertainment’s globally-renowned universe.
Fantastic Beasts
and Where to Find Them: After an interminable, deathless five year hiatus, J.K. Rowling gives us
the keys back to the Harry Potter movie world with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find
Them. Set well before the time we spent at Hogwarts, Fantastic follows Newt Scamander
and his adventure through America after he accidentally unleashes an assortment of dragons and
monsters.
Doctor Strange: For those who
wondered how Marvel could adapt the psychedelic strangeness of…well, Doctor Strange need not look
further than the subatomic climax of last year’s Ant-Man. Now that the Marvel Cinematic
Universe has established its stake from Valhalla to micro-atoms and everything in-between, the stage
is set for Benedict Cumberbatch to don the cape and stache as the mirthless mystic. Sanctum Sanctorum,
here we come!
The Magnificent Seven: Remake of the classic Western starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt.(Photo by Kevin Winter and Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images.)
Deadpool: Based upon Marvel Comics’ most
unconventional anti-hero, Deadpool tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned
mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with
accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark,
twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.
Ghostbusters: Paul Feig directs
Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones in this reboot of the beloved ’80s
comedy.
Star Trek Beyond: The Enterprise gets totaled again, marooning its crew on a hostile planet.
The BFG: Steven Spielberg directs this adaptation of the beloved Roald Dahl children’s book.
Zoolander 2: A comedy that finds the beloved model Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) and his rival-turned-partner Hansel (Owen Wilson) facing a threat to their continued success.
Bourne: The Jeremy
Renner arc is put on hiatus as Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass return to the Bourne
series.
Captain America: Civil War:
It’s Steve Rogers versus Tony Stark in this both physical and idelogical battle.
The Angry Birds Movie: The mobile
gaming phenomenon gets some big-screen therapy.
Batman v Superman: Dawn
of Justice: DC icons Bats and Supers go head-to-head, with Wonder Woman rushing in as well.
Love and Friendship: The new romantic drama from Whit Stillman, starring Kate Beckinsale and Chloë Sevigny.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows: Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello return to clean up the streets of New York City in this sequel to the 2014 Platinum Dunes hit.
The Neon Demon: Nicolas Winding Refn’s follow-up to the flabbergasting Only God Forgives (an awesome or horrible movie depending on who you ask) returns to the streets of Los Angeles, in a horror-inflected story of a young model who has to fend off other women who want her youth and joie de vivre.
Finding Dory: Andrew Stanton returns to
Pixar for this follow-up to one of the animation house’s most beloved films, Finding Nemo.
The Boss: Melissa McCarthy plays a titan of industry who is sent to prison after she’s caught for insider trading. When she emerges ready to rebrand herself as America’s latest sweetheart, not everyone she screwed over is so quick to forgive and forget.
Gambit: After a publicly trouble start,
things are set for this big-screen presentation starring Channing Tatum as the Marvel fan favorite
character. (Photo by Frazer Harrison / Getty Images.)
The Legend of Tarzan: Alexander Skarsgård swings into action as Tarzan as Warner Bros. and director David Yates team up to bring Edgar Rice Burroughs’ classic tale back to the big screen. Samuel L. Jackson and Christoph Waltz co-star.
Assassin’s Creed: Macbeth‘s
director and stars Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard reunite for this adaptation of the popular
Ubisoft video game series.
The Divergent Series:
Allegiant: The end begins for Tris, presaging next year’s finale Ascendant.
The Dressmaker: Tilly Dunnage, a beautiful and talented misfit, after many years working as a dressmaker in exclusive Parisian fashion houses, returns home to the tiny middle-of-nowhere town of Dungatar to right the wrongs of the past. Not only does she reconcile with her ailing, eccentric mother Molly and unexpectedly falls in love with the pure-hearted Teddy, but armed with her sewing machine and incredible sense of style, she transforms the women of the town and in so doing gets sweet revenge on those who did her wrong.
Zootopia: In a world of animals living in metropolitan harmony, a wascally police wabbit on parking duty teams up with a shifty fox to solve a big case and earn her promotion.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot: SNL alumni Tina Fey steps into the well worn shoes of journalist Kim Barker in Paramount Pictures’ adaptation of Barker’s memoir The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which details her years as a reporter in Pakistan and Afghanistan beginning in 2002.
Where to Invade Next: This is an expansive, rib-tickling, and subversive comedy in which Moore, playing the role of “invader,” visits a host of nations to learn how the U.S. could improve its own prospects.
Triple 9: A crew of dirty cops is blackmailed by the Russian mob to execute a virtually impossible heist and the only way to pull it off is to manufacture a 999, police code for “officer down.” Their plan is turned upside down when the unsuspecting rookie they set up to die foils the attack, triggering a breakneck action-packed finale tangled with double-crosses, greed and revenge.
The Zookeeper’s Wife: Based on the Diane Ackerman book, Jessica Chastain stars as the real-life Antonia Zabinska who, during World War II, saved lives by hiding people from Nazis. Niki Caro directs, following up last year’s critical and commercial success McFarland, USA.
The Witch: In this exquisitely made and terrifying new horror film, the age-old concepts of witchcraft, black magic and possession are innovatively brought together to tell the intimate and riveting story of one family’s frightful unraveling in the New England wilderness circa 1630.
The Purge 3: Frank Grill returns as the annual bloodletting chaos continues.
The Lobster: After the Oscar-nominated Dogtooth, Greek director Yorgo Lanthimos has certainly branded himself as a provocateur of, um, unique social experiments. Along the same line comes The Lobster, starring Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz in the near-future where singles have 45 days to find a romantic partner or turn into an animal. Ann Landers, eat your heart out.
The Little Prince: An animated take on Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s beloved novella about a pilot (voice of Jeff Bridges) who crash lands in the Sahara desert and encounters a mysterious young boy who claims to be an extraterrestrial prince.
The Jungle Book: Rudyard Kipling’s classic returns to the big screen in this Jon Favreau-directed adaptation.
The Finest Hours: New Disney adventure details the daring 1952 Coast Guard rescue off the New England seaboard.
Hail, Caesar!: The Coen brothers set
their acerbic phasers to “skewer” in what looks to be a glamarous send-up of classic Hollywood. George
Clooney plays the buffon once more for the bros as a vainglorious actor in a crappy swords-and-sandals
epic who gets abducted by a cabal known as The Future.
The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Poltergeist: Reprising their roles, Oscar nominee Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson star as Lorraine and Ed Warren, who, in one of their most terrifying paranormal investigations, travel to north London to help a single mother raising four children alone in a house plagued by malicious spirits.
Alice Through
the Looking Glass: Mia Wasikowska returns as beleagured Alice who seeks to rescue the Mad Hatter
from Time himself.
Miracles From Heaven: When Christy discovers her 10-year-old daughter Anna has a rare, incurable disease, she becomes a ferocious advocate for her daughter’s healing as she searches for a solution. After Anna has a freak accident, an extraordinary miracle unfolds in the wake of her dramatic rescue that leaves medical specialists mystified, her family restored and their community inspired.
The Choice: When feisty medical student Gabby Holland moves in next door to perennial ladies’ man Travis Shaw, it sends them both on a romantic journey neither ever dreamed possible.
The Brothers Grimsby: Nobby (Sacha Baron Cohen), a sweet but dimwitted English football hooligan, reunites with his long-lost brother Sebastian (Mark Strong), a deadly MI6 agent, to prevent a massive global terror attack and prove that behind every great spy is an embarrassing sibling.
13 Hours: The
Secret Soldiers of Benghazi: John Krasinski gets yoked in this dramatization of what went down
during the Benghazi assault.
Suicide Squad: Director David Ayer takes the helm for this Warner Bros. production adapted from the DC Comics series about a group of super-villains who are given a shot at redemption by embarking on a heroic mission that will most likely mean the death of them all.
Sophie and the Rising Sun: A romantic drama of love and race set in the days before the Pearl Harbor attack.
Ratchet and Clank: Ratchet and Clank tells the story of two unlikely heroes as they struggle to stop a vile alien named Chairman Drek from destroying every planet in the Solana Galaxy.
Independence Day: Resurgence: We always knew they were coming back. the next epic chapter delivers global catastrophe on an unimaginable scale. Using recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth have collaborated on an immense defense program to protect the planet. But nothing can prepare us for the aliens’ advanced and unprecedented force. Only the ingenuity of a few brave men and women can bring our world back from the brink of extinction.
Snowden: The inside story of the man who distributed classifed governemnt information and went on the run.
Ride Along 2: Kevin Hart and Ice Cube lead the returning lineup of Ride Along 2, the sequel to the blockbuster action-comedy that gave us the year’s most popular comedy duo.
Regression: Detective Bruce Kenner (Ethan Hawke) investigates the case of young Angela (Emma Watson), who accuses her father, John Gray (David Dencik), of an unspeakable crime. When John unexpectedly and without recollection admits guilt, renowned psychologist Dr. Raines (David Thewlis) is brought in to help him relive his memories and what they discover unmasks a horrifying nationwide mystery.
Race: Based on the incredible true story of Jesse Owens, the legendary athletic superstar whose quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler’s vision of Aryan supremacy.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: A zombie outbreak has fallen upon the land in Jane Austen’s classic tale of the tangled relationships between lovers from different social classes in 19th century England.
Passengers: Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence star in this sci-fi movie about two people alone on a very long space trip. (Photos by Mark Sagliocco and Jason Merritt , Getty Images.)
Now You See Me 2: One year after outwitting the FBI and winning the public’s adulation with their Robin Hood-style magic spectacles, The Four Horsemen resurface for a comeback performance in hopes of exposing the unethical practices of a tech magnate.
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back: Tom Cruise returns as Jack Reacher in this sequel based on Lee Child’s bestselling novel Never Go Back, which finds the itinerant problem-solver accused of murder, and learning that he may have a kid he has never met.
Norm of the North: A polar bear of many words, Norm’s greatest gripe is simple: there is no room for tourists in the Arctic. But when a maniacal developer threatens to build luxury condos in his own backyard, Norm does what all normal polar bears would do…he heads to New York City to stop it.
Moana: Young navigator Moana teams with mythical demi-god Maui to locate a legendary island, and together the pair explores fantastical lands and encounters incredible sea creatures in this adventure from Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Miles Ahead: It’s not just about the jazz legend. It’s about what we all face at one time or another in our lives; questions about who we really are, what we have to say and how will we say it. How will we ultimately be defined and who gets to say so?
Me Before You: Adapted from the bestselling novel by Jo Jo Moyes, Me Before You tells the story of the unexpected relationship that blossoms between a contented small town Englishwoman and the wealthy, paralyzed Londoner who hires her as his caretaker.
Maggie’s Plan: A young woman longing to start a family (Greta Gerwig) becomes involved in a complicated love triangle with a professor (Ethan Hawke) and his theorist wife (Julianne Moore).
Masterminds: A comedy from director Jared Hess that was in limbo after the implosion of Relativity.
Midnight Special: After Take Shelter and Mud, family bonds are tested once again in Jeff Nichols’ latest, Midnight Special. Taking on a sci-fi bent, Special stars Nichols regular Michael Shannon as a father who goes on the run once his young son develops mysterious, possibly kinetic powers.
Keanu: Like a cool breeze over the mountains, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele star in this comedy as two friends posing as drug dealers to get back a stolen cat.
Maya Angelou And Still I Rise: A look at the life of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author.
Sully: Tom Hanks plays real human being (and a real hero) Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger who successfully landed a passenger plane in the Hudson Riverin 2009.
Manchester By The Sea: Lee Chandler is a brooding, irritable loner who works as a handyman for a Boston apartment block. One damp winter day he gets a call summoning him to his hometown, north of the city. His brother’s heart has given out suddenly, and he’s been named guardian to his 16-year-old nephew. As if losing his only sibling and doubts about raising a teenager weren’t enough, his return to the past re-opens an unspeakable tragedy.
London Has Fallen: The story begins in London, where the British Prime Minister has passed away under mysterious circumstances. His funeral is a must-attend event for leaders of the western world. However, what starts out as the most protected event on Earth turns into a deadly plot to kill the world’s most powerful leaders, devastate every known landmark in the British capital, and unleash a terrifying vision of the future. Only three people have any hope of stopping it: the President of the United States (Aaron Eckhart), his formidable Secret Service head (Gerard Butler), and an English MI-6 agent who rightly trusts no one.
Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World: A Werner Herzog documentary about the internet in which he explores how “all of us, collectively, have to become the guardians of this fragile new world.”
Kubo and the Two Strings: In the epic fantasy, scruffy, kindhearted Kubo ekes out a humble living while devotedly caring for his mother in their sleepy shoreside village. It is a quiet existence – until a spirit from the past catches up with him to enforce an age-old vendetta. Suddenly on the run from gods and monsters, Kubo’s chance for survival rests on finding the magical suit of armor once worn by his fallen father, the greatest samurai the world has ever known. Summoning courage, Kubo embarks on a thrilling odyssey as he faces his family’s history, navigates the elements, and bravely fights for the earth and the stars.
La La Land: All that jazz! Damien Chazelle’s follow-up to Whiplash doesn’t stray far from that musical territory, starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone (won’t these two ever get a room?) as a jazz pianist and an actress who fall for each other in the City of Angels.
Kung Fu Panda 3: In 2016, one of the most successful animated franchises in the world returns with its biggest comedy adventure yet. When Po’s long-lost panda father suddenly reappears, the reunited duo travels to a secret panda paradise to meet scores of hilarious new panda characters. But when the supernatural villain Kai begins to sweep across China defeating all the kung fu masters, Po must do the impossible-learn to train a village full of his fun-loving, clumsy brethren to become the ultimate band of Kung Fu Pandas!
Knight of Cups: In the new Terrence Malick joint, Christian Bale experiences an existential crisis after finding fame and fortune in Hollywood.
Ice Age: Collision Course:
Scrat’s epic pursuit of the elusive acorn catapults him into the universe where he accidentally sets
off a series of cosmic events that transform and threaten the Ice Age World.
Jumanji: Jonathan Liebesman directs this reimagining of the 1995 Robin Williams-led fantasy adventure.
Jane Got a Gun: Long-delayed Western about a woman who defends her homestead from a gang of outlaws.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2: When a family secret slips out and wedding bells start to chime, Toula and her family come together to make peace with the past and prepare for the future in this sequel.
Into the Forest: Two women living in the forest beat back the apocalypse in this sci-fi drama.
I Saw the Light: The story of the
legendary country western singer Hank Williams, who in his brief life created one of the greatest
bodies of work in American music. The film chronicles his meteoric rise to fame and its ultimately
tragic effect on his health and personal life.
How to Be Single: Romantically
unencumbered people navigate love and dating in New York.
Hello My Name is Doris: When
Doris Miller meets John Fremont, her company’s hip new art director, sparks fly-at least for Doris. In
the cluttered house she shared with her late mother, Doris mines the Internet for information on her
one-and-only, guided by the 13-year-old granddaughter of her best pal Roz. When Doris begins showing
up at John’s regular haunts, she wins over his Williamsburg friends. Her new life brings Doris a
thrilling perspective, but also creates a rift between her and her longtime friends and family, who
believe she’s making a fool of herself over a guy half her age. Eager for all the experiences she has
missed out on, Doris throws caution to the wind and follows her heart for the very first time.
Going In Style: Zach Braff directs a new
comedy about three retirees who decide to pull off a bank heist.
Gods of Egypt: In this spectacular
action-adventure inspired by the classic mythology of Egypt, the survival of mankind hangs in the
balance as an unexpected mortal hero undertakes a thrilling journey to save the world and rescue his
true love.
Dirty Grandpa: Zac Efron is one week away
from marrying his boss’s uber-controlling daughter, putting him on the fast track for a partnership at
the law firm. However, when the straight-laced Jason is tricked into driving his foul-mouthed
grandfather, Robert De Niro, to Daytona for spring break, his pending nuptials are suddenly in
jeopardy.
The Girl on the Train: A
recent divorcee (Emily Blunt) becomes entangled in a mystery involving her former husband and his new
family in this adaptation of the best-selling novel directed by Tate Taylor.
Frank and Lola: A talented Las Vegas
chef named Frank (Michael Shannon) and a promising young fashion designer named Lola (Imogent Poots)
fall deeply in love. But when Lola’s shocking past – and her present demons – begin to reveal
themselves, it sets off a chain of events that threaten to destroy them both.
Everybody Wants Some: Set in the
world of 1980s college life, Richard Linklater’s spirtual successor to Daze and Confused
follows a freshman’s first weekend of college, experiencing a fraternity-like lifestyle with his
hard-partying teammates as they navigate their way through the freedoms and responsibilities of
unsupervised adulthood.
Elvis & Nixon: On the morning of
December 21st 1970 the world’s biggest star, Elvis Presley arrived on the White House lawn to request
a meeting with the most powerful man in the world, President Richard Nixon. This film tells the
astounding true story of this meeting between two men at the height of their powers.
Eddie the Eagle: Inspired by true
events, Eddie the Eagle is a feel-good story about Michael “Eddie” Edwards (Taron Egerton), an
unlikely but courageous British ski-jumper who never stopped believing in himself – even as an entire
nation was counting him out. With the help of a rebellious and charismatic coach (played by Hugh
Jackman), Eddie takes on the establishment and wins the hearts of sports fans around the world by
making an improbable and historic showing at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics.
Conner4Real: The Lonely Island’s new film
follows a failed rapper who resorts to putting his teenage boy band back together.
Central Intelligence: Kevin Hart
is stuck between a rock and a Hollywood paycheck in this comedy about how a mild accountant gets
pulled into CIA intrigue.
Desierto: A visceral, heart-pounding
suspense-thriller from Jonás Cuarón and Alfonso Cuarón.
Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny: Based on the fifth and final book from the Crane-Iron
Series, this sequel to 2000’s martial arts phenomenon Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon follows a new
adventure on the hunt for a legendary sword. Michelle Yeoh reprises her role as Yu Shu Lien from the
first film, with Donnie Yen and Harry Shum Jr. co-starring.
Before I Wake: Kate Bosworth and Thomas
Jane take in a little boy afraid of sleep due to his terrifying curse: all his nightmares manifest in
real life.
Certain Women: Kelly Reichardt’s new
film explores how the lives of three women cross in small-town America.
Bridget Jones’s Baby: Original
Diary director Sharon Maguire is back to guide Renée Zellweger through possible motherhood.
Barbershop: The Next Cut:
In this sequel, Calvin (Ice Cube), Eddie (Cedric the Entertainer), and the rest of the crew at the
barbershop are now working alongside a number of female hairdressers. Together, they must work to turn
around their failing neighborhood.
Arms and the Dudes: Directed by Todd
Phillips (The Hangover), this is the true story of how two stoners got $300 million to arm
American military pals in Afghanistan. (Photos by Neilson Barnard and Alberto E. Rodriguez, Getty Images.)
Amityville: The Awakening:
Belle, her little sister, and her comatose twin brother move into a new house with their single mother
Joan in order to save money to help pay for her brother’s expensive healthcare. But when strange
phenomena begin to occur in the house including the miraculous recovery of her brother, Belle begins
to suspect her Mother isn’t telling her everything and soon realizes they just moved into the infamous
Amityville house.
Agnus Dei: Set in Poland 1945, a Red Cross intern looking for French survivors of the WWII
concentration camps discovers a covent housing a pregnant nurse.
A Bigger Splash: Rock legend
Marianne Lane is recuperating on the volcanic island of Pantelleria with her partner Paul when
iconoclast record producer and old flame Harry unexpectedly arrives with his daughter Penelope and
interrupts their holiday, bringing with him an A-bomb blast of nostalgia from which there can be no
rescue.
