Holiday Movie Scorecard 2016

Critics Consensus: Julieta finds writer-director Pedro Almodóvar revisiting familiar themes -- and doing so with his signature skill.

Starring: Emma Suárez, Adriana Ugarte, Daniel Grao, Inma Cuesta

Directed By: Pedro Almodóvar

Critics Consensus: Rogue One draws deep on Star Wars mythology while breaking new narrative and aesthetic ground -- and suggesting a bright blockbuster future for the franchise.

Synopsis: Former scientist Galen Erso lives on a farm with his wife and young daughter, Jyn. His peaceful existence comes crashing down when the evil Orson... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen

Directed By: Gareth Edwards

Critics Consensus: Hacksaw Ridge uses a real-life pacifist's legacy to lay the groundwork for a gripping wartime tribute to faith, valor, and the courage of remaining true to one's convictions.

Synopsis: The true story of Pfc. Desmond T. Doss (Andrew Garfield), who won the Congressional Medal of Honor despite refusing to bear arms during WWII on... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Andrew Garfield, Richard Pyros, Jacob Warner, Milo Gibson

Directed By: Mel Gibson

Critics Consensus: Jackie offers an alluring peek into a beloved American public figure's private world -- and an enthralling starring performance from Natalie Portman in the bargain.

Synopsis: After her husband's assassination, Jackie Kennedy's (Natalie Portman) world is completely shattered. Traumatized and reeling with grief, over the course of the next week she... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup

Directed By: Pablo Larraín

Critics Consensus: Elle finds director Paul Verhoeven operating at peak power -- and benefiting from a typically outstanding performance from Isabelle Huppert in the central role.

Synopsis: The successful CEO (Isabelle Huppert) of a video game company tries to learn the identity of the man who raped her.

Starring: Isabelle Huppert, Laurent Lafitte, Anne Consigny, Charles Berling

Directed By: Paul Verhoeven

Critics Consensus: Silence ends Martin Scorsese's decades-long creative quest with a thoughtful, emotionally resonant look at spirituality and human nature that stands among the director's finest works.

Synopsis: Two 17th-century Portuguese missionaries, Father Sebastian Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) and Father Francisco Garupe (Adam Driver), embark on a perilous journey to Japan to find their... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Tadanobu Asano, Ciarán Hinds

Directed By: Martin Scorsese

Critics Consensus: Loving takes an understated approach to telling a painful -- and still relevant -- real-life tale, with sensitive performances breathing additional life into a superlative historical drama.

Synopsis: Interracial couple Richard and Mildred Loving fell in love and were married in 1958. They grew up in Central Point, a small town in Virginia... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Joel Edgerton, Ruth Negga, Marton Csokas, Nick Kroll

Directed By: Jeff Nichols

Critics Consensus: A Monster Calls deftly balances dark themes and fantastical elements to deliver an engrossing and uncommonly moving entry in the crowded coming-of-age genre.

Synopsis: Conor (Lewis MacDougall) is dealing with far more than other boys his age. His beloved and devoted mother (Felicity Jones) is ill. He has little... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Lewis MacDougall, Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones, Toby Kebbell

Directed By: J. A. Bayona

Critics Consensus: Doctor Strange artfully balances its outré source material against the blockbuster constraints of the MCU, delivering a thoroughly entertaining superhero origin story in the bargain.

Synopsis: Dr. Stephen Strange's (Benedict Cumberbatch) life changes after a car accident robs him of the use of his hands. When traditional medicine fails him, he... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong

Directed By: Scott Derrickson

Critics Consensus: In heartwarming, crowd-pleasing fashion, Hidden Figures celebrates overlooked -- and crucial -- contributions from a pivotal moment in American history.

Synopsis: Three brilliant African American women at NASA, Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, serve as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner

Directed By: Theodore Melfi