Manchester by the Sea — For those in need of an emotional flick — 8*/10

• Overall: Very emotional drama with interesting ideas and unusual choices. Great, but for a single detail.
• Who is it for? Anyone wanting to feel something powerful.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4034228/
• Known actors: Casey Affleck.
• Setting: Low-middle class small town America.
• Style: Emotional drama.
• Pacing: Slow.
• Story: Well told, with strong emotional ties between the characters. However, there's barely any change in them as the story progresses. It kills the possibility of a story, it turns the film more into an anecdote than a movie.
• Ending: It ends too realistically. I rarely say that, but it made me think too much of a biography, because there is no real ending. It sort of just stops. Even historical movies do better. It might be courageous to do so, but you still need to be able, as an audience, to be left with something or else you have no attachment and you just forget about it.
• Dialogs: Very realistic. Powerful.
• Characters: Impressive emotional depth and solid realism.
• Acting: Perfect. Very realistic. Casey Affleck's best performance to date.
• Score: Very classical with great effect, but sometimes, it can take you by surprise or be a bit repetitive.
• Afterthoughts: As I watched, I could sense a great movie in the making, with only a few weak spots, but the ending, just... I won't say it ruined it, but it did diminish its accomplishment.

Nocturnal Animals — A psychological movie you should open your mind to — 10*/10

• Overall: A masterfully brooding, riveting, yet beautiful film by Tom Ford.
• Who is it for? Anyone who likes a good moody movie.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4550098/
• Known actors: Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon and Isla Fisher.
• Cameos: Laura Linney, Andrea Riseborough and Michael Sheen.
• Setting: The very successful. Way above the masses.
• Style: Brooding, psychological near suspense.
• Pacing: An incredible almost continuous stop-and-go. It feels slow, really slow, like being stuck in thick molasse, because what happens is so tense and it doesn't happen all at once. Nonetheless, things proceed at a steady pace, inescapably, sometimes against our will.
• Intro: The credits are difficult to watch, because we don't like that kind of harsh reality, but also because movies usually convey only beauty even when it's ugly.
• Story: It takes you to the edge, tensed, and suspends you there for what seems like a long time. You can't help, but be on this edge... and finally jump. Then, it takes you down slowly into reality, making you see that not everything is as you'd like it to be. I love the way the stories are mixed and paralleled. The mood is masterful. Some scenes are difficult, gut wrenching. You would want to do anything but what happened. Still it is riveting.
• Ending: Absolutely perfect.
• Epilogue: None, whatsoever. Love it!
• Dialogs: Powerful, simple, to the point.
• Characters: Great, realistic, extremely deep and well developed. 
• Acting: Amazingly strong.
• Visuals: Incredibly beautiful in a very pure manner,  but also in a realistic way.
• Costumes: Beautiful.
• Score: Very moody. Perfect.
• Afterthoughts: I was blown away by this production and absolutely loved it. Only two little things bothered me. Unfortunately, it panders to two ideas we too often circulate in society that are completely false and make a lot of people miserable. First that we always turn into our parents. Second, that if we love someone we should try everything to make it work. Beyond that, I think it's perfect.

The Edge of Seventeen — A silly comedy that doesn't shy away from realism — 8*/10

• Overall: Fun and quite taking. It feels very real and yet it has a totally silly impossible vibe to it. A great mix.
• Who is it for? Anyone looking for some fun mixed in with some serious stuff.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1878870/
• Known actors: Hailee Steinfeld and Woody Harrelson.
• Setting: Well-off suburbia.
• Style: Silly comedy with realistic settings.
• Intro: The usual childhood recap. Well done, quite funny, with really nice details.
• Story: It's full of great details that make you really pay attention as well as really serious subjects that are taken in a silly manner yet treated with respect.
• Ending: You could see it coming, but there's a nice funny twist on it.
• Dialogs: Witty, sometimes a bit dramatic or over the top. You're never sure what you're going to get at any given time and it makes the whole experience that much more interesting.
• Characters: Great characters, even though they're not that complex they have a certain emotional depth and some surprising realism to them. That really makes them come really close to the perfection (in terms of silly-serious comedy).
• Acting: Solid. My hat to them.
• Visuals: A bit too clean, but it makes for a good escape from reality.
• Afterthoughts: I was really surprised and I totally enjoyed myself. Everyone should see it.

Arrival — The must-see of the year, even if you don't really like sci-fi — 10*/10

• Overall: Perfect. Very novel. A masterpiece by Denis Villeneuve.
• Who is it for? A must see. It's a sci-fi like you've never seen.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2543164/
• Known actors: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker.
• Style: Introspective realistic sci-fi, but it's so much more.
• Pacing: Amazing. This is one of its greatest strengths.
• Intro: Great, especially once you understand the ending.
• Story: Mostly tense with unreal or introspective moments incredibly done. It transports you somewhere completely different. The real world fades to something barely known and you live again. Plus, it has a very strong sentimental dimension to it. And the mood... the mood is incredible, thick enough to hack at with a machete and sharp enough to shave.
• Ending: Things get into focus and the film bloom. It's as if a beautiful butterfly would morph into something even more beautiful.
• Dialogs: Always full of meaning.
• Characters: This is not a character movie, so they barely have any importance. Except for the main one, the others are rather simple, but you don't get to spend enough time with any of them to notice, so everything is fine.
• Acting: Excellent. Can't ask for more.
• Visuals: Astounding. Masterful.
• Special Effects: Perfect.
• Camera Work: Riveting choices. Lots of thought went into it and it shows.
• Score: Very reminiscent of 2001. Not so much the score itself, I find it much better, but the way it is built and used.
• Afterthoughts: It's one of those movies that you never forget.

Snowden — A must for all and a great intellectual thriller — 8*/10

• Overall: Oliver Stone turned something pretty dry, near boring, into an incredibly intense piece. He's a genius who excels at playing with emotions.
• Who is it for? Everyone. First and foremost, we should all be familiar with that story, it's important for our future. We are going to increasingly be dependent on technology so we should know how it can expose us.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3774114/
• Known actors: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley and Rhys Ifans.
• Cameos: Nicolas Cage, Tom Wilkinson and Timothy Olyphant.
• Setting: Behind the computer side of intelligence gathering.
• Style: Suspense based biographical retelling of real events dramatized for the screen.
• Story: I have no doubt that what is presented is accurate, even though it is obviously dramatized. That way, it makes for great entertainment as well as being an eye opener. It keeps you riveted from start to finish.
• Ending: It is what it is since it's based on true events.
• Epilogue: History is a never ending epilogue.
• Dialogs: Solid.
• Characters: Well built.
• Acting: Excellent, although I'm surprised at Joseph Gordon-Levitt modifying his voice again.
• Visuals: Great.
• Special Effects: One of the few films where computer skills are represented correctly.
• Afterthoughts: It's an important story to tell. I think whistleblowers do not get enough credit for their contribution to society, and his was huge. Thanks for helping, Oliver Stone.

The Dressmaker — An incredible movie that will fill your emotional cup — 9*/10

• Overall: Beautiful touching story with strong female roles. Very interesting and entertaining, full of surprises.
• Who is it for? Anyone, unless you require pervasive action.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2910904/
• Known actors: Kate Winslet, Hugo Weaving and Liam Hemsworth.
• Setting: 1950s rural Australia.
• Style: It's going back to where you came from to show off mixed with the discovering the past.
• Pacing: A very human scale. You slowly get more and more interested until by the end you're completely engrossed.
• Intro: Excellent patchwork of scenes until you get the proper introduction.
• Story: This is more than just a homecoming, there are several secrets to discover and the script is full of surprises and very unusual turns. Incredible emotional realism.
• Ending: Fitting. Excellent. Loved it.
• Dialogs: Build with great care.
• Characters: Great depth and color. The leading man is the only present stereotype.
• Acting: Powerful. Loved Kate Winslet, but was really impressed by Hugo Weaving.
• Visuals: Beautiful and complex, full of details.
• Costumes: Incredible. Loved them.
• Afterthoughts: Great movie. Extremely satisfied with my choice. I recommend it to everyone. I can't believe it took it a year to get from Australia to our theaters.

Little Men — A soft family film that will put things in perspective — 9*/10

• Overall: It's a soft and very impactful conflict between family values and capitalism. It's a quiet fight between unequal pressures with the kids as collateral.
• Who is it for? Those looking for something that feels real and that's about families without heavy drama.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4919484/
• Known actors: Jennifer Ehle and Greg Kinnear.
• Cameos: Alfred Molina.
• Setting: Brooklyn, New York City, middle-class families, low and high.
• Style: Very realistic quiet drama.
• Pacing: Not too slow, not too quick. Things develop at their own pace without creating any dead air.
• Intro: You jump in just at the right place, the stage is cleverly set, you immediately know what stuff each of the characters are made of and the rest goes pretty smoothly.
• Story: Very realistic, easy to immerse yourself into and relate. It is a fact of life, things don't always go as you'd wish, but you try your best even though you could have done better. You know what's the right thing to do. The thing is, can you do it? You can't simply bury your head in the sand. That being said, the just of it is pretty basic, but it's all about how each character deals with it. Central is the relationship between the two boys.
• Ending: Perfect. Just like life.
• Epilogue: The end is the epilogue.
• Dialogs: Very realistic and well built.
• Characters: Great depth and realism.
• Acting: Superb. Just.
• Visuals: Very solid.
• Afterthoughts: This is a movie that leaves you with a bit of introspection, a few flashbacks from your childhood and a sense of sadness even though it is not sad. It is life, after all.

Sleeping Giant — Solid look at the life of a few common teen boys — 9*/10

• Story: A very tight look at a few boy teens. Yes, they are up to no good most of the time, but their rebellion is realistic. You can feel the confusion, frustration and simmering anger behind their nonchalant exterior and petty hurts. No laughters or jokes anywhere. It's very serious, but the drama is not the explosive kind, it's that real one, the everyday type, that happens to anyone.
• Setting: Average people in an average place, not poor, not rich.
• Style: It's a raw, yet intimate and because of that intimacy, it feels almost neutral and soft at times. Judgement is all in the eye of the beholders.
• Pacing: Quite quick, very few pauses. The action is mostly psychological.
• Ending: Solid.
• Dialogs: Extremely realistic.
• Characters: Incredibly well built. The closer you are to a character, the deeper the personality will be, yet the others don't feel empty or archetypical, just less well known.
• Acting: Perfect.
• Camera Work: Reels you in tight, off the shoulder, lived in style. Just right.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3778086/
• Entertainment value: Excellent, if you don't mind the raw tone.
• Who is it for? Those looking for a serious movie or a realistic look at some common teen boys.

Brooklyn — A woman's simple and beautiful emotional coming of age journey — 9*/10

• Story: Poignant, better than one could imagine after all the noise made about the film, because it's simple even if it's full of details and it's not romantically or emotionally full of itself. No huge drama, just lots of emotions normal people are used to swim with. There's even a good number of laughs.
• Setting: Very realistic. I don't know if it's historically accurate, but it certainly feels like it, if a bit clean. It's all presented strictly from the point of view of the woman coming of age and that is excellent.
• Ending: Great.
• Dialogs: Solid, realistic.
• Characters: Lots of depth, especially emotional.
• Acting: Perfect.
• Known actors: Saoirse Ronan and Jim Broadbent.
• Visuals: Oversaturated colors that really captivates.
• Camera Work: Some excellent shots, but for an exception. Lots of closeup that give intimacy and a personal point of view.
• Costumes: Excellent, probably very close to the period in question.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2381111/
• Entertainment value: Very good, much more so if you like the genre.
• Who is it for? Those looking for a nice period piece with a simple romance. It's excellent and I recommend it to anyone, but it might not be for everyone.

Bridge of Spies — Captivating piece of cold war history — 8*/10

• Scenario: Great portrayal and realism with of flair combined to awesome acting and great period settings will make you believe you're there. Very entertaining. Another solid hit by Steven Spielberg. The only negative thing is that the story is pretty simple due to historical nature even though it's full of thoughtful details that a guy like Spielberg will intuitively include in one of his movie. That being said, it is no less interesting to see those tractations and how they might have gone down.
• Known actors: Tom Hanks, Alan Alda and Amy Ryan.
• Visual & sound: Great decors, costumes and camera shots as well as seamless soundtrack.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3682448/
• Who is it for? Anyone, unless you need a very happy or rosy film. A must for any Spielberg or Hanks fan.

Sicario — The gritty details of a battle within that doomed war on drugs —10*/10

• Scenario: Realistic, raw, gritty and graphic. There's no place in this story for fantasies. You'll follow an operation to its chilling conclusion. Tight realistic action, some nice suspense, well developed intrigue, great dialogs, amazing acting within solid settings. The intro will feel being plunged in a cold bath with is graphic depictions. Another masterpiece by Denis Villeneuve.
• Known actors: Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro, Victor Garber and Jon Bernthal.
• Visual & sound: Incredible soundtrack that will captivate your mind accompanied by great visuals.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3397884/
• Who is it for? For anyone, except those those sensible souls.

Too bad that it's about the war on drugs, which is probably the worst idea modern humans ever had.

Mr. Holmes — That's a side of the coin that was really worth exploring — 8*/10

• Scenario: Very interesting, captivating in some regards, and human. This is not about crime solving and certainly not an action ride, it's really about relationships. It's slow mix of sweet, touching, sad, and funny.
• Known actors: Ian McKellen (almost perfect as Holmes) and Laura Linney (who you can't deny has an incredibly solid grip on her role with masterful subtlety).
• Visual & sound: Soft and embracing. Great sets full of details.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3168230/
• Who is it for? Anyone not looking for high octane, but in need of quality screen time.

The Overnight — A realistically awkward night for couples in a new place — 9*/10

• Scenario: Even though the situation is unusual, the actual way it is portrayed has a solid realistic feeling to it. There are multiple incidents and surprises throughout the evening and night that specifically break the fantasy or perfection of the moment giving it more credibility. Usually, I don't like when the ending comes back to tie loose ends, but here, it seems to really accentuate the realism. Had it cut at the fade to black, we could have imagined a more perfect ending, which makes it a bit sad. The movie is not a masterpiece, but it's damned great and very entertaining.
• Dialogs: Smooth, easy to relate to.
• Characters: Well defined, but simple.
• Actors: Excellent work on the part of everyone, couldn't have picked a better ensemble. Cast members include Taylor Schilling, Adam Scott, Sarah DeVincentis and Jason Schwartzman.
• Photography: Great camera work with nice sets and decors.
• Sound: Good music and score.
• Special effects: None.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3844362/
• Who is it for? Those with an open mind looking for a nice sexy, romantic and silly meeting of the mind of two couples.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl — Laughters and tears that will make you think — 8*/10

• Scenario: The story is told in an unusual way. Lots of plot choices are different from your run of the mill flick. There are a number of funny scenes, but just as many sad ones. It's simple and moving. It both entertains and makes you think.
• Dialogs: Solid and quirky.
• Characters: Unusual, well built.
• Actors: Excellent acting for the main roles. Cast members include Olivia Cooke, Thomas Mann, Connie Britton, Nick Offerman, Molly Shannon, Jon Bernthal and Katherine C. Hughes.
• Photography: Some excellent camera work, with great sets, decors and costumes.
• Sound: Nice music and score.
• Special effects: None.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2582496/
• Who is it for? Those who want to see something different with both laughter and sadness.

How I Live Now — Very unusual teen romance with well developed backdrop — 8*/10

• Scenario: Great ideas, unexpected turns, and nice pacing. Some little teen romance thrown in with war front fear gives us a truly unique mix. The scenario is well split between before and after. It almost feels like two movies. The events are kept strictly from the point of view of the main female lead which makes it interesting because we're not dragged in the rest of the events and thus neatly avoid needing to elaborate or trying to compete with potential war scenarios.
• Dialogs: Solid and pretty realistic.
• Characters: Well built and easy to relate to.
• Actors: Good work on the part of everyone. Cast members include Saoirse Ronan.
• Photography: Well done with some especially beautiful scenes.
• Sound: Good music and score.
• Special effects: None.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1894476/
• Who is it for? Those looking for unusual teen romance.

Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan — A deep dive into mongol life — 8*/10

• Scenario: Very slow development, unusual amount of set backs, and very quick passes over achievements. Don't watch it for a sense of victory or for the conquests, there are almost none. It's really just about the rise, the very early parts of it. The way it plunges you in the era, though, is without par, very realistic. Captivating, once you get past the hardships.
• Dialogs: Solid, even if it's difficult to say since it's in a foreign language.
• Characters: Well developed for the most part.
• Actors: Good acting, even though it's not easy to tell in a foreign language.
• Photography: Solid, often beautiful.
• Sound: Very good music and score.
• Special effects: None.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416044/
• Who is it for? Those wanting to get an understanding of what the early years of Genghis Khan might have been like and life on the steps. Just don't take the events as historical facts.

End of Watch — Solid action flick with realistic setting — 8*/10

• Scenario: Very interesting, captivating. It's made from the beat cops' personal point of view, and you really get in there with them. It's not about what is happening, but what is happening to them. Great action, close to realistic. Superb tension with lots of different situations. Not easily predictable, except on a few occasions. It's not your standard script, because even though the usual trappings build its fabric the leading thread is almost secondary to their story.
• Dialogs: Realistic.
• Characters: They're not complicated, but well developed. The main ones have a lot of depth to them. You can really feel them. The gang members are a bit too stereotyped, but maybe it's just a reflection on how the cops see them.
• Actors: Excellent work on the part of everyone. Cast members include Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña and Anna Kendrick.
• Photography: With all the well made hand held shots, the camera work really takes you in.
• Sound: Solid music and score.
• Special effects: None visible.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1855199/
• Who is it for? Those looking for action setup in a more realistic fashion and a gritty setting.

Siberian Education — Strong moody Russian tale of woe and respect — 8*/10

• Scenario: Incredible tale, told in a slow but very powerful way, with many interesting turns and unusual choices. Superb mood, dramatic, poignant and riveting, if you go beyond the first quarter that is. Some synopsis present this as a gangster's tale, which is also an alternative English title for the production, but it has nothing to do with what such a spin brings to mind. On the contrary, it's almost a social or anthropological study. Excellent.
• Dialogs: Very strong.
• Characters: A bit too simple. The boys are even drawn line for line from the overused archetypes we see in every boy's club.
• Actors: Great work on the part of everyone. Cast members include John Malkovich, Peter Stormare and Eleanor Tomlinson.
• Photography: Excellent visuals.
• Sound: Solid music and score, but there was a few places where the ADR, or voice over, was poorly made. Also, the fact that the actors are speaking English with a Russian accent is annoying and it takes a long time for it to stop being bothersome.
• Special effects: None.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1697064/
• Who is it for? Those looking for a different or moody drama.

Sound of My Voice — It's a slow developing intrigue that turns into a solid mind fuck — 7*/10

• Scenario: It's realistic and slow moving. Actually, not much happens. It's a true intrigue in the sense that you're always trying to guess what is really happening, from the first scene to the last. It leaves everything on the table at the end, and it doesn't try to close any loop, which is something that all great movies should aspire to. Overall, an excellent mind fuck.
• Dialogs: Solid and very realistic.
• Characters: Well built.
• Actors: Excellent work on the part of everyone. Cast members include Brit Marling.
• Photography: Nice, nothing extraordinary.
• Sound: Nice.
• Special effects: None.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1748207/
• Who is it for? Those looking for a true enigma without any need for action.

Clouds of Sils Maria — Pause in your life and take the time to watch this — 9*/10

• Scenario: This is about the passage of time and coming to grips with it. It's about how history repeats itself. This script has no conclusion, only some subtle revelations. You keep expecting things to happen, but they do not. Like in real life, things are not explained, they are not clear, they can be frustrating and sometimes you just get lost. It is a movie to reflect, not to be entertained.
• Dialogs: Realistic and very intelligent.
• Characters: Deep and well developed. No archetypes here.
• Actors: Excellent work on the part of everyone. Cast members include Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart and Chloë Grace Moretz.
• Photography: Beautiful.
• Sound: Solid music and score.
• Special effects: None.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2452254/
• Who is it for? Those who do not mind thinking when watching or after having watched a movie.