Top 10 Movies You Missed This Winter

In a winter packed with movies led by strong female characters, this film from writer and director Mike Mils was unfortunately the one that got lost in the crowd. Starring Annette Bening, Elle Fanning, and Greta Gerwig, the movie focuses on the three free spirited women trying to navigate life in 1970s California, whether it is through journeys of self discovery or trying to raise a family. Mills described the film as “a love letter to the women who raised him”, and it scored an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. And as expected, Annette Benning shines in the lead role. Can we just give her an Oscar already?

Originally premiering at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2016, this biopic stars two of the best actors working during the 2010s: David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike. In this forgotten tale about 20th century Africa, Oyelowo portrays Seretse Khama, the future first President of Botswana, who falls in love with Pike’s Ruth Williams. Due to their heritages, their relationship creates a political crisis between South Africa and Britain, which they eventually power through because of their passion for each other. Despite the fact that it features great performances and relevant themes touching upon race and love, “A United Kingdom” sadly only managed to make a little over $10 million worldwide.

If a sequel comes out too long after the original film, it’s usually dead on arrival. However, with director Danny Boyle and cast members Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller and Robert Carlyle all returning, this follow-up to the ‘90s classic was worth the wait. “T2” finds McGregor’s Mark Renton returning to Scotland after leaving at the conclusion of the first film. As you can expect, he reunites with his old friends, bringing back all the emotion and problems he’d run away from in the first place. While it was a financial success in its native UK, an initial limited release in America dulled “T2”’s chances of finding an audience abroad, despite its pedigree and quality.

Based on the children’s novel of the same name, this J.A. Bayona-directed film proves that dark and effective entertainment for younger audiences is possible, and can be visually spectacular at the same time. Lewis MacDougall stars as a young boy confronting his mother’s terminal illness, who finds solace in a tree-like monster voiced with intensity by Liam Neeson. While some critics commented that the film was too dark, Bayona’s incredible visuals and the powerful performances placed the movie in the upper echelon of fantasy films. Unfortunately, it was another one that got lost during the crowded holiday season, only grossing $3.7 million in the U.S. before leaving theaters.

Much like 2010’s “The Social Network,” “The Founder” examines the origins of a major American icon; in this case, the fast food empire McDonald’s. Michael Keaton stars as Ray Kroc, the down-and-out entrepreneur who stumbles on a small burger stand run by the McDonald brothers, played by John Caroll Lynch and Nick Offerman. He soon seizes on what he believes to be the business opportunity of a lifetime. Once considered an awards contender, the film was originally slated for release in August 2016. However, the buzz had died down by the time of its wide release in January 2017. Even so, it’s still a worthwhile watch for its examination of McDonald’s in American culture, and for Keaton’s standout performance.

It may’ve taken a few years, but M. Night Shyamalan is back and here to stay. The writer-director released what’s widely considered his best film since 2002’s “Signs” with this creepy and disturbing psychological thriller. In it, James McAvoy gives the performance of multiple lifetimes as Kevin, a man with 23 distinct personalities, ranging from childlike to psychopathic and murderous. After he kidnaps three teenage girls, he warns them that a 24th personality called “The Beast” will soon be awakened. As you can imagine, this speeds up the girls’ attempts to get away from him. Surprising almost everyone, “Split” is a suspenseful and tense thriller that has to be seen to be believed.

The Kristen Stewart renaissance continues to impress with this psychological thriller from French director Olivier Assayas. Stewart plays a personal shopper who believes she has connections to the spirit world through her recently deceased twin brother. What follows is a one of a kind film experience that manages to combine the country of France, fashion, and ghosts. When it premiered at Cannes in May 2016, it received a 4 and a half-minute standing ovation, and Stewart has been praised to the moon for her performance. The unusual concepts and themes might be too weird for most audiences, but fans of Stewart and the supernatural shouldn’t pass this one up.

An almost three hour German dramedy? We know why this didn’t find an audience outside of film buffs. Still, this movie about a father creating a weird and hairy alter ego to get closer to his daughter was hailed as one of the standout releases of late 2016. It was even named the best film of the year by prestigious film publications such as Cahiers du cinéma and Sight & Sound, and was widely considered the front-runner for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, before losing to Iran’s “The Salesman.” If you still haven’t seen it, we suggest you get on it, especially before the Hollywood remake with Jack Nicholson and Kristen Wiig comes out.

It was another great winter for Adam Driver, as evidenced by his phenomenal turn in this film from writer/director Jim Jarmusch. The movie takes place over the course of one week in the life of Driver’s title character, who happens to live in the New Jersey city of the same name. Paterson works as a bus driver, but he and his wife dream of more: he wants to be a poet or a musician; she wants to open a cupcake shop. While Jarmusch’s films aren’t for everyone, as evidenced by this movie’s limited release and low box office gross, Paterson became his best-reviewed film in years, and is well worth a watch for both its direction and performances.

Make no mistake: This is a daunting, challenging and long film. Regardless, after more than 25 years, Martin Scorsese finally got to make his passion project, based on the historical fiction novel by Shūsaku Endō, and the results are incredible. Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver turn in two of their best performances yet as 17th century Jesuit Priests who journey to Japan to find their missing mentor, played by Liam Neeson. The movie tackles subjects like colonialism and the existence of God, and by the end, you feel like the characters do: profoundly changed. It was only nominated for Best Cinematography at the Oscars, but deserves a watch for its visuals, performances, and themes.