With Christmas almost upon us, we have a decent amount of wide releases to choose from. For the gamers out there, we have the video game adaptation "Assassin's Creed". For those looking for sci-fi, or romance, or why not both, we have "Passengers" starring Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt. If you have kids, you can take them to see "Sing", the latest animated feature from Illumination, the studio that brought us "The Secret Life of Pets". And if you're just looking for a comedy, you can give the raunchy "Why Him?" a try. Who wouldn't want to watch Bryan Cranston star as an overprotective father whose daughter is about to marry a wildly inappropriate James Franco ?
Synopses, details, critical reception, trailers, clips and more after the jump.
ASSASSIN'S CREED
Official Synopsis
Through a revolutionary technology that unlocks his genetic memories, Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender) experiences the adventures of his ancestor, Aguilar, in 15th Century Spain. Callum discovers he is descended from a mysterious secret society, the Assassins, and amasses incredible knowledge and skills to take on the oppressive and powerful Templar organization in the present day. ASSASSIN'S CREED stars Academy Award (R) nominee Michael Fassbender (X-Men: Days of Future Past, 12 Years a Slave) and Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard (The Dark Knight Rises, La Vie en Rose). The film is directed by Justin Kurzel (Snowtown, Macbeth); produced by New Regency, Ubisoft Motion Pictures, DMC Films and Kennedy/Marshall; co-financed by RatPac Entertainment and Alpha Pictures; and distributed by 20th Century Fox. ASSASSIN'S CREED opens in theaters worldwide on December 21st, 2016.
Film Details
- Starring: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, Charlotte Rampling, Michael Kenneth Williams, Ariane Labed, Callum Turner, Javier Gutiérrez, Hovik Keuchkerian
- Director: Justin Kurzel
- Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
- Running Time: 115 min.
- Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, thematic elements and brief strong language
Critical Reception
- Rottentomatoes: 20% (18 fresh, 74 rotten, score: 4.1/10)
- Metacritic: 36 out of 100 (4 positive, 16 mixed, 18 negative).
Video game adaptations have a pretty bad reputation, and unfortunately, Justin Kurzel's "Assassin's Creed" is not the exception to the rule, despite being more ambitious than the majority of adaptations. Visually splendid, but densely plotted, incoherent and overly serious, the film wastes an incredible cast on a dull and overlong mess.
PASSENGERS
Official Synopsis
Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt star in an exciting action-thriller about two passengers who are on a 120-year journey to another planet when their hibernation pods wake them 90 years too early. Jim and Aurora are forced to unravel the mystery behind the malfunction as the ship teeters on the brink of collapse, with the lives of thousands of passengers in jeopardy.
Film Details
- Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt, Laurence Fishburne, Andy Garcia, Michael Sheen
- Director: Morten Tyldum
- Genre: Adventure, Drama, Romance
- Running Time: 116 min.
- Rating: PG-13 for sexuality, nudity and action/peril
Critical Reception
- Rottentomatoes: 32% (46 fresh, 100 rotten, score: 5.0/10)
- Metacritic: 41 out of 100 (9 positive, 21 mixed, 15 negative).
"Passengers" may be acceptable as romantic sci-fi entertainment thanks to the undeniable chemistry between Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt, but for some the dodging of deeper and more provocative ideas, the questionable ethics, and the cliched story may prove to be too much to bear. Either way, the movie is a disappointment and a pale reminder of how cool the concept looked on paper.
SING
Official Synopsis
A koala impresario stages a grand singing competition for the world's animals in order to save his elegant theater in this quirky animated musical.
Film Details
- Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C. Reilly, Taron Egerton, Tori Kelly, Nick Kroll, Nick Offerman, Peter Serafinowicz, Beck Bennett, Jennifer Saunders, Jennifer Hudson
- Director: Christophe Lourdelet, Garth Jennings
- Genre: Animation, Comedy, Drama
- Running Time: 108 min.
- Rating: PG for some rude humor and mild peril
Critical Reception
- Rottentomatoes: 71% (65 fresh, 26 rotten, score: 6.4/10)
- Metacritic: 60 out of 100 (20 positive, 10 mixed, 2 negative).
"Sing" is predictably colorful and fun, with a solid cast of voices, but it's also not as satisfying as some of the other animated features released in 2016, including Illumination's own "The Secret Life of Pets". However, it manages to remain enjoyable despite its shortcomings.
WHY HIM ?
Official Synopsis
Over the holidays, Ned (Bryan Cranston), an overprotective but loving dad and his family visit his daughter at Stanford, where he meets his biggest nightmare: her well-meaning but socially awkward Silicon Valley billionaire boyfriend, Laird (James Franco). The straight-laced Ned thinks Laird, who has absolutely no filter, is a wildly inappropriate match for his daughter. The one-sided rivalry-and Ned's panic level-escalate when he finds himself increasingly out of step in the glamorous high-tech hub, and learns that Laird is about to pop the question.
Film Details
- Starring: Zoey Deutch, James Franco, Zoey Deutch, Megan Mullally, Keegan-Michael Key, Cedric the Entertainer
- Director: John Hamburg
- Genre: Comedy
- Running Time: 111 min.
- Rating: R for strong language and sexual material throughout
Critical Reception
- Rottentomatoes: 40% (33 fresh, 50 rotten, score: 4.7/10)
- Metacritic: 37 out of 100 (6 positive, 10 mixed, 9 negative).
"Why Him?" is not the best overprotective father comedy ever made, and it ranks pretty low among other films released this year, but it's well cast and not entirely devoid of laughs, so it ultimately becomes of matter of taste. It's not easy to recommend, but if you enjoy a bit of raunchy fun, this might just do the trick.
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