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04.27.17: This list is now final. While I may in the future see additional films that were released in the awards year of 2016, no more films will be added to this list. (I may add links to reviews of films listed here.)

This ranking includes only new theatrical releases viewed for the awards year of 2016 (for eligibility for the Academy Awards and the Ofcs and Awfj awards); some films released in the UK without Us releases (and so ineligible for those awards this year) may also be included, for my own bookkeeping purposes. Links go to my review. Numbers after each entry are Date First Viewed/NYC Release Date/London Release Date; year is 2016 unless otherwise noted.

worth paying multiplex prices for

[5 stars]

Arrival (10.10/11.11/11.10)

La La Land (10.07/12.09/01.13.17)

A Monster Calls (10.06/12.23/01.01.17)

The Lobster (07.16.15/05.13/10.16.15)

Zootropolis (aka Zootopia) (02.22/03.04/03.25)

A Bigger Splash (10.08.15/05.04/02.12)

Miss Sloane (11.20/11.25/05.12.17)

London Road (06.03.15/09.09/06.12.15)

The Girl with All the Gifts (07.26/02.24.17/09.23)

I, Daniel Blake...

Summer is coming to an end and the 2016-17 TV season is just around the corner (not to mention football and more football). So it’s a good time to cram in a whole collection of shows and movies on Netflix before your schedule gets so full you won’t know what to do with yourself. Some exciting additions are a couple Fast and Furious movies, No Country for Old Men and Funny Or Die Presents: Donald Trump’s Art of the Deal: The Movie, which stars Jonny Depp as Trump. Check out the list. Find a comfortable spot and begin watching. New to Netflix August 1 The American Side An Inconvenient Truth Apex: The Story of the Hypercar Beethoven’s Christmas Adventure Big Daddy Black Widow Critical Condition Deadfall Destination: Team USA Funny Or Die Presents: Donald Trump’s Art of the Deal: The Movie The Family Man The Fast and the Furious...

Curious to know what movies and TV shows are coming to Netflix over the next few weeks? Get a head start and mark your calendars using the list below, just released to us by Netflix. But first, here are 10 recommendations from below's incoming crop of movies: 1. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) 2. In the Shadow of the Moon (2007) 3. Sleepy Hollow (1999) 4. Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008) 5. The Little Prince (2016) 6. 13 Cameras (2016) 7. Septembers of Shiraz (2015) 8. The Road (2009) 9. Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013) 10. Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)   Avail 8/1/16 The American Side (2016) An Inconvenient Truth (2006) Apex: The...

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Indie thriller "The American Side" has got some big secrets up its sleeves. The new features follows private eye Charlie Paczynski, whose life is thrown into disarray when his "raven-haired partner is caught in the crossfire of a blackmail scheme gone bad" and he takes it upon himself to "trail the prime suspect to the brink of Niagara, only to receive a cryptic warning," all per the film's official synopsis. Sounds standard enough, right? A little P.I. action, a little mystery, a cool location. And then it involves Nikola Tesla. Really. Starring Camilla Belle, Matthew Broderick, Janeane Garofalo and Greg Stuhr, "The American Side" isn't just a noir-ish drama, it's also interested in actual science. But you might not get that thanks to our exclusive clip, which plays up the private eye stuff without letting slip all the other elements that go into the feature.Read More: Cinelicious Pics...

With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit the interwebs. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.

Arabian Nights (Miguel Gomes)

In lauding Miguel Gomes‘ three-part, six-and-a-half hour behemoth, it’s perhaps important to consider his background as a critic. Not just in terms of the trilogy’s cinephilic engagement with Rossellini, Alonso, Oliveira, etc.; also in its defiant nature. While it’s easy to assign the trilogy certain humanist and satirical labels from the get-go and just praise these films for following through on them,...

Invoking fascinating conspiracy theories surrounding Nikola Tesla only to turn them into a macguffin, this neonoir detective flick ultimately disappoints. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing

I’m “biast” (con): nothing

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

A shady Buffalo private detective whose business seems to consist mostly of blackmailing cheating husbands stumbles into a bit of a conspiracy surrounding missing pages from Nikola Tesla’s diaries, landing him in interlocking schemes among nests of villains willing to do anything to get the documents back. If you know anything about Tesla — the scientist and inventor whose work has, in recent decades, become the stuff of myth — you are sure to be hugely disappointed by The American Side, because Tesla is nothing more than a tease here. Pi Charlie Paczynski (Greg Stuhr) wanders through a bunch of mysterious deaths and encounters with dangerous dames and accusations by...

On Demand DVD New Releases May 2-8 The American Side When a private eye’s partner is caught in a blackmail scheme gone bad, he trails the prime suspect to Niagara Falls. Thrust into a world of whiskey, intrigue and rogue agents, he joins the quest. Matthew Broderick, Camilla Belle (Nr, 1:30) 5/3 The Choice From Nicholas Sparks, the best-selling author of The Notebook and Safe Haven, comes this heart-lifting romance about how far we go to keep the hope of love alive. Benjamin Walker, Teresa Palmer (PG-13, 1:51) 5/3 East Side Sushi Juana, a working-class single mother, decides to take a job … Continue reading →

The post On Demand DVD New Releases – May 2-8 appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.

When a film shot in Buffalo, NY co-written and starring a native of the city comes across you’re desk you look upon it with a certain level of skepticism. I’ve lived here almost my entire life and I’m still guilty of seeing my hometown as a B-level sector in comparison to New York City or Hollywood. This year has changed that thought-process for locals and the industry with two effective genre works exiting the Queen City with aspirations for the big time. Against all odds I have to admit they both deserve every accolade bestowed upon them. Horror flick Emelie came out of the gate first with success and now The American Side hits theaters with a chance at earning more. This hard-boiled noir is the real deal.

Written by lead actor Greg Stuhr and director Jenna Ricker, this adventure of a yokel private investigator is full of MacGuffins and shady characters.

Films include Maniac Cop, produced by Nicolas Winding Refn, and The Discovery, starring Nicholas Hoult and Rooney Mara.

Middle East distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment has secured 20 titles out of the American Film Market (Afm), which ended Wednesday.

The deals are led by the Nicolas Winding Refn-produced remake Maniac Cop directed by John Hyams and the Antonio Banderas lead thriller Faith from Wild Bunch. Both will be co-distributed with long-time associate Teleview International across the Middle East.

The Dubai-based firm, which acquires distribution rights for the Middle East and North Africa, has also closed a deal with Protagonist Pictures for The Discovery starring Nicholas Hoult and Rooney Mara; while from Hanway Films the titles include horror feature The Devil’s Candy, which debuted at Toronto, and Lone Sherfig comedy drama Their Finest Hour And A Half starring Gemma Arterton, Sam Claflin and Bill Nighy.

From Embankment Films, Front Row has acquired the English-language remake of French...