The Night Of (2016)

A quiet young man spends a night full of drugs with a young woman who is found murdered the next day.

'The Night Of' is a dramatic mini-series, procedural in certain aspects, but which mainly focuses on the secondary effects of the incident, on a small and larger scale. Based on a British series, the HBO version has a life and personality of its own. Riz Ahmed and John Turturro are magnificent, and every episode is original and unpredictable.

Director:  Steven Zaillian   

Production:  HBO   

Creator: Richard Price, Steven Zaillian   

Duration:  miniseries of 8 episodes (8 hours 45 minutes in total)  

With: Riz Ahmed, John Turturro, Bill Camp, Amara Karan, Payman Maadi, Michael Kenneth Williams

Rating: 9/10

The Other Side of the Door (2016)

A mother risks a dangerous ritual to see her lost son again.

'The Other Side of the Door' is a horror film built around the drama of losing a child, which seems to be a subgenre all of its own. The actions of the mother are easy to understand up to a certain point, but the originality of the ritual and the interesting setting are not enough to raise the level of the result. Interesting for a run of the mill horror.

Director:  Johannes Roberts   

With: Sarah Wayne Callies, Jeremy Sisto, Sofia Rosinsky, Logan Creran

Rating: 6/10

Travelers (2016–2018)

Agents from an apocalyptic future are sent into the past, into the consciousness of those about to die, in an attempt to repair humanity's fate.

'Travelers' is a sci-fi series with an idea that has some merit. It generally goes by a "case of the week" style, but from time to time it tries to revolutionize the audience with original content in variations on the theme of temporal paradoxes. Interesting until the end, even with the rushed (by cancellation) finale.

Director:  Andy Mikita and others   

Production:  Netflix   

Creator:  Brad Wright  

Duration:  3 seasons of 10-12 episodes (45 minutes each)   

With: Eric McCormack, MacKenzie Porter, Nesta Cooper, Jared Abrahamson, Patrick Gilmore

Rating: 8/10

War On Everyone (2016)

Two corrupt and ignorant policemen begin to investigate a criminal who seems to be more dangerous than themselves.

'War On Everyone' is an atypical comedy. Without being a parody, it is still full of exaggerated situations and manages to entertain the viewer very effectively by offering a couple of anti-heroes with whom you do not have to agree. Humor is highlighted at every step, almost passively but everpresent.

Director:  John Michael McDonagh     

With: Alexander Skarsgård, Michael Peña, Theo James, Tessa Thompson, Caleb Landry Jones, David Wilmot, Paul Reiser

Rating: 8/10

The Master Cleanse (2016)

A person disappointed in love volunteers to participate in a procedure, in a retreat, which should solve all his problems.

'The Master Cleanse' is a horror comedy rooted in ideas about human nature and the need to be understood, loved, accepted. With some rather strange ideas about sacrifice, the film is an interesting experiment, which also has its acceptable comic moments.

Director:   Bobby Miller     

With: Johnny Galecki, Anna Friel, Kyle Gallner, Anjelica Huston

Rating: 7/10

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (2016–2017)

Dirk Gently is a holistic detective who investigates mysterious cases, interacting with very interesting characters.

'Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency' is a sci-fi comedy series, a kind of Doctor Who that never bothers trying to invent a logical-sounding science, everything being about poeple characterizations, their interaction and the mysterious rules of chance and fate. Fantasy, nonsense, sci-fi elements, skepticism and even well-placed idiocy, all find their place and purpose in the non-boring events of the series.

Director:  Michael Patrick Jann and others   

Production:  BBC America   

Creator:  Max Landis  

Duration:  2 seasons of 8 and 10 episodes (1 hour each)   

With: Samuel Barnett, Elijah Wood, Hannah Marks, Jade Eshete, Fiona Dourif, Michael Eklund, John Hannah, Aaron Douglas, Alan Tudyk, Julian McMahon, Amanda Walsh

Rating: 9/10

Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments (2016–2019)

Clary discovers that reality hides a supernatural world that includes beings who are descendants of angels and demons.

'Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments' is a fantasy series based on a popular book series. The mythology is interesting, the action is so-so, and the main characters are just pop stars who don't stand out for their talent. The few who stand out in a positive way are the two lovebirds: Matthew Daddario and Harry Shum Jr. who manage to outshine the intended stars.

Director:  Matthew Hastings   

Production:  ABC Family   

Creator:  Ed Decter   

Duration:  3 seasons of 13, 20 and 23 episodes (42 minutes each)   

With: Katherine McNamara, Dominic Sherwood, Matthew Daddario, Harry Shum Jr., Alberto Rosende, Emeraude Toubia, Luke Baines, Will Tudor

Rating: 6/10

Au-delà des murs/Beyond The Walls (2016)

Lisa inherits a house from a stranger but soon discovers that its walls hide a mysterious labyrinth in which she gets lost.

"Au-delà des murs" is a film in 3 parts that touches several genres: drama, horror, sci-fi. Full of intrigue and mystery, the viewer is constantly in suspense, wonder and in the middle of a storm of questions. Not all are answered, and it's not a disappointing fact either, but in the end things have a logical circular dependency that fully satisfies the romantics in us.

Director:  Hervé Hadmar   

Production:  Lincoln TV   

Creator:  Hervé Hadmar, Marc Herpoux   

Duration:  1 miniseries of 3 episodes (2 hours and 36 minutes in total)   

With: Veerle Baetens, François Deblock, Geraldine Chaplin, Cédric Lechapelier

Rating: 8/10

Antibirth (2016)

Lou lives a life full of drugs, carelessness and complications and hard work avoidance, until one day she realizes that a night of partying has left behind something more worrying.

"Antibirth" is a body horror. It succedes in overcomplicating the plot with meaningless conspiracies, with the main character reacting with the most appropriate attitude: carelessness and incredulity. Until it's too late. Well acted, interesting to a certain extent, meaningless, but captivating.

Director:  Danny Perez     

With: Natasha Lyonne, Chloë Sevigny, Meg Tilly, Mark Webber

Rating: 7/10

Van Helsing (2016–2021)

Vanessa Helsing, a descendant of the famous Helsing, wakes up from a coma in the middle of an apocalyptic world, preyed upon by vampirism, and discovers that she has special and useful abilities.

'Van Helsing' is a horror series with vampires in an apocalyptic world. The general atmosphere reminds one of 'The Walking Dead' but the high tension events are filled with a new mythology, quite original and rich in ideas. The main heroine is full of interesting contradictions and her ever-increasing powers are a source of maximum satisfaction for the viewer. It has slower stages in terms of the story progress, but the viewer's perseverance is always rewarded.

Director:  Jonathan Scarfe and others  

Production:  Sify   

Creator:  Gorrman Lee   

Duration:  5 seasons of 13 episodes (43 minutes each)   

With: Kelly Overton, Missy Peregrym, Jonathan Scarfe, Aleks Paunovic, Rukiya Bernard, Vincent Gale, Christopher Heyerdahl, Paul Johansson, Laura Mennell

Rating: 8/10

Channel Zero Season 1 - "Candle Cove" (2016)

A child psychologist returns to his hometown where sinister childhood memories unearth supernatural dangers.

'Channel Zero' is an anthological horror series made by Sify, each season having its own independent story. Candle Cove is the first season and it's a mixed result. It starts promisingly and seriously, unsure at first of the supernatural influence that becomes more and more prominent with each episode. The rhythm is slow from the beginning, a fact that initially helps the suspense and the mystery, but when it becomes a constant feature, it gives the more and more obvious impression of a flaw. The style of the story and the involvement of the children are often reminiscent of the kind of storytelling specific to Stephen King.

Director:  Craig William Macneill and others   

Production:  Sify   

Creator:  Nick Antosca   

Duration:  4 seasons of 6 episodes (44 minutes each)   

With: Paul Schneider, Fiona Shaw, Luisa d'Oliveirae

Rating: 7/10

Siren (2016)

A bachelor party takes an unexpected turn when the organizer chooses to take a risk with an obscure place, hidden in the middle of nowhere.

'Siren' is a horror thriller with and about mythical monsters. The present monster is a siren, as irresistible and enticing as the legends say, with a little more gore, and even the presence of several more supernatural beings, à la X-Men. The film has potential with a rather complex and credible story, but is at a disatvantage due to the small budget, and the lack of actors with a better presence (the main protagonists, including the siren-actress, are doing well enough, but they are not the source of most of the dialogue). In short: satisfying and fun enough.

Director:  Gregg Bishop       

With: Chase Williamson, Hannah Fierman, Justin Welborn, Hayes Mercure

Rating: 6/10

La La Land (2016)

A pianist and an actress who are trying their luck in the over-busy workforce of Los Angeles fall in love and try to reconcile their individual aspirations.

'La La Land' is a drama film in the form of a musical. Slight moments of comedy occur from time to time but drama remains its basis. It's a beautiful film that challenges the audience with nostalgia for the classic, art, individuality, love and partial codependency and losing. And good music, very elegantly and skillfully choreographed by a young director who has already made waves (with Whiplash as director/screenwriter and many non-musicals as screenwriter).

Director:  Damien Chazelle    

With: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Rosemarie DeWitt, J.K. Simmons

Rating: 9/10

The Edge of Seventeen (2016)

Nadine goes through an identity crisis when her best friend starts dating her popular brother.

'The Edge Of Seventeen' is a pseudo-teen comedy-drama. The main character is a kind of hyperactive introvert who lives with the impression that everyone else knows who they are, what they're doing, what they want and what needs to happen and the coming-of-age of the character comes from the aquiring the awareness that no one is perfect and no one is born with a natural self-confidence. The arrogance of the character is often an element of annoyance (how many can say that they have so many benevolent people ready to jump to the rescue ??), but the film is a great success and may help some of us more "different" people to realize that we are all children just testing the waters.

Director:  Kelly Fremon Craig   

With: Hailee Steinfeld, Haley Lu Richardson, Blake Jenner, Kyra Sedgwick, Woody Harrelson

Rating: 8/10

Moana (2016)

Moana, a Polynesian princess, responds to an ancestral call in an attempt to undo the curse triggered by the Demigod called Maui.

'Moana' is a Disney movie that tries to combine more modern feminine (and not only) goals with the classic recipe for stories with princesses and princes. And it succeeds wonderfully, in a beautiful film about the pursuit of one's dreams and talent, with memorable music which easily reaches its emotional goals.

Directors:  Ron Clements, John Musker, Don Hall, Chris Williams     

With: Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison

Rating: 8/10

Slasher Season I - "The Executioner" (2016)

Sarah Bennett returns to her hometown, where her parents were brutally killed by The Executioner, but the moment coincides with a series of new copycat killings using the same murderer's MO.

Slasher is an anthology series that offers fans exactly what the title promises: stories with many characters that last a season, during which spectacular murders take place, in a true slasher tradition. Similar to American Horror Story, the actors are recycled for each new season, and each season can be watched independently of the others, in any order. 

The first season begins very strongly with memories from the '80s and the return of the main character. Then, one by one, in each episode, a character guilty of one of the 7 sins dies. The murders are theatrical, well thought out, but the story that connects them often resembles a soap opera with implausible causality and explanations (which can be forgiven up to a point), and the weak and inconsistent ending greatly reduces the overall impression of the entire season unfortunately.

Director:  Craig David Wallace   

Production:  Shudder, Chiller   

Creator:  Aaron Martin   

Duration:  Season I of 4, each lasting 8 episodes (1 hour each)   

With: Katie McGrath, Brandon Jay McLaren, Steve Byers, Dean McDermott, Christopher Jacot, Mayko Nguyen, Rob Stewart, Wendy Crewson, Jefferson Brown, Mark Ghanimé

Rating: 6/10

The Night Manager (2016)

The night manager of a hotel in Cairo is affected by a dramatic event, and continues on with completely changing his life trying to infiltrate the inner circle of the arms dealer who caused said event.

A dramatic miniseries with spy films elements, based on a novel by John le Carré. It starts strong, perfectly plausible, it creates the appeal for the audience through the use of well-written characters with strong traits. Unfortunately, towards the ending, it loses a bit of traction and involvement, but it doesn't completely cancel the story, it just loses some of its initial charm.

Director:  Susanne Bier   

Production:  AMC   

Creator:  David Farr   

Duration:  one miniseries of 6 episodes (1 hour each)   

With: Hugh Laurie, Tom Hiddleston, Elizabeth Debicki, Olivia Colman, Alistair Petrie, Tom Hollander, Tobias Menzies

Rating: 7/10

Ghostbusters (2016)

Four scientists passionate about supernatural come up with a way to fight the sudden surge in ghost invasions.

A remake of the classic Ghostbusters from 1984, with a modern and more politically correct take. The humor is fresh and palpable, Kate McKinnon enriches any movie and the fantasy side of the story is no more ridiculous than the old film's; one might even say that an obvious effort has been made to make the story sound like something that might actually make sense.

Director:  Paul Feig   

With: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones

Rating: 8/10

The Void (2016)

A transitioning understaffed hospital becomes the scene of very unusual events after a wave of unexplained violence blocks a small group within its walls.

A horror film in the tradition of The Thing (the one from 1982). The mystery, the suspense and the body-horror are all well thought out and well dosed, and the explanation of the events is vague and abstract enough to make sense without being easily attacked, and somehow always linked to human nature and the desire to prolong the lives of our loved ones, and life in general.

Director:  Jeremy Gillespie, Steven Kostanski       

With: Aaron Poole, Kenneth Welsh, Daniel Fathers, Kathleen Munroe

Rating: 8/10

Lavender (2016)

A car accident forces Jane to start getting memories back from her long lost tragic childhood.

Lavender is a drama film labeled a horror for its light use of the supernatural, but it's far too melodramatic to have such an effect. The story is not particularly new, but it is pleasant enough in its dramatic construction to help fill the time in a pleasant way.

Director:  Ed Gass-Donnelly   

With: Dermot Mulroney, Abbie Cornish, Justin Long, Lola Flanery

Rating: 6/10