“Manchester by the Sea” takes place in the dead of winter in the small Massachusetts coastal town of the title. This bleak setting and the stark, grim imagery that accompany it set the tone for Kenneth Lonergan’s third feature film, which explores grief and our darkest demons in a way so authentic it can get […]

Grief was a prominent theme at the movies in 2016, but no movie has tackled that anger and helplessness quite like “A Monster Calls,” this year, or ever. Using magical realism in familiar but effective ways, “A Monster Calls” breaks down the pain and guilt of loss and suffering in a way that’s accessible for […]

After “Days of Future Past” bridged together the two generations of big screen X-Men into an epic time-travel blockbuster, it didn’t leave a whole lot of ceiling for future “X- Men” movies. Nevertheless, 20th Century Fox, director Bryan Singer and writer Simon Kinberg were quick to deliver “X-Men: Apocalypse,” bringing the X-Men’s biggest villain to […]

Every year on Oscar nomination day the focus always turns to the snubs (this year it’s Amy Adams, though I think she’ll find her way back to the Oscars soon enough), so here are seven facts I find relevant and interesting pertaining to this year’s Oscars, set for Feb. 26.

Belonging, love, identity – not everyone grows up a gay black man with a drug addict mother and no father like Chiron, the main character in Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight,” but his struggle to find and be himself resonates across all lines of race, gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation.

“St. Vincent” sticks to the script. You know, the story about the cantankerous grouch who forms an unlikely bond with a younger, usually troubled child with his opposite temperament. A tried and true formula. Despite lacking in originality, however, this classic storyline plays out in enjoyable fashion in “St. Vincent” thanks in large part to […]

The premise of “Neighbors,” a comedy about a couple with a baby getting into a prank war with a bunch of fraternity guys, seems unlikely to yield one good film, let alone two. Well, although “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising” is made mostly of recycled materials, it’s shockingly one of the better comedy sequels in recent […]

Last year at this time, Movie Muse was broken down and the insight into awards season you were surely waiting for wasn’t there. Hopefully you enjoyed the journey of “Spotlight” sneaking up from behind to nab Best Picture at the Oscars, though at this time last year, it seemed like the front-runner until “The Revenant” grabbed […]

January and February give us a mix of the new year’s worst and last year’s best, with the occasional new year gem. Many 2016 award-contender films will opt not to compete during the holiday season and instead release to a wide audience in January so they only have to compete with lesser quality wide releases, […]