10 Movies to Watch in 2016

  10 Movies to Watch in 2016

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi 

Director Michael Bay applies his explosive blockbuster style to the true story of the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on a U.S. facility in Benghazi, Libya. A year ago, “American Sniper,” about the late Iraq War veteran Chris Kyle, opened wide on the same weekend and reaped $89.3 million at the box office. “13 Hours,” which stars John Krasinski and James Badge Dale, appears primed to appeal to the same audience, and it’s shaping up to be the movie that knocks “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” out of the weekly top spot. (Unless, of course, “The Revenant” or “The Forest” do that the week before.) 

Hail, Caesar!

After taking time to write screenplays for Angelina Jolie‘s “Unbroken” and Steven Spielberg‘s “Bridge of Spies,” Joel and Ethan Coen return to the directing chair for this farce set in Hollywood after World War II and just as the hysteria over communism started to really pick up. It’s their first movie since 2013′s “Inside Llewyn Davis,” and it marks a revival of their more farcical style, which they employed in films such as “O Brother Where Art Thou?” and “Burn After Reading.” The film stars Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson.

Deadpool 

 Ryan Reynolds looks to redeem himself in the superhero genre with this violent, joke-filled shoot-em-up based on the Marvel Comics character of the title. Reynolds, whose turn as DC Comics’ Green Lantern has become the butt of jokes, returns to the role of Wade Wilson/Deadpool, aka “the Merc With a Mouth,” which he previously played in “X-Men: Origins — Wolverine.” This time, he’s looking to get the character right, and fans seem to be on board with it this time as the actor leads a humorous, irreverent marketing campaign.

Zoolander 2

“Deadpool” won’t be the only wacky cult fave out that weekend. Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson return to their roles as dunder-headed models Derek Zoolander and Hansel from the 2001 original. This time, the fashion world has changed, and Zoolander is marginalized. There’s also a plot involving celebrity murders (poor Justin Bieber) and a gender-fluid model played, controversially, by Benedict Cumberbatch. Penelope Cruz, Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig also star. 

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny 

The sequel to director Ang Lee‘s Oscar-winning classic “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” will play on a limited number of Imax screens while it heads to Netflix, which is becoming a hot destination for high-profile film projects such as “Beasts of No Nation” and Brad Pitt’s upcoming “War Machine.” The new “Crouching Tiger” movie brings back Michelle Yeoh and focuses on heroes protecting the legendary Green Destiny sword. Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen, who will be in next year’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” also stars. Fight choreographer and filmmaker Yuen Woo-ping directs. 

The Witch  

This tale of black magic and demonic possession, set in Colonial New England, was a big hit with film festival attendees earlier in 2015. Now, wider audiences will get a chance to see if the movie lives up to its spooky reputation. But will it suffer the same fate as “The Babadook” and “It Follows,” recent small-scale horror releases that reaped critical acclaim but failed to attract many mainstream moviegoers?

Zootopia

The most recent trailer for the Disney-produced animated film features slow-moving and even-slower-talking sloths working at a DMV, and it’s playing well with audiences gathered to see fellow Disney property “The Force Awakens.” Whether that will translate into big bucks at the box office remains to be seen, but it looks likely. Jason Bateman and Ginnifer Goodwin voice the lead characters: a shifty fox and an ambitious rabbit cop, respectively.

Knight of Cups 

Art-house legend Terrence Malick, who had once been known for taking several years between directing films, has been relatively prolific in recent years. “Knight of Cups,” in which Christian Bale, who previously starred in Malick’s “The New World,” plays a screenwriter attempting to make sense of life. It is Malick’s third film since 2011′s Oscar-nominated “The Tree of Life,” and it is his second consecutive movie set during the present day, following “To the Wonder,” which he made in 2012. Natalie Portman and Cate Blanchett also star.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice 

It may be only days after winter turns to spring, but this release marks the beginning of summer for Hollywood. Warner Bros. has high hopes for this movie, which pits Superman (Henry Cavill) against Batman (Ben Affleck) for the first time ever on film. Director Zack Snyder’s follow-up to 2013 hit “Man of Steel” will also set up the upcoming “Justice League” films as the studio works to cash in on the superhero craze like rival Marvel Studios has done for Disney. Gal Gadot plays Wonder Woman, while Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Holly Hunter and Jeremy Irons also star.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 

If superheroes knocking the snot out of each other isn’t your thing, there’s always this sequel to the unexpected 2002 hit. Nia Vardalos and John Corbett reprise their roles as Toula and Ian, but this time they’re meddling parents as their daughter gets ready for college. As the title suggests, there’s yet another wedding, only this time it’s Toula’s parents who are getting married. Talk about a twist!