The Epoch Times film critic sifts through the 38 film offerings of January 2016, and picks five. The choices are based on which movies will have the most visibility and potential to impact culture, especially (but not always) in a positive way, and collates some critique excerpts from fellow reviewers from other news publications.
Jan. 1
‘Yosemite’
R | | Drama | 8 Jan. 2016 (USA)
In fall of 1985, three 5th grade friends, Chris, Joe, and Ted go on a “Stand By Me” type adventure in suburban Palo Alto. A dangerous wild cougar roams the neighborhood.
Alan Scherstuhl
Writes for: The Village Voice
“Franco has stripped nostalgia and innocence from his stories of growing up, except for nostalgia for innocence: His characters have begun to suspect that people as a rule are terrible to each other—and also begun to experiment with terribleness themselves—but there’s always a hint that perhaps they might right themselves still, that maybe kindness isn’t exclusive to suckers.
Franco is fine, but the child performers ... seem like your distant younger cousins sulking through some family get-together. The film itself has that feeling, like its scenes are a life you’re observing rather than staged approximations.”
Jan. 8
‘Anesthesia’
