Come Hell or High Water (2016) ***

Directed by David Mackenzie to a screenplay by Taylor Sheridan, Come Hell or High Water is a Western-style crime action thriller, with an undertone of social commentary related to the 2008 recession. Come Hell or High Water is not a bad film, but I am afraid it is not the hype some critics made it to be. I did like that this film used the recession as the backdrop for the plot, and it handles it in its own very original manner.

The Tenth Man (2016, Argentina) ***

Written and directed by Daniel Burman, The Tenth Man is a low-budget Argentine film. It follows the homecoming of a son that spent years in New York, arriving back at the cradle of his Jewish-Argentinian community in Buenos Aires. The acting feels authentic, and even if the pace requires some patience on occasion, it is a curiosity to watch, especially for viewers with interest in other cultures.

Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) *****

Kudus to Kubo, or, more precisely, to the storytellers behind this fine piece of animation. What sets Kubo and the Two Strings apart, aside of its extraordinary animation, is its story; a tale that feels at once ancient and original. While one will find in the film’s plot familiar elements that range from King Arthur to Indiana Jones’ Raiders of the Lost Ark, the subliminal context includes concepts pertaining to Eastern philosophy, and, of course, plenty of references to the Japanese culture, whereof the fable takes place.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016, New Zealand) *****

Spiced with plenty of humor and lots of heart, Hunt for the Wilderpeople helped restore some of my faith, that the art of storytelling via film is not yet all but lost. Two people, one a troubled city kid (Julian Dennison) who had been moved from one foster home to another, the other a wilder grieving man (Sam Neill), find themselves running together from the law, and subject to a national manhunt. These two outcasts who cannot stand each other, not so surprisingly, would learn to enjoy each other’s company. And while this outcome is somewhat predictable as it is desired, it is the road they take them there, that makes their journey worth seeing.

Jason Bourne (2016) ***

I’ll state upfront that I adore the Bourne trilogy, consisting the first three Bourne films, starring Matt Damon. These embody, in my humble opinion, some of the best spy thriller films ever made. The fifth installment in this perfect trilogy, which was made into a franchise, titled simply Jason Bourne, is not bad; not bad at all. But it is also completely unnecessary. Furthermore, the plot centers around a contrived topic that replicates past themes with very little to no originality.

Star Trek Beyond (2016) ***

What Beyond lacks in essence it makes up in action squences and effects. Thus, here lies my biggest disappointment. I remember how much I enjoyed the first installment of this reboot (Star Trek, 2009,) which had both substance and extravagance. Unfortunately, it had been mostly downhill from there, with the 2013 second installment (Into Darkness,) being just okay plot-wise, and now, with Beyond, that is outright shallow. That being said, I love the way Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Anton Yelchin (may he rest in peace,) and other cast members slide so comfortably into the roles of Captain James T. Kirk, Commander Spock, and the rest of the crew. The action scenes and special effects are, indeed, mesmerizing and the acting, engaging. The light humor threaded through the story is well-balanced.