By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

For 17 years, this first column of the year has been devoted to picking the best movies of the previous year. These choices follow the Aristotelian rules for good drama: story, character development and spectacle that enhances the first two rules. So, in no particular order, except in reverse alphabetical, here is the top ten list (in box).

Future films

Holding back for Oscar season, local theaters will be graced soon with Karen Allen and Celia Imrie in Year by the Sea directed by J.A. Boyona. A Monster Calls is based on an award-winning young adult novel by Patrick Ness (from an idea by the late Siobhan Dowd) and features Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones and the voice of Liam Neeson.

The king of all monsters returns to the big screen in Kong: Skull Island, featuring an all star cast starring Brie Larson, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson and John Goodman. A week later, in March, Disney will create the live-action version of Beauty and the Beast featuring Emma Watson.

Introduced 17 years ago in X-Men, Hugh Jackman returns as the Wolverine in Logan. After performing in eight motion pictures, Jackman will be hanging up his character’s adamantium claws following this final performance as Logan, the wolverine.

For those with no plans for Valentine’s Day, 50 Shades Darker opens. For a movie franchise that no one admits to enjoying, expect this movie to have a spectacular box office on opening weekend. 2017 will be a unique year.

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

This column completes my 17th year in which my picture has been associated with Flicks, which is as long as Dan Marino’s career with the Miami Dolphins. Since 1999, I have written through five presidential elections, covered over 30 film festivals in Broward, Palm Beach and Dade counties and reviewed closed to a 1000 films for The Observer. I am very thankful that people still have an interest in my opinion about the movies.

2016 has been an interesting year for the business. The biggest blockbusters (Finding Dory. Captain America: Civil War, The Jungle Book, Deadpool) were released in the first half of the year. With the exception of Sully and Rogue One, the second half of the year suffered from a disappointing box office performance.

There can be many factors that have caused cinema’s deflating box office: riveting news coverage of the election and terrorism attacks, sports drama featuring the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Chicago Cubs and even the Miami Dolphins having their first winning season in eight years. The common denominator is that television programming has done much to erode the cinema box office.

In November 2016, the Ft. Lauderdale International film Festival promoted the motion picture industry in our community. Gregory Von Hausch, Jan Mitchell, Erin Fontes, Melissa Fresita, Lenny Wong and a crew of hundreds efficiently screened films from all over the world and hosted informative interviews from Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Arlene Dahl to a young talent like Bailee Madison.

Currently on the big screen is Lion, which earned the FLIFF “best in the fest” award. This film is truly representative of international filmmaking for it was produced in both Australia and India, featuring Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman in an important supporting role.

Sixteen years ago, Kenneth Lonergan’s You Can Count On Me was an independent motion picture that shocked the Hollywood mainstream by earning multiple Oscar nominations. This year’s Lonergan’s Manchester by the Sea has earned honors on the cinema awards circuit. It is a drama about grief, but features some satisfying realistic humor.

My goal is to continue to write this column for at least another two years. However, I am concerned that I may be as extinct as the dinosaur. Stay tuned, I will do my best to keep stories interesting in 2017. Happy New Year!

By Emily Rosen

ERosen424@aol.com

www.emilyrosen424.com

Twenty sixteen – departed and gone

A year that was quite a phe-nom-en-on

Dominated almost entirely by Trump

His rallies, his tweets, his life on the stump

Sanders and Hillary left to examine

The reasons they bore an “Electoral” famine.

But way back in Jan. we were warned of great harm

When Korea detonated its hydrogen bomb

Alas, the unthinkable happened in Flint

With poison in water that wasn’t mere lint

The death of Scalia you may still recall

Caused McConnell to render an epic-long stall

“There won’t be a Justice replaced on the bench”

A decision he made that was deeply entrenched

Blacks feeling threatened at home by the cops

In Dallas cops killed – it just never stops

In Brussels and Paris and Istanbul, Nice,

Munich, Berlin –What happened to “peace ?”

In England they voted to “Brexit” E.U.

The planet’s unsettled – as changes accrue

But – the Cubs won the Series – after waiting so long

Then elections took place – so many, so wrong!

Was it Comey, the emails, or working white men?

Hillary lost – millions seek Zen.

Castro’s demise caused some celebrations

Congressional forecast: “lotsa in-ves-ti-gations”

December’s the month that was chock full of news

Much of it fake – a trend – causing the blues

Transition appointments – the top of Trump’s list

Perry- in charge of the place that he “dissed”

Hacking by Russians to skewer the election?

Trump opts for nukes for greater “protection.”

But the market is climbing – to peak at its top

Who can predict its inevitable drop?

Conflict of in-ter-est questions arise

In ’17 – it’s certain – we’re in for surprise!

Photo by Bryan Hursh

National Signing Day is in the books. On Wednesday, Feb. 3 the top prospects from Deerfield Beach High School signed their letters of intent to play college football at their respective universities. Congratulations to the class of 2016!

Athletes

• Aaron Robinson (DB): University of Alabama

• Cavin Ridley (WR):University of Georgia

• James Pierre (SS):University of North Carolina

• Simeon Brown (FS): Bethune Cookman University

• Jefferson Souza (K): Alcorn State University

• Michael Arthur Jr. (DE): ASA New York

• Jefftey Joseph (WR):Virginia Union University