ANNUAL UPDATE: I'm here for an editorial on the anniversary of 9/11 to showcase a few movies, both serious and not-so-serious, that speak to that day whether as a tribute, remembrance, or example of how life has changed since that fateful day. Enjoy!
Read MoreThe advent of computer-generated visual effects in the 1990s raised the scope of what and how much disaster movies could destroy on screen. No better film encapsulated that new era than the raucous and wildly successful “Independence Day” from 1996 with aliens laying waste to world monuments and making a star out of Will Smith. In the twenty years since, the evolution of CGI filmmaking of bigger and more opulent destruction has elevated the craft to the moniker of “disaster porn.” Returning with the grand ambitious sequel “Independence Day: Resurgence,” the former standard-bearer enters a present day where audiences have been desensitized by asteroids, comets, natural disasters, monsters, Transformers, and superheroes dozens of times over. What was awesome the first time isn’t jaw-dropping anymore.
Read More2016 looks decidedly less spectacular that 2015 on paper. I think there is still plenty to love, but I don't think we'll get another pair of $500 million-plus earners like "Jurassic World" (over $600 million) and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens. In an annual tradition, here are the sixteen movies I'm most looking forward to for 2016. I'm a ranker kind of guy, so let the first countdown begin. Enjoy!
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