Film

Director Damien Chazelle talks about his movie La La Land, a love story set in the present day, but the influence of old Hollywood and musicals of the past is all around.

Edelstein notes that La La Land is just one of the releases that made 2016 "an excellent year" for movies. Below is his list of the best dozen films of the year.

Mike Mills' latest film, 20th Century Women, is inspired by the yearning to understand his mother who raised him. Set in Santa Barbara in 1979, it stars Annette Bening as Dorothea, a 55-year-old woman who grew up during the Depression and is struggling to raise her teenage son, Jamie, on her own.

The nefarious Empire is building a giant weapon in the latest installment of the Star Wars saga. Critic David Edelstein says though Rogue One is part of a series, it also works as a stand-alone film.

A jazz keyboardist and an aspiring actress fall in love in Damien Chazelle's new romantic musical. Critic David Edelstein says La La Land features thrilling chemistry and magical music numbers.

A jazz keyboardist and an aspiring actress fall in love in Damien Chazelle's new romantic musical. Critic David Edelstein says La La Land features thrilling chemistry and magical music numbers.

The new Italian documentary "Fire At Sea" won top prize at this year's Berlin Film Festival for its look at today's refugee crisis. The newly translated novel These Are The Names won the Dutch equivalent of the Booker Prize for its look at the refugee crisis. Our critic-at-large John Powers says each offers an original way of looking at something it's easy to think you know all about.

Kenneth Lonergan's new film is about a janitor, crippled by guilt and grief, who returns to his hometown after the death of his brother.

John Powers reviews Ava DuVernay's film '13th.'

Casey Affleck is a man returning to his hometown to bury his brother and reconnect with his teen nephew in Manchester by the Sea. Critic David Eldestein calls the film draining, but also worth seeing.

Casey Affleck on starring in the new film Manchester by the Sea, working with his brother Ben, and getting his start in acting young.

Francis Ford Coppola was 29 years old and broke when he was asked to direct The Godfather, based on the bestselling novel by Mario Puzo. The notes he kept for himself during the making of The Godfather have been collected into a new book.

Amy Adams plays a professor tasked with talking to eight-tentacled aliens in Denis Villeneuve's new film. Critic David Edelstein says Arrival is a strange and tantalizing puzzle.

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews the new movie "Reservoir Dogs," which he says is a contemporary take on the 1950s heist movie.

Kelly Reichardt presents the interlocking lives of several Montana women in her new film, Certain Women. Critic John Powers calls it a work of "quiet restraint and unhurried rhythm."

Gibson's new movie tells the story of the first conscientious objector to receive the U.S. Medal of Honor. Critic David Edelstein says Hacksaw Ridge is the work of a remarkable filmmaker.

Though he's known for making quasi-horror films, director Park Chan-wook's latest movie is a melodrama set in 1930s Korea. Critic David Edelstein says The Handmaiden is fun and full of twists.

DVDs have enabled us to see movies from some unlikely places. Our critic at large says some of the best films he's seen come from South Korea: the crime drama Memories of Murder and the political thriller The President's Last Bang are two examples, based on true stories.

Film director Barry Jenkins and playwright Tarell McCraney both grew up in the same housing project in Miami, and both were raised by mothers who were addicted to crack. Their new film Moonlight draws on their experiences.

Tower is an animated documentary that tells the story of a massacre that happened 50 years ago and was a historic first: A man with no record of violence shot at people at random for no logical reason. It was Aug. 1, 1966, in the middle of a 100-degree day at the University of Texas at Austin.