25 Best Films for ther First Half of the Year

Based on what’s been released in the first half of 2016, this is not shaping up as good movie year. Last year at this time, two four-star films — Mad Max: Fury Road and Inside/Out had been released. During the first six months of this year, not one, nada, zilch four-star film has made its way to a theater near you. And, to me, it’s sort of a sad, but also another reflection on the poor quality of films so far this year, that the list includes films with less than three stars. Oh, well. Here’s the list:

1. Love & Friendship ***½
2. Everybody Wants Some ***½
3. Weiner ***½
4. De Palma ***½
5. The Witch ***½
6. The Lobster ***½
7. Embrace of the Serpent ***½
8. A War ***½
9. Green Room ***
10. Sing Street ***
11. Zootopia ***
12. Finding Dory ***
13. The Jungle Book ***
14. Maggie’s Plan ***
15. Midnight Special ***
16. 10 Cloverfield Lane ***
17. Captain America: Civil War ***
18. A Bigger Splash ***
19. Eye in the Sky ***
20. Hail, Caesar ***
21. The Nice Guys ***
22. Louder Than Bombs ***
23. The Meddler **½
24. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping **½
25. Barbershop: The Next Cut **½