Movie tip

Fences

August Wilson famously developed most of his plays at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Playwrights Conference, including "Fences" in 1983. Wilson fans have had to wait a long time for the playwright's greatest work to make its way to the big screen, but, wow, was it worth the wait. "Fences" could boast the best ensemble acting of any 2016 release. Denzel Washington gives a phenomenal performance as a man nursing resentment over lost dreams, a man who can be funny and charming just as easily as he can snap into combative mode as he rules his family in 1950s Pittsburgh. Washington and Viola Davis, as Troy's ever-understanding (or is it long-suffering?) wife, are reprising their Tony-winning 2010 turns. Washington also directs, and he wisely doesn't go for flourishes or do somersaults trying to "open up" the play. Wilson's wonderfully lyrical dialogue and the cast's deeply felt performances are the only fireworks necessary.