2016 was one of the best years in history...for movies. Real life sucked, but at least we were entertained through our favorite celebrities dying and a horrible election cycle.
I usually make a top 10 favorites list, but there was so much good stuff that I would be disgusted with myself if I left off a Scorsese or some great Marvel Movies. So I extended the list to 20 and started a movie blog because I think I’ve actually lost my damn mind.
Even by making this a top 20, I left off some really good movies. The Nice Guys was very funny. Hell or High Water is terrific take on what the modern western would look like. I saw Lion in theaters twice. Manchester by the Sea didn’t sugarcoat grieving and was a good movie because of it. Moonlight had a phenomenal first act before stumbling through the rest of the movie. Star Trek: Beyond stays true to the franchise’s proud tradition of making a good movie after every shitty one. Hail, Caesar! was underwhelming, but bad Coen brothers is still really good. The Salesman is a great take on the role of relationships and the struggle between doing what you feel is right and what your partner wants. Collateral Beauty is so bad it’s good. And Midnight Special (my honorary number 21) is a great father/son movie.
Then of course there were the movies that haven’t come out yet (Your Name), left theaters before I got a chance to see it (Paterson, which was in Pittsburgh only for a week) and the ones I just didn’t get around to (sorry Finding Dory and Disney’s other productions this year). So perhaps this list is still a bit premature, but hey, it’s Oscar night. This is the big day for 2016 in film, and I want to talk about the movies I loved.
So without any further to do, here are my top 20 favorite movies of the year.
20. The Red Turtle
Studio Ghibli movies can still be great even without Miyazaki or Hisaishi. They can still be great even with barely any dialogue.
The cel-shaded animation is not as warm or inviting as classic Ghibli movies like Spirited Away or Castle in the Sky, but it’s hardly a problem. Visually, it’s an oddball, but so was The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, which came out not that long ago.
But the animation is only part of the equation. The music is fantastic. The story, while incredibly simplified and short, is solid. The tone is flawless. It feels like a Ghibli movie even if it doesn’t always look like one. If this is the direction they’re going in the post-Miyazaki era (yeah, I know he’s un-retiring again, but that era is coming soon), they should be fine.
Favorite Part: The man and woman come face to face underwater
19. Hunt for the Wilderpeople
You have probably seen Hunt for the Wilderpeople before in other movies. That’s fine. But in a world where weird little indie comedies from New Zealand can even get on the radar stateside, you can forgive it for being familiar. Doesn’t mean it’s bad.
Ricky Baker and his foster parent Hector are told they are going to be separated and Ricky put into juvy, so they take the woods to flee child protective services. The two are a classic mismatched pair (Hector’s old and wants to keep to himself, Ricky fancies himself a gangster), and of course it produces comedy and heart and blah blah blah. Like I said, you’ve seen this movie before. Does that mean you should watch it again?
Yes. Yes it does.
Favorite Part: *cocks gun* SHIT! JUST! GOT! REAL!
18. Fences
From the moment I first saw the trailer for Fences, I knew that we wouldn’t have the “Oscars so white” campaign again this year. When in doubt, go with an August Wilson play.
You can tell this is Denzel Washington’s first time directing. Some of the extreme tone shifts were intentional, but others were fumbled or not done as well as they could have been. The best example of this is the scene talking about furniture. It was masterfully acted, but the tone goes from carefree to serious with the flip of a switch because of a couple bad edits. Later in the movie a similar tone shift happens when Troy and Cory are building the fence, but the change happens in the same shot. It lingers a little before and a little after. As a result, it’s a much better scene.
Washington and Viola Davis are at the top of their game (and it would be downright criminal if at least one doesn’t take home the Oscar) in one of Wilson’s most celebrated works. Of course I loved it.
Favorite Part: Rose yells at Troy that she’s stuck too
17. Doctor Strange
While DC is limping to the gate with Justice League this year to compete with The Avengers five years too late, Marvel did their fifth or sixth victory lap with Doctor Strange.
I’m a comic dork, but I’ll admit I never read any Doctor Strange growing up...or as an adult. I think the only issue I read with Strange was when he teamed up with Spidey in an Amazing Spider-Man annual. Simply put, I was going in blind.
What I got was one of the few movie going experiences that was worth the extra $4 for 3D. The visuals are beautiful. The writing strikes that perfect blockbuster pace where you don’t have too long for the next action sequence but it never gets monotonous.
The cape has the Magic Carpet from Aladdin thing going on. Benedict Cumberbatch does a good job impersonating Tony Stark to be Strange. Tilda Swinton makes you forget about Hollywood’s not so casual racism by continuing to insist that white people can play Asians.
I haven’t watched it at home yet, but I’m certain it won’t match the theater experience. Still, it’s another trophy Marvel Studios can spend time polishing while DC frantically tries to find someone to direct the Batman reboot.
Favorite Part: The open your mind sequence
16. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
I’m sure some of the appeal of a new Star Wars movie will wear off in a couple years, but not today.
I saw this with my family and the five of us left with four or five different favorite characters. That’s how you know the cast is great. Personally, I loved Chirrut Imwe (the blind guy). For a franchise based around the Force, very few characters are truly one with it (Yoda, Obi-Wan in the original trilogy, Vader and Palpatine is pretty much it). We didn’t come close to having one in Episode VII. Chirrut doesn’t have a saber, but he still kicks ass.
But there are still the parts that are classic prequel trilogy/Marvel-isms that feel out of place and keeps this from a top tier film in the franchise. For example, early in the movie, Jyn is given a gun. The droid K-2SO objects, asking Cassian if he knew what the odds were that Jyn would use that against them. In the original trilogy, C-3PO would have rattled off some number like he did when talking about the odds of navigating through an asteroid field (3,720:1). Instead, he just says “it’s high.” Bad payoff at what could have been a good joke.
Yes, it’s paced like The Force Awakens (first scene introduces the bad guy taking a rebel with him, action scene in a desert setting, fly to the next planet while getting introductions out of the way, gunfight on that planet, regroup with the rest of the rebels to discuss the weapon and end with simultaneous fights on land and in space), but it’s still so much fun. Disney knows what they’re doing. Episode VIII will rock.
Favorite Part: The reveal of Vader
15. A Monster Calls
I liked the first two acts of A Monster Calls just fine. The animation for the two stories the Monster told was fantastic, but nothing else really stood out to me. It was just ok.
Then the third act hit me. It hit me hard. I was tearing up in the theater. Multiple times.
Out of all of the movies on this list, this one does the most things wrong. The “by God, you break them” line is cringe-inducing. The bully subplot has a bad payoff. Some scenes linger too long. But when this movie does something right, it knocks it out of the park.
Liam Neeson has the perfect voice for the Monster, and I loved the character. In a year where Spielberg screwed up what the BFG was all about, J. A. Bayona nails it without even trying.
It’s one of those movies that’s gonna make you want to hug your mom. It was poorly marketed, and I almost didn’t see it because of that. Ignore the marketing and rent it once it comes out.
Favorite Part: Conor and his grandma talk in the car
14. The Handmaiden
The winner of the “Most F***ed Up movie of the year” and “FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DON’T WATCH THIS WITH YOUR MOM” awards. Congratulations, Park Chan-wook, you sick bastard. If I ever create a Hall of Fame for either of these categories, you’re a first ballot inductee.
This movie has everything. Love. Drama. Con-men. Extensive lesbian sex scenes. Suicide. Murder. An octopus. A man with a black tongue. The threat of incest (it is a Chan-wook movie, after all). Hyper-violence. A POV shot from between a woman’s legs. Literally everything.
I don’t want to spoil the story because so much of it relies on twists and turns. One of my favorite ones (that doesn’t spoil the story) is with the uncle. He’s introduced as a man who loves books. They claim he has the largest book collection in the world. They make you believe he’s an intellectual, but early on in the second act you find out all the books are just porn. It’s a funny little twist that gets gradually more messed up and less funny as the movie goes on, and that’s the best way to describe the movie.
If you’ve enjoyed any of Chan-wook’s films (Oldboy, Lady Vengeance) and know what you’re getting yourself into, watch this one by yourself. If you haven’t and still want to watch it, buckle up.
Favorite Part: Going into the basement
13. Deadpool
Deadpool deserved to be nominated for an Oscar. Maybe not best picture, but something. Best makeup. Best visual effects. Hell, maybe even best adapted screenplay for how well it flowed from the comics to the big screen.
I hated Ryan Reynolds before Deadpool. He was just another pretty boy getting by on his looks rather than an actual acting ability. He also completely shit the bed in The Green Lantern and set the DC Universe back two years. Then he had his McConaissance by deciding to just start shitposting in real life, and I did a hard 180 on him.
Look, not every joke lands (the “did I leave the stove on” is terrible), but it always feels like Deadpool. They don’t water him down for the sake of making this a PG-13 or more marketable to families. The world doesn’t need saving, there is no “with great power comes great responsibility” lesson that is learned. Deadpool doesn’t take himself seriously, and the movie doesn’t take itself seriously. Once again, shitposting in real life. And it’s beautiful.
I hope movies like Deadpool will give studios more faith in big budget R-rated movies. We’re getting one this week with Logan. Let’s get more.
Favorite Part: Counting bullets on the bridge
12. Silence
Silence is Martin Scorsese’s repentance for making The Wolf of Wall Street.
Scorsese is one of those filmmakers that you just have to love if you’re into movies. He has terrific control of his tone and actors that he can make you forget you’re watching a movie. It’s why he gets away with these borderline three hour runtimes.
Andrew Garfield gives a great performance as Father Rodrigues, who goes to Japan to find his teacher who has renounced God. (Yes, this means Hacksaw Ridge is the second best movie this year where Garfield is guided by his faith in Japan). I knew Garfield was a good actor, but I didn’t know he was good enough to carry a religious epic by one of the most celebrated directors of all-time. Almost every scene lives and dies with him, and it almost always lives.
I can’t talk about my biggest problem with the movie (and literally the only reason why it isn’t in my top 5) because it’s a huge spoiler. So skip ahead to the next entry if you haven’t seen it.
You gone?
You sure?
Ok, here goes nothing:
I hate that Jesus literally speaks to him. The movie’s called Silence. It’s supposed to be a one way conversation. By getting a direct answer from God rather than from himself, I feel like it kind of misses the point.
Favorite Part: Ferreira and Rodrigues debate what a Padre’s job is.
11. Kubo and the Two Strings
The journey is always more important than the destination. Kubo is all about the journey.
This is the perfect kids movie. It can give them a scare, make them laugh, features absolutely beautiful stop-motion animation and has a very simplistic but well executed story. It’s able to create this world that is equal parts scary and magical; one where you can be partnered with a talking monkey to find an unbreakable sword and be on the run from your witch aunts and evil grandfather because they want to steal your other eye. There is great chemistry between Kubo and the monkey and beetle who travel with him, so even if the plot gets thin or takes a leap of faith here and there, it does not ruin the movie. The ending is a bit of a let down, but it at least stays true to the tone.
Like I mentioned earlier, I didn’t get around to watching Pixar or Disney’s offerings this year, but I’m pretty confident that this would still be my favorite animated movie of the year even if I did.
Favorite Part: The fight with the skeleton
10. Sing Street
John Carney keeps making the same movie over and over again, but I can’t be mad. They’re all really solid.
Sing Street is a perfect mixture of a love story, a coming of age movie and a story about a band, all set in the best era in music history: the 80s. It doesn’t sugarcoat the era either. The two leads are vain, but not in a douchey way. They’re just a product of the era. They want to be music video stars and models, but there are enough good people in their lives to keep them grounded. Eamon and the older brother are two great, great characters who help keep Conor (and by extension, the movie) pointed in the right direction.
And I love the ending for this movie. It’s hard to pull off the “we’re happy right now and this is probably a really bad idea, but we don’t care” ending and make it feel genuine, but Carney did it...again. The music is just as good, but that should be a no-brainer in a Carney movie. It’s on Netflix already, so there really is no excuse not to give this a watch.
Oh, and Aiden Gillan (AKA CIA in TDKR) dances in a Back to the Future styled number. That’s worth the price of admission by itself.
Favorite Part: “The Drive It Like You Stole It” dance
9. The Edge of Seventeen
I loathed the Ghostbusters reboot. I only saw it because I have deeply ingrained masochistic tendencies, and even though I came in with the barometer of “this is going to be terrible,” it somehow failed to meet those expectations. It’s one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. To make matters worse, thanks to some of the Internet’s best and brightest trolls, conversations about the movie devolved into a debate of if women can be funny or not. A giant Internet war was fought over whether or not Melissa McCarthy complaining about not getting enough Chinese food in a movie written and directed by someone named “Paul” proved that women can be funny.
Well guess what: women can be funny (deal with it). Case and point: The Edge of Seventeen was written and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig and stars Hailee Steinfeld. It also happens to be the funniest movie of the year.
There’s a lot of this movie that hit a little too close to home for comfort. I had a friend put it best when he said “I like to imagine I feel about this movie the same way World War II vets felt watching Saving Private Ryan” (@29bananas. That’s too good not to get credit for). I could try to build on that, but I’m sure every former high school nerd, dork and wallflower understands.
Then there are the parts that kind of force you away from this self-brooding, sarcastic wheelhouse it has going for itself. For example. there just so happens to be this smart, creative, sweet, rich guy who has an eight-pack who is charmingly awkward when he’s around her because he has a big ol’ crush. I don’t remember that when I was playing video games alone Friday night in high school. But then again, I don’t look like the guy version of Hailee Steinfeld, so that’s that.
Even with the bogus parts that slows the movie down, this is a really strong movie and an even better screenplay. It’s able to pack on layer and layer of sarcasm, have heart and feel genuine when doing so.
Favorite Part: Mr. Bruner tells Nadine she’s his favorite student
8. Arrival
The Academy’s circlejerk over Meryl Streep cost Amy Adams a nomination and maybe her long overdue Oscar win.
Arrival is a sci-fi movie centered around aliens and the military with barely any action or gunfire. It’s all about communication. Why did they come here? Do they mean harm? What do they want? Humans cannot speak the alien language and vice versa.
So how do they do that, and it’s worth asking again: why are they here?
Adams, Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker all give great performances, but the most memorable characters are the aliens (affectionately named Abbott and Costello). It’s a unique design and an even more unique sound when they talk.
I can’t wait to give it a second viewing. It’s one of those movies that you know is going to be better when you know what’s coming. You can pay attention for the clues they left along the way, knowing that the payoff is going to be great.
Favorite Part: The ending
7. The Lobster
This is the year’s most original movie. It’s bizarre, touching and hilariously dark. Colin Farrell is in his wheelhouse when he is in a dark comedy (In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths), and he gives one of the best performances of his career.
In a dystopian society, single people are put into a hotel and are given 45 days to pair up with a partner. If they don’t, they’re turned into the animal of their choosing. Between the propaganda of why being in a relationship is better than being alone and the mandatory sexual teasing, it’s hilarious to see people desperately try to find a lover. Everyone has a defining characteristic (they are nearsighted, have a lisp, a limp, etc.), and to pair up with the girl who gets nosebleeds, one keeps ramming his face into walls to draw blood. If that’s not enough for their relationship to stick, they can be assigned a child. It only makes sense, after all.
David (Farrell) does leave the hotel halfway through, and it does slow down a bit. They could have shaved 10 or so minutes off easily to improve the flow, but there isn’t a bad scene that ruins the experience. This is an insanely good movie even if it overstays its welcome just a tad. I’m thrilled it got the recognition it deserved. We need more movies like this.
Favorite Part: David kicking a child in the shins
6. Captain America: Civil War
The Russo brothers are the golden boys for superhero fans and the Captain America films are officially Marvel Studio’s best work. Better than Iron Man, Thor or Doctor Strange. Better than The Avengers. This is the perfect summer blockbuster.
This is what Avengers 2 should have been. They could have taken the easy road and made Crossbones the villain. The ending of The Winter Soldier set it up perfectly, and I’m sure the fans would have been receptive to the idea.
Instead, they went big and tackled one of the most famous story arcs in comic history, and it felt BIG. This was movies in the making, and it paid off. I guess I should feel bad for crapping on DC everytime I mentioned Marvel on this list, but I have to get in one more kidney punch. I didn’t hate my money or time enough to see Batman v Superman this year, mainly because it didn’t feel necessary. I mean, really? There’s already enough of a beef between characters in just the second movie of your rebooted cinematic universe to warrant a crossover? Get real.
I love Marvel movies (if you couldn’t already tell), but they have been getting a little lazy with the “good guy has to win or the world will end” stakes. I mean, it’s fine and gets the job done, but it’s also generic. You know it’s bad when Deadpool’s “gotta save my girlfriend” plot seems like a breath of fresh air. Here it’s not about saving the world or the girl or the cat from the tree. The Avengers are at stake. Their freedom is at stake. The future of the world is at sta- oh goddammit. I guess it is always going to come back to that, but a battle of ideals is perfect for fighting superheroes.
One more thing: Tom Holland very well might be the best Spider-man/Peter Parker combo we’ve had so far. Spider-man: Homecoming is gonna be a blast.
Favorite Part: The fight at the airport. Duh
5. 10 Cloverfield Lane
I’m not a fan of the first Cloverfield. That’s fine. I rewatched this with my family not that long ago. None had watched the first Cloverfield before. That’s fine. My dad didn’t even know the first Cloverfield existed.
That’s fine. The only reason how the original movie helps is you know the alien payoff is coming.
The alien doesn’t really matter, though. What matters is the fantastic storytelling in this claustrophobic environment. Not a single word is wasted. Everything brought up in the first half of the movie is brought back in the second, and it’s all carried by John Goodman in a performance that really should have been nominated for an Oscar.
2015 was a crappy year for movies. 10 Cloverfield Lane was a great way to set the pace for a year that should be remembered with years like 1976 and 1994.
I also learned that I should never have dinner with Damien Chazelle. Bad things happen in Damien Chazelle movies at dinner, so just avoid it in general.
Favorite Part: The scene with the barrell
4. Everybody Wants Some!!
I don’t want to live in a world where Richard Linklater can’t make movies.
Depend on how you look at it, Everybody Wants Some!! is either a baseball movie with barely any baseball or a Linklater movie with baseball in it. You still get talks about life, but it’s more centered around machismo and just being a guy. It’s a movie about guys being guys and talking about guy stuff, and that’s about it.
And I love it. There really isn’t anything else to say besides that.
Favorite Part: Baseball practice
3. Nocturnal Animals
Before I watched The Handmaiden, this was going to win “most f****d up movie of the year.” Nothing like a movie where you’re male lead is psychologically torturing his ex-wife and isn’t totally in the wrong for doing so.
Nocturnal Animals works because it never lets you feel comfortable. There is always something messed up going on. The opening credits have dancing old naked obese women dancing with American flags. In the two stories being told, one starts off with late night road rage that forces the driver and his family off the road, and the other ends with heartbreak and betrayal. While one story slows down, the other one picks up. In the middle, there is a totally unexpected jump scare that made everyone in the theater jump. I knew there was a jump scare coming because it was spoiled on Reddit. I still jumped.
This is the best acted movie of the year. Michael Shannon is the cool and controlled cop who is just as big a scumbag as anyone. Aaron Taylor-Johnson gets to go wild, and he does it well. Jake Gyllenhaal is once again brilliant in a thriller, both as the hopeless romantic and a vengeful father.
This stylish, dark world plays right into director Tom Ford’s strengths. If he ever gets bored being a fashion icon, he could be one of the best directors working right now.
Favorite Part: The jump scare
2. Swiss Army Man
Within the first five minutes of this movie, Paul Dano rides Daniel Radcliffe’s farting corpse like a jetski. For all you struggling screenwriters out there looking for an idea, try to incorporate Paul Dano riding Daniel Radcliffe’s farting corpse into your next spec script.
Hank (played by the criminally underrated Paul Dano) is marooned on an island and about to kill himself before the corpse of Manny (Radcliffe) washes on shore. Manny’s body is Hank’s way back home. If he needs to cross an ocean, Manny’s farts make him a jetski. If he’s lost, Manny’s boners are a compass. He vomits water or can be a make shift gun. Along the way, Hank tells Manny about the advantages of being alive, like falling in love, spending time with friends and watching movies. They recreate all these things with the garbage they find along the way. Oh, and I guess I should mention Manny slowly starts to come back alive. Except not really. I don’t know, the movie’s not too specific with that, but it doesn’t matter. It’s about the adventure.
It’s weird indie filmmaking at its absolute best. It’s the type of movie that loves being weird. It really has no business existing, but thank God it does.
Favorite Part: Recreating Jurassic Park and going on a date
1. La La Land
This is my favorite movie of the year. It’s my favorite everything of the year. It has the best everything of the year. It has the best soundtrack of the year (I swear I’ve listened to at least one song at least once a day since watching). It has the best editing of the year (the “We’re gonna start a fire” scene is perfect). It has the best cinematography. The best costumes. The best set design. Fantastic chemistry between two loveable characters are two even more lovable actors.
In a year which was impossible to love, this was the movie I needed. No politics, no bad news, just two kids madly and passionately in love. It makes you want to sing even if you are tone deaf. It makes you want to dance even if you have two left feet. It makes you want to play piano even if you have 11 years of repressed memories built up from lessons as a kid.
I love it. Damien Chazelle is the best young director working right now. I can’t wait for his next project.
Favorite Part: The Epilogue/Fantasy sequence. Chazelle, after being restrained the entire movie, just lets it rip. It’s perfect.
