The 10 Best Movies Of 2016
Too many movies, not enough time.
If I had one wish, I would wish for more time. Despite how corny that sounds, it doesn’t make it any less true. I missed a lot of good movies last year, a few of which held so much anticipation that I didn’t want to make this list until I watched them. Here are a bunch of honorable mentions for the films I wish I’d watched, but didn’t get to:
Even though I missed a ton, I’m confident enough in the films I did see. Before we get to my top 10, here are a few films that almost made my list:
I don’t want to talk about all of my honorable mentions, but I feel the need to say that because of acclaimed movies I caught late and that ended up making my list, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk got edged out, but it would easily be my #11. That movie is so unique in terms of how it handles the stresses of war and returning home, dominated by great performances and directing. By far it would top my list of most underrated movies of 2016, but that’s not today’s list.
Today is dedicated to the best of the best (that I saw). So without further ado, here is the list:
#10. Moana
While Zootopia is an amazing film, it couldn’t compete in my mind with Moana, which is classic Disney. The music, the princess, the sense of adventure. All that with a fun, uncommon Polynesian flavor. The funny, strong performances and sing-along ready songs will stick with me, and I could see this becoming a film that stands the test of time and being a fun film to revisit every so often, like Mulan or Aladdin.
#9. Manchester By The Sea
Heralded by many as the best film of the year, I can at least say Manchester By The Sea has the year’s best performance. Casey Affleck commands in the movie and takes what would be a common drama under ordinary direction to a level worthy of the recognition it’s received. Had it not been for the handful of flaws I found with the film, this would definitely would’ve been higher. The films ahead of it are on it’s same very high level, but don’t make the same mistakes, at least in my eyes.
#8. The Lobster
Save for probably the unseen Swiss Army Man, The Lobster is by far the weirdest movie of 2016, but that’s just one of the many things I appreciate about it. It crafts a world that feels unearthly, and puts it’s audience in this fiction where you have to believe anything is possible. That alone is amazing in an era dominated by films about men in tights with superhuman strength. The Lobster is dark, brooding, with a tinge of comedy (not enough to call it a black comedy as its advertised), and is shepherded by the Colin Farrell I wish everyone else got to see more often. I love his work with Martin McDonagh, but this might be his best role yet.
#7. Nocturnal Animals
This is a movie that feels like the definition of an experiment. To make the movie inside the movie the main focus while balancing time dedicated to the life of the reader sounds impossible. Yet director Tom Ford manages to pull off this miracle and gives us two amazing stories for the price of one, three if you consider the flashbacks a story in itself. Lead by Amy Adams, who probably had the best year of her career, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, each also giving career highlights, we’re taken on a thrill ride you won’t want to end.
#6. The Nice Guys
At no point did I not have faith in this one. You have writer/director Shane Black, the king of buddy crime comedies, in his wheelhouse with two of the best working actors today, Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling. Yeah, the fact that neither of them have much experience in comedy could’ve been a reason to worry, but the end result is something everyone can get behind. We get a great, small story, focused on characters with immense chemistry that we feel immediate empathy for. They want better careers and lives, but most of all, the succeed and solve the case they’ve been tasked with taking on. Despite the drama, The Nice Guys remains the funniest film of 2016. Sorry Deadpool.
#5. Moonlight
Another film with a plethora of acclaim, Moonlight is a moving drama that tells a story often ignored, that of youth, drugs, sexual uncertainty, and being black in America. Similar to most of the movies on this list, the acting is superb, along with a lot of the other technical aspects. The storytelling structure is unique. It will be a movie that changes the lives of a lot of people who have the fortune of watching it. This isn’t a film with many problems, but it’s one that didn’t resonate with me the way I’d hoped, or at least the way other films had, so it fell a few spots on my list.
#4. American Honey
I actually didn’t plan on seeing this movie until I saw it topping a lot of other people’s top 10 lists. I was sure it was a good movie, I was a fan of director Andrea Arnold’s 2009 film Fish Tank, but I didn’t think it would be something exceptional. That’s the funny thing about expectations though, they can sometimes work in your favor. It happened with this movie, which turned out to be one of the best coming of age dramas in recent years. It’s mature and realistic and crafts characters you can root for. Their desperation is obvious so you want them to succeed with whatever small fortune they’re chasing. A film for grown ups about what it’s like trying to be grown up when you’re not quite there yet. It doesn’t focus on the destination, but on the journey, about a section of life that’s different for everyone in one way, but the same in others.
#3. Arrival
It’s crazy how in the span of half a decade we’ve uncovered one of the best directors working today, Denis Villeneuve. I don’t even want to call him up-and-coming anymore, he is here and he can do it all. He’s proven he can do small dramas like Prisoners, thrillers like Sicario, and is moving onto giant Hollywood blockbusters this year with Blade Runner 2049, but in 2016 he crafted what is arguably his best movie yet, Arrival. It’s this adventurous science fiction film that doesn’t focus on destruction and chaos like most alien invasion movies. Instead, it’s a tale about talking, discussion, and understanding, or the lack thereof. It’s a reflection of the harsh political climate that exists throughout the world right now, and I thought it was as important as it was entertaining and interesting.
#2. The Little Prince
I kind of hate myself for doing this. Every year these lists come out and occasionally one will come out and include some out-of-left field movie. Whenever someone else does it, I just think “Oh this person is trying to be edgy” or they’re showing off some random movie only they saw and no one else did, but I have to be sure everybody knows this is not that. The Little Prince was on Netflix, and I wasn’t even sure if I would like it. The trailer was great, but Netflix originals can be hit or miss. Paramount dropped it so that didn’t give me much faith, and I don’t usually like animated films unless they’re Disney, Pixar, Ghibli, or if they’re really really special, and this movie is. It’s a beautiful blend of traditional CG on the level of studios like Pixar and stop motion almost as good as LAIKA. The voice acting is emotional and connects you with characters you could imagine being people in your own life. That all aligns with these complimentary stories of adventure and friendship. I laughed, I cried, I watched it over and over. The Little Prince is by far the best animated movie I’ve seen since The LEGO Movie and stands beside Wall-E as a new personal favorite. It was my number one all year, until December when I watched the following film and fell in love all over again.
#1. La La Land
Anyone who knows me saw this one coming. I have not been able to shut up about La La Land since I saw it opening night. I got my ticket late and was in the center of the very front row. It was a terrible way to watch any movie, let alone a movie you’d been anticipating all year. That did little though to stop me from enjoying the dazzling film filled with everything that makes film wonderful. Beautiful direction and cinematography, wonderful performances and chemistry from it’s lead actors, and music that I’ll be singing along to for all of 2017. I understand most arguments hurled towards the movie: why does a white man need to save jazz? (Even though I think he’s just trying to open a jazz club, not “save” jazz.) Why does she never give up her dreams but he does? (Why are you upset that someone DIDN’T give up their dreams?) The music/acting/choreography/whatever could’ve been better. (You’re wrong, shut up.) I’ve heard it all, but there’s no denying that when you’re sitting in the theater and looking at the screen, you’re watching magic, a relic of old Hollywood told through a story everyone can get behind, that of following your dreams and enjoying the love you experience along the way. Take that story and give it to people who want to put the best version of it out there and you’ll end up with what is (of course, arguably) the best movie of the year.
Comment below if you agree or disagree and check out my other articles if you liked this one. I have a top 10 albums of 2016 list that’s also pretty good.
Guide: The 10 Best Albums Of 2016
I didn’t hear everything but I sure did hear a lot of it.
medium.com
