2016 was a fun year at the movie theater, with a variety of engaging films filling up the Top 10; and really making for a solid Top 25. So let's get to it, with some quick housecleaning to do...
A Blast from the Past: Check out the following links for my Top 10 Movies of previous years: 2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009
10 Potential Listbusters (some films I didn't see, but heard were good): Elle, Everybody Wants Some, Fences, Green Room, The Handmaiden, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Jackie, The Little Prince, Silence, The Wailing
15 Honorable Mentions: Arrival, Captain America: Civil War, The Conjuring 2, Hush, The Jungle Book, Kubo & the Two Strings, Loving, Operation Chromite, Pete's Dragon, Queen of Katwe, The Shallows, Southside with You, Star Trek Beyond, Train to Busan, Zootopia
And now onto the feature presentation...
My Top 10 Movies of 2016:
10. Hidden Figures
The story of a team of female African-American mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program.
At a time of national division, when the U.S. responded to the tenure of its first black President by electing a racist, sexual-assaulter to the Oval Office, Hidden Figures debuted as a beacon of hope, with a story of three African American women overcoming both racism and sexism to help accomplish a then-unparalleled feat of human ingenuity. The prejudice endured by the protagonists is equal parts tragic and infuriating, yet the real emotional accomplishment of the film -- as it was with the real-life heroes upon whom the movie was based -- is an unbelievable sense of perseverance and optimism in the face of bigotry. The creators didn’t know who would win the 2016 election when they began production on Hidden Figures, but the film ended up providing the message of empathy, equality, and courage that America now needs.
9. Moonlight
A chronicle of the childhood, adolescence and burgeoning adulthood of a young, African-American, gay man growing up in a rough neighborhood of Miami.
Sometimes movies with subtle depth can be difficult to describe. Complexity is well worth commending, but nuance can mask a film’s intrinsic qualities, thus running the risk of underwhelming those to whom you’ve highly recommended the film. Such may be the case with Moonlight, a heartbreaking feature characterized by powerful pathos. Yet that emotional weight is hefted along throughout the film in subtle ways, creating a quiet and uncomfortable aura which may disconcert or alternatively bore some, but which for many others reflects a reality of hardship: that pain is often quietly shouldered rather than loudly proclaimed. Moonlight confronts these norms as an engaging film that informs the viewer as much as it entertains, providing understated insights that make it a movie that I do, in fact, highly recommend.
8. The Nice Guys
In 1970s Los Angeles, a mismatched pair of private eyes investigate a missing girl and the mysterious death of a porn star.
Writer/director Shane Black (Lethel Weapon, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) is a pioneer of the buddy-cop action genre and makes one of his best contributions with The Nice Guys. The script saunters from hilarious physical and verbal humor that keeps the film pleasantly humming along to moments of violent altercation that keep the stakes high, all the while pursuing an original, ingenious plot that keeps you guessing and interested until the credits roll (and really after that; sequel please!). Gosling and Crowe are perfectly cast, but it's obvious that in writing and presenting his story, Black is the master craftsman behind the exceptionally fun The Nice Guys.
7. Sing Street
A boy growing up in Dublin during the 1980s escapes his strained family life by starting a band to impress the mysterious girl he likes.
If you remember My Top 10 Movies of 2014, you’ll recall that the film Begin Again just barely squeaked onto the list in 10th place. In the time between then and now, Begin Again has continued to grow on me so much that if I were to recreate the 2014 list now, the film would compete for a Top 3 spot, along with powerhouses like Birdman and Whiplash. I mention this, because the director of Begin Again, John Carney, also created Sing Street, which would suggest that this adorable, funny, and moving film may, over time, prove to be even better than its current 7th place. For its warmth, its honesty, and its so-dang-catchy soundtrack, Sing Street is inarguably one of the top movies of the year.
6. 10 Cloverfield Lane
After getting in a car accident, a woman is held in a shelter with two men, who claim the outside world is affected by a widespread chemical attack.
10 Cloverfield Lane is a superbly crafted exercise in claustrophobia that proves to be as thrilling as it is interesting. Accompanied by moments of dark comedy that break the suspense, the film keeps you squirming on the edge of your seat throughout. The conclusion is admittedly somewhat jarring in its tonal shift (and more disappointing if you were looking for a clearer connection to the movie's cinematic cousin Cloverfield), but the rest is so good, with compelling plot twists and a captivating turn from Goodman, that 10 Cloverfield Lane was still well worth a trip to the theater.
5. Don't Breathe
Hoping to walk away with a massive fortune, a trio of thieves break into the house of a blind man who isn't as helpless as he seems.
One of the best thrillers in recent years, Don't Breathe thrives with its relatively simple premise, craftily introducing twists and turns that shock and surprise, but never divert from the intimate narrative being told. From the very start of the doomed break-in, the tone is inescapably taut, only growing in claustrophobia and desperation as it stretches on, with scares that never fade in their ability to induce a gasp or scream, speaking to the prowess of rising horror director Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead). There are a couple plot holes that can be distracting, and one last epilogue inclusion that makes little sense, but overall Don't Breathe is an unforgettably effective and suspenseful feature.
4. Hacksaw Ridge
A WWII American Army Medic, who refuses to kill people, becomes the first man in American history to receive the Medal of Honor without firing a shot.
In past reviews, I’ve argued that a movie’s ability to stir up patriotism is just as notable as conjuring any other feeling, if - as with any film’s attempt to inspire emotion - those efforts avoid a certain taken-for-granted cheapness that easily discredits them. With Hacksaw Ridge, we’re given a patriotic protagonist in the middle of the type of brutal, good-guys-vs-bad-guys war epics that we’d expect from director Mel Gibson (Braveheart). But we also get a hero who stands up to the nation, putting a progressive spin on patriotism that had me recalling Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous line, “I criticize America because I love her. I want her to stand as a moral example to the world.” That’s no small feat, and worthy of a spot in the Top 10 for Hacksaw Ridge.
A family in 1630s New England is being torn apart; is it the delusions of secluded fundamentalists, or is it witchcraft?
The Witch is by far the scariest film to come out this year. Not much of your time watching the film will be spent jumping - though that may happen a couple times - but rather spent gripping your armrest in dread, fearing what evil may lurk in the forest. The movie is downright creepy, from heavy olde-English dialogue of the victimized family to compelling cinematography that effectively suggests sinister and occult meanings in the most common of farm-life imagery. This is not only horror at its best, but original storytelling at its finest as well.
2. Moana
In Ancient Polynesia, when a terrible curse incurred by the Demigod Maui reaches Moana's island, she answers the Ocean's call to seek out Maui to set things right.
“If the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind me, one day I'll know, how far I'll go!” As it turns out, the wind behind the sails of Moana is powered by the genius talents of a crew of writers, producers, and directors who have been collectively responsible for hit after hit after hit from Disney Animation. The quality of the creators, including songwriter Lin Manuel-Miranda (Hamilton), shines through Moana, a high-quality production that produces rousing, memorable ballads and complex characters that turn traditional fairy-tale princess tropes on their head. Overall, Moana is simply a tremendous amount of fun.
1. Hell or High Water
To save their family's ranch in West Texas, a divorced father and his ex-con brother begin robbing banks as Texas Rangers pursue them.
As a present-day Western film, Hell or High Water has all the sensibilities of that classic and nowadays-undervalued genre but with contemporary modernizations that come together to make this movie the very best I've seen this year. Pine, Foster, and Bridges bring the film's tense, slow-burn to a crackling smolder with flawless delivery of impeccably-written dialogue before the narrative erupts in a finale that eschews mindless action for unparalleled American drama. The film is perfectly paced, to the credit of director David Mackenzie (Starred Up), speeding through ageless landscapes and capturing both the defiantly maverick culture of poverty-stricken but relentlessly rugged West Texas and themes of family, masculinity, loyalty, and redemption. Hell or High Water provides a singular, gritty satisfaction with some of the most exemplary character work and engaging, original storytelling you can find in cinema.
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