The general consensus on the internet is that 2016 was a pretty terrible year. We lost a lot of wonderfully talented art icons, many of them far too young. The world is in the middle of a refugee crisis the likes of which hasn’t been seen in 70 years. Oh, also we elected a crazy demagogue to the most powerful office in the country. Yeah, 2016 sucked.
But not for movies! Like the years before it, 2016 was a really great year in the world of film. Making movies has never been cheaper and film distribution methods have never been more prevalent. This allows for a great amount and variety of films to exist in our current climate. It’s true that the blockbuster fare this year was a bit of a let down and that finding the really great movies required a little more work than usual, but those movies are out there waiting to be discovered. Here are my top 10 favorite films of 2016.
10. Green Room
I originally saw Green Room at a Midnight showing at Fantastic Fest 2015, so the fact that I’m still thinking about this movie over 15 months later is a testament to it’s quality. Green Room is a white-knuckling kick ass punk thriller the likes of which I had never seen before. The film starts off slow, but then Director Jeremy Saulnier suddenly (and effortlessly) ramps up the tension and never lets it go. The result is an unapologetically violent ride filled to the brim with great camera work, killer practical gore effects and some truly amazing performances. Also, Patrick Stewart plays a neo-nazi.
Rest in Peace Anton Yelchin.
9. The Handmaiden
Chan Wook Park’s sultry tale of a Korean/Japanese Lesbian love story worked on me like gangbusters. The Handmaiden is a movie that constantly keeps you guessing. As soon as you think you’ve got things figured out, the film reorients itself and everything you thought you knew is thrown out of the window. This control over structure is a testament to Park’s expert direction: You don’t see these twists and turns coming, but when they do, they always feel real. The Handmaiden is a sexy, shocking, and wonderfully crafted film and a welcome addition to Chan Wook Park’s incredible filmography.
8. Sing Street
It pains me to admit that this is the first John Carney film I’ve had the privilege of seeing, an error in judgment I will be sure to fix as soon as possible. Sing Street begins with a simple concept: an Irish teen in the mid 80’s starts a band in order to impress a pretty girl. From there it expands to a tale of the freeing power of music, the audacity to dream in a world that isn’t interested in your differences, and most importantly the influences your siblings can have on your life. The choice to add unknown actors to the cast adds an air of amateurish authenticity to the production that further enhances our ability to connect with these wonderful characters. Sing Street is a magic film that puts a smile on my face every time I watch it. It also has some of the best original music made this year.
7. Moonlight
Sometimes there is a line from a film that sticks with you long after you’ve seen the movie. It carves out a spot in your brain and sets up shop, forever influencing you. I can already tell that “Who is you, Chiron?” a line uttered at the culmination of Moonlight’s third act will be one of those lines. It’s impossible to overstate the importance of a work like this. Moonlight is a tale of a gay black man, Chiron, living in the Miami ghetto. The film is divided into three acts, each highlighting a different part of Chiron’s life: child, teen, adult. Portrayed by a different actor each time, the acts are logically and physically separated but all thematically connected. This is a painful, realistic, and lifelong journey to one man’s self-discovery directed with absolute confidence by newcomer Barry Jenkins. Moonlight is a movie that knows exactly what it wants to be and is unafraid to be it. We need more movies like this.
6. The Nice Guys
Shane Black continues to prove he is one of the most talented writers and filmmakers in the business. In The Nice Guys, his third directorial feature, Black pulls every trick out of his expansive bag to craft a seedy 70s noir that’s as funny as it is affecting. Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe achieve a magical level of chemistry as two private detectives forced to work together to solve a missing girl case. We can only hope the two will do the world a favor and get back together on screen soon. Shane Black has always been accused of having a *ahem* “black” view on humanity, but with The Nice Guys, it’s clear what his actually worldview is: Yes, the world is terrible, but if at the end of the day you have someone to sit down and get drunk with…maybe that can be good enough. Did I mention this movie is absolutely hilarious?
5. Manchester by the Sea
Many films tackle the subject of grief, but I have never seen a movie do it with as much blunt realism as Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester by the Sea. It is a powerful film that is at times difficult to watch. And yet, there’s a humorous line that runs through it as well. Manchester, like grief itself, is not a constant stream of sadness. It comes in waves suddenly and without warning. While Casey Affleck’s performance is certainly worth the praise and pre-Oscar buzz it has received, I found myself transfixed by Michelle Williams all too brief role as Affleck’s character’s ex-wife. Regardless, this is one of the best films made this year.
4. Arrival
Arrival is a film that probably shouldn’t exist. It’s a mid-budget adult oriented original science fiction film; the exact type of movie everyone keeps saying Hollywood doesn’t make anymore. And yet, it does and the world is better for it. Denis Villeneuve’s film is a fascinating meditation on how we use language to communicate and how it influences our view of the world. Amy Adams is at her career best as the lead language professor who makes first contact with our new alien friends. I was fortunate enough to see this movie before and after the presidential election and it’s fascinating how much the movie’s meaning shifts in light of those events. What was once a celebration of our willingness to come together as a people now seems more like a desperate plea to walk back the isolationist nationalism that is currently spreading in our world. I wish everyone would go see this movie
3. Swiss Army Man
What is the role of a critic in modern society? Some would argue it’s merely to assign a random “percentage of like-iness” to films so that casual moviegoers can quickly determine if going to the theater this weekend is a worthy endeavour. But I (and Ratatouille) believe that the role of a critic is to passionately defend the new. If this is the case, Swiss Army Man might just be the most important film on my list this year. First time feature directors The Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) have created a film that is like nothing that has ever been made. How can you describe Swiss Army Man? A bromance between a crazy loner and a corpse? The weird farting corpse movie? That thing I awkwardly had to see with my in laws? Swiss Army Man is all of these things and more. A wonderfully weird movie about isolation and coming to terms with your humanity (farts and all), this film is the most original thing I’ve watched this year. Daniel Radcliffe turns in the performance of his career by playing a corpse. That’s just how good this movie is. The Daniels should be celebrated for their momentous achievement. I eagerly look forward to what they will do next.
2. LA LA Land
I was in the bag for LA LA Land the moment it was announced. It’s a movie that on the surface appears to have been made solely to please my personal interests. Here’s the list of LA LA Land has going for it:
- An original script written and directed by 2014’s Whiplash Director Damien Chazelle
- A movie musical
- A love letter to the Hollywood musicals of the 40s and 50s
- A movie starring two of the most likable and talented actors on the planet.
- Editing by Academy Award winner Tom Cross (also from Whiplash)
So yeah, I guess you could say that my expectations were pretty high going in. And yet somehow, the movie managed to surpass them all. LA LA Land is everything listed above, but it’s also more than just a sum of its parts. Yes, it has incredible music. Yes, its shot and edited wonderfully. Yes, it’s clearly a love letter to the classic old Hollywood movie musicals I grew up watching. But it’s also a fiercely modern movie as well; an updated take on the traditional boy meets girl love story. It’s a movie that isn’t afraid to go where many other love stories don’t. LA LA Land is simply a joy to watch and a movie I will be revisiting many times from now on.
1. Kubo and the Two Strings
It’s difficult for me to describe exactly how much I love this movie. If you’re a frequent listener The Daly Planet Podcast (and you should be, dammit) you know that stop motion animation is a filmmaking technique that absolutely fascinates me. I’m a firm believer that sometimes good art can come from challenging yourself and stop motion is the most challenging way to make a film ever conceived. Why would you ever make a movie this way!? Well, because the result, Kubo and the Two Strings, is absolutely breathtaking. LAIKA embraces the challenge of stop motion and made Kubo with such an amazing sense of wonder and scale my brain still can’t comprehend how they did it. But it’s not just the animation that makes this film great. There’s a powerful theme at the heart of Kubo. A discussion on the power and importance of storytelling; how it defines those we love and those we have lost and how a new story can redefine things we never understood before. Pixar has long been the champions of kid-focused stories that can also be powerfully affecting, but LAIKA has always been right on their heels. In 2016, they finally surpassed them. Long live the king. Long live stop motion. Long live Kubo and the Two Strings, the best movie I saw in 2016.
Honorable Mentions: Captain America: Civil War, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Hail, Caesar!, The Edge of 17, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
