Here are my 10 favorite:
(photo via theverge.com)
10. Kubo and the Two Strings
2016’s summer movie season was not good, with disappointing blockbuster after disappointing blockbuster. Thankfully, Kubo and the Two Strings arrived just in the nick of time to end the season on a high note.
Kubo and the Two Strings is a magical film. There’s so much imagination on display that it’s impossible not to fall in love with it. Beyond that, this a movie with great humor and a ton of heart. It’s a grand adventure that everyone should go on.
(photo via latimes.com)
9. Hacksaw Ridge
Mel Gibson’s triumphant return to Hollywood rivals Saving Private Ryan in its intense depiction of World War II. The battle sequences in Hacksaw Ridge were some of the most brutal and well-directed moments of any film in 2016. The sound design was especially effective at recreating the terrifying and chaotic battlefields.
However, it’s the emotional resonance of Desmond Doss’ unwavering devotion to his beliefs—and Andrew Garfield’s wonderful performance—that makes Hacksaw Ridge stand out. As someone with strong personal beliefs, I was very touched by this story. Look no further than the line, “I don’t know how I’m going to live with myself if I don’t stay to true to what I believe.”
A few shots of war violence border on glorification and the film reaches a natural conclusion before going on for about five minutes too long, but Hacksaw Ridge’s successes far outweigh its failures.
(photo via businessinsider.com)
8. 10 Cloverfield Lane
Nobody knew that 10 Cloverfield Lane existed until its mysterious trailer was released a mere two months before the film’s release date. Was it a sequel to Cloverfield, the 2008 found footage monster film? Was it set in the same universe? The same timeline?
Ultimately, that ended up being irrelevant. Cloverfield sequel or not, 10 Cloverfield Lane was a terrific, very suspenseful claustrophobic thriller. I was on edge from the opening moments and the film rarely let me feel safe. While the ending will not appeal to everyone, 10 Cloverfield Lane is consistently well-directed and engaging. Great performances from Mary Elizabeth Winstead and John Goodman are cherries on top.
(photo via vox.com)
7. Silence
I have a really bad feeling that Silence is not going to be seen by a lot of people, despite the fact that Martin Scorsese is practically a household name. It’s a tough movie, and that will turn off a lot of audience members. However, it’s also an extremely rewarding film that I believe everybody should make an effort to experience.
Silence reminded me a lot of 2015’s The Revenant in the sense that it got me to say to myself, “they just don’t make very many movies like this anymore.” There’s a sense of scale to the film—not in terms of action but in regards to the weight of its ideas.
Martin Scorsese directed an absolutely breathtaking film and Andrew Garfield gives one of the best performances of the year. Liam Neeson is also fantastic in a role reminiscent of Marlon Brando's in Apocalypse Now. And, like that film, Silence is undoubtedly terrific, but not exactly enjoyable. However, it is incredibly powerful, which is exactly what it wants to be.
(photo via indiewire.com)
6. Manchester by the Sea
Manchester by the Sea excels at making you feel like you’re peeking into the lives of real people. Kenneth Lonergan's screenplay does an excellent job of creating complicated characters that genuinely never feel like they are in a movie. This is perhaps one of the best depictions of grief that I have seen in a film; you can feel the loss of Casey Affleck’s character in every moment but, amazingly, it never feels superficial. The way the story unfolds is also done perfectly, gradually peeling back the layers of its protagonist in interesting and unexpected ways.
The acting across the board is spectacular, with Casey Affleck giving the best performance of his career. He absolutely deserves all of the awards being thrown his way. While I did think that the soundtrack clashed with the tone of the film and that the resolution lacked a satisfying emotional punch, Manchester by the Sea is still undoubtedly one of the most well-made and moving films of 2016. It made me cry three times, and that’s saying something.
(photo via indiewire.com)
5. Captain America: Civil War
Every time a new comic book movie releases, the words “comic book movie fatigue” get thrown around by film journalists. Although Batman v Superman was disappointing, X-Men: Apocalypse was forgettable, and Suicide Squad straight up sucked, I still resent this phrase because it ignores the triumphs of other films in the genre. This year Deadpool proved that comic book movies could be done on a smaller scale and Doctor Strange wowed with its psychedelic visuals. However, Captain America Civil War overshadowed both of them with a great story centered on the relationships between its many characters.
Civil War paints its central conflict in a delightful shade of gray. Whose political stance is more righteous, Captain America’s or Iron Man’s? The film never answers this; both sides have their strengths and weaknesses and you would probably be lying if you thought that either one was flawless.
But Civil War’s real success is the emotional moments between characters that have been developed over the course of 12 other movies. Yes, the action sequences are spectacular, but the reason I loved the film so much is because I cared about everyone who was fighting. The most important part of any movies is the quality of its characters, and that’s exactly why Captain America: Civil War excels.
(photo via collider.com)
4. Arrival
One of the things that stood out to me the most about Arrival was just how alien its aliens felt. It sounds redundant, but extraterrestrial life in movies usually has something familiar about it, whether that is a humanoid appearance or an identifiable lifestyle. Arrival’s heptapods are completely unfamiliar, both in their appearance and their language, and that got under my skin.
Arrival is an exceptional piece of science fiction. It takes the conventional first contact storyline and focuses on the challenges that communicating with alien life present. The way the story unfolds—particularly in the final act—is enthralling. Amy Adams also gives the film plenty of heart, but it’s director Denis Villeneuve who really stands out. Arrival is visually stunning and rivals 2013’s Prisoners as his best work. I can’t wait to see what he does with Blade Runner: 2049 later this year.
(photo via indiewire.com)
3. La La Land
I don’t normally like musicals, but I would be an idiot if I didn’t say that La La Land is an outstanding movie. This is a film with music flowing through its veins, giving it a colorful energy unrivaled by any other 2016 release. It’s a great tribute to classic Hollywood, but also a wonderful film in its own right.
La La Land’s soundtrack is superb, but it's not the lyrics that stand out to me. Justin Hurwitz’s instrumentals tower above the (excellent) vocal performances. Its melodies are sweeping, enchanting, and just generally magnificent. They’re what make the film really shine.
However, I don’t want to make it seem like the music is the only reason why La La Land is great. Director Damien Chazelle does terrific work here. The musical numbers are magnificent single shots where the camera dances around in a way that echoes the characters on screen. I don’t know that La La Land is better than Chazelle’s previous film Whiplash, but it’s still one hell of a movie.
(photo via lucasfilm)
2. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Every single frame of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is packed with detail; the absurd amount of dirt caked into the helmet of an exhausted Stormtrooper; the exotic inhabitants crammed together in the streets of Jedha City; the texture on the interior paneling of a U-Wing fighter. Rogue One is likely the most atmospheric entry in the Star Wars franchise. More so than ever before, the locations visited feel like real places overflowing with unexplored stories. But there’s so much else to love in Rogue One. The new characters are great, the political undertones are fascinating, and the final act is an utterly mesmerizing spectacle. At its strongest moments, Rogue One rivals the best films in the series.
I said in my review that Rogue One is the kind of film that reminds me why I love movies, and that’s because I was transported to a place that can only exist on the big screen and was treated to a story that excited me on so many different levels. Gareth Edwards created a film that feels both totally new and instantly recognizable. It was fresh and invigorating, but I still felt right at home in the galaxy that I grew up in—the place that presented endless possibilities to me as a child and continues to floor me as an adult.
(photo via indiewire.com)
1. Moonlight
Moonlight is the only movie on this list that I feel comfortable calling perfect. If Rogue One is a story that could have only been achieved through film because of the scale of the worlds it creates, Moonlight could have only been achieved through film because only a camera can capture its intimacy.
I don’t have a single problem with Moonlight. Barry Jenkins’ direction is assured and expressive, the ensemble cast is exceptional, the writing is quiet and thoughtful, and its story is timeless and so, so human. This might be a film about a black man coming to terms with his own sexuality, but there is something in it that everyone can relate to.
There’s not much else that I can say about Moonlight. It’s a film that must be experienced—an emotional journey that I can’t quite seem to capture with words. I guess all I can say is that it’s perfect. It’s a work of art. It’s the best movie of 2016.
No comments:
Post a Comment