Best of 2016: Film

There no beating around the bush- 2016 was a rough year and movies were no exception. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed all of the movies on this list but unlike previous years, it wasn't a tough task to whittle the list down to my favorite ten of the year. It was also a year in which the good movies had to be sought out. The Jungle Book, Deadpool and Doctor Strange were all commercial successes and entertaining but only two of my favorite movies in 2016 were among the top 50 in domestic box office.

10) The Nice Guys


The Nice Guys is not the Ryan Gosling movie that's expected to win a half dozen Academy Awards but it is the movie he starred in that I enjoyed the most this year. Gosling and Russell Crowe are a perfect pairing with both actors showcasing more humor than they have in any movie prior to this one. Writer-director Shane Black does a great job in making a film that is a hybrid of film noir and a buddy cop comedy (even though neither character is an actual police officer).

9) Zootopia


It's hard for a movie to contain a positive message and still be engaging and funny but Zootopia walks that fine line just right. There's also some clever jokes that probably go over the heads of younger viewers but enough silliness and slapstick to make sure the target audience never loses interest. I went in know it had received great reviews but I was still pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed Zootopia from beginning to end.

8) 20th Century Women


Writer-director Mike Mills feels to have perfectly captured the essence of Santa Barbara, CA in 1979 and the struggles of an older single mom trying to raise a teenager. Annette Benning turns in another fantastic performance in what feels like a companion piece to 2010's The Kids Are All Right. The ensemble cast of 20th Century Women also includes Greta Gerwig, Elle Fanning, Billy Crudup and newcomer Lucas Jade Zumann are all terrific in a film that feels truly authentic.

7) The Edge of Seventeen


It's rare that a movie made primarily for and about young people rings true but writer and first-time director Kelly Fremon Craig appears to be drawing from personal experience as the whole movie never hits a false note. Hailee Steinfield, who first garnered attention in the 2010 remake of True Grit, is excellent as the lead character Nadine struggling trying to figure out her emotions several years after the passing of her father. Don't let that fool you though as the movie is also sharply funny with an excellent supporting turn from Woody Harrelson.

6) Lion


Lion is an expertly crafted film. The pacing, visuals and music are all executed superbly by Australian director Garth Davis who was making his first feature film. Another surprising first is the performance from first time actor Sunny Pawar which is nothing short of extraordinary. The second half of the movie wasn't quite as enthralling to me as the first half but I was still fully invested in the outcome and very much enjoyed it.

5) Green Room


It's hard to classify Green Room when someone asks what kind of movie it is. It's not exactly a horror film or a thriller but it lives in that realm and it's made all the more terrifying because of how real it feels. Green Room has a terrific ensemble cast led by the late Anton Yelchin who's probably best known for his role as Chekov in the rebooted Star Trek franchise or the lead character in Alpha Dog but he really shines here as the terrified punk rocker.

4) Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping


Ever since seeing Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping on opening weekend, I've been wracking my brain to remember the last comedy that I enjoyed as much. I probably laughed harder when I saw There's Something About Mary in the theater but that's going back to 1998 when I was in high school. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is the modern day version of This Is Spinal Tap and is a biting satire on not only pop music but pop culture. It also doesn't hurt that the songs are not only very funny but much better than they have any business being.

3) Midnight Special


Writer-director Jeff Nichols is getting a lot of acclaim and awards nominations for his film Loving, and rightly so but it'd be a shame to overlook the brilliance of his movie Midnight Special that came out earlier in the year. Nichols does a masterful job on sucking the audience into the story in the very first seconds of the film with a local television commercial followed by a news report that only starts to explain this very bizarre story that unfolds over the next two hours. Michael Shannon has been in all five of Jeff Nichols films and he shines in this one as the protective father figure.

2) Moonlight


Within the very first scene of Moonlight, I wasn't exactly sure who the characters are or what time period the movie is taking place but you recognize that you are in the hands of a very skilled filmmaker. Writer-director Barry Jenkins in just his second full length film shows not only a tremendous eye for stunning visuals but a clear grasp of knowing how to let the emotions of his characters breathe for the exact right amount of time. I walked into theater knowing nothing about the plot and was blown away by the story of Chiron which went in a fascinating direction that I never saw coming.

1) Arrival


Last year director Denis Villeneuve was behind one of my very favorite movies Sicario and this year he directed my favorite movie. Arrival is a masterpiece that unfolds before your eyes in a truly original way. Based on "The Story of Your Life" by writer Ted Chiang, screenwriter Eric Heisserer and Villeneuve take a somewhat familiar story of an alien arrival on earth and make it wholly original. The dialogue is smart, the cinematography is beautiful, the acting is engaging and the score is phenomenal.

Honorable mention:

10 Cloverfield Lane
Deadpool
Doctor Strange
Hail, Caesar!
Hidden Figures
Kubo and the Two Strings
La La Land
Manchester by the Sea
Rogue One
Swiss Army Man