By Brett Blake January is not generally one of my favorite months, but it does afford me the opportunity to do one of my favorite things: break down the previous year in film and offer up my list of my favorites of that year. 2016 has the distinction of producing very few films I outright disliked, and the overall feel of the year was unquestionably a positive one. The bulk of the movies I saw would certainly qualify as good-to-very-good; the first half of the year, particularly, saw a clustering of unusually strong work, many of which I’ll be talking about shortly. However, in one sense I feel this is perhaps the most incomplete list I’ve yet had to compile, because there are many significant movies that I haven’t had a chance to see yet, including SILENCE, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA, LION, FENCES, MOANA, and HACKSAW RIDGE. Given that all of those are likely to be represented come Oscar season, my assessment of 2016 seems quite incomplete to me. But it is what it is. What will follow are my 15 favorite films of 2016. First, though, a couple of smaller lists to get us in the mood! The Five Worst Films of 2016 - JASON BOURNE - THE FOREST - 31 - THE VEIL - SATANIC Yes, four of these are horror movies. Despite what their appearance on my “Five Worst” list might imply, 2016 was an absolutely fabulous year for the horror genre. Honorable Mentions - THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE - THE ACCOUNTANT - THE JUNGLE BOOK - NOCTURNAL ANIMALS - FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM - THE CONJURING 2 - THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN - THE FINEST HOURS - THE BFG And now, the main event! My 15 Favorite Films of 2016 15. ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY (Gareth Edwards) - This first spinoff STAR WARS tale contains some of the best action of the entire franchise, and successfully applies almost a World War II movie sensibility to the STAR WARS universe. 14. CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR ( Anthony Russo & Joe Russo) - The third CAPTAIN AMERICA film miraculously juggles an almost absurd number of characters and manages to make them all feel relevant and important. It also has Robert Downey Jr.’s best performance yet as Tony Stark. 13. EYE IN THE SKY (Gavin Hood) - A complex examination of modern warfare that examines - from many different angles - a seemingly simple anti-terror operation which gradually threatens to spiral out of control. In his final onscreen role, Alan Rickman delivers one of his best performances. 12. HUSH (Mike Flanagan) - A smart, sharp fusion of home invasion thriller and slasher film, boasting terrific camerawork and an exceptional performance from co-writer Kate Siegel; she instantly becomes one of the stronger horror heroines in recent years. 11. GREEN ROOM (Jeremy Saulnier) - GREEN ROOM has a very simple premise executed with blistering ferocity. Easily the most tense film of 2016, this demonstrates Saulnier’s impeccable command of the tactics of suspense. 10. SULLY (Clint Eastwood) Eastwood’s best film in a decade, SULLY is an engrossing ode to the ability of men and women to make the best of extremely difficult circumstances. Tom Hanks is so good here, so believably grounded and real, that I think he deserves serious Oscar consideration, as should Eastwood’s non-showy - but extremely effective - direction. His staging of the fateful flight (which we see from several different perspectives) ranks up there with some of the best work he’s ever done behind the camera. 09. I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER (Billy O’Brien) This chilly, atmospheric horror yarn is one of the most singular of 2016, offering thoughtful character writing and one of the most fascinating protagonists I’ve seen in a horror film in a long time. As the lead, Max Records is revelatory, navigating a deeply complex character with ease and humanity; he really makes us care about his predicament, and it’s my favorite male performance of the year. And beyond that, the wintry, small town mood really helps make the movie standout from your usual horror fare. 08. STAR TREK BEYOND (Justin Lin) A total winner, STAR TREK BEYOND is the best TREK film in 25 years. The cast is absolutely on fire, and the script gives all of them material of substance; the plot is a wonderful riff on the sort of story The Original Series would often tell, and there’s a really nice balance of action spectacle and human interaction. Michael Giacchino’s score is also one of the year’s finest. 07. 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE (Dan Trachtenberg) What a terrific debut feature from Trachtenberg! This is a delicious science fiction thriller, one which contains one of John Goodman’s very best performances; he somehow manages to be avuncular, off-kilter, and deeply threatening, and it’s awards-quality work. The movie’s premise is also nicely TWILIGHT ZONEian and is an example of genre storytelling executed at a very high - and very entertaining - level. 06. HELL OR HIGH WATER (David Mackenzie) Although it’s ostensibly just a crime thriller, what we’re really dealing with here is a modern update of the classic western framework, with a pair of flawed outlaws being hunted by a dogged lawman. HELL OR HIGH WATER is old-fashioned in the very best way, a throwback to the crime dramas of the 1970s, and it treats all of its characters (on both sides of the law) with empathy. Chris Pine and Jeff Bridges are really, really good in this, but the performance of the film belongs to Ben Foster as the movie’s slightly-off-his-hinges-but-mostly-well-meaning wild card. 05. THE NICE GUYS (Shane Black) A wickedly humorous private eye yarn, THE NICE GUYS is a movie that won’t be for everyone’s taste, because it sort of requires you to hone in on its particular wavelength. Those who do, however, will be rewarded with the funniest film of the year, one which celebrates and deconstructs the pillars of classic detective stories through a pair of wonderful performances from Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling. Fans of mystery stories and phenomenal, razor-sharp dialogue will find a lot to love in here. 04. THE INVITATION (Karyn Kusama) Grief is not an unheard of subject for the horror/thriller genre, but THE INVITATION puts a powerful, profoundly personal spin on the idea of overcoming - or succumbing to - grief. From the jump, we can tell something is absolutely “off” about the setup, and as we follow Logan Marshall-Green’s growing realizations, we are treated to some of the best sequences of sustained tension I’ve seen in a long time. While some will no doubt be able to predict where the movie is going before it gets there, the way the movie arrives at this is extremely effective and - rare for a horror film - even emotionally moving. 03. DOCTOR STRANGE (Scott Derrickson) Just a blast, and one of the very best Marvel films. The level of creativity on display here from director Derrickson is exciting and thrilling, and the implementation of magic and mysticism gives DOCTOR STRANGE a truly fresh flavor and sets it apart from many of the other Marvel Studios films which - though extremely enjoyable - have mostly had a very similar feel. However, that freshness means nothing if not anchored by a solid cast, and Benedict Cumberbatch turns in a really fun central performance, one which could easily position him as one of the new lynchpins of the Marvel universe. 02. LA LA LAND (Damien Chazelle) The most affecting film (for me) of the year. Not only is LA LA LAND frequently infectiously optimistic and engaging, but it also has a bittersweet quality which pairs remarkably well with that. It’s a movie about pursuing our dreams, yes, but it also says to us that we might not achieve them in quite the ways we thought. It’s a delightful throwback to classic Hollywood cinema, yes, but it also tells a contemporary story that’s relevant to today. Emma Stone gives the performance of her career (and my favorite performance of the year), and director Chazelle flat-out dazzles with his command of cinematic technique; the musical sequences in here are absolutely splendid cinematic confections. I love this movie. 01. THE WITCH (Robert Eggers) Bone chilling. Eerie. Upsetting. Unsettling. Any number of words and phrases could be used to describe THE WITCH, and here’s another one I’ll throw out there: masterpiece. Eggers’ detail-oriented filmmaking style painstakingly puts us back in the age of the puritans, an age where unspeakable evil might dwell just a few paces inside a dark and foreboding forest. A portrait of a family on the verge of falling apart, the film is remarkably spooky, certainly, but is also emotionally honest and intellectually/thematically compelling. The film leaves the audience with much to chew on, and while some may find this frustrating, I think it is to the movie’s great credit. It’s also a phenomenal mood piece, drenching the viewer in nearly overwhelming atmosphere. To me, and at the risk of overhyping the movie beyond all rational proportions, there’s no doubt that THE WITCH will one day enter the pantheon of the all-time-great horror films.
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