Best Movies of 2016

2016 was my most cinematic year ever.  I saw 165 movies in theaters over the year, which is far and away the most I’ve ever seen in a single year.  I saw every kind of movie there is and overall, I think 2016 was a great year for film, definitely one of the best of the decade.  Trying to make a year end top ten was tough, tough task.  I hated leaving off titles of films that I loved and feel deserved recognition.  But, these films right here are the ones that I feel represent 2016 the best.  I am first giving a shout out to the films that just missed the cut and then I am getting into my top ten.  So, without further ado, here are my picks for the ten, or sixteen, best movies of 2016.

 

 

HONORABLE MENTIONS

 

• THE CONJURING 2 (James Wan) – The best horror movie of 2016 that solidifies James Wan as the best horror director of this decade.

 

• DEADPOOL (Tim Miller) –  An unconventional, game-changing comic book film featuring one of the best performances ever in the genre.

 

• HACKSAW RIDGE (Mel Gibson) – A welcome back party for director Mel Gibson, this is as intense as war movies get.

 

• HAIL, CAESAR! (Joel and Ethan Coen) – A film that only gets better with multiple viewings, this is shaping to be a new Coen classic.

 

• JACKIE – Led by an outstanding performance by Natalie Portman, this is a haunting, tragic portrait of American royalty.

 

• THE LOBSTER – The saddest, weirdest, wildest love story of the year.

 

And now, my official picks for the ten best movies of 2016.

 

 

 

 

10 – DEEPWATER HORIZON/PATRIOTS DAY (Peter Berg)

Is it cheating to have two films at my number ten?  Maybe, but when they’re made by the same director, I think it’s fine.  In the second and third entry of Peter Berg’s America trilogy, or as I call it, The American Triumph Over Tragedy Trilogy, Berg made two of the best films of his career.  Both show a horrible incident in recent American history, the BP oil spill and the Boston Marathon bombings, and show the events of what happened during and after with such intensity, grittiness, and respect for those who affected by it.  The film’s boast great cast and feature two of the best performances Mark Wahlberg has ever done.  Both of these films show the perseverance, determination, and the triumph over evil.

 

 

9 – KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS (Travis Knight)

I called 2016 the year of animation, so it is only right to represent the genre in my final ten.  It was a close battle for number one, but Kubo and the Two Strings is simply one of the best animated movies I have ever seen.  The stop motion animation is so seamless and clean, you can barely tell it is stop motion.  It has fierce samurai action and eye-popping visuals, particularly the paper story-telling, where Kubo plays his guitar and paper forms into the characters and act out the story.  The voice work by the entire cast is excellent, each giving their own personality to their own unique characters.  And, like all great animated movies, the story hits close to home.  This is a jaw-dropping film in every way.

 

 

8 – ELLE (Paul Verhoeven)

Elle is a film that Hitchcock would have made.  A psycho-sexual, twisted thriller that features a fantastic performance by its leading lady.  Isabelle Huppert gives one of the best performances of 2016 as Michèle, a successful business woman who is victim of a vicious attack, and ends up in a game of cat and mouse with the attacker.  This is an intricate thriller from director Paul Verhoeven, who mixes dark humor, horror, and violence together perfectly.  You have no idea where this movie is going, making for one of the wildest film-going experiences of the year.  I was put in a state of hypnosis watching this movie.

 

 

7 – CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (The Russo Brothers)

The best blockbuster of the year is as big and epic as movies get.  This is Marvel’s best movie since The Avengers (2012).  It is a bold, flashy, exciting film and one of the best time’s you’ll have at the movies.  Pitting Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Captain America (Chris Evans) against each other and splitting The Avengers is unlike any comic book movie ever.  And, in the mix of all of that, we actually have a villain who isn’t useless.  We get to see Avengers we know and love, like Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and Vision (Paul Bettany), and new Avengers in Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland), both of whom almost steal the whole movie.  This is one of the best comic book movies ever made.

 

 

6 – THE NICE GUYS (Shane Black)

Shane Black took everything that was brilliant about his 2005 comedy-noir, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and made it even better.  The Nice Guys is a smart, tricky, witty police drama blended with an uproarious buddy comedy.  Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe are the best worst detectives, both with heavy flaws and plenty to savvy.  The plot, which starts with a missing girl and leads to political corruption and hitmen, is full of twists and turns, yet doesn’t get too smart for its own good, keeping us engaged the entire time.  The screenplay is top notch, the performances are on point, and comedy rocks.  This is the best comedy of 2016.

 

 

5 – SILENCE (Martin Scorsese)

Now we get to the nitty gritty.  This top five is loaded and on any given day, one film could move up to be number one.  Martin Scorsese’s Silence is one of those movies you need to let marinate.  How long?  That has yet to be determined.  For me, it is still marinating.  This is a profound, complex, challenging film that will have you thinking for days, even weeks after you see it.  Andrew Garfield is marvelous as our flawed Jesuit priest attempting to find his mentor (a chilling Liam Neeson) while spreading Christianity throughout hostile Japan.  This film was a passion project for Scorsese and you can see that.  This is a testament to him as a director.  Every shot is meticulously crafted and no scene or shot goes wasted.  This is a film that years from now, we will look back and consider it a no-brainer classic.

 

 

4 – MANCHESTER BY THE SEA (Kenneth Lonergan)

Manchester by the Sea is one of the few movies I saw more than once in theaters this year.  The first time I saw it, at Sundance one year ago, was such an emotionally powerful and soul-crushing movie, I wasn’t able to truly appreciate craft of the film.  When I was able to watch it again, when it was released nationwide, was when my love for the film really blossomed.  This is an outstanding film and a master craft in acting and directing.  Casey Affleck gives the best performance of 2016 as a man who must return to his hometown, where he experienced a horrible tragedy and take care of his nephew (breakout of the year, Lucas Hedges) when the boy’s father dies.  Director Kenneth Lonergan has made a film that is honest, heartbreaking, and even at times funny.  This is as real and emotional as movies got in 2016.

 

 

3 – THE BIRTH OF A NATION (Nate Parker)

There were a lot of tragedies in 2016, from celebrities dying, to good films making no money and bad films making all the money.  But there was no bigger tragedy this year than The Birth of a Nation.  I saw the incarnation of this juggernaut at the world premiere at Sundance and I saw its meteoric downfall due to writer/director/star/producer Nate Parker’s past.  This is absolute monster of a film.  This is a film of pure passion and one of the finest directorial debuts I have ever seen.  Nate Parker, who has been working the Hollywood grind for years now, shows how immensely talented he is and how bright of a future he has (or had?).  What he is accused of in his past is horrible and I do not condone it.  But if you look past that and separate art from life, you will see one of the best young talents in Hollywood doing work like that of a seasoned veteran.

 

 

2 – ARRIVAL (Denis Villeneuve)

Arrival is one of the few films I can truly say is one of a kind.  Never before have I seen a sci-fi movie like this.  Perfectly adapted from the short story, Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang, this is as complex and interesting as any movie in 2016.  This is a simple story about a linguist (a stellar Amy Adams) who is hired by the government to speak to aliens who have landed on earth and figure out why they are here.  But, deep within this simple story, are deep layers and themes of communication, love, life, and humanity.  This is an alluring, mesmerizing film that is technically astounding and features a powerful ending that has you talking long after the movie ends.  This is a true game changer and film the pushes a genre to new heights.

 

 

1 – LA LA LAND (Damien Chazelle)

To quote my mother, who I watched this movie with for the third time on Christmas day, “This is a movie that just makes you smile.”  And that is exactly why La La Land is my number one movie of 2016.  Who says the number one movie has to intense, or dense, or dramatic?  Why can’t it be a Technicolored, retro musical with a modern twist about trying to make it in Los Angeles?  From the opening musical sequence, I was hooked.  When Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, in two awards-worthy performances, tap danced to the sunrise, my heart melted.  And when the two looked dead into each other’s eyes and smiled at one another at the end, I fell in love.  Kudos to director Damien Chazelle for using inspiration from classic films of the 50’s and mixing it with modern motifs to make the most unique musical since Moulin Rouge! (2001).  The songs are beautifully written, the cinematography glides through the City of Angels and pops with color, and the editing pulses with the beat.  This is a musical masterpiece and my pick for the best movie of 2016.

 

What do you think are the best movies of 2016?  Comment below or hit me up on Twitter and Instagram, @kevflix, and on Facebook and YouTube by searching Kevflix.