Best Summer 2016 Movies and Performances

Summer 2016 is officially over.  I saw 38 movies this summer (May-August) and I have to say, this has been one of the more interesting summers I’ve had in recent years at the movies.  Blockbusters were a surprising bust and we saw a lot of great movies in the animation and indie fields.  We, of course, got a slew of sequels and reboots, but they weren’t as terrible as they usually are.  Overall, I think it was a pretty solid summer.  So with that, let’s look at my list of the best summer 2016 movies and performances.

 

TOP 5 MOVIES

 

5 – KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS (Travis Knight)

I didn’t think any animated movie would be better than Finding Dory.  I was wrong.  Kubo and the Two Strings blew my mind when I saw it.  This is a beautiful, samurai action film that is filled with heart.  The stop-motion animation is so smooth and effortless, you’re amazed it is stop-motion.  The voice acting by Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey and Art Parkinson are perfect, each giving their own personality to their characters.  This movie isn’t getting a ton of attention at the box office right now, but I urge you to see it.  You’ll be in awe.

 

4 – THE CONJURING 2 (James Wan)

The Conjuring (2013) didn’t need a sequel.  The movie was perfect the way it was.  But, The Conjuring 2 is everything The Conjuring was and more.  This is one of the scariest movies I have ever seen while also being cinematically and technically perfect.  James Wan understands the horror genre better than anyone since Wes Craven.  His lingering camera, lack of score, and ability to scare us at every turn is a rarity in today’s horror films and the sign of a true master.  The Exorcist (1973) is the greatest horror movie of all-time and The Conjuring 2 is the closest thing we’ve ever had since it.

 

 

3 – THE NICE GUYS (Shane Black)

The Nice Guys shows how well writer/director Shane Black knows comedy and noir.  After 2005’s brilliant Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Black took everything that was great about that movie and elevated it to new heights.  He perfectly blends the consistent comedy and insanity with the dark tones and bloody violence, to give us all the emotions we crave when we go to the movies.  Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe compliment each other to become the best duo of 2016.  This is a smart, twisty, darkly hilarious film and one of the most entertaining films of the year.

 

2 – HELL OR HIGH WATER (David Mackenzie)

Every summer, we get a movie that comes out of nowhere and surprises the hell out of us.  Hell of High Water is that movie.  This movie is spectacular in every way.  A perfect Western that features a human story, great performances, stunning cinematography, and endless tension.  Chris Pine gives the best performance of his career as one half of a pair of brothers (the other played by the always excellent Ben Foster) who rob banks to settle personal problems.  Jeff Bridges plays the cop on their tale and he gives an awards worthy performance and his best since True Grit (2010).  From start to finish, this movie is flawless and keeps the Western genre alive.

 

 

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

Hell of High Water and The Nice Guys may end up being higher on my “Best of the Year” list, but Captain America: Civil War is the reason why we see movies in the summer.  Summer movies are suppose to be big, action-packed, entertaining movies and Civil War is all of that in the best way possible.  This is far and away the best Marvel movie since The Avengers (2012).  It brings back the classic original characters and adds some new and exciting characters as well.  We also get the now infamous airport scene, which is one of the best scenes of the year.  This is one of the best comic book movies of all-time and the best movie of summer 2016.

 

 

 

BEST OF THE REST 

 

 

BEST DIRECTOR – David Mackenzie for HELL OR HIGH WATER – Simply put, Mackenzie made a perfect Western.

Runner Up – James Wan for The Conjuring 2

 

 

BEST ACTOR – JONAH HILL in WAR DOGS – A magnetic performance that keeps the movie going even when the story doesn’t.

Runner Up – Ryan Gosling in The Nice Guys

 

 

BEST ACTRESS – ELLE FANNING in THE NEON DEMON – A terrifying look at the cost of fame, this is Fanning’s best, most mature performance to date.

Runner Up – Meryl Streep in Florence Foster Jenkins

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – JEFF BRIDGES in HELL OR HIGH WATER – As a retiring cop on his last case, Bridges captivates the entire film with his quick wit, street smarts, and determination.

Runner Up – Hugh Grant in Florence Foster Jenkins

 

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – KATE MCKINNON in GHOSTBUSTERS – The definition of a scene stealer.

Runner Up – Margot Robbie in Suicide Squad

 

BEST SCREENPLAY – THE NICE GUYS – A perfect comedy and a perfect noir rolled into one perfect movie.

Runner Up – Hell or High Water

 

BEST COMEDY – SAUSAGE PARTY – Relentless, vulgar, and oddly intelligent, this has non-stop laughs from beginning to end.

Runner Up – Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates

 

BEST ACTION MOVIE – TMNT: OUT OF THE SHADOWS – An awesome hour and a half long action scene.

Runner Up – Jason Bourne

 

BEST ANIMATED MOVIE – KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS – A visually stunning, heartfelt, beautiful film that mixes a number of genres perfectly.

Runner Up – Finding Dory

 

BEST HORROR/THRILLER – THE CONJURING 2 – Far and away the scariest movie of the year and one of the best horror movies of all-time.

Runner Up – Don’t Breathe

 

BEST INDIE – HELL OR HIGH WATER – See everything I said above.

Runner Up – The Neon Demon

 

OVERRATED – SUICIDE SQUAD – Critics didn’t like it, but audiences sure did.  How did it make so much money?

Runner Up – The Secret Life of Pets

 

UNDERRATED – POPSTAR: NEVER STOP NEVER STOPPING – An incredibly funny satire on pop music, this movie needs to be seen by all.

Runner Up – Kubo and the Two Strings

 

UNDERSEEN – THE BFG – Steven Spielberg is at the top of his game, so why didn’t anyone see this visual stunner?

Runner Up – Ghostbusters

 

BIGGEST SURPRISE – PETE’S DRAGON – An imaginative live-action remake that will make you feel like a kid again.

Runner Up – Me Before You

 

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT – SUICIDE SQUAD – What could have been the DCEU’s first great feature is a complete and utter mess.

Runner Up – Central Intelligence

 

 

 

 

BOTTOM 5 MOVIES

 

1 – SUICIDE SQUAD (David Ayer) – A complete and utter mess that proves that D.C. has no idea what to do with its movies.

 

 

2 – FREE STATE OF JONES (Gary Ross) – An incredible story with a boring,

 

 

3 – NOW YOU SEE ME 2 – There is zero magic in this film about magicians.

 

 

4 – CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE – Not even The Rock could save this stupid, unfunny

 

 

5 – HANDS OF STONE – A movie with no direction and too many stories, this is a case of Oscar-bait 101 gone wrong.

 

 

 

What were your favorite summer 2016 movies?  Comment below or hit me up on Twitter @kevflix.  And make sure to LIKE Kevflix on Facebook.