Decade Rewind: The Best Movies of 2016
As the 2010’s have officially come to an end, I will be looking back at each cinematic year to give a personal decade retrospective of the best movies and performances of each year. I will break down my Top 10 movies of each year, along with my favorite performances from that year. I will also be listing my favorite’s from each genre, like Best Animated Movie and Best Action Movie, as well as best of the technical aspects, like Best Cinematography and Best Screenplay. This will all culminate into my picks for the best movies and performances of the decade.
*Rankings of movies and performances are numbered from 1-5, with 1 being the best movie/performance.
*Gifs for each category are not specifically of the “winners” of each category, just one of the nominees.
THE YEAR: 2016
In 2016 was when I started taking Kevflix and my film criticism far more seriously. I went from what felt more like blog written by a freshman film schooler to a full blown website. I began reading more film reviews to gain more of a structure and learn more about proper criticism and how the greats like Roger Ebert would write their reviews. This allowed me to form a stronger opinion and I noticed my writing improving. Kevflix wasn’t perfect (still isn’t) but this was really the beginning of my journey as a film critic.
The year 2016 was a strong year for movies. I saw 166 movies in 2016, the most I had seen at the time, which allowed me to expand my horizons in terms of the movies I saw. Also, taking my film criticism more serious, I saw a lot more movies that I usually wouldn’t have seen. Whether it was a small indie or a movie I had generally no interest in, I made sure I saw as many movies as possible and wrote as much as possible.
2016 was a stellar year for great auteurs. Newer directors like Damien Chazelle, Barry Jenkins, Yorgos Lanthimos Robert Eggers, Andrea Arnold, and Denis Villeneuve made their names known while established auteurs like Martin Scorsese, Jim Jarmusch, Paul Verhoeven, Clint Eastwood, and Richard Linklater made some of the best and most unique work of their careers.
You can see my original choices for the best movies and performances here. Due to rewatches, my opinion has changed drastically on some films, so you will see some differences in the lists. It’s called growth, people.
Here are my picks for the best movies and performances of 2016.
BEST PICTURE
- LA LA LAND (Damien Chazelle)
- SILENCE (Martin Scorsese)
- ARRIVAL (Denis Villeneuve)
- POPSTAR: NEVER STOP NEVER STOPPING (Akiva Schaffer & Jorma Taccone)
- THE NICE GUYS (Shane Black)
- MANCHESTER BY THE SEA (Kenneth Lonergan)
- MOONLIGHT (Barry Jenkins)
- THE LOBSTER (Yorgos Lanthimos)
- HAIL, CAESAR! (Joel and Ethan Coen)
- KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS (Travis Knight)
BEST DIRECTOR
- Damien Chazelle, La La Land
- Martin Scorsese, Silence
- Denis Villeneuve, Arrival
- Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
- Shane Black, The Nice Guys
BEST ACTOR
- Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
- Denzel Washington, Fences
- Ryan Gosling, La La Land
- Andy Samberg, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
- Adam Driver, Paterson
BEST ACTRESS
- Natalie Portman, Jackie
- Isabelle Huppert, Elle
- Emma Stone, La La Land
- Mary Elizabeth Winstead, 10 Cloverfield Lane
- Sasha Lane, American Honey
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
- Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
- Alden Ehrenreich, Hail, Caesar!
- John Goodman, 10 Cloverfield Lane
- Daniel Radcliff, Swiss Army Man
- Craig Robinson, Morris from America
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
- Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea
- Viola Davis, Fences
- Kate McKinnnon, Ghostbusters
- Naomi Harris, Moonlight
- Paulina Garcia, Little Men
OTHER BESTS OF 2016
BEST ANIMATED MOVIE – KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS
- Runner Up – Zootopia
BEST ACTION MOVIE – ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY
- Runner Up – 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
BEST COMEDY – POPSTAR: NEVER STOP NEVER STOPPING
- Runner Up – The Nice Guys
BEST HORROR MOVIE – THE CONJURING 2
- Runner Up – The Witch
BEST COMIC BOOK MOVIE – DOCTOR STRANGE
- Runner Up – Deadpool
BEST DOCUMENTARY – LIFE, ANIMATED
- Runner Up – Newtown
BEST MOVIE NOBODY SAW – THE LOBSTER
- Runner Up – Kicks
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – ARRIVAL
- Runner Up – La La Land
BEST EDITING – LA LA LAND
- Runner Up – Moonlight
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS – DOCTOR STRANGE
- Runner Up – Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
BEST SCORE – JACKIE
- Runner Up – Moonlight
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY – THE NICE GUYS
- Runner Up – La La Land
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY – MOONLIGHT
- Runner Up – Arrival
Stay tuned for 2017!
Check out the best of 2010 right HERE.
Check out the best of 2011 right HERE.
Check out the best of 2012 right HERE.
Check out the best of 2013 right HERE.
Check out the best of 2014 right HERE.
Check out the best of 2015 right HERE.
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