Note: This list is based solely off my own personal opinion of what I thought were the best/most memorable/impressive movies released during 2016 and is ordered alphabetically (not including the runner-ups which are listed before the top 10, also in alphabetical order). To qualify for this list, a movie must have had a limited or wide theatrical or online release in 2016 (festival screenings alone do not count); I would like to mention I was not able to watch every movie released in 2016.
If I had to chose what was 2016's biggest surprise, I'd have to say that it was "The Edge of Seventeen." When I first saw the trailer for this film, I was unimpressed; it looked like another, run-of-the-mill coming-of-age comedy; but when I finally sat down in the theater and the movie started to play, I knew that I was wrong. "The Edge of Seventeen" is about Nadine, an awkward teenager with only one real friend; but after her friend stars a relationship with her brother, Nadine has to do a little soul searching to discover herself. This was the only movie I saw this year that had people both laughing and crying in the theater; funny when it wants to be and sincere when it needs to be, this movie found the perfect middle ground. With a hilarious script, relatable characters, and great performances from Hailee Steinfeld and co-star Woody Harrelson, "The Edge of Seventeen" is the year's biggest surprise and one of my personal favorites.
One of the best movies of 2014 that no one saw had to be "Blue Ruin." A heart pounding revenge thriller, it still ranks among the most intense movies I've seen in years. Now finally, director Jeremy Saulnier returns with his third feature, "Green Room." The movie revolves around a punk band who gets a gig to work some back-woods skinhead bar; but after the band witnesses a murder at the joint, they are then hunted down by Neo-Nazi militia causing them to fight for their lives. Much like "Blue Ruin," "Green Room" is a true nail biter. The second that sh*t hits the fan, it never gives you a second to breathe until the closing credits. Supported by a well written script, a fantastic performance from co-star Patrick Stewart, haunting visuals, and strong directions, "Green Room" stands out as one of the year's best independent films.
On paper, "Rogue One" is the most flawed movie on this list. The pacing in the first half is off, it has most than a few corny lines, and a couple of the characters (especially the lead) feel underdeveloped and come off as uninteresting. But despite these issues, the good vastly out ways the bad. Taking place immediately before "A New Hope," "Rogue One" tells the story of a rogue rebel squadron that attempts to steal the plans for the Empire's Death Star. What I liked most about this movie was that it was an actual war movie. Every other film in this franchise has been an action-adventure that happens to take place during a war. But "Rogue One" is darker, showing death and destruction and the old mantra "war is hell." This is the end of days for the rebels, and this movie shows their last effort to fight back. Supported by grand action sequences, impressive visual effects, a huge sense of scale, strong direction from Gareth Edwards, lovely visuals and production design, and several unique and interesting characters, there is a lot to love about "Rogue One;" and if I had to compare it to its predecessors, I'd say it ranks as the third best in the series behind "A New Hope" and "The Empire Strikes Back." "Rogue One" is one of 2016's most impressive, and memorable films.
For most of the 2000s, movies, TV, and video games became saturated by a genre that got old pretty quickly. Zombies. The zombie genre became insanely popular with titles like "28 Days Later," "Resident Evil 4," and "The Walking Dead" that caused an influx of the genre. Unfortunately, the majority of this new content was just terrible. The last great zombie movie I can remember would probably be "Zombieland," until now anyways. "Train to Busan" is a South Korean horror film revolving around a businessman traveling with his daughter by train. Shortly after the train gets movie, a full blown zombie outbreak engulfs South Korea. Now the remaining train passengers must fight to stay alive. "Train to Busan" is the best zombie movie since 2002's "28 Days Later." Likable characters, an intense plot, terrifying zombies, and some surprisingly good acting (as far as horror movies go), this was one of the year's biggest surprises. And it's further proof that no one does horror like South Korea.
This is a late entry to this list, barely making the deadline; I was actually planning on putting this list out earlier, but after hearing the praise thrown towards this movie I decided to hold off. Looking back, I'm glad I did. "Your Name." is a Japanese anime film from director Makoto Shinkai, and upon its release was a huge critical and financial success. Mitsuha Miyamizu is an average teenage girl from a small town in Japan, and Taki Tachibana is an average teenage boy from Tokyo. There lives are as normal as they get, until they both wake up one day having switched bodies. With no idea what is going on, the two attempt to live out their lives (and each others lives) to the best of their abilities. "Your Name." is a wonderfully unique movie that was simply a joy to watch. With gorgeous animation, a creative story, emotionally impactful and funny, and the perfect amount of Japanese weirdness, "Your Name." is one of the best animated films in a year filled with great animated films.
If there was an award for 2016's most intelligent film, it would have to go to "Arrival." The film is directed by Denis Villeneuve, the same director behind "Sicario," "Enemy," and "Prisoners." "Arrival" takes place in a world where mysterious, extraterrestrial spacecrafts appear all over Earth. Every government is scrambling to figure out what they are, and the US government has the idea of hiring a linguist named Louise Banks. The idea is for Banks to attempt to communicate with the aliens on the ship hovering over the United States by teaching them bits of English. "Arrival" is a brilliant, mind bending film that takes a surprisingly realistic approach to what first contact might be like. It's the little things about this movie; the design of the aliens and their ships, the way that their language works, the fact there isn't outright war but an attempted conversation. "Arrival" is one of those movies that was too smart for me on first viewing, requiring me to do a bit of reading. But the second that I walked out of the theater after the movie, I knew that "Arrival" was one of the best science fiction movies I've seen in years.
"The Handmaiden" is a South Korean erotic thriller that has stirred up a lot of buzz since its announcement. Based off of an acclaimed novel and directed by the exceptional Park Chan-wook, many looked at this movie and expected something truly unique. The movie revolves around a young South Korean handmaid who begins to work for a wealthy Japanese woman. The handmaiden is actually a con-artist, attempting to get her mistress to marry another con-artist to steal her wealth. Little did she know that her mistress isn't interested in him, but in her. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect when I began this movie, I had no idea what the plot was about. And after sticking through the several twists and turns, I was left with something incredible. Highlighted by strong performances, an intelligent screenplay, great direction, and excellent production and costumer design, "The Handmaiden" easily ranks among the best of the year; and re-affirms that Park Chan-wook is one of the most talented directors in the world.
This was a movie that kind of came out of nowhere, I had never heard of it until it was playing in a theater near me; but from early reviews I knew that it was a must watch. "Hell or High Water" is about Toby and Tanner, two brothers that begin to rob banks to make a specific amount of money. At the same time, they begin to be tracked by two Texas Rangers who think that these string of bank robberies are by the same people. "Hell or High Water" was thoroughly surprising, it's the most Texan movie ever made and it was directed by a Scotsman. The characters are likable, the writing is often very funny, situations get intense, and the climactic scene is one of 2016's most memorable. "Hell or High Water" is an example of independent cinema at its finest, and one of 2016's best.
One of the most underrated movies of the past decade has to be "Boy," a 2010 coming-of-age comedy-drama from New Zealand. It was a wonderfully brilliant movie that few people ever got a chance to watch. Director Taika Waititi captured lightning in a bottle, and six years later he's done it again. Based off of a novel, "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" was one of the funniest movies of 2016. Ricky is a troubled kid in the Foster Care system who's placed in a new home on a farm in the middle of nowhere. After his foster mother dies unexpectedly, Ricky goes into the forest after faking his death only to realize he has no idea what he's doing. His foster father finds him, but breaks his leg while doing so; causing them to have to camp out for weeks until he can walk. Since they were gone so long, the local authorities think that Ricky's been kidnapped, so the two have to go on the run from the law. From start to finish this movie was a laugh riot, but had more than a few beautiful and sincere moments. "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" was one of my favorite movies of the year, and it makes me excited to see what Waititi will do in the future.
I wouldn't say that there's a single movie genre that I dislike, but if I had to choose a least favorite it would probably be musicals. While there have been a few over the years that I enjoyed, most just don't do it for me; but "La La Land" was special. Directed by Damien Chazelle, the same director that brought us "Whiplash," "La La Land" is a modern take on the classic 1950s musicals. The story follows Mia and Sebastian, to aspiring performers that meet by chance and begin a relationship, only for their dreams to get in the way. So they have to make a decision, them or their dreams. From start to finish "La La Land" was a joy, a fun blast from the past filled with great music and choreography. With exceptional direction from Chazelle and career best performances from the leads, "La La Land" is sure to win big at the Oscars. "La La Land" is a movie about movies, and shows that even in today's blockbuster world you can still find magic on the silver screen.
For years now, I've stood by my belief that Jeff Nichols is the best director working today. Since his debut film in 2008, he's released several astonishing projects; his films "Take Shelter" and "Mud" were even my picks for the best movies of their respective years. With 2016 he directed two movies; one was "Loving," a biopic that was very good but about thirty minutes too long that was dragging on by the end. But the other was "Midnight Special," which could very well become a new sci-fi classic. The story is about a father named Roy and his son Alton, for years they've lived with a cult that worshiped Alton like some sort of prophet. Roy decides to take Alton away and get him back to his mother, but both the cult and the US government seem determined to stop them. "Midnight Special" was inspired by the work of John Carpenter and acts as a love letter to Steven Spielberg. While the ending will leave you with more questions than answers, this sci-fi adventure is filled with wonder and excitement to stay with after the credits roll.
I didn't always love movies the way I do now, that only started when I was a teenager. But what stoked the fire when I was young were classic action movies, Pixar, and the Disney movies of the 90s. Disney animated films hold a special place in my heart; and since their resurgence as the king of animation at the beginning of the decade, they've continually put out amazing films. And their most recent picture, "Moana," is one of my favorites. Based off of Polynesian folklore, the story follows a young woman named Moana. The little island she lives on with her people seems like paradise, but once the island begins to die she sets out to save it. Seeking the help of the Demi-God Maui, she must return a lost treasure to save her people. I loved everything about this movie; the characters, the story, the animation, voice performances, and its score. "Moana" ranks alongside "Mulan" as the single best Disney princess movie. While it may not be performing as well at the box office as some may thought, I have hopes that Disney sees the potential "Moana" has as a franchise and that we eventually see a sequel.
For almost all of 2016, this movie flew completely under the radar; even when it started to premier at film festivals I heard very little of it. It wasn't until a few weeks leading up to its limited release that "Moonlight" began making headlines, and when I finally watched it I understood the buzz. "Moonlight" is a coming of age drama about a young man named Chiron. It follows his life when he's a young child, a teenage, and as an adult; you then see the trials and tribulations of his upbringing and what type of man they made him into. This movie was something special, an incredible piece of cinema that may be a modern classic. Whether it be the great acting, beautiful cinematography, well written script, or the beautiful story, all I know was that this movie was special. Unanimously praised by critics, this film has already won dozens of awards at various film festivals and events. Many are even calling it the best movie of 2016; and to be honest, I'd have to agree with them. "Moonlight" has my vote for the best movie of the year.
I've desperately searched for this movie for months; I constantly looked for show times near me and scoured every movie streaming site I could think of to find it. Finally, I discovered a working link; little did I expect that I'd be watching the year's most heartbreaking film. "Tower" is about the 1966 mass shooting at the University of Texas at Austin, where a gunman perched himself at the top floor of the UT tower and fired upon nearby civilians with a rifle; by the end 49 were shot, and 18 were killed. "Tower" tells the stories of the victims; some of whom lived, and some who didn't. When I finally sat down to watch this movie I knew what it was about, but I was not ready for what I was about to see. What happened on that hot Texas day was nothing but carnage. Senseless, unnecessary murder from a disturbed man that took people from this world too soon; it made me sad, but filled me with hope knowing that there were people that devastating day that ran through gunfire to help those in need. Beautifully animated and incredibly emotional, no movie from 2016 impacted me like "Tower" did.
This is the second Disney animated film on this list, and as much as I love "Moana," "Zootopia" is easily the best. The movie follows Judy Hopps, a young bunny born in a small town, who dreams of becoming a police officer (a profession usually reserved for larger, stronger animals). But she defies the odds, graduates from the police academy, and moves off to the major city of Zootopia (a city where all animals live in peace). But upon arriving she learns of a series of disappearances, so she has to team up with a con-artist fox to solve the case. "Zootopia" has all the usual characteristics of what makes a Disney animated film great: voice acting, animation, writing, etc. But what really sets this film apart are its thematic elements. Touching on racism, sexism, stereotyping, and bigotry, this kid's movie is surprisingly deep. "Zootopia" was released at a time when police and race relations weren't at their best in America, reflecting our own problems and showing how absurd they come off. This movie surprised me; I knew it would be good, but I wasn't expecting an instant classic.
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