2016...was a bit of a let down over all, the summer especially was disappointing but thankfully among the rubbish were some real gems. Obviously I haven't seen every film from the past 12 months but from the 60+ I have seen here are my favourites. I have notes on my top ten (without spoilers) and why I chose them - I hope you enjoy my list.
As always I would love for you to comment with your thoughts on my list and let me know what I need to see.
*For my friends and family in the UK please note some films came out over here in 2016 that came out in 2015 for you like Absolutely Anything. And vice versa with films like: The Hateful Eight, Creed, Spotlight and The Big Short which you will see in my Fave Films of 2015 post from last year.*
As always I would love for you to comment with your thoughts on my list and let me know what I need to see.
*For my friends and family in the UK please note some films came out over here in 2016 that came out in 2015 for you like Absolutely Anything. And vice versa with films like: The Hateful Eight, Creed, Spotlight and The Big Short which you will see in my Fave Films of 2015 post from last year.*
Here's my top 10 movies of 2016:
1. Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Man I love this little New Zealand film. It's such a unique blend of humour, adventure, action and very real emotions without being cliche or trite. Most films never get close - so big up to Taika Waititi the director (of 'What We Do in The Shadows' fame and soon to do 'Thor: Ragnarok') and it's stars Sam Neill as grumpy Uncle Hec and Julian Dennison as Ricky Baker - the funniest gangster kid ever! We begin with Ricky being dropped off with his new Foster parents out on the edge of the NZ bush. Over time a really beautiful mother and son relationship develops but something happens that jeopardises Ricky's new family so he runs away with Uncle Hec in tow. With Child services, locals and the police in hot pursuit of the most unlikely outlaws we are thrown thick into the stunning NZ wilderness and what transpires has to been seen to be believed. I have seen it four times in the last six months and it still cracks me up. If you haven't seen it yet I cannot recommend it enough - it's well "pretty majestical!"
This 80's set film grabs you immediately with it's simple premise - teenage boy wants to impress pretty girl by having her in his band's music video, the problem? He doesn't have a band! Hilarity ensues as dorky insecure boys become a truly brilliant accomplished band. The film is full of great music, both original and popular. But at the very heart of Sing Street is the relationship between Conor and his older brother Brendan who educates his younger brother in music, love and life. Brendan is the only voice of reason and authority as Conor's parents are on the brink of divorce and completely distracted. Conor learns how to deal with being in love, bullies and scary teachers through his passionate love of music. As he does you will find yourself getting caught up in the same feelings and emotions as if they were you're own. So if this film doesn't move you or have you punching the sky and cheering by the end you have a heart of stone! A masterful love letter to music at it's most honest and raw.
"I have difficulty socializing with other people, even though I want to"
One of those films that most people missed and critics were mixed to negative about, that I absolutely loved. It's an odd premise of an high functioning autistic man played by Ben Affleck who is an accountant and also a hit-man. It has as you expect, some dark and violent scenes but scattered among them are some real moments of levity that put you off kilter. You often find yourself laughing after a very serious encounter which makes this a hard film to locate thematically or stylistically. It defies convention continuously leaving you surprised throughout - an unusual feeling for most movie-goers these days. We rarely are amazed or shocked due to trailer and interview overload. Affleck is fascinating right through and at times almost makes Matt Damon's 'Jason Bourne' look amateur - that's how good this is. The help of an exceptional cast that includes: J.K. Simmons, Anna Kendrick, Jon Bernthal and John Lithgow elevate it further still. This ultimately makes The Accountant a rare and welcome experience and one you must seek out before Tax season, sorry!
"It's been difficult!"
Wow this one has stuck with me ever since I saw it in late summer. Cops and robbers - it's what we go to the movies for to escape into a world we will never experience (hopefully). This particular story however is more rich and layered than you might think. There's a lot going on that is revealed as the story drives forward at blistering pace interspersed with moments of peace as to not exhaust the viewer completely. We follow both sides of the story on the one side we have two bank robbing brothers (Chris Pine and Ben Foster - both excellent) and on the other is their pursuer a Texas Ranger (Jeff Bridges) and his partner. Bridges is in exceptional form here as the deadpan and salty cop nearing retirement with one last case to break. The verbal sparing between Bridges and his partner Alberto is hilarious though not at all PC and the bank jobs are thrilling. This is definitely going to stick with you long after the credits roll as you wrestle with the actions of those you rooted for.
Civil War is a Captain America movie but it feels more like an Avengers one mostly down to the sheer number of super heroes on show throughout. But where we have seen them (over 11 films) working together to defeat usually rubbish faceless enemies (Loki aside) this time due to reasons that unfold early on, our fave supers are fighting each other! Split almost too neatly into two camps - Team Cap and Team Tony aka Iron Man. It's really quite fun to discuss with friends "which side did you root for?" Most say Cap but if you're interested I was firmly with Iron Man. There is some real gravity to both sides of the argument and although there is some sadness seeing the gang fall out, it doesn't bum you out. That's because when the action kicks in childish glee takes over the gloom in spectacular fashion. See if for the epic airport duke out, the best Spiderman yet and the mega cool Black Panther!
Finding Dory wasn't the only movie sequel released in 2016 with well over a decade since the original - Zoolander 2 we're looking at you! Unlike Zoolander 2, Finding Dory had: a great story, memorable new characters and funny lines throughout. This time out the story focuses on Dory and the search for her lost family. Ellen Degeneres has been banging on about a follow up to Nemo for years and she finally got her wish. We get to see all our old faves (except the sharks) but its the new characters like 'Hank' the octopus, 'Gerald' the sea lion and the adorable sea otters ("cuddle party") that will stick with you. Prepare to fall back in love with the ocean - well played Pixar well played.
"I don't know how I'm going to live with myself
if I don't stay true to what I believe."
if I don't stay true to what I believe."
Whenever Mel Gibson makes a film it's always worth seeing (Braveheart, The Passion of the Christ and Apocalypto) and this is maybe his best yet. Telling the true story of Desmond Doss a man who wants to serve his country during WWII but will not touch a gun or take a mans life due to his religious beliefs. He amazingly makes it through boot camp when all around sought to see him quit, fearing him to be a coward. But he would go on to show them his true character and would lead him to be awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery on the Japanese island of Okinawa. Be warned the battle scenes are extremely graphic but it highlights the intensity of war and this truly remarkable man's story. A must see!
If you haven't seen this yet, you might be the only one left on the planet after Rogue One blazed past $1 Billion at the box office worldwide in less than a month! But is it worth all the fuss? Simple answer... yes, but it's definitely not a perfect film as some characters especially our hero and focus Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) isn't very like-able, enjoyable to watch or that well developed. Thankfully others like Donnie Yen's 'Chirrut Imwe' (a jedi like ninja), his BFF 'Baze Maibus' and sarcastic droid K-2SO raise the pulses of the audience with some exciting action and cracking one liners. But the real focus of this story is the mission and it's one we are all aware of - steal the plans to the very first Death Star. However we never knew how they did it and that's the beauty of this outing. New faces, new worlds and an incredible third act that feels more like a war movie all make it worth a visit to the cinema. This is a much darker film (than 'The force Awakens') in tone but it makes sense when you remember it sits right before Star Wars: A New Hope. Reminds me of Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight when he said "the night is darkest just before the dawn."
I don't think I can die."
You know what you are going to get with a Shane Black movie: sparkling/colourful dialogue, gritty violence, dark humour, and it will be Christmas at some point. The Nice Guys delivers on all the above and then pushes it into a noir overdrive. This will not be everyone's taste due to the adult themes but if you hang in there, there is something really great happening. Watching the damaged leads try to function in absurd situations is magnetic and hysterical. Sure it's not on the same level as Black's debut outing 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang' but this is close and that is head and shoulders above most of the usual reboot and unoriginal tosh that Hollywood dishes out each year. Plus Gosling and Crowe might just be the best buddy action comedy duo to grace the big screen in some years - the bathroom stall scene is brilliant!
We have all seen a million animated movies with talking animals and they are usually awful. Surprising then that Zootopia was so good. When lesser films would only have toilet humour to garner a laugh Zootopia rises above with well crafted characters in a complete and varied world. There is so much to enjoy throughout as the simple story of a bunny becoming a cop in the big city unfolds into something much broader in scale. You will find yourself laughing a lot, as this animal ensemble is ripe for comedy like when Judy Hopps (aforementioned bunny) and Nick Wilde (fox) encounter a DMV staffed entirely by sloths!
La La Land
Not always happy but it left a huge smile on my face mainly down to Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling who are such a watchable couple on screen and the music, wow!
Star Trek: Beyond
So much fun compared to 'Into Darkness' and the best use of the Beastie Boys EVER!
The Fundamentals of Caring
An odd comedy road trip movie with Paul Rudd who has one of the quotes of the year..."a bite of the James".
13 Hours
Amazing action scenes and who knew Jim from The Office was such a BA!
The Revenant
Never felt so cold in the cinema than when I shivered through this impressive and bleak epic.
The Best of The Rest:
*Allied, *Anthropoid, *Train to Busan, *Moana, *Arrival, *Everybody Wants Some, *Hidden Figures, *Bleed for This, The Jungle Book, Eddie the Eagle and Dr Strange.
So So Movies with Moments of Magic... Just Not Enough:
*The Witch, *Masterminds, *Collateral Beauty, *Don't Breathe, *Sully, *Deep Water Horizon, *Queen of Katwe, *War Dogs, *The Edge of Seventeen, *Snowden, Deadpool, Zoolander 2, Triple 9, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Kubo and the Two Strings, Pop Star: Never Stop Never Stopping, The shallows, Demolition, Bridget Jones' Baby, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Captain Fantastic.
Disappointing, was hoping for so much more:
*Manchester by the Sea, *Toni Erdmann, *Moonlight, *Sing, *Nocturnal Animals, *Paterson, *Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, The Secret Life of Pets, Suicide Squad, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Hail Caesar!, X-Men: Apocalypse, Jason Bourne, The Magnificent Seven, Absolutely Anything, The BFG, Girl on the Train and Blood Father.
Now You See Me 2, Kung Fu Panda 3, Ghostbusters and Swiss Army Man.
* denotes I have now seen that film since I first wrote this.
What were your fave films of 2016?
