Top Ten Best Films of 2016

2017 is well under way, and it is high time for me announce my picks for the ten best films of 2016. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to miss several stinkers, so my movie-going experience this past year was pretty great (except for last January's The Boy). I should preface this by saying that, while this was a record year for me in terms of seeing movies the year they came out (over 20, including those I did not review), there were several well-acclaimed ones I did not see and could not include on this list. For example, I did not have the chance to see Terrence Malick's Knight of Cups, or Oscar nominees like Arrival or Moonlight before making this list, nor did I get to see some films I wanted to see like Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them or Hacksaw Ridge. I am sure I will see them before too long, but for now, they must stay off the list in all fairness--I did not see them! With that out of the way, let's get into this!

Honorable Mentions

There are three films that I want to mention before I go into the top 10 since they deserve some recognition. In no particular order, those films are:

Zootopia. This was the last 2016 film I saw, and I greatly admire what it tries to do. Unlike many Disney animated films, the creators took a chance and decided to tell a relevant story about discrimination. The film does not come off as preachy, and it presents strong characters through bunny cop Judy Hopps and fugitive fox Nick Wilde. It was not my favorite animated film of the year, but it was a darn good one!

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. This is Michael Bay's best film. Choosing to eschew the politics of the Benghazi attack and focus on the stories of the soldiers, he lets the harrowing drama shine through in a respectful way. Furthermore, David Denham and John Krasinski prove that they are more than just their characters from The Office. It is a war film worth seeing.

Deadpool. I saw this back in March but I could not figure out how to best tackle it. Time has since passed, and I can't pass up including it in my honorable mentions. The main reason it didn't quite crack the top 10 is because of some tonal issues: it goes from high-energy comedy to brutal drama, and I'm not sure it hit its highest highs again once the dramatic sequences got tough with Wade Wilson's cancer arc. That said, the movie's an absolute blast. It is crude, but in a smart way, like Robin Williams's stand-up. It justifies its sexual content as purposes of character, and gave us some top-notch action sequences. It even got a few digs in on Fox's X-Men franchise. I greatly enjoyed the film, and if you can stand a hard R (and are older than 17), you probably will, too.

10. The Fundamentals of Caring

I'm not sure how many people actually got to see this road-trip dramedy on Netflix, but I was pleasantly surprised by this one. The main cast delivers some great performances: the woman who plays Peaches (Megan Ferguson) deserves greater recognition for her hilarious show-stealing performance as a quirky pregnant Army wife. I was moved by this indie story, and I laughed a lot, glad that I saw a film the type of which is just not made that often anymore.

9. Finding Dory

Was my perfect score a bit hyperbolic back in June? Perhaps. That said, a sequel like this deserves to be applauded for feeling so organic despite some of its more crazy set pieces. The film was emotional, funny, and beautifully animated. I really enjoyed being back with Nemo, Dory, and Marlin, and the new cast of characters, especially Gerald, fit right in with the old gang.

8. Captain America: Civil War

I saw this one late so I didn't review it. Since its release in May, though, Captain America: Civil War has been in the conversation for best superhero movie of all-time, and there's good reason for that. Civil War feels not only like a vital chapter in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it is an excellent Captain America film, giving enough balance to the large cast of characters to let Steve and Bucky's story breathe and take the forefront. It also raises political questions of oversight to which it does not present a clear answer. A fitting conclusion to the Captain America trilogy and an exciting introduction to the MCU's next chapter, this film deserves to also be among the best of the year.

7. 10 Cloverfield Lane

No other film shocked me this year like 10 Cloverfield Lane did. Served with an intense feeling of unease, the film features standout performances by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Gallagher, Jr., and John Goodman, who is extremely unnerving as the enigmatic doomsday prepper and War vet Howard. This all leads up to a disturbing and surprising finale. Even though the film leaves several questions unanswered, I was never frustrated because none of it feels cheap. All in all, the film establishes the Cloverfield franchise as one of the most mysterious but excitingly great properties in the film industry today. My hope is that 2017's God Particle ties everything together; if not, 10 Cloverfield Lane is still one of the best thrillers of the year.

6. The Conjuring 2

I never considered myself a huge horror guy, but I loved The Conjuring. Thankfully, The Conjuring 2 is almost as great as its predecessor. While not as oppressively disturbing as the first one, The Conjuring 2 continues to develop the characters of the Warrens and has great moments of drama. More importantly, though, it introduces an effectively scary character through the Demon Nun who fits rather well into the whole affair. With continued great chemistry by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga and the fantastic performance by Madison Wolfe, The Conjuring 2 once again establishes the series as one of the best horror series today. I even had a "Hallelujah Jesus!" moment in the theater, so that says something about the cathartic appeal of the film!

5. The Jungle Book

I didn't like that Kaa had so little screen time; I absolutely loved everything else about the film. Seamlessly blending revolutionary animation with a live actor, The Jungle Book is the owner of the Best Visual Effects Oscar next month. But the film is more than just a $175 million special effects exposition by Jon Favreau. Surprisingly, this is a remake that gets it right, improving upon Walt Disney's final film in almost every way and in spades. Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, and Idris Elba give great performances, and only one of them isn't animated! It is this film's greatness that makes me most excited about the potential of March's Beauty and the Beast.

4. Sing Street

Easily the most underrated film of the year, Sing Street is director John Carney's third music film and perhaps his best. It's the best 80s film that never came out in the 80s. It's a fun movie about friendship, love, and brotherhood. The music exemplifies why this year was the year of the movie musical. It's a crying shame not one of the songs in here got nominated for Best Original Song, but that doesn't change the fact that Sing Street is one of my favorite movies of the year. Please: go watch this on Netflix as soon as you can. If you don't have Netflix, then just buy it. Buy it wherever and however you can. It's such a special film you can't miss!

3. Moana

The best animated film of the year, Moana perfects the Disney formula and introduces a fantastic and inspiring female lead. While it doesn't try to have the social commentary that Zootopia has or really does anything all that new in the genre, it still is a very special film. Lin-Manuel Miranda's debut as a film songwriter elevates the film, providing not only some of the best songs in Disney history, but the most powerful. The greatest testament to this film is that I saw it twice in one day and loved it just the same; I'm still talking about it today.


2. Patriots Day

Patriots Day is the most important film of the year, even more so than the relevant but flawed Snowden. Though coming fresh off the heels of the disaster that it's based on, the movie suitably justifies itself, delivering a tense, emotional thriller that proves the importance of love and unity in the face of terrorism and hate. Furthermore, the film is not content with cardboard cutouts and succeeds in giving us three-dimensional, developed portrayals of the people connected to the Boston Marathon bombing. The film is currently in wide release. If you get a chance to see it, take it.

1. La La Land

This shouldn't come as much of a surprise to much anybody who reads my stuff. I loved La La Land, but not just because it was an enjoyable musical. Damien Chazelle puts so much detail in every frame of the film and makes the simple love story of dreamers something that needs to be experienced several times to fully appreciate the greatness of it. That's not to say the first time is disappointing: not at all! The film is strong, and it only gets better the more you watch. The best way to describe is like a great book, with layers that demand analysis and when that analysis is done, the book is rightfully heralded as a book of art. Lovingly blending music with what only film can do, La La Land is a poignant film that everyone can relate to because we're all fools that dream. The way it's told, though, makes it my favorite film of the year.

That's my list, friends! As tends to happen, my list probably isn't the same as yours. That doesn't make your list more right or more wrong than mine. Let me know your favorite films of 2016 and let's talk about it. I really enjoyed this year in film--from the songs to the scenes to the shots and the drama--and I look forward to what 2017 has to offer. Now, as always, whatever you have to say about me or the movies, comment below!

Most Anticipated Movies of 2017

2016 delivered some really solid films, like La La Land and Moana. 2017 seems to be eager to deliver some great films, too, many of which I am looking forward to. Let's talk about some of them. As a disclaimer, there are two films that could be on this list but won't. The first one is Silence since that technically came out last year, but it doesn't reach a wide release until this month. I already discussed how much I'm looking forward to that in an earlier post, so I feel like it wouldn't be fair to talk about it further here. Also, Patriots Day goes wide this month, too, but I already included that on my Top 10 Films of 2016 list, since I was able to see it when it was limited. I urge you to go see Patriots Day when it opens, and we can look forward to Silence together.

10. The Masterpiece

Formerly called The Disaster Artist, The Masterpiece will detail the making of the 2003 cult film The Room, a film known for its absolute terribleness. In the scenes I've seen of The Room, it's hilarious how bad it is. James Franco stars and directs this comedic biopic on how it all went down. I'm curious to see how The Room was made, and there's a stellar cast lined up, with the Franco brothers taking the lead, with Seth Rogen, Bryan Cranston, Sharon Stone, and Zac Efron. I'm looking forward to this, even more than Dunkirk and Spider-Man: Homecoming! Currently, The Masterpiece has no set release date.

9. Song to Song

Terrence Malick has been making a movie about every year since his magnum opus (and my favorite film) The Tree of Life was released in 2012. This one is his long-talked about music drama set in Austin, Texas. Though I haven't quite had the chance to see some of those films, like Knight of Cups and To the Wonder, I really like how this one's shaping up. Malick's style should really complement this story of music in Austin, Texas, perhaps even greater than John Carney has done with Once or Sing Street. It also has a knockout cast with Ryan Gosling, Michael Fassbender, Natalie Portman, and Rooney Mara. I'm liking what I'm seeing so far, so here's to greatness. Song to Song is scheduled for release on March 17, a week after its premiere at South by Southwest Festival. Hopefully this one is actually made easy to see, unlike Voyage of Time, which I'm convinced I'll finally be able to see for the first time in 2032.

Song to Song

8. God Particle

God Particle is the third film in the Cloverfield franchise, after 2008's tense found-footage film Cloverfield and 2016's shocking 10 Cloverfield Lane (which you'll see in another list not too far from now). After marathoning those two films one night, I am absolutely pumped to see what's next for this series. The first two films were very good, unique stand-alones, but they hinted at a greater universe, setting themselves up as great first chapters. I'm hoping God Particle takes the questions raised in those two films and gives us some answers and connective tissue, and with the pitch being that astronauts return to Earth after a long mission and find it nothing like the same, it looks like J. J. Abrams and his team will provide them. God Particle is slated for an October 27 release; by then, the title may change to Mission: Cloverfield or something like that to tie it in, but who knows. Regardless, I'm really looking forward to this.

7. The Greatest Showman

The Greatest Showman is a film that I heard about a while ago on Rotten Tomatoes, and then when I rediscovered it the other day, I remembered how much I wanted to see this. The film is a biopic featuring Hugh Jackman as P. T. Barnum. The unique thing is, this is supposed to be a musical biopic. After the great musical films we got in 2016, notably Sing Street, Moana, and La La Land, I want to see how the genre evolves into this year. Jackman is a reliable leading man, and he deserved his Oscar nomination for Les Miserables. What's there not to look forward to? When a trailer comes out, this could easily jump to my top 5 most anticipated, but for now, number 7 seems a good place. The Greatest Showman is scheduled for release on Christmas Day: joy to the world!

6. Split

Astonishingly, I'm looking forward to a film in January! Split is M. Night Shyamalan's latest film after his apparent return to form in The Visit, and it looks freaky. James McAvoy plays a man who harbors over 20 different personalities. When one of these personalities abducts three teenage girls, the girls must try to escape him before a new hostile personality, The Beast, emerges. It looks like a tense thriller, and with the great buzz it's been getting since its showings at festivals, I can't not look forward to it. If it's as good or better than The Sixth Sense, Signs, Unbreakable (of which this is a spiritual sequel) or The Village, I'm sure we'll see this on my best of the year list. Split comes out on January 20th.

Split

5. Hidden Figures

I'm actually seeing this one hours after I post this list. Hidden Figures tells the story of three African-American women pivotal to the launching of the first man in space. I saw the trailer before Moana and immediately afterwards, my friends and I knew this was going to be a really great film. It looks like a special film, too, and I'm interested to see this story. Starring Octavia Spencer, Taraji P. Henson, Janelle Monae, Jim Parsons, and Kevin Costner, Hidden Figures opens wide today, January 6. My review will come in the next few days.

4. Guardians of the Galxy: Vol. 2

In case you're wondering where all the blockbusters are, here they are! I enjoyed the first Guardians of the Galaxy, even though the end is awfully cheesy; the humor and tone, overall, were great. Vol. 2 looks like it will knock the first one out of the park. Now that the characters and world are established, James Gunn has plenty of room to explore the character dynamics and give us a rockin' good time. Not to mention that the first trailer was the funniest trailer to come out in 2016. I'm so looking forward to this, and it's the only Marvel movie I have the urge to see on opening weekend (sorry, John Hughes' Spidey!). Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 opens May 5, 2017.

3. Star Wars Episode VIII

The Force Awakens was a nice set-up for the sequel trilogy, now director Rian Johnson has the job to deliver on the anticipation created by the open-ended questions established by Abrams in the last film. Extremely little information has been revealed about the film so far, but I assume it will deal with the training of hero and villain Rey and Kylo Ren, which seems to me an interesting juxtaposition. Also, this will be the last performance we will ever see of the late Carrie Fisher, but I am looking forward to seeing her scenes with her daughter Billie Lourd as well as the young blood introduced in Episode VII, like Finn and Poe. Maybe Luke and Leia will finally reunite? Who knows! Either way, I'm looking forward to this, even if it is an obligation at this point. Episode VIII comes to theaters on December 15.

Logan

2. Logan

I am a huge fan of the X-Men film franchise, and allegedly, this is Hugh Jackman's last go as the classic character Wolverine. The film looks dark and gritty and like a brilliant send-off to the character, the Wolverine trilogy, and Patrick Stewart's Professor X. I have no idea where this takes place in the official X-Men timeline. All I know is that I'm liking what I'm seeing, and if I were given the options, I would see this over a new Star Wars movie. I'm excited to see what they do as an R-rated western, and I'm excited to see Hugh Jackman's farewell performance in the role (that is, until Ryan Reynolds convinces him to do a Wolverine/Deadpool movie in 2022). Logan is slated for release on March 3rd.

1. Beauty and the Beast

It's the tale as old as time, the song as old as rhyme, and perhaps the best cast movie of 2017. Emma Watson, of Harry Potter fame, stars as Belle, leading a cast that includes Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Emma Thompson, Kevin Kline, and Ian McKellen. I absolutely love the 90s animated film, and the stage adaptation has a fabulous soundtrack. I'm interested in seeing the new live action take on it, especially after hearing that Alan Menken will return with new songs, and that some of Howard Ashman's unused lyrics will be reinstated into the film as a lovely tribute. I'd probably be more trepidatious if I hadn't seen The Jungle Book, but since The Jungle Book was so great, I have absolute faith in this new adaptation. I've liked most everything I've seen so far, so here's to greatness. It's also the only film on this list for which I've blotted out opening day on my calendar. That should speak for itself! Beauty and the Beast rounds out a stellar release calendar in March on March 17th.

That's my list! I know there are some that people are really looking forward to that I didn't include on my list, like Kong: Skull Island, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Alien: Covenant, but I'm just not looking forward to those as much as I am these ten. But let's start a discussion: what films are you most looking forward to this year? Whatever you have to say about me or the movies, comment below!

NEW MOVIE: La La Land

Before the first real frame of film begins, we know that La La Land will be a different animal than we've grown accustomed to in the modern age of cinema. After studio logos, we're presented with text we haven't seen in decades on the silver screen: "Presented in CinemaScope," a proud token of nostalgia. The triumphant fanfare of glorious film is replaced with the many sounds of the Los Angeles freeway, endless honking, yelling, and different types of music as the Sun beats down on the drivers. Suddenly, the cacophony gives way to an infectious Latin beat. Though we began this film with the road rage we know and love, we're now thrown into the film's opening number, as the singing, dancing, and jazz-fluting Greek Chorus of Hollywood-Hopefuls-On-the-Freeway establishes the tone for the rest of the film: it's an often-fun, unapologetic, colorful, and nostalgic musical about dreamers with passion, ready to pay the price to achieve said dreams. Of course, this brief synopsis does not do justice to the detail present in this sequence. I haven't even begun to mention the many colors, the extensive choreography, the implications of the lyrics, or even the fact that it's all in one, very long (perhaps ten minute) take; there is not enough room in a single review to do so. The great joy is: this is only a taste of the mastery of Damien Chazelle's latest film La La Land.

Rated PG-13 for some language

As the Greek Chorus returns to their vehicles, we see the first encounter between aspiring actress Mia (Emma Stone, Birdman) and jazz pianist Sebastian (Ryan Gosling, Drive), just two of the many hopefuls on the highway but the two with whom we spend the rest of the movie with. Unlike the cute and witty first meeting of Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds in Singin' in the Rain, our love interests meet rather unceremoniously: a prolonged honking of the horn and the flipping-of-the-bird. From there, we see how they struggle to achieve their passions and how their paths always seem to cross. "Maybe it means something," Sebastian ponders. "Probably not," he concludes. Oh, but it does mean something: perhaps not fate, but their chance encounters pave the way for writer-director Chazelle (Whiplash) to completely sweep us into their musical romance, asking us if it truly is a bad thing to be a dreamer and, by the end, also making us ponder the consequences of every action we make.

I try to analyze a film and look at it from as artistic of a view as I can on the first viewing. When I saw this for the first time on Monday, I just couldn't. I became so emotionally involved in the story, I couldn't even be bothered to try to make out symbolism and themes; it was like the strings that much of the score is composed of took me by the scruff of the neck and took me on a ride, never content to let go. I had to really process the film for a while after I saw it, meditating on it. Then I saw it a second time and was able to pick up more. I could see it again and again and still get more out of it, for sure. La La Land is like a great, beefy classic novel, one that your great-aunt who was an English major annotated so much that the text can't even be read anymore. There's so much detail in most every frame, so much that goes into every shot, long and short. There's unstated symbolism in the colors that our heroes wear and an enchantment in the lighting. It's poetic and not just because a good chunk of its script is in sung verse: the film opens and closes in the same style; the film goes through four seasons, starting and ending in winter; motifs come in and out through the hypnotically beautiful score; the many waltzes and "dream ballets" are more about what they mean than their technique.

Even though it is a very involving romance between Mia and Sebastian, I think it is worth noting the use of CinemaScope--the fact that it was shot on film instead of digital. The first time I saw it, it was kind of frustrating how whenever the camera moved for prolonged periods of time, it left a motion blur until it stopped. While in our age of pristine equipment, it is easy to call if a flaw, I think Chazelle was decisive about this choice and not just for sake of nostalgia. The blur is the "worst" during the opening number when it's sweeping across the many hopefuls dancing on cars, so it's difficult to make out the faces. However, I found it justified itself in a later scene in the first act when Sebsastian is playing at a fine dining restaurant. Panning around the patrons, the camera stops and focuses on Sebastian at the piano, smiling to himself at the idiocy of playing crappy jazz Christmas tunes. He finally decides to play the theme on his heart, an emotional jazz solo that comes to define the rest of the soundtrack and his relationship with Mia. From then on, now that we've found our "Someones in the Crowd," the camera stays fixated on them, culminating in a final audition sequence that salutes and calls out to the dreamers in all of us, "the artists, the poets, and plays," foolish though we may seem in our journey to act, to direct, to create art, to write, to talk about movies, to make movies, to make a difference in the world, to be what we want to be in this life because we darn well can. That doesn't mean there aren't hardships and sacrifices that we have to face, though, and the film is unapologetic in showing us this. The first lyric of the entire film is about sacrifice, for goodness' sake. As a result, despite its fun allusions to classic musicals and films, it is a bittersweet ode. A lovely ode, but bittersweet.

Stone and Gosling bring their impeccable chemistry to a powerful film.

La La Land is a beautifully-made film that is not comfortable to only be a homage to classic cinema. Instead, it sets itself in modern times to deal with the real concepts of pursuing passions and loves and what we are willing to do to keep them if we can. Its songs are perfect for the occasion, but also speak volumes to us as dreamers. In a serendipitous happenstance, I came across some friends of mine in the same theater the film was showing in; afterwards, the lot of us talked for an hour about it, and we never veered far from the door of Theater 12, even as the next showing began. The late great Roger Ebert, when discussing the idea of what makes a great film, once wrote:

It is said that the human brain divides its functions. The right brain is devoted to sensory impressions, emotions, colors, music. The left brain deals with abstract thought, logic, philosophy, analysis. My definition of a great movie: While you're watching it, it engages your right brain. When it's over, it engages your left brain.

That may be the best way to describe La La Land, a sure-to-be classic. If you truly value a star rating, dear Reader, it has 5 out of 5 stars. This is a special film that you must see in the theaters. There are all walks of people who are loving this movie. In the two matinees I attended, the theater was packed with middle-aged and elderly folk who applauded the film at the end. A high school friend of mine, who you would never say was the biggest musical nerd, has seen this three times (if not more) and has declared it to be his favorite movie. An older friend said he felt like he became a changed person afterwards. It has affected the cinephiles, the theatre nerds, and the common man. One old man came to the theater with his oxygen tank just to see this film--what dedication! The film opens worldwide on January 6th after a long expansion from limited release: see it as soon as you can, and if you somehow can't, rearrange everything so you can.

Have you seen La La Land? What did you think about it? Whatever you have to say about me or the movies, comment below!

NEW MOVIE: Moana

Frozen took the world by storm in 2013, for many setting a new bar for Disney's future animated films to live up to. Zootopia also struck a chord with kids and adults alike earlier this year. How does the Mouse House's latest outing, Moana, do?

Rated PG for peril, some scary images, and brief thematic elements

Moana tells the story of the young future chief Moana (Auli'i Cravalho) and her perilous quest to find the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson, Central Intelligence) in order to restore the long-lost stone, "The Heart of Te Fiti," in order to stop an impending darkness from destroying her Polynesian village and the world. Along the way, they'll come across Mad Max-style coconut monsters, a giant killer crab (Jemaine Clement of Flight of the Conchords), and the lava demon Te Ka. One of the greatest elements of the film is the plot. Though very much a Disney film and feels familiar in that regard, it really makes an effort to tell a different kind of story, one unreliant on a love story, on a princess complex, or a simplistic good vs. evil duality. It's essentially a Polynesian Odyssey with a wicked (in the New Englander sense) strong female protagonist without feeling like a "Social Justice Warrior" kind of thing that some people complain about on the Internet. Of course, this isn't the first strong female character in a Disney movie--Belle, Esmeralda, and Mulan all were. But with such a strong character as Moana, the rest of the movie feels fresh and original without over-parodying the tropes like Frozen. It all feels organic.

What also feels organic is Lin-Manuel Miranda's songs. Coming straight off of Hamilton, this guy proves he's a musical force to be reckoned with. Even though the songs are noticeably his style, it doesn't feel distracting in the least. In fact, his music provides some of the best moments in the film, including Maui's "You're Welcome" and the climactic "I Am Moana." After walking out of the film, I declared this would have 3 Oscar noms guaranteed in the Best Original Song category, but with so many musical films coming out in 2016, like Sing Street and La La Land, the competition will be tougher than I thought. Ironically, the weakest part of the film is the crab Tamatoa's Bowie-style song, "Shiny." It's not that it's a terrible song, but my friends and I did note its oddity after the film; it seemed a little out of place, but I think that was the point. Regardless, I feel like the majority of the songs are the strongest in a Disney movie in a long time. Sure, everyone remembers the Frozen soundtrack, but those seemed designed as earworms; when remembering the songs from Moana, they are accompanied by the memories of their emotional context; they are more substantive. To compare the two, Moana's songs are like a fine steak dinner and Frozen's are a bag of Hershey's Kisses. There's a deep goodness to this film's songs, while Frozen's are fun to sing along to but aside from "Let It Go," all the goodness melts at the surface.

The animation is beautiful, and the characters are given depth and sufficient motivation. It's great to see not only the journey Maui and Moana go on, but also the inner journey as the cast discovers their identity and worth. It is easily directors Clements and Musker's best film yet and it really perfects the Disney musical. If Disney suddenly declared they were shutting down their animation division, this would a most excellent swan song. Given a score of 4.5 out of 5 stars, Moana is a very special animated film that you must see in the theaters (and given its consistent box office numbers, it will be around for a long time). It is a film I can't wait to show my future children should I ever them, and it ranks very highly on my list of best Disney films.

"And no one knows how far it goes..."

So what did you think about Moana? How do you think it stacks up? Whatever you have to say about me or the movies, comment below!