If I'm being honest, I was a tiny bit disappointed in the films of 2016. All the big promises of cinema greatness were a bit of a let down. I didn't find a single one of the comic book movies to be exciting, nor were any of the studio blockbusters a hit. However, there were some great things happening on Netflix in the form of TV, so that's probably the future. Anyway, in no particular order, here are my Top 5 movies of 2016.
Denis Villeneuve's slow take on the sci-fi genre was breathtaking. There was no need for action or even suspense in this character driven flick. Especially since it was about language not aliens, that was just to get people in the door. Villeneuve is able to balance both amazing visuals and a story that seems so small and personal, despite happening on a nearly global scale. On top of all that, Amy Adams gave an unbelievably good performance.
Damien Chazelle's upbeat and hopeful, Los Angeles-based pseudo musical was a joyful occasion. He is adept at handling both music and visuals and did a really good job at shedding a light on a part of Hollywood that not a lot of people know about. The amount of hard work that young aspiring actors put into trying to reach the stars is amazing and heartbreaking.
This modern western is more about the economic struggles on the frontier rather than the physical dangers of old. It's got all the hallmarks of a good western, including a grizzled old Jeff Bridges. Ben Foster plays his fantastic unhinged, scary character and Chris Pine is an even hungrier looking guy than Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler.
This was one that was just a nice little surprise. Writer/director Shane Black matched an amazingly detailed story with perfect casting of Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling. If anything, people should watch this and realise that Gosling is a fantastic physical comedian. Black is also able to pull off the 1970s setting so impressively, it'll feel like you're actually there.
John Michael McDonagh is amazing at creating interesting and involving characters and that's just what he's done here. Although it may seem like another stupid gun shooting action movie, War on Everyone has a lot deeper philosophical themes than meets the eye. And of course Michael Peña and Alexander Skårsgard just make a great team.
Honourable Mentions
The Light Between Oceans - A fantastic period movie, that really captures the ideas of isolation and that harsh Australian landscape, without (technically) being an Australian movie.
A Bigger Splash - This one was all about that perfect group of actors. Tilda Swinton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Ralph Fiennes and Dakota Johnson all work so well together.
My Scientology Movie - Being a longtime fan of Louis Theroux's documentary style, seeing it work on the big screen and with such a famous and controversial subject was a real joy.
Deadpool - In a year filled up with some not so great comic book movies, this one really stood out for being different, but not too different.
Stranger Things - Well this one just surprised everyone. This Netflix series transported everyone back to a 1980s Steven Spielberg/Stephen King world.
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