TOP TEN MOVIES OF 2016

Man, this was not an easy list to put together. It's changed at least three times whilst writing it. But here it is, the top 10 flicks I saw in cinemas in 2016. 

Disclaimer - Some of these films had film festival runs in late 2015. Others aren't released until early 2017 in the UK, but had festival screenings in 2016. 

Civil War 

Despite having a severe case of Superhero movie fatigue, Civil War managed to keep me optimistic that when these movies are done right, they are one hell of a fun ride. Marvel succeeded here in pitting their two golden boys against each other and the Russo brothers done so by making the rivalry feel authentic. The movies defining moment and perhaps even the franchises, came in the form of a gloriously action packed 17-minute set piece in an airport. You could have mistaken any adult in that movie theatre for a goggle eyed, slack jawed 8-year old who was witnessing their favourite comic book come to life. The real triumph here though, was the writing. The stories moral centre, which is often so black and white in these films, was continually shifting, complex and thought provoking. 

The Nice Guys

The master of buddy-cop movies, may have taken over a decade to return to his action-packed roots, but it’s fair to say that he’s recaptured that secret sauce he used so abundantly in the late 80’s/early 90’s. Two private detectives with very different ideas of what’s morally acceptable in their line of work, find themselves reluctantly teaming up to find a missing girl. The humour is crude, perverse and dark. Gosling and Crowe have an undeniable on screen chemistry and the 70’s setting see’s you laughing at its political incorrectness that we can only assume was acceptable at the time. All in all, this movie is unashamedly fun throughout, a rare thing in today’s action movies.

Spotlight 

Far from the popcorn blockbusters that totalled the 2016 box office, Spotlight is the real-life story of the team of journalists that uncovered the global Catholic Church child abuse scandal. Unlike so many of its Oscar winning predecessors, this movie never played for the Oscar. The drama unfolds as you’d expect it to in real life. Harrowing revelations weren’t met with overacted monologues or emotional break downs. Instead, the films subject matter was heavy enough for the audience to feel it’s gruelling weight and the cast reflected those feelings with their realistically subdued performances. A heavy watch, but an important one. 

Creed

The last two years have seen so many reboots, sequels and remakes fail miserably (critically speaking), but Creed should be held up like a shiny gold belt as to how it’s done. Director Ryan Coogler, wrote this movie as a piece of fan fiction for his sick Dad and eventually pitched it to Stallone. This movie has all the cheese and tropes of its Rocky predecessors, but manages to bring the story we love into the millennial generation along with a magnetic performance by Michael P Jordan. I can’t wait to see more from Coogler – the dude’s still only 30.

Room

The film that saw Brie Larson deservedly win the best actress Oscar is the story of a mother and her son who have been held captive in a room for several years. The boy (played by the ludicrously talented Jacob Tremblay) was born in the room and has never seen anything outside of its walls. It’s through his world that you experience both the strange comfort and claustrophobia of the room. The director, Lenny Abrahamson succeeds brilliantly in making the viewer feel the same conflicted feelings of bewilderment and relief in the films third act as Brie Larsons character. I know we can’t give Oscars to 9-year olds, but in my opinion, Jacob Tremblay gave a better performance than Di Caprio did in the Revenant – sue me.

Arrival

Great Sci-Fi is often a reflection of the cultural and global issues the world faces. It’s also about us humans and how we deal with said issues as a race of fickle, emotional beings. Denis Villenvue has masterfully constructed a tense piece of thought provoking science fiction that puts the focus on what we can do to help others, rather than what extra-terrestrial life can do to help ourselves. A truly powerful performance by Amy Adams will no doubt see her pick up an Oscar nom and rightly so. Not to mention, this film is beautifully shot and fantastic to look at. 

Rogue One

The first in series of “Star Wars stories”, Rogue One see’s a band of rogue rebellion fighters band together on a suicide mission to steal the plans for the death star. This is the first time in any Star Wars film where you really feel there’s a war going on. Not just an intergalactic, fantastical and mythical war, but a conflict that runs deep with those involved. It’s a dirty war, lives are lost and the stakes feel high. The first act was slow and choppy, but the final third of this movie is exhilarating, ambitious and satisfying. It’s in the final few minutes that we get a 2-minute fight sequence that is quite frankly one of my favourite Star Wars moments ever. 

Green Room

Anyone who knows me, knows that I’ve been harping on about this movie for over a year now. A film so tense and vividly violent, that it had people walking out of its London Film Festival screening. Green Room sees an underground punk band play to a group of neo-nazis just so they can make some petrol. The discovery of a body in the venues green room see’s Anton Yelchin and his band held hostage by a group of skinheads lead by Patrick Stewart. The sense of fear and panic created by director Jeremy Saulnier is masterful and the violence is particularly difficult to watch. In my opinion, thanks to the performances of Yelchin and Imogen Poots, Green Room will become a cult horror classic within the next decade. The kind of movie you invite your mates round to watch whilst slyly hiding behind a cushion.

The Handmaiden

The only foreign language movie to make my list, The Handmaiden is an intensely romantic and twisted exploration of love and obsession. Park Chan-wooks signature style of discomfort and deceit is rife in his adaptation of the 1930’s novel, Fingersmith. A lowly born pickpocket sets to con an aristocratic book collector at his stunning Victorian estate by serving as a handmaiden to his niece, whom they want to rob of her inheritance. Told in three parts, from three different points of view, you are taken on a twisting tale of double bluffs, reversals and revelations. This movie brings together everything I love about Asian cinema along with a British-Gothic/Victorian twist. For such a dizzying premise, Park Chan-wook manages to slot the pieces of this tale together with style and straight up quality film-making. 

Hunt For The Wilderpeople

This was an easy choice. I can’t remember the last time I walked out of a cinema grinning ear-to-ear and wanting to jump straight back in for a second watch. This movie has one quality in absolute abundance, heart. So much so that within the first 15 minutes you laughed hysterically at its dry wit and then sobbed straight afterwards. Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison) is a kid raised in foster care and finds himself under the loving wing of Bella and not so loving wing of her husband, Hec (Sam Neil). When Hec is faced with the prospect of a life he didn’t plan for, he “goes bush” and Ricky decides to go after him. Neil and Dennison make for one of my all-time favourite on screen duos, finding humour in the darkest places and creating an infectious chemistry that will have you laughing non-stop. The sincerity in the films story and performances are what sets it apart from so many other comedies. As the film progresses, so does the action and the character’s outlandish circumstances. Very rarely does a film hit every beat so perfectly and have such confidence it’s sense of humour. You will love this movie. Ricky Baker is my spirit-animal. 

The thing I love about film (and all art) is it's subjectiveness. I'd love to know what you saw at the movies this year that knocked you off your feet. Have I criminally left your favourite movie out? Maybe I didn't see it, or maybe I didn't like it. Let me know! 

Dan x