Top Ten Movies of 2016

Notice: I go off the release dates of movies based off when they first come out in the USA. So films like Jackie which came out in 2017 in Australia come under 2016 for my list.

Like everyone else I want to forget 2016 but fortunately there were some films worth remembering. These are the ones that while in a dark room full with strangers moved, made me think, amazed me, creeped me out, made me smile, laugh, and have a good time.

On this list you won't find some excellent movies like Arrival, 13th, Love & Friendship, The Eyes of My Mother, The Witch, Julieta, Rogue One, Midnight Special, A War, Tickled, Swiss Army Man, Hail Caesar!, Girl Asleep and Zootopia.

So here is my 10...

Click on any title to take you to the IMDb page

10. Captain Fantastic (Dir. Matt Ross)

The times are hard. No other movie this year suggests this the way this film does. Viggo Mortensen's performance as a Dad who raises is family in isolation of the forrest is really the highlight of this movie. As he tries to keep on to his way of life but his wife passes away. He's told not to come to the funeral but his kids think otherwise and are persistent. When getting there one thing leads to the next and his kids might be taken off him because his wife's father in law worries for their safety.

9. The Handmaiden (Dir. Park Chan-Wook)

When blockbusters are going for the action, the explosions, and the superheros to sell their movies, it's very relieving to see the equivalent of a blockbuster in a smaller country to have more original selling points. These selling points include strong and compelling female leads, lavish production design, playful cinematography, and a daring story. If you don't plan to see this I'll be disappointed.

8. Paterson (Dir. Jim Jarmusch)

Like the Handmaiden, Paterson relies on its own unique selling points. Yet Paterson is nothing like The Handmaiden nor the bigger Hollywood films. It's simply about a bus driver who is also an aspiring poet in a town called Paterson and his name is Paterson. For the whole movie we follow a week of Paterson's (Adam Driver) life. He writes his poetry, drives the bus, helps his girlfriend with her ever changing dreams, and more. It's a film that has deadpan humor but it's never deadpan.

7. Everybody Wants Some!! (Dir. Richard Linklater)

It's been 23 years since Linklater's breakout film 'Dazed and Confused' hit our screens. Ever since there hasn't been a day since where one wouldn't want to re-watch it and catch up with old friends. Now we have a new group of friends in 'Dazed and Confused's' spiritual sequel. There's plenty of characters to like (or dislike), subplots to follow, a great soundtrack, and plenty of the same kind humor of present in this Dazed and Confused spiritual predecessor.

6. High-Rise (Dir. Ben Wheatley)

If there's one film on this list that I can bet won't be on other critics' list it's this one. What I saw (twice) was a film that comments on society but it's ideas come from the 1970s. Where the hostility towards communism and socialism were at its highest. However the ideas present are still relevant in today's society. We follow Tom Hiddleston charm and fight his way through the class system of a large apartment block design and ran by the same person. But not long after Hiddleston's character arrives, things go to shit.

5. Nocturnal Animals (Dir. Tom Ford)

Ever since Alfred Hitchcock refined the thriller, it's had set pieces that normally become the most memorable part of the film. Nocturnal Animals is no exception except its main and most memorable set piece comes early in the film. I won't tell you what happens in it but I can tell it's longer than most 'set pieces' and is a lot more minimal. Praise needs to go to Jake Gyllenhaal for pulling off two characters, Amy Adams for pulling off a character over many years in her life, Michael Shannon for his portrayal of a sheriff, and Aaron Taylor Johnson for... Well you'll find out when you watch it.

4. Elle (Dir. Paul Verhoeven)

When winning the Golden Globe director Paul Verhoeven ('Robocop' & 'Total Recall') thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for liking the movie even though the audience isn't invited to sympathise with the main character. So the film relies on it's mystery-thriller side to keep you interested. And once you're watching is it hard not to be invested in our main character Elle. We follow her as she tries to work out who raped her in her own home. Any praise for this movie needs to go 50/50 with Paul Verhoeven and Isabelle Huppert.

3. Toni Erdmann (Dir. Maren Ade)

The father-daughter relationship is one that is often overlooked in film but here in Toni Erdmann it is what drives the film. The relationship is never perfect in this film. However the film doesn't fall into the Hollywood tropes of a bad relationship being one in which each party is at other's throats. The conflict presented here is one that began well before the opening frames of the movie and seeing our two leads overcome those problems leads to some of the most genuine (and funny) moments in film this year.

2. La La Land (Dir. Damien Chazelle)

This was the film that we needed as a society this year. One that was full of hope, fun, technicolor and music. I don't know how long it has been since a musical has had numbers this catchy and ones that get stuck in your head for so long. I would imagine it would be before my lifetime. This is the second great film in a row Damien Chazelle and it proves that he is a force to be reckoned with. No matter what his next feature is I know the whole film world will be watching.

1. Jackie (Dir. Pablo Larraín)

If La La Land was the movie we needed, Jackie is the one we deserved. If one has never read anything about John F Kennedy outside his assassination has also most definitely never read about his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, and the subject of this biopic. This film proves she was more than the wife of one of the most consequential presidents of 20th century and a fashion icon. She was in fact a strong lady who helped build the legacy of her husband after his death. She fought off the succeeding president and office to get the funeral she wanted and more. This is all tied together by Natalie Portman's performance which should win her her 2nd Oscar.

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So those are my top 10 of 2016. What are yours? What did I leave out?