While we do recognize the arbitrary nature of putting together ranked lists of the best movies, we also find it forces us to think about the movies we really loved this year and why love them. It also encourages us to rethink the movies we thought we loved. We chose to rank them instead of listing them alphabetically. We went back and forth on this, but decided it would be a good exercise, if nothing else. So without further delay, here are our top 10 films of the year.
Elliot’s Picks
La La Land isn’t the only movie Damien Chazelle has a hand in this year. He wrote the screenplay to this tight little thriller. I am surprised with how much I enjoy it, even if I don’t love the ending. The build up, atmosphere, and tension, bolstered by John Goodman’s strong performance, is good enough to land a spot in my top 10.
9. The Witch
Ever since I read Wesley Morris’ review of this film from Sundance, I could not wait to see it. This paranoid, slow burning, nervy period piece had me wrapped around its finger the entire time. From the costumes, to the accents, Robert Eggers made a tense, atmospheric debut.
8. Arrival
Denis Villeneuve has done it again. This man is consistently churning out great movies. He gets good performances from his actors, and more often than not, his films leave me with something to ponder long after the closing credits wrap up. Arrival is no different. I can’t say too much, partly because I don’t want to spoil it, but partly because I am still thinking about it. Don’t let the premise fool you: there is a lot more than typical blockbuster sci-fi fare in this movie. Bradford Young’s cinematography is inspired.
Taylor Sheridan (Sicario) penned this modern crime western film exploring the lengths two brothers will go to in order to protect and provide for their family. Ben Foster and Chris Pine display their range while Jeff Bridges is on their trail as a spiritual twin to Tommy Lee Jones’ character in No Country For Old Men, and gives his best performance in years.
There is a scene in Nocturnal Animals in which I did not breathe. Tension was high; I could not relax. Michael Shannon is rightly nominated for his performance as a local sheriff who occupies the gray area between justice and crime. Tom Ford’s astute eye for visuals make watching this tale tasty and tricky on multiple levels.
This is as delicious as film I saw all year. Fiennes should be nominated for his boisterous performance, which is wonderfully contrasted against Swinton’s stoic reserve. I loved spending time in this world, and can’t wait for what the director Luca Guadagnino does next.
Yes, Casey Affleck will be nominated for an Academy Award. But please, don’t look over Lucas Hedges, who is near perfection as a high school teenager who lost his father, but has plenty of other things going on. Kenneth Lonergan’s screenplay provides rich material for the talented crew to tackle the vast array of emotions in this film.
3. Silence
Perhaps more than any other film I saw this year, Silence occupied my thoughts for weeks after I saw it. It’s crazy that a nearly 3 hour epic from Martin Scorsese merited little fanfare and only 1 Academy Award nomination. Whether you are religious or not, the themes and ideas in this film will surely stir something in you one way or another. I thought this film was masterful.
Chan-wook Park is one of the most exciting filmmakers to emerge over the last 20 years. This film is delicately layered, leading the viewer on a twisty tale of revenge, love, and violence, themes Park is intimately familiar with.
1. The Lobster
Is this a rom-com? A bleak dystopian vision? An allegory for our times? Yes, yes, and yes. Colin Farrel is great in this masterpiece of modern cinema. The concept is absurd but the cast and crew treat it quite seriously. And it pays off big time. I love this movie for its audacity and biting humor, as well as its originality.
Movies that almost made the list: Julieta, Krisha, Weiner, O.J.: Made in America
Movies I haven’t seen from this year, but need to: Toni Erdmann, Paterson
Will’s Picks
10. Blood Father
Mel Gibson finds himself on this list with one of the best action films of the year. I was disappointed this film did not see a wider release. It’s rare to see an overdone premise done so right. All of the characters’ motivations are clear and convincing, containing some riveting actions sequences, all of which make this movie stand out amongst your average action film. Mel is bigger and better than ever and reminds us why we loved his movies in the first place. Do not let this one fly under your radar any longer.
I never thought that a clean-shaven John Goodman could make me feel so unsettled and creeped out. I was pleasantly surprised to see a thriller trust its audience and avoid clichés in order to feel competent. The acting is superb and John Goodman most certainly deserves an Oscar nomination for the way he has the audience on the edge of their seat. He is creepy, likeable, funny, crazy and controlling all in one film and convinces everyone to buy what he was selling. An original, well-acted and tense thriller definitely deserves a spot on this list.
This movie was released early in the year. I was a little worried that it wasn’t going to live up to the well-established reputation of the Coen brothers simply because its release was pushed to February. How wrong I was. To my pleasant surprise this turned out to be one of the Coens’ best films yet. This film has some of the best comedic scenes and performances of the year, all while taking us on a history tour of Hollywood in the 1950s. It has something for everyone and definitely merits future viewings. The overall production was excellent and with time I think it will go down in history as one of the Coen brothers’ best films of all time.
The fact that both of Gosling’s films this year landed on this list should further tell you why he is one of the best actors working today. Shane Black writes and directs what I think to be one of the funniest, smartest and most likeable scripts of the year. Russell Crowe finally has a great role to remind us that he’s still got it and Gosling makes audiences see a new side to his acting that is nothing but entertaining to watch. I only wish Hollywood would take more advantage of this type of movie, but unfortunately the box office intake for this film would convince them to do otherwise. This was 2016’s “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.” Let’s hope it doesn’t take another 11 years before we see a movie of this same type of caliber.
6. La La Land
I would normally be blown away by the fact that a musical has shown up as one of my favorite films of the year, but I am convinced that as long as Damien Chazelle has complete creative control over his work, he will never make a bad film. Starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, this film continues to prove that these two actors have some of the best on-screen chemistry in Hollywood. The best way I can describe this film is enjoyable. It is refreshing to see a film that, although its premise may have been seen before, feels completely and totally original. All of the music meshed beautifully with the cinematography that made the streets and sites of LA feel almost dreamlike. Gosling proves himself to be one of the most versatile and dedicated actors working in Hollywood. This is a movie that reminds us why we love movies. If you are someone who does not have any interest in movie musicals, allow this one to be the exception. You’ll be glad you did.
5. Arrival
Much like other films on this list, the director was able to take what seems to be a common premise for film and gives us so much more than what we bargained for. Denis Villeneuve continues to have an untainted filmography with this year’s best sci-fi film. A daring and much different approach to the premise of an alien invasion gives us so much to ponder and think about and most definitely deserves multiple viewings. This was the only film of the year where I found myself glued to my seat as the credits rolled, unable to leave the theater because I had so much to think and talk about with the people I saw it with. This was the most thought-provoking film of the year and will go down as one of the best sci-films in recent history.
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Amy Adams and Michael Shannon, we see nothing but Oscar-worthy performances. I found myself tensing up and gripping my seat through some of the most nerve-wracking scenes I have ever seen. Director Tom Ford tells this thriller in an unconventional way, ensuring I was on the edge of my seat and fully invested in every scene. I cannot express in words how tense and raw this movie is. While your average film would break the tension with a jump scare, Ford wisely chooses to keep you in that state as long as he possibly can as he carries that tension over from scene to scene, and it pays off beautifully.
And the Oscar for Best Actor goes to….. I cannot remember the last time I watched a film and forgot that I was watching a fictional story take place. Casey Affleck gives the best and most convincing performance of his career. I never felt like a single scene was “Hollywood-ized” or didn’t, to some extent, feel like an authentic snippet out of someone’s life. The subject of grief has never been explored better in ways that makes this movie watchable and enjoyable despite the depressing subject matter. Comic relief seamlessly blends itself into scenes that feels natural and unforced and help lighten the tone when we are watching such a depressed and grief-stricken character. Real life has never felt so effortlessly portrayed in a film and deserves all the praise that I predict it will get during the Oscar season.
Mel Gibson is back and better than ever. With a 10-year directing hiatus, Mel stuns the world with what I believe to be the best war film since Saving Private Ryan. You haven’t been more terrified and in awe at the same time while watching some of the most realistic war sequences. While what we are watching makes us want to look away, our eyes stayed glued to the screen at how beautifully shot and handled this film is helmed. But more so than the war sequences, Andrew Garfield gives his best performance to date to help tell this story. This film brought me to tears and moved me more than any other film of 2016.
This is the only film I saw in the theaters this year where I went in not having read, heard nor seen anything about it. I could not have been more thrilled when about halfway through the movie, I knew I had walked into a masterpiece. Starring Chris Pine, Ben Foster, and an Oscar-worthy performance by Jeff Bridges, we have a simple premise that you may have seen or heard of before. But what this film does right is give itself layers to peel back and some subject matter to chew on after viewing it. There is so much more going on than what is simply talked about on screen that gives the film and characters much more depth than we would originally expect. The chemistry between every character interaction is flawless and Chris Pine gives the best performance of his career to date. If anything else this is a refreshing take on a your average bank-robbing film.
