My Top 10 Films of 2016
Cinema in 2016 is hard to pigeonhole, with the usual collection of stinkers and brilliance. The major blockbusters mostly disappointed, with Marvel continuing their dominance of the summer blockbuster with a simple rule; keep it fun. The Best Picture Oscar went to a low-key film about journalists doing their job well, yet arguably 'the Revenant' was the most iconic of the 2016 Oscar race. It was a good year for horror; although neither of them made my top 10 'the Witch' and 'Green Room' are both worth your time, while I hear good things about 'the Conjuring 2'.
Perhaps the one lesson to take from 2016 is that marketing is truly the defining factor as to the success of a major motion picture. 'Deadpool' took in an astounding amount of money from a low budget thanks to the strength of its excellent 4th-wall breaking promos, while Star Trek Beyond disappointed after an ad campaign that made it look like the franchise was being dumbed down.
One additional point; arguably the most cinematic action scene of the year didn't even appear in cinemas. 'Game of Thrones' Battle of the Bastards was an astonishing achievement both technically and artistically, finding a new way to show men hitting each other in a field with swords. If the money men at HBO have any sense they will already be talking to cinemas about theatrical releases for some of their bigger episodes in Season 7.
The usual rules; only films that were released in the UK in 2016 are on the list. Any films that I haven't seen don't appear, so no 'Nocturnal Animals', no 'Moana', no 'I, Daniel Blake'.
The Hateful Eight
Perhaps the one lesson to take from 2016 is that marketing is truly the defining factor as to the success of a major motion picture. 'Deadpool' took in an astounding amount of money from a low budget thanks to the strength of its excellent 4th-wall breaking promos, while Star Trek Beyond disappointed after an ad campaign that made it look like the franchise was being dumbed down.
One additional point; arguably the most cinematic action scene of the year didn't even appear in cinemas. 'Game of Thrones' Battle of the Bastards was an astonishing achievement both technically and artistically, finding a new way to show men hitting each other in a field with swords. If the money men at HBO have any sense they will already be talking to cinemas about theatrical releases for some of their bigger episodes in Season 7.
The usual rules; only films that were released in the UK in 2016 are on the list. Any films that I haven't seen don't appear, so no 'Nocturnal Animals', no 'Moana', no 'I, Daniel Blake'.
The Hateful Eight
The first Tarantino film since ‘Jackie
Brown’ that I didn’t see in the cinema turned out to be my favourite Tarantino
film since, well, ‘Jackie Brown’. ‘The Hateful Eight’ was a brilliant marriage
of 90s Tarantino (indulgent, free-wheeling, provocative dialogue) with the
technical advancement that he has made as a filmmaker during his
grindhouse-style films of the 21st Century. In an age where the
internet has made the shocking mundane, Samuel L. Jackson’s antagonism of an
aging confederate soldier felt like a verbal gut punch. Furthermore, Tarantino’s
use of a bespoke film score for the first time gave us another classic
Morricone listen.
Creed
Captain America: Civil War / Doctor Strange
I couldn’t decide which of these
to include in the list. Then I remembered that it’s my list, and I can bend the
rules if I want to. ‘Captain America’ is the greater achievement; a sprawling superhero
epic that somehow manages to introduce new characters, set up future Marvel
instalments and still satisfy its established
cast. Yet Doctor Strange was one of the most pleasant surprises of the year; a
fun, visually spectacular expansion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I
particularly enjoyed the clever subversion of the traditional ‘things falling
out of the sky’ third act, while Michael Giacchino provided a distinctive theme
song for Strange, an area where Marvel has been lacking for some time.
Everybody Wants Some!!
Any new release from Richard
Linklater is likely to be a contender for film of the year, and ‘Everybody
Wants Some!!’ (the exclamation marks come from the title of a Def Leppard song)
is another great addition to the versatile film maker’s library. Telling the
story of the first few days of College for a group of party-hard frat boys
reads like the plot of an American Pie film, but in Linklater’s hands it
becomes a sweet, charming tale of fragile masculinity and idealism during a
period where most of us first found our identity. The soundtrack, including personal
fave ‘My Sharona’ by the Knack, is the best pop album of the year…
Sing Street
…while ‘Sing Street’ has the best
original soundtrack of the year. This low budget Irish production drew
inevitable comparisons with ‘the Commitments’ upon release (group of Dubliners
form a band in order to escape their dreary lives) but in reality it’s more of
a coming-of-age film a la ‘the Graduate’. Mixing heartbreak in with big laughs,
it’s a film about following your dreams, the heady emotions of being young, and
bad hair.
The Nice Guys
The funniest film of the year
will be recorded as one of the flops of the year. Seeming confirmation that
there’s no room for mid-budget adult movies, the latest comedy from Shane Black
simply failed to find an audience despite having one of the comedy performances
of the year from so-hot-right-now Ryan Gosling. Perhaps the buddy cop genre is
simply too stale for some. Perhaps the 70s styling turned off younger viewers.
Hopefully the film will find more fans on home video (do people even say ‘home
video’ these days?) because Black continues to be the best at what he does.
Julieta
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
The best film of the year that
won’t get a sniff of Oscar success, ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople’ blended comedy,
drama and action in a hugely charming package that established Taika Waititi as
a director to watch. Sam Neill has arguably never been better, while child
performance of the year goes to Julian Dennison.
The Girl with all the Gifts
OK, so I’m biased with this given
that I appear for a grand total of 1.76 seconds in the final cut, but ‘the Girl
with all the Gifts’ brought John Wyndham-style ‘cosy horror’ to the modern age.
Fans of PlayStation 3 classic ‘The Last of Us’ might have found the premise not
dissimilar, but the UK setting and top-notch cast gave this B-movie a glossier
feel.
Arrival
Smart sci-fi has been going
through something of a renaissance after the success of ‘Gravity’ (which is
more of a disaster movie than a sci-fi), with last year’s ‘Interstellar’ the
most notable example. ‘Arrival’ was the latest from Denis Villeneuve, whose ‘Sicario’
was on my best of 2015 list and is quickly establishing himself as Hollywood’s
most exciting genre director. No film felt more relevant in a year where
miscommunication and fear have been all too common themes, and the astonishing visuals
helped to make an intimate and talky drama feel epic and cinematic. The pacing
of the film, wherein the ‘rules’ are firmly established in its first and second
acts before tying together for a satisfying conclusion, is reference quality, while
the technical areas all work in service of Amy Adams’ believably broken performance.
‘Arrival’ is that rare film that just seems better and better the more that you
think about it, and with ‘Blade Runner 2049’ incoming in 2017 it wouldn’t be a surprise
to see Villeneuve on my list again next year.
One from the past…
Short Term 12
…and one for the future
A Monster Calls
2017 hasn’t even started yet, but
if ‘A Monster Calls’ doesn’t appear in my top 10 next year it will have been a
very good year indeed. A meditation on grief and death doesn’t read like a
great basis for a children’s classic, but the moments of fantasy help to
address a difficult topic in an honest and visually astonishing way. Gorgeously
shot by Oscar Faura (‘The Impossible’, ‘The Imitation Game’), it also features
one of the great child performances of all time from Lewis MacDougall. I stand
by my Facebook status immediately after watching it; this is going to be a
holiday classic for years to come.
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