The Best Films of 2016

2016 started out as an odd year for movies. With the exception of some nice surprises in the early months, it wasn't until after the Summer movie season came to an end that 2016 finally released films that seemed to rival the wonderful year in modern cinema that had preceded it.

 This year also marked a big change in my personal life. As I transitioned into college this past Fall, I was not able to see as many movies as I usually would have. This means there are plenty of movies that film critics are absolutely adoring that I haven't been able to see. This includes Arrival, The Witch, Hell or High Water, Fences, Manchester by The Sea, and quite a few others. Because of this, I've decided to narrow down my best of the year list to five rather than ten.

  So without further ado, here are my five favorite films of 2016:

5. La La Land:

"Here's to the ones who dream", belts Emma Stone's Mia in her show-stopping final song from Damien Chazelle's spectacular La La Land. That quote perfectly encapsulates this wonderful modern take on classical Hollywood musicals from the 30s and 40s.

A love story between two old fashioned dreamers (Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone) living in a modern, cynical Los Angeles; La La Land is made with such love and devotion that it is absolutely infectious. Everyone on screen and behind the camera seems to have an absolute passion for this kind of filmmaking and it shows from the wonderful performances, catchy show tunes, and jaw-dropping choreography. The one movie in 2016 that made me smile the second it started.

4. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story:

A very personal choice for me. Rogue One is a Star Wars prequel (hear me out) that literally ends moments before the events of A New Hope. It features a ragtag group of heroes who risk everything to steal the Death Star plans in an attempt to destroy the super weapon. 

You know whether or not our heroes will succeed if you've seen the original Star Wars trilogy, but the journey leading up to the inevitable ending is so engaging and full of so many fantastic moments that it will make fans, like myself, squeal in excitement. In my opinion, this is the greatest Star Wars film to be released in my lifetime, and the fanboy in me would rank this as the year's best film by a mile....but I gotta keep it professional.

3. Kubo and the Two Strings:

Laika animation studios is well on its way to becoming the new Pixar, and that is certainly not something I take lightly. Pixar is the greatest animation studio to exist in my lifetime, and it would take a lot to be even close to that stature. However, with films such as Coraline, Paranorman, and now Kubo and the Two Strings (I'm going to exempt The Boxtrolls) at their belt, Laika may soon warrant such praise.

Kubo is a genuinely gorgeous film with the most fluid stop-motion animation I have seen to date. And while it could be argued that the story is rather simplistic or even cliche, the execution is so flawless that it makes it easy to look past those gripes. From the incredibly moving opening sequence, majestic soundtrack, and colorful characters, Kubo and the Two Strings was absolutely the animated film to beat in 2016.

2. A Monster Calls

"Manipulative" is a word you'll see many film critics use in a negative context when describing a movie. But sometimes a film can manipulate its audience with such skill that you completely succumb to the emotion it is throwing at your direction. A Monster Calls is the perfect example of this. The music swells in many of the intensely dramatic moments, characters cry a whole lot, and the movie is completely based around a boy creating an imaginary monster to deal with the grief of his mother's worsening cancer. Yet, director J.A. Bayona creates such an incredible atmosphere populated with grade-A performers, and filled to the brim with poetic dialogue that by the opening ten minutes when our young protagonist, Conor, was laying in his sickened mother's arms while watching 1933's King Kong  on a rusty projector, I knew A Monster Calls was going to manipulate me in all the right ways.

A lovely mix of The Iron Giant and Pan's Labyrinth, this film shows grief and disease in all of its emotional and physical ugliness while still retaining the beauty of fairy tale. It has moments that will never escape me. It features heartbreaking performances from Felicity Jones, Sigourney Weaver, Liam Neeson, and incredible newcomer Lewis MacDougall. And it's the one film of 2016 that moved me to tears.  A Monster Calls is a masterclass in perfectly executed emotional manipulation.

1. Moonlight

Where do I even begin with Barry Jenkins' Moonlight? Based on a play by Tarell McCraney, Moonlight is exactly what its tagline promises; a story of a lifetime. The film follows the character of Chiron: a black, poor, and gay man living with his crack addicted mother (played incredibly by Naomie Harris) in poverty stricken, south-central Miami. Broken up into three acts, the audience sees Chiron as an eight year old, then as a teenager, and finally as a man in his late twenties. In less than two hours, we see this character go from discovering his own sexuality, to trying to remain invisible to a world he does not fit in with, and to creating a fake facade to hide who he truly is in an attempt to survive.

Moonlight looks at so many aspects of our society in such a brisk running time and with such skill it left me completely frozen in my seat by the time the credits began to roll. If A Monster Calls is expert manipulation, this has to be the opposite. It's unflinching, raw, and takes its time. Moonlight certainly has its share of grandiose moments (an ocean baptism sequence takes the cake),  but they are spread out in order to indulge in beautiful silence.

The film's technical aspects are incredible as well. Barry Jenkins really shows artistry behind the camera and knows how to tell a story visually rather than just relying on dialogue. The movie's beautifully haunting atmosphere is also enhanced by Nicholas Britell's hypnotic score that is used sparingly but incredibly effectively. It has to be the best movie soundtrack I've heard all year.

Yet, at the heart of the film are its performances. Mahershala Ali as Chiron's father figure and town drug dealer, Naomie Harris as the drug addicted mother, and Andre Holland as our main character's first true love are all fantastic supporting players. However, Moonlight would fall apart completely if it was not for the three actors that give Chiron life. Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, and Trevante Rhoades may not all look the same, but the emotion they display in their eyes is such a linking point between each of their wonderful performances and they each bring a uniqueness to one of the most complex characters I've seen in a modern film.

Moonlight has not left my mind since I saw it in theaters over a month ago. Not a day goes by that I don't think about it, and that is a rare thing as I watch more movies with age. I could write pages and pages of why I love Moonlight so much, from its visuals to its performances or its incredibly progressive way it looks at masculinity. But all I can really say to those who are on the fence about seeing it, is that it is a perfect movie. It is the best film of 2016, but beyond that; it is a film for the ages.

Honorable Mentions:

*The Lobster

*Hunt for the Wilderpeople

*Green Room

*Moana

*Pete's Dragon

*The Jungle Book

List by: Josh McCormack