Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Top Movies of 2016
Timely as always - as we get into the final quarter of 2019, I have my list of the top movies from 2016 (it takes me a while to get around to all the movies I want to see). This year I have a top 9 - the movies I gave at least a 7 out of 10 to from 2016.
9. Fantastic Beasts
Warner Brothers tried to capitalize on the success of Harry Potter with a new franchise. The first movie is a lot of fun, with standout supporting work from Dan Fogler. I like Eddie Redmayne but his Newt Scamander is pretty boring, holding this back from being a better movie.
8. Rogue One
Another very popular franchise (Star Wars) gets a new offering. I don't think Rogue One measures up to The Force Awakens, but it is still an entertaining movie. Felicity Jones does an admirable job as the main character, and there are some good fan service moments. I could have done without the weird CGI Princess Leia though.
7. The Accountant
I didn't know what to expect going into this, but I was definitely entertained. There are some good twists and turns and great action sequences. Ben Affleck and Anna Kendrick work well together. It's a fun watch.
6. Hell or High Water
This is one of the better westerns I've seen in recent years. Jeff Bridges is tremendous as the Texas Ranger trying to track the bank robbers down. The scene at the T-Bone steak place stands out. I had some issues with the plot that kept me from liking this more, but it has a lot going for it.
5. Hidden Figures
This does a great job of being entertaining and informative. I learned a lot about the origins of the NASA space program. The three leads are all great, and there's excellent supporting work from Kevin Costner, Jim Parsons, Mahershala Ali and others. The scenes involving Taraji P. Henson running to the bathroom are pretty powerful.
4. Sully
Tom Hanks and Clint Eastwood team up, and you know this movie is going to be really good. I like the way the movie is structured, departing from what you would expect. Hanks and Aaron Eckhart are great as the pilots. You really get a sense of how Sully wants to stay out of the spotlight as much as he can. It's also very tense considering we all know how the flight ends.
3. Hacksaw Ridge
I have a vested interest in this story, with the lead character being from Lynchburg (Desmond Doss). This one takes a while to get going, but the war scenes are very powerful. You see just how crazy the Americans are to try to take this ridge, and how this one man saved so many people. It is quite violent but I think that's necessary to tell a brutal war story like this.
2. Nocturnal Animals
This is a movie that I really didn't know anything about going in. But I was very impressed. The story that unfolds in the novel with Jake Gyllenhaal's family is very engrossing. He has a great interplay with Michael Shannon. I really liked the way the two stories intersected at the end.
1. La La Land
This might be my favorite movie from the last five years. There are great musical numbers, but it's the story that pulled me in. I was rooting for Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling's characters to get together from the start. There are so many wonderful scenes. I especially like the pool party and the movie theater. It hits you with a few emotional gut-punches toward the end. I've seen this several times and it never gets old.
9. Fantastic Beasts
Warner Brothers tried to capitalize on the success of Harry Potter with a new franchise. The first movie is a lot of fun, with standout supporting work from Dan Fogler. I like Eddie Redmayne but his Newt Scamander is pretty boring, holding this back from being a better movie.
8. Rogue One
Another very popular franchise (Star Wars) gets a new offering. I don't think Rogue One measures up to The Force Awakens, but it is still an entertaining movie. Felicity Jones does an admirable job as the main character, and there are some good fan service moments. I could have done without the weird CGI Princess Leia though.
7. The Accountant
I didn't know what to expect going into this, but I was definitely entertained. There are some good twists and turns and great action sequences. Ben Affleck and Anna Kendrick work well together. It's a fun watch.
6. Hell or High Water
This is one of the better westerns I've seen in recent years. Jeff Bridges is tremendous as the Texas Ranger trying to track the bank robbers down. The scene at the T-Bone steak place stands out. I had some issues with the plot that kept me from liking this more, but it has a lot going for it.
5. Hidden Figures
This does a great job of being entertaining and informative. I learned a lot about the origins of the NASA space program. The three leads are all great, and there's excellent supporting work from Kevin Costner, Jim Parsons, Mahershala Ali and others. The scenes involving Taraji P. Henson running to the bathroom are pretty powerful.
4. Sully
Tom Hanks and Clint Eastwood team up, and you know this movie is going to be really good. I like the way the movie is structured, departing from what you would expect. Hanks and Aaron Eckhart are great as the pilots. You really get a sense of how Sully wants to stay out of the spotlight as much as he can. It's also very tense considering we all know how the flight ends.
3. Hacksaw Ridge
I have a vested interest in this story, with the lead character being from Lynchburg (Desmond Doss). This one takes a while to get going, but the war scenes are very powerful. You see just how crazy the Americans are to try to take this ridge, and how this one man saved so many people. It is quite violent but I think that's necessary to tell a brutal war story like this.
2. Nocturnal Animals
This is a movie that I really didn't know anything about going in. But I was very impressed. The story that unfolds in the novel with Jake Gyllenhaal's family is very engrossing. He has a great interplay with Michael Shannon. I really liked the way the two stories intersected at the end.
1. La La Land
This might be my favorite movie from the last five years. There are great musical numbers, but it's the story that pulled me in. I was rooting for Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling's characters to get together from the start. There are so many wonderful scenes. I especially like the pool party and the movie theater. It hits you with a few emotional gut-punches toward the end. I've seen this several times and it never gets old.
