We all know how terrible 2016 has been. Deaths, bad desciions, the trolls who all admitted to be =ing misyongints throughout the Ghostbusters release, the idiots that voteed to Leave in Brexit (I will never forgive you for this), the idiots who voted a woman hating homophobic rasict rapist as head of one of the most powerful countries, and I think hell did in fact freeze over. You get the point, its been terrible.
But despite all that, there has been some great movies released this year which a small comfort to a shitty year. I managed to narrow down my favourites to 10 films! There is no order apart from the film of year.
First off, these are the films I think are worth mentioning, as they were all fantastic:
And I can launch into my favourite films of the year:
Deadpool
If I could name one superhero film that really made me love the genre all over again it would of course be Deadpool. It made fun of the franchise films as well as joining in with them. New characters were given time as well as some familiar ones. I really hope that there are more Deadpool adventures coming our way and hopefully Copycat will surface... but until then I'll have that song from the credits in my head.
Zootropolis
A crime thriller in the form of a Disney film with a fox and a rabbit joining forces to solve it? What's not to like? A fantastic film that had humour, fantastic characters and wonderful animation. Making the story about a missing mammal case rather than murder mystery was clever (safe for kids) and i loved it. I'm hoping this Frozen bs calms down so we can get another story with Judy and Nick.
Hail Caesar!
The Coens are on top form with a massive dig at Hollywood while also celebrating it. All about misdirection and wonderful scenes full to the brim with nostalgia and left room for me and my theories which I go into depth
HERE. Can't wait to see what the Coens give us next.
A brilliant, unbeliabley sad but strong film about five sisters who have
their lives ruined but still believe there is hope. The stand alone
film at last years Oscars as the only film nominated to be directed by a
woman, this story stands the test against all the 'big guns'. Hopefully
more films like this will follow.
The Neon Demon
Director
Nicolas Winding Refn has said that he made this film for the 16 year
old girl inside him which I thought at first was a little over the top
but after watching it, I can see that she was screaming to get out. A hybrid of coming of age, would be thriller, portrait, horror exploit, it delivered a strange, familiar and hideous view, it was brilliant.
Nocturnal
Animals
A slow burner revenge story that isn't violent on the surface, it attacks beneath. But the story within the story is brutal and devastating, which is how it is described in the story. It is a brilliantly made film but I could never see it again. The memory of it will stay with me for a while.
Adult Life Skills
When do you aquire adult life skills? Do they even exist? This film brought a bit of sunshine and realistic feeling into the mix. It was fantastically accurate and relatable and added the dramatic element of moving on from a terrible time, but it also shows that it is possible to continue from grief and live outside a shed in the back garden.
Arrival
I'm glad to say that I'm not the only one who found this film difficult o describe. It is simply beautiful. Points about the world now and what we should do for the future are made but they are not imposing and make your eyes roll. If anything, they will make you tear up and wish to stay watching that moment in the film over again. As I said, simply beautiful in every way.
Rogue One
I am the force, the force is with me, Say it enough times and you will believe it. This was more than I could have hoped for. Darker than those in the saga, but it needed to be. Amazing characters that I will miss. It was a film for the true fans and the those just discovering the galaxy and tied in perfectly with the greater story. Rogue One, you were amazing.
The Film of the Year
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
I have been saying this since June. I picked the film on a whim as I knew the director and it fit in with my time frame at Edinburgh Film Festival and I am so glad it did. I have never laughed so hard or been in a room filled with everyone laughing so much in a cinema. Ricky Baker and Heck's adventure through the New Zealand bush that turns into ann epic manhunt is so bizarre and yet so homely and simple, it is the best film of the year, the anti-2016. I
loved the it. For more about how much I loved it, go
HERE.
