We finally made it to the main event! My Best Movies of 2016 have arrived!
Limited releases push back my list every year. It’s Nashville’s fault, not mine. But, I’m tired of keeping the millions AND millions waiting. With that said, lets skip the small talk and get to why you’re here
Witness and discover the vast pleasure of my favorite movies of 2016:
Best Comedy Film: The Hunt For the Wilderpeople
Runner Up: The Nice Guys
Best Foreign Language Film: The Handmaiden
Runner Up: Divines
Best Animated Film: Kubo and the Two Strings
Runners Up: Zootopia, Finding Dory, Moana
Best Horror Film: The Invitation
Runners Up: Green Room, 10 Cloverfield Lane
Best Movies of 2016
Runners Up
Moonlight
The Edge of Seventeen
Arrival
A Monster Calls
The Invitation
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Midnight Special
Finding Dory
Don’t Think Twice
Doctor Strange
Captain Fantastic
Hidden Figures
The Nice Guys
Indignation
Jackie
Kubo and the Two Strings
Swiss Army Man
TOP 5
Five: La La Land
Stone and Gosling make an impeccable pair in a vintage Hollywood musical full of vibrancy & magic. Director Chazelle has all the right moves for this ambitious, infectiously charming fantasy with true sorrow.
Four (tie): The Handmaiden
A lavish and sexual thriller where underestimating is the fatal flaw. Director Park beautifully places love inside violent hands with stunning results. The sensational cast cleverly seduces you in a film where romance and betrayal gloriously devours everything in sight.
Four (tie): Nocturnal Animals
A superfine cast and a daring director slash deep into this psychological revenge thriller. Blending art, fiction and truth, it’s a vicious, provocative tale that consumes you with its carnage.
Three: Manchester by the Sea
Affleck will leave you devastated in this aching drama of unspeakable circumstance. Through the good times and the bad, Lonergan puts disruption of life on display and easing humor and excruciating verity. Tremendously heartbreaking and powerful, it’s a testament to surviving tragedy.
Two: The Hunt for the Wilderpeople
An off-kilter, effusive film about finding one’s place in this world, while learning anything you can from those you meet, no matter who they are or where they come from. Director Waititi spreads hilarious moments, enormous heart, and striking beauty of “majestical” New Zealand all over his wondrous story. Neil and Dennison are oddly perfect together, giving marvelous performances.
One: Hell or High Water
A hell-raiser with a riled up cast fueling a fascinating, yet infuriating, film about those left in the dust. It’s surprisingly funny – staggeringly angry and fierce. Director Mackenzie lets each scene soak in with brilliant pacing and makes every bullet count. Pine and Foster are tremendous as bros turned outlaws to get back what’s rightfully their’s. Bridges is rough and tough with some True Grit running through his veins.
Editor’s Note – Check out the rest of Brandon’s 2016 recaps here:
Best of 2016: Performances and Filmmakers
Best Documentaries of 2016
Worst Movies of 2016
Overdue Oscar Winners
Brandon Vick is the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and star of Brandon’s Box Office In Your Mouth. Follow him on Twitter@SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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