In a weird year that has seen more deaths than a season of Game of Thrones, we now come to the cheesy top 10 lists. 2016 was a strange and disappointing year in my eyes for film, all the movies which I was excited for at the beginning – ended up bombing (cough cough.. Batman V superman) and the movies which weren’t really on my radar got my attention the most. Compiling this list was difficult and I mostly based certain positions on how many times have I gone back and watched parts after seeing the film and the wanting to see it again.
Below is my top 10 films of 2016 – bare in mind this is my list some of yours may be different as I haven’t seen every film this year so there’s going to be a few gems which will be missing. Like Tony’s list films such as LA LA Land and Manchester by the Sea have not been released in Ireland yet so they will not appear on these lists. Hopefully, 2017 will be different, looking at the list of films coming out this year I am excited and if they hold up this might be the best year in film for quite some time
10. Hail, Caesar
The Coen Brothers delightful take on 1950s Hollywood need little introduction as the tenth entry on the list. Hail, Caesar is a wild whoosh of Coen brothers wizardry that left me laughing helplessly and filled with spiritual dread. Mostly a forgotten gem of 2016 as it came out back in January. The film is a fictional story that follows the real-life “fixer” Eddie Mannix” working in the Hollywood film industry in the 1950’s, trying to discover what happened to a cast member who vanishes during filming. This is well worth a watch for anyone who hasn’t seen it.
9. Fantastic Beasts and where to find them
One of the films which I was looking forward to seeing and which didn’t bomb. Fantastic Beasts is loosely based on a short story written by Rowling and a book which appears in the third Harry Potter film. The film is a darker and unique take on the potter-verse which switches the scope to America in the early 20th century. This fresh take on the wizarding world is just what Potter film fans needed and with a strong cast performance, it lays a good foundation for things to come.
Check out the full review here.
8. Sully
“I know – but hear me out”. The real life story take of the Miracle on the Hudson. The film sees Tom Hanks transform himself into Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger, a man who risked the lives of a whole passenger plane and successfully made a water landing in the middle of the Hudson river. This choice saves everyone on board and the movie focuses on his superiors question on whether it was the right choice. It’s this element were the film strengths lay, as it becomes more about Sully VS the simulation and how the man went in the media as a hero to a villain. Hanks performance alone is reason enough to give this a watch and with a real life story, this is well worth anyone’s time.
7. 10 Cloverfield Lane
This is the most shocking film on this list. The movie came out of nowhere and turned into one of my favourites. Lane gives all the development and the meaningful story that its blood relative installment sorely lacked. This is not a spectacle full of screams and special effects. This is a spectacle of tension and suspense of epic proportions. This is a really feel-bad movie at certain points. Secretly made, impeccably marketed, nicely developed and finally here along with us: 10 Cloverfield Lane promised thrills and delivered it and then some.
6. The Nice Guys
Shane Black has come back to deliver one of the funniest films I have seen in a long time. It really deserves a lot of credit for keeping a good story and not just relying on slapstick humour, it has both subtle and loud comedy, it has action and something going on all the time, but above all it has timing and precision in the way it delivers the story and how the characters handle the different situations. Matching Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling in this awkward partnership actually works out very well, they are true to their character, both a bit off in their own way, but together they really are the nice guys.
Check out the full review here.
5. Captain America: Civil War
The third outing for Cap which see’s nearly all of the hero’s in the MCU throw fisticuffs. The Russo brothers brought the true Avengers sequel in this epic superhero showdown and it shows as this is the highest grossing movie of the year. The film delivered in every way and could possibly be the best third film in any franchise. The Russo’s did a great job of mixing story with action while also introducing us to new characters like Black Panther and the show-stealing Spiderman. I just wish another superhero film would have been done with this same love and care.
Check out the full review here.
4. The Jungle Book
2016 was clearly Disney’s year and this is one of the reasons – their live action take of their animated films haven’t gone so well on till this came out. With an outstanding voice cast, Jon Favreau’s retelling of this classic is the best example of Hollywood remakes. I cannot put this across anymore – it’s just one of those you need to see for yourself.
Read the full review here.
3. Arrival
Arrival is a smart tale of alien contact that boasts great visuals and performances if also more brains than heart. While the movie has a more optimistic perspective on humanity and its place in the larger scheme of things than something like Ex Machina, both films take a similarly cerebral approach to the sci-fi genre and their respective premises. Arrival‘s efforts to create a warmer emotional through line to go along with its intellectual subject matter have trouble hitting their mark; yet the blend of thought-proving sci-fi and human drama here is arguably more cohesive than that in Interstellar, to use a comparable example.
Check out the full review here.
2. Deadpool
The biggest surprise of the year, after Fox’s first attempt on handling this character – I had little excitations going into this but boy I was wrong. This delivered on so many levels and clearly takes the spot of the best superhero film of the year. Ryan Reynolds completely owns the character and shows in the right hands any film can be fixed. This is the breath of fresh air the superhero film needed, The fourth wall breaking is part of the film’s uniqueness, which is something we have rarely seen in superhero films. And in Deadpool, it really does add another great layer. The film isn’t too long which works out great because it doesn’t feel like it drags at anyone point.
Read the full review here.
1. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Well, what else would it be? The best prequel from the Star Wars saga takes my top spot. Yes, its slow to start but then it comes out swinging. With strong performances all round and with one hell of a space battle to close, Rogue One is by far my favourite movie of the year. I have never walked into a film knowing fully the result of the plot but then enjoying it so much. It has a great mix of story and action while giving you that Star Wars nostalgia while leaving you wanting more. The film is shot beautify and is a great opening song to episode 4. As I said before the real winner of 2016 was Disney and this is the icing on the cake – also the Vader hallway scene is the greatest thing I’ve seen all year!
Check out the full review here.
Check out Tony’s Top 10 films of 2016 and Adam’s Top 10 films of 2016.
Tweet us your #Top10 films of 2016 @ReelTimeDublin and we’ll judge you publicly for them!
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