Before we get to the Too 10 movies of 2016 I wish to mention several films that narrowly missed this list.
Paterson from director Jim Jarmusch and starring Adam Driver
20th Century Women from director Mike Mills and starring Annette Bening
Swiss Army Man from directors Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert and starring Daniel Radcliffe and Paul Dano
Christine from director Antonio Campos and starring Rebecca Hall
The Finest Hours from director Craig Gillespie and starring Chris Pine
Divine Access from director Steven Chester Prince and starring Billy Burke
Hail Caesar from The Coen Brothers and starring Josh Brolin
The Lobster from director Yorgos Lanthimos
The Handmaiden from director Chan Wook Park and starring Kim Min-Hee
Sing Street from director John Carney and starring Ferdia Walsh Peelo
Everybody Wants Some from director Richard Linklater and starring Blake Jenner
Nocturnal Animals from director Tom Ford and starring Amy Adams
Deadpool from director Tim Miller and starring Ryan Reynolds
Don’t Think Twice from writer-director and star Mike Birbiglia
And now on to the Top 10 movies of 2016
10. The Nice Guys – Somehow, I am always surprised by director Shane Black, even though I shouldn’t be. Black’s work has been consistently great behind the camera with Iron Man 3 being one of the most underrated superhero movies and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang being a legitimate cult classic. Nevertheless, I find myself shocked when he arrives with another terrific movie. The Nice Guys is arguably his best work yet. This buddy comedy with Russell Crowe as a tough guy-straight man to Ryan Gosling’s broader, goofier private eye is rich with wit and wildly clever plotting.
9. The Witch– One of the biggest surprises of 2016 is director Robert Eggers’ Pilgrim era horror movie The Witch. When it comes to horror movies I tend not to expect much and then get exactly what I expected. The Witch however, blew away my expectations and transcended its genre to be something so much more interesting than a mere horror movie. The film is a brilliant exercise in tension and suspense and it builds to one stunning moment after another until it reaches an ending that is both strange and cathartic. It ends in the only way this very odd and brilliant film could.
8. La La Land – Damian Chazzelle is part of a new generation of directors alongside Robert Eggers, and Denis Villaneuve, directors who’s talents will lead us to the next generation of film as an artform and La La Land is the confirmation of his status as a leader of this next generation. Both a genre film and a brilliant innovation, Chazzelle belongs to a new generation of filmmakers who bridging the divide between art and commerce by transforming genre pictures into indie style works of art.
7. Moonlight– Barry Jenkins is another of the next generation of great filmmakers who’s work will be transforming popular culture for the next decade and beyond. Though Moonlight is small in scale, it is a grand statement on identity, gender and sexuality. But Moonlight isn’t just a message picture or a political statement picture, it has style to go with the substance. Check the scene in the second act where Chiron and Kevin are having a tender moment at the beach. The scene is filled with all sorts of tension but the visual is all smooth and silky and most importantly, soothing with deep blues melting extending beautifully from the white sand beach reflecting a nearby streetlight out to the darkening horizon. The scene is gorgeous and sexy and emotionally powerful and perfectly sums up the whole of this incredible film.
6. Green Room– Ok,
