My Favorite Movies of 2016

Here’s a list of my top ten movies of 2016, with a few honorable mentions.

1. La La Land

One of the most magical and enchanting movies I’ve seen in years!

It inspires you to dream, persist, risk, create and love! Every aspect of this movie was flawlessly executed!

From the writing, to the direction, to the stellar performances by Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. Wow! One of the dance sequences will immediately transport you back to Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. It is beautiful! And, by the way, Ryan Gosling really did play the piano parts in the movie. It only took three months of three hours of rehearsal every day to get him there, but, again, wow! He kills it! And Emma Stone? She is lovely, graceful and perfection in this role! 

The movie is fresh, original, creative, inspiring and brilliant! 

They don’t make them like this very often. Seriously. They really don’t. I can’t recommend this movie highly enough!

2. Hacksaw Ridge

Perhaps the most respectful and meaningful depiction of faith in a mainstream film I’ve ever seen!

Without a doubt, it is the best war movie since “Saving Private Ryan” and takes its place with SPR as one of the best war movies in filmmaking history.

Set against the backdrop of one of the most violent and brutal battles in World War II, the imagery is breath-taking and heart-breaking. Please note, the violence is graphic. There are scenes that were difficult - almost impossible to watch. But in the midst of the horrors of war, we see the beauty of courage, love, fidelity, honor and grace!

The story of Desmond Doss is epic, though the man himself was incredibly humble. While he feels called to live out his service to country in a specific manner, he never presents his calling, values or morality as being superior to others. Yes, he is firm in his convictions, but he is also kind and graceful in his attitude. (By the way, Andrew Garfield is amazing in his portrayal of Doss. Amazing!)

It's been a while since a movie moved me this deeply and profoundly.

See this movie! 

A completely different kind of movie than La La Land, but it ranks as one of the top two movies I saw in 2016.

3. Hidden Figures

This movie contains the story of brilliant, African American mathematician, Katherine Johnson (Tarji Henson) and her colleagues Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) and Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer). By the way, Octavia Spencer is one of the best actresses doing movies today! I love her acting! She and Tarji Henson lift this movie above and beyond its solid screen play and directing.

Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst and Jim Parson also do an excellent job in their supporting roles.

“Hidden Figures” is well-written, directed and acted. It ranks as one of the most inspiring movies I watched in 2016.

4. Sully

Clint Eastwood is the man! The dude is 86 years old and still at the top of his craft!

Sully is the story of Captain Chelsey Sullenberger and the “Miracle on the Hudson.” After the commercial airplane he was piloting was disabled by striking a flock of geese, Sully somehow managed to execute an emergency landing of the plane on the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 people on board!

Clint Eastwood does a masterful job directing this movie! Tom Hanks is back at the top of his game as Sully. The supporting cast is excellent!

This movie is chock full of inspiring leadership lessons and principles! I highly recommend it! It could even be viewed by a leadership team and then dissected and discussed.

By the way, the closing scene when the real Sully is reunited with the survivors of US Airways Flight 1549 is powerful!

Thumbs up! Big time!

5. Sing Street

I’m a sucker for movies about music, creating art and pursuing your dreams!

Sing Street is another movie by writer / director John Carney who also wrote and directed two of my all-time favorite movies: “Once” and “Begin Again.”

The movie follows the story of Conor, a young man growing up in Dublin, Ireland during the 1980’s in a family that is coming apart at the seams. Conor starts a band to impress a mysterious girl he likes, and the rest of the movie follows the development of this kid’s first band, “Sing Street.”

I loved this movie! LOVED IT!

This movie took me back to some of the dreams I had as a teenager, and some of the bands I experimented with…

Well-written, directed and performed! It is easily one of the best movies I saw in 2016.

6. Arrival

A science fiction movie with incredible questions and insights about life, love, language, communication, time, loss and more.

This movie is challenging, complex and complicated, but ultimately rewarding.

Amy Adams is brilliant as Dr. Louise Banks, a linguist who has worked for the US government in the past, is now a respected author and professor, and is called upon to help translate strange messages from alien visitors who’ve just landed on our planet.

The concept is original. The story is very well conceived and written. The film is visually stunning. The director, Dennis Villeneuve, does a masterful job allowing the story to develop at a careful pace. This was one of my favorite movies of 2016!

7. Hell or High Water

This movie is an acting tour-de-force featuring Jeff Bridges and Chris Pine. In my opinion, these are two of the best performances of the year. Wow! 

It is not a movie for the faint hearted. It contains very strong language and graphic violence. 

The movie explores the deceitfulness of sin, the desperation created by poverty and debt, the nature of evil, and the relentless  pursuit of justice.

This is not a “feel good” movie. It will not leave you inspired like La La Land or Hacksaw Ridge, but it will give you a glimpse of the desperation created by poverty, the lies we tell ourselves, and the compromises we make that ultimately wreak “hellishness” in our lives and the lives of those around us.

A powerful and important film.

8. The Jungle Book

Jon Favreau is a gifted film maker! The guy who brought us Iron Man, Iron Man 2 and Chef, takes the Disney animated classic and remakes it into another Disney action / adventure classic. The movie really is that good!

It is beautiful in terms of color, direction, set, writing and performances!

Neel Sethi is brilliant as Mowgli! Bill Murray is awesome as Baloo! Idris Elba is terrifying as Shere Khan.

This is a fun movie that both adults and children will love for years to come!

9. Captain America: Civil War

One of the most fun movies of the year!

When Tom Holland hits the screen as Spider-Man, it is movie magic!

Lots of laughs! Great action! Incredible direction by the Russo brothers. This is what comic book movies were meant to be! I loved it!

10. 10 Cloverfield Lane

This is one of the scariest movies of the year. After she leaves her fiancé, Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winestead), wakes up to find herself sharing a bunker with a creepy old guy named Howard (excellently played by John Goodman), and Emmett (a likeable young man played by John Gallagher, Jr.).

What happens next? 

Holy cow! Strap in, hold on to your seat, and prepare for a bumpy ride.

This was one of my favorite movies of the year, because it was “scary fun” in an “Alfred Hitchcock” kind of way.  

Honorable Mentions Include:

Gleason – A heartbreaking documentary that tracks the life of former NFL player, Steve Gleason and his battle with ALS.

Fences – Another heartbreaking movie featuring incredible performances by Denzel Washington and Viola Davis.

Moana – A great Disney film with a female heroine who is fierce, strong and isn’t waiting to be rescued by a knight in shining armor (or a guy wearing a nice grass skirt). I really liked this movie!

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi – A well-crafted movie that follows six members of a security team who fight to defend the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya.

The Shallows – A “guilty pleasure.” Blake Lively as Nancy is stranded 200 yards from shore by a fierce and determined great white shark.

Legend of Tarzan – Another “guilty pleasure.” I’m not certain what the critics hated about this movie, but I actually thoroughly enjoyed it! It is certainly worth a Red Box rental.