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.
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