The year is at an and, and it’s time again to list the top ten films of 2016 that I’ve seen.
In Chronological order, they are:
- Sisters (2015) – An Amy Pohler/Tina buddy film, where the actors take the roles you wouldn’t normally expect. The supporting cast is made up of SNL alums and John Cena
- Deadpool (2016) – One of the best superhero movies in a very long time, mainly for its lead, masterfully played by Ryan Reynolds. It slaughters all the tropes, and manages to be crude and hilarious.
- Hail Ceasar! The story of a celebrity “fixer” in the early 1950s, with a lot of ‘inside baseball’ references and movies movies movies!
- Golden Kingdom – an indy film that is better watched than explained. It was a film experience like no other I had in 2016.
- Captain America Civil War – A redo of the comic book story arc that isn’t perfect, but has a great superhero fight at the end
- Suicide Squad – So much hype for this movie, but you watch it for two characters – Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) and Deadshot (Will Smith)
- Doctor Strange – A different sort of superhero story, with Benedict Cumberbatch in the titular role. One of the VERY FEW films that’s enhanced by 3D.
- Arrival – Aliens visit the Earth, and no one knows what they want. Dr. Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is brought in to try to understand them and their methods of communication while the world grows more impatient as the days pass.
- Moana – I knew this would be on my top ten as soon as the credits rolled. A Disney musical in the most traditional sense of the word. Songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda and great performances by Dwayne Johnson (Maui), Auli’i Cravalho (Moana), and one dim chicken really make this work.
- Star Wars: Rogue One – A Star Wars saga told from the viewpoint of an orphan child. The fight scene is everything we’d hoped for in The Force Awakens, but much much better!
Honorable mentions: The Infiltrator , Remember, Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Ghostbusters (2016).