Daniel Baas's Top 10 Films of 2016
Honorable Mentions:
Green Room
Hacksaw Ridge
Deadpool
The Lobster
10. Swiss Army Man
Swiss Army Man is weird. But a delightful kind of weird. The fact that a film can make a farting corpse a character that you can root for is an accomplishment in and of itself. The way in which Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe play off each other is fun to watch and indeed, one of the reasons this was one of the better films this year.
9. Nocturnal Animals
Tom Ford’s second film could simply be summarized as “Amy Adams reads a novel." However, it’s the story within the novel that really makes this one of the better films of the year. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Shannon are the real stars of the show. That story within the novel is what sets it apart from anything else that came out in 2016.
8. Rogue One
It’s gritty Star Wars and it is beautiful. The first of the spinoff Star Wars films is a great look at the direction that the non-Skywalker family stories will take going forward. The cinematography is gorgeous and the world rich and vibrant. Where Rogue One stumbles is its lack of a cohesive story, a result of the well reported-on reshoots and editing process that the film underwent. If not for story and character problems, Rogue One might have been even higher on my list.
7. 10 Cloverfield Lane
A spiritual successor to Cloverfield, 10 Cloverfield Lane is nothing like its namesake. Instead of a found footage story, it is one of survival. Director Dan Trachtenberg’s first film does a great job of balancing moments of tension with those of release. 10 Cloverfield Lane is self-contained, and that makes it even better. John Goodman delivers one of the best performances of the year in a film you should make sure that you see.
6. The Nice Guys
The best word to describe Shane Black’s 70’s buddy cop movie is fun. The Nice Guys features Los Angeles as a character as much as Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe. It unapologetically shows a gritty side to LA that some films tend to gloss over, yet that doesn't take away from the overall enjoying ride this movie is.
5. Manchester by the Sea
Manchester by the Sea is one of the most emotionally gripping films to come out this year. The way in which Manchester cuts back and forth through time to show why Casey Affleck behaves the way that he does is powerful and incredibly well done. The fact that Affleck's role could have been Matt Damon is one of the most interesting “what-if’s” for films this year.
4. Hail, Caesar!
The latest film from the Coen Brothers is a love letter to the glory days of Hollywood. It features fantastic performances all around, from Josh Brolin and George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum, and to a small but great performance from Ralph Fiennes (and future Han Solo, Alden Ehrenreich). Hail, Caesar! is a joy from start to finish.
3. Hell or High Water
I went to see Hell or High Water after seeing one trailer. All I knew is that it was a film with Chris Pine and Jeff Bridges about a bank robbery. It gave off the vibe of something like Killing Them Softly or Out of the Furnace, but I went in with basically no expectations.
Man, was I blown away.
Hell or High Water features some of the best performances of the year across the board. In an age where storytelling has exploded on television, Hell or High Water runs counter to that. It is a story which can only be told in under two hours. And that is what is strongest about this film: its story.
Go see it.
2. La La Land
The latest film from Damien Chazelle has been called a modern version of Singing in the Rain, which is a very fair appraisal. La La Land has a great tandem in Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, their chemistry a strong point in the film. During a tense dinner in the middle of the film, the two play off each other in a way that draws you in.
But the music of La La Land is what really makes the film stand out. Put that together with all of the other wonderful parts of this film, and you have one of the most impressive cinematic experiences of the year.
1. Arrival
How highly do I think of this film? Let me put it this way. Every week after church, I usually get a chance to talk to one of my friends for a while. We talk about everything from work and family, to the movies and TV we have watched the previous week. But for a good month, all we could talk about was Arrival.
On a technical level alone, Arrival is a great film. But couple that with the performance of Amy Adams, the wonderful score, and so many other smaller elements, you get one of the best films of the year. Director Denis Villanueve is one of the top directors working today and this movie continues a streak of fantastic filmmaking for him after films like Sicario and Enemy. This is one of his best films to date and clearly, well worth seeing.