If you asked a comic book movie fan they might say this year was a pendulum for their fandom, swinging between great and horrible film adaptations. If you asked a horror fan then they would probably thank James Wan and Fede Alvarez for being the only saviors of 2016. For those of you who scour the internet for news on the next indie hit, you might have felt satisfied enough, If you could find a showing of the film at your local movie theater. Overall, as long as you were looking for the quality films of 2016, you easily could have found a large handful.
The following is a list of films (in no particular order) that I personally loved in 2016 and plan on watching repeatedly for the rest of my life. Maybe you will, too!
Man, this film was a blast. If you were looking to have fun at the theater and happened to catch The Nice Guys, then you were not disappointed. The absolutely perfect combination of Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe take Shane Black’s script to a level that I am not even sure he could have imagined. If there was an Oscar for Best On-Screen Chemistry, then Gosling/Crowe would not have an ounce of competition. Plus, who doesn't love a classic buddy cop film?
“Captain Deadpool! Nah...just Deadpool.” I think fans waited for this film for more than four years. Maybe five? But the wait was worth it! Deadpool was everything people wanted and it did not do anything to be super flashy. The simplicity of the film is what made it work so well. And with Ryan Reynolds passionately giving his all for the role it is no wonder he is nominated for a Golden Globe.
A Netflix Original film that few people have yet to stumble upon late at night as they browse for watching entertaining. Paul Rudd is flat out amazing in this indie hit that I nearly gave a perfect score earlier in 2016. It has been a long time since an audience has been treated to a great road movie. The Fundamentals of Caring should have the highest rating as a Netflix Original, nothing compares.
Even though I had to watch this film in a crowded theater and in the third row (my neck still hurts), it was probably the most memorable experience I have had at the theater in a long time. Manchester by the Sea must be watched in a theater if you are to see it for the first time. I found myself lost in the realism as if I was a bystander to the entire story.
Denis Villeneuve cemented his status as one of the best directors making films right now. Arrival answered a lot of questions about the world but still managed to make me question everything that I know. The themes present in the film demand to be mulled over and discussed for hours - even days after viewing. But even as complicated as the film made itself seem, it is flat out just an amazing Science Fiction film.