Top 20 Best Movies of 2016

Below are my picks for the Top 20 movies of 2016. When it gets to the Top 5, essentially all the films are perfect and it was extremely difficult to arrange them. However, there was a clear outlier for me that deserved to be #1. If I've reviewed the film in the past, clicking on the title will bring you to my full review of the film. Hope you enjoy!

#20. Captain America: Civil War
Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, William Hurt

I've seen Civil War multiple times since its release in May, and I'm impressed every time by its massive scope and its execution. However, it doesn't quiet soar to the heights of The Avengers or Marvel's best work in my opinion. I think too many characters were shoved into one film, and it makes me worried for the future of these movies as the characters increase. But it's still a well choreographed, action-packed, sophisticated superhero film that never disappoints.

#19. Finding Dory
Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O'Neill, Kaitlin Olson, Hayden Rolence, Ty Burrell, Diane Keaton, Eugene Levy, Idris Elba, Dominic West, Sigourney Weaver, Kate McKinnon, Bill Hader

Finding Dory is a movie that is perfect for what it is. It lives up to expectations of what a Finding Nemo sequel should be, and it stands on its one as a great outing for Dory. However, it leaves a little to be lacking if you really analyze it. Notice it didn't get nominated for an Oscar, which is usually a Pixar staple. It's rehashing old themes, and playing with heartstrings. There really isn't a lot of new things on display in Finding Dory, but the nostalgia factor works, as evidenced time and time again.

#18. Me Before You
Emilia Clarke, Sam Claflin, Steve Peacocke, Janet McTeer, Charles Dance, Brendan Coyle

Me Before You is another film that, like Finding Dory, is perfectly executed. We can see detail in every set and costume, and it has a really smart script. Unfortunately, it's a run-of-the-mill romantic comedy. It's not really bringing anything new to the table, and is somewhat of an adult version of The Fault in Our Stars. Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin are charismatic leads, and they really make us believe in what seems at first an unbelievable romance. The film is charming and heartbreaking, and it is one that has stuck in my mind since June.

#17. Rogue One
Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Riz Ahmed, Jiang Wen, Forest Whitaker, James Earl Jones, Genevieve O'Reilly, Peter Cushing, Carrie Fisher

I feel like I'm betraying myself. Star Wars is my thing, yet here I am placing Rogue One at #17 on my list. That is a true testament to all the good movies that came out this year. Rogue One is a very smart and very unique addition to the Star Wars franchise. It's really a Star Wars war movie, and its brilliant in its premise and its story. And who could forget that iconic ending with Darth Vader? And Carrie Fisher? While The Force Awakens was full of inside jokes and references, Rogue One had just the right amount for it to seem genuine, but to also remind us what galaxy we were in. I wish I could put it higher, but I have to go with my gut.

#16. 10 Cloverfield Lane
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, John Gallagher Jr, Bradley Cooper, Suzanne Cryer

At this point, 10 Cloverfield Lane was released over a year ago. The film had essentially no background, no trailers, and no information on it when I went into the theater. Everything was new. It remains one of the smartest horror/thriller I've seen. John Goodman gives what is likely the performance of his film career as Howard, a man who has "saved" a woman from the apocalypse and trapped her in his doomsday shelter. The audience knows nothing. We have to guess whether Howard is telling the truth or not, and the twist still surprises us, showing that the drama below and above ground are two separate ideas. I thought the movie dropped off a cliff in the last twenty minutes, so that's why it isn't higher on my list.

#15. The Jungle Book
Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, Giancarlo Esposito, Christopher Walken, Garry Shandling, Brighton Rose, Jon Favreau

As Beauty and the Beast is captivating audiences right now, I invite you to to look back at The Jungle Book. The Jungle Book was one of the most acclaimed films of the year, and even took home an Oscar. Director Jon Favreau created an entire world out of visual effects, with Neet Sethi's Mowgli as the only human connection. Yet we fell into his lush and extravagant jungle, and believed every minute. With some of the best voice/motion capture work I've ever seen from actors like Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, and Idris Elba. It takes the few good aspects of the disjointed original film, and creates a magical 3D experience. It builds off of nostalgia, yet feels like an entirely new story.

#14. Elle
Isabelle Huppert, Christian Berkel, Anne Consigny, Virginie Efira, Laurent Leffite, Charles Berling

Elle is a French film, so there's a good chance you haven't heard of it. Isabelle Huppert won the Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar for her performance as a woman who has an interesting reaction to an assailant raping her. Rather than report it, she goes on with her life. Her attacker returns, raping her multiple times and she does nothing. Huppert plays a complicated woman with a complex past. The film draws off of themes of Catholicism and religious repression, and contrasts her upbringing full of scrutiny at her father's misdeeds with that of her religious attacker's life. She's unhappy in her life, and this gives her some feeling of excitement, while her attacker is lashing out at his repressed life. It's a sick and twisted film, made even more confusing by Huppert's character's final trick, in which she sets up a morbid trap to enact her revenge. It's a wild ride, albeit an uncomfortable one, that is headed by one of the strongest lead performances I've ever seen.

#13. Lion
Sunny Pawar, Dev Patel, Rooney Mara, Nicole Kidman, David Wenham, Priyanka Bose

Lion builds off what I've learned about Indian slums from Slumdog Millionaire (another Dev Patel film) and has convinced me of the horrors that occur in those areas. Lion broke my heart. It made me cringe, and it made me shift in my seat. Horrifying acts are one thing, but when it's small children, it's so much worse. But don't be deterred, Lion has the heart to deflect its horror. Patel and the child actor Sunny Pawar play Saroo Brierley, an Indian boy who lost his mother and was given up for adoption in Australia, where he still looks for his birth family. The film boasts fantastic performances from Patel, Pawar, Rooney Mara, and Nicole Kidman, and it's the feel-good tearjerker of the year.

#12. Jackie
Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup, John Hurt, Max Casella

I wasn't alive when JFK was assassinated, but Jackie gives you what I would assess as a pretty accurate depiction. The film is sad. That's the only way I can describe it. It never brought me to tears, but a level of depression hangs over the film like a dark cloud. The haunting strings score adds to the feeling of gloominess. After all, this is a sad topic. After multiple descriptions of Kennedy's death, I thought the film was not going to attempt to show his murder, and I was content. Then, in a flashback, you see his head explode, and see Jackie trying to grab the pieces. It's shockingly realistic, and Natalie Portman sells it. She becomes Jackie, embodying her style and everything she stood for. It's a transformative performance that commands the screen, and makes Jackie a worthwhile history lesson.

#11. Hacksaw Ridge
Andrew Garfield, Vince Vaughn, Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey, Hugo Weaving, Teresa Palmer

It pains me a little to praise Hacksaw Ridge, because it's Mel Gibson. But Gibson has truly made his comeback this year. I believe that Hacksaw Ridge is the best war film since Saving Private Ryan, in that it really throws you into the trenches in an experience I've only felt while watching that 1998 classic. All of the technical aspects are so perfectly executed, and it is clear to me how this movie received a Best Picture nomination. Andrew Garfield gives the best performance of his career as a pacifist trying to do his part to save lives. It suffers from an extremely cheesy final ten minutes, with far too much slow motion and dramatics. But it's not enough to take away from the film's merit.

#10. Deadpool
Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T.J. Miller, Gina Carano, Leslie Uggams

Where to start with Deadpool? It came out of nowhere and completely changed action movies forever. From a business standpoint, it proved that there is an audience for R-rated stylistic action, and that X-Men movies have the gravitas and technical talent that Marvel lacks (they've of course continued this with Logan). Deadpool is rude, it's dirty, and it's obscene. But its script is a brilliant combination of self-referential humor and satire that it truly felt like something fresh. The ad campaign was brilliant, and from the opening credits to Juice Newton's "Angel of the Morning", to the final dirty joke during George Michael's "Careless Whisper", Deadpool is a wild and brutally honest tale of what would happen if a regular weirdo became a superhero. There's no sugar coating or bumpers here.

#9. Hell or High Water
Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Jeff Bridges, Gil Birmingham, Marin Ireland, Margaret Bowman

Hell or High Water is the most honest film released this year. It doesn't rely on any dramatic themes, or heavy messages, and it's not really trying to convey any hidden meaning. It just is what it is: a modern Western. It centers around two brothers suffering from the recession who rob banks in Texas to save their family's ranch. Two comrade officers hunt them down. It's quite literally that simple: two vs two. It's very short, and there are not really any interwoven themes. It has a script that's brilliant in its ability to be blunt and simple, and a great performance from Jeff Bridges as the sheriff hunting the brothers down. Hell or High Water doesn't take a lot of effort to watch, and even less to enjoy.

#8. The Lobster
Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Olivia Coleman, John C. Reilly, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw

I will never recommend The Lobster unless I believe that person can enjoy it. It's perhaps the oddest film I have ever seen. In a futuristic society, single individuals must live in a hotel where they have a specific amount of time to find love. If they fail, they are turned into an animal of their choice. The foreign-produced indie film centers around Colin Farrell's journey to not be turned into a lobster. It's hard to explain the scope and events of The Lobster, but it is a movie that made me think for at least a week after I saw it. I love this movie and what it has to say about our culture. The Lobster presents a world in which we are obsessed with companionship, and a society in which marriage is the ultimate endgame, with punishments for the contrary. It depicts married people who turn their nose at the single insurgents who live on the outskirts, and hunt them for sport. Yet the single people are no better, and viciously abhor the married individuals. The film makes a heady argument for society's fascination on these themes, and lets the viewer decide where they stand.

#7. Hidden Figures
Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons

It's a feat that movies like Hidden Figures are even being made. For the last two years, there has been an emphasis on the lack of films depicting African-Americans being honored at the Oscars. Sometimes this has been negligence on their part, but sadly, not enough quality movies are being made. Hidden Figures was one of the most successful and critically-acclaimed films of the year, gently taking a racial and feminist stance while not angering anyone. I expected biting commentary, and it's not there. It merely depicts events as they happened, and tries to make these "hidden figures" hidden no more. Judging by how deeply this film has been appreciated, I think it succeeded.

#6. Zootopia
Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate, Nate Torrence, Bonnie Hunt, Don Lake, Tommy Chong, J.K. Simmons, Octavia Spencer, Alan Tudyk, Raymond S. Persi, Shakira

You'll see that the next two films are both Disney animated films. They really had a fantastic year. Zootopia came first in March, and featured some of the best world-building I've ever seen. If you're unfamiliar with that term, I mean that Zootopia created a fictional world where everything was explained brilliantly, and our attention was immediately captured. Sloths run the DMV. A bunny can't be on the police force. A fox works as a con man. Every detail is so well thought out. Then there is the underlying social messages that propelled Zooptopia to awards gold. The film centers around a conflict between predators acting violent, and the prey animals' fear of them. It all turns out to be a government plot to try and strip away the predators' rights so prey rule supreme. It isn't a coincidence that white supremacy just happens to be on the rise in America when this children's movie was released. The film boasts a phenomenal message about inclusion that is needed. It's great that kids can see a movie with wit and humor, and for it to also have an important message.

#5. Moana
Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Jermaine Clement, Alan Tudyk

I'm a huge Disney fan. That being said, I know what they're capable of, so I hold them to a high standard. I was completely blown away by the craftsmanship, story, and music in Frozen, like most of the world. Then here comes Moana, which blows Frozen out of the water. If you're a fan of feminist messages, Moana is one of the strongest female characters in animation. She has no love interest, no dead parents, and no trusty animal sidekick (There's no way Hei Hei is trustworthy). Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame wrote beautiful Polynesian inspired tunes like "You're Welcome" and the Oscar-nominated "How Far I'll Go". The message is original, yet deeply ingrained in Polynesian culture and mythology. It's the most culturally fascinating Disney film since Mulan. With its ability to transcend Disney stereotypes, Moana is so much more than just Disney magic. It's pure movie magic, and it is sure to delight children and parents alike. There is simply no way you can dislike this.

#4. Moonlight
Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders, Alex Hibbert, Janelle Monáe, Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris

As most of you know Moonlight won Best Picture, and it won in a pretty extraordinary fashion. With these last four entries, I shifted them around constantly before finally settling on this final ranking. At one point, Moonlight was ranked #2. I've sung Moonlight's praises multiple times over, especially to convince people that it did deserve to win Best Picture as much as La La Land did. It's a bleak depiction of a black man growing up gay. I described the plot to a friend, and he replied with "Wow his life must really suck." He immediately tried to correct his statement, but I assured him that was essentially the movie's message. Writer/Director Barry Jenkins and playwright Tarrell Alvin McCraney created a character that everyone can identify with. Whether you identify with growing up black, LGBT, in poverty, boyhood, or just growing up in general, there is some part of this movie that has connected with everyone I know that has seen it. It's a beautifully dark journey into what it is like for this protagonist to grow up uncomfortable in his own skin, and how he accepts himself in his own way. Bolstered by phenomenal standout performances from each actor, especially from Mahershala Ali (an Oscar winner) and Naomie Harris (a nominee), Moonlight is a movie that everyone needs to see.

#3. Arrival
Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg, Tzi Ma, Mark O'Brien

I've seen Arrival twice, and I've been captivated by it both times. Science-fiction is a genre we've all been accustomed to. The evil aliens descend from the skies and we have to fight to save humanity. Arrival shares some of these tropes, but completely subverts most expectations of the genre. The aliens arrive on Earth cryptically, with no explanation. Instead of the aliens causing the problem, it is the paranoia and questionable methods by the world's leaders that could lead to war. Dr. Louise Banks, played wonderfully by Amy Adams, is a linguist the US Army sends to teach the aliens English and decipher their set of symbols. The film is a powerful statement on how we treat outsiders, and how we as a population communicate with each other. It won the Oscar for Sound Editing (its droning sounds are incredible), and its visual effects, cinematography, and direction are all perfect. I will admit, the massive twist ending went over my head the first time I saw it, but the way the twist reflects on both the past events and the future is truly a powerful message about life and love...and it barely has anything to do with the aliens. Yes, while at face-value this is a tale about extraterrestrials landing on Earth, it is so much more. Be prepared for some deep philosophy that requires undivided attention.

#2. Manchester by the Sea
Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler, Lucas Hedges, Gretchen Mol, C.J. Wilson

When I first saw Manchester by the Sea, I named it "The 12 Years a Slave of regular life". If you've seen 12 Years a Slave, you know that it is a relentless assault on the emotions. However, it is an extremely specific situation. Manchester by the Sea, however, is a completely plausible situation that people live with today. Every instance I felt that I had recovered, Manchester by the Sea knocked me down again. While it is incredibly depressing, it has a really healthy balance of humor and wit that comes at the perfect times. This film deserved its Oscar win for Best Original Screenplay, as the script is truly masterful in its ability to go from moments of sadness to humor. Casey Affleck won the Oscar for his performance as a man destroyed by grief trying to be strong in the face of another loss. His performance is so subdued and so realistic, it's a little terrifying to watch. We are all just one horrible day from becoming Lee Chandler, a man so consumed by his grief it destroys his life. I believe that this film will be studied and endure the test of time, for it is the only accurate depiction of grief I have seen. It doesn't sugarcoat a single thing. The dialogue is presented with the sharpness and venom of those who are suffering, and the film's events perfectly mirror the process of trying to come to terms with loss. It just feels so authentic. We've all lost someone. Manchester by the Sea reminds us of those feelings, bringing forth the nasty truths while also reassuring that they are, in fact, normal.

#1. La La Land
Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, John Legend, Rosemarie DeWitt, Finn Wittrock, J.K. Simmons

As soon as I saw La La Land, I just knew it would be here. From the stunning opening scene on an LA highway, to the beautiful yet somber ending, I was in love. La La Land is everything moves were, and should still be. It's a gorgeous throwback to a genre that's nearly dead, yet it still stays modern. It feels like a classic musical, yet it takes place in the present. There really are only two characters, and Mia and Sebastian's relationship is one of the most mature and realistic depictions of love I've seen. It's also a very stark portrayal of artistic success and its consequences, yet it doesn't ever feel sad. With memorable songs and a beautiful score, La La Land is one of the most mystifying, whimsical films I've ever seen. Every piece of it is crafted to perfection. Sure, the script is a little lackluster, but I believe it achieves absolutely everything that writer/director Damien Chazelle intended. If you haven't seen La La Land, I cannot recommend it enough. Hopefully it will captivate you in the same way.