Keith Simanton's Top 10 Films of 2016
I'm IMDb's Senior Film Editor and, though I haven't seen every film 2016 had to offer I saw a LOT of films. As always here's my Top 25 Films of 2016 in case you're wondering what's just outside of this list, perhaps even some of your favorites. Both these lists have changed over the year, as they should, and movies have slid up and down (and off!), often after a second viewing. by Keith Simanton, Senior Film Editor, IMDb -
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- DirectorMel GibsonStarsAndrew GarfieldSam WorthingtonLuke BraceyWorld War II American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, serving during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people and becomes the first man in American history to receive the Medal of Honor without firing a shot.#10 - The story is as inspiring and incredible as any I've ever seen on the screen. What's also amazing is that the performances, particularly Garfield, are so good that when footage of the real Desmond Doss is shown during the end credits my normal response, which is to think, "Dammit, that's more interesting than the bio-pic I just watched" didn't occur. Director Gibson doesn't shy away from the brutality of war, as usual that feels like an attractant to him, but he rounds out his characters in surprising and touching ways. A great war film.
- DirectorRoger Ross WilliamsStarsOwen SuskindCornelia SuskindRon SuskindA coming-of-age story about a boy and his family who overcame great challenges by turning Disney animated movies into a language to express love, loss, kinship and brotherhood.#9 - For reasons I can't share I wept through almost the entire running time of this amazing documentary. But you can't come away from it without the recognition that your life is precious and we are indeed fortunate.
- DirectorClay TweelStarsSteve GleasonMike GleasonScott FujitaAfter he is diagnosed with ALS, former professional football player Steve Gleason begins making a video diary for his unborn son, as he, his wife, and their friends and family work to raise money for ALS patients as his disease progresses.#8 - Gleason is about Steve Gleason's fight against ALS, yes. But it is principally about the various forms of courage, particularly in Gleason's decision to film himself, warts and all, for his son. It is also about the courage of Gleason's wife, Michel, to struggle against an unimaginable situation, made all the more so because she is crushed by the disease as surely as Steve is. It's also about fathers and sons and the expectations we put on ourselves and our children, often with the best of intentions but the worst of results.
- DirectorTom FordStarsAmy AdamsJake GyllenhaalMichael ShannonA wealthy art gallery owner is haunted by her ex-husband's novel, a violent thriller she interprets as a symbolic revenge tale.#7 - Writer/director Tom Ford's film is a rich, decadent, lustful critique of the upper and lower crust of America, from the preening, aesthetic of the wealthy to the guttural, debased wants of the great unwashed. Gyllenhaal once again turns in a blistering, tough and uncompromising performance as both a cowardly fictional character and a hapless writer. Amy Adams does a lot with a role that is essentially reacting to reading but she is the pivot point of the whole film.
- DirectorTim MillerStarsRyan ReynoldsMorena BaccarinT.J. MillerA wisecracking mercenary gets experimented on and becomes immortal yet hideously scarred, and sets out to track down the man who ruined his looks.#6 - The funniest film of the year, the best action film of the year and the best comic-book film of the year. Reynolds proves the faith so many had in him all those years. In the next 20 years, if I'm flipping channels (or whatever it is we'll be doing then) and Deadpool comes on, I'll be watching it.
- DirectorKenneth LonerganStarsCasey AffleckMichelle WilliamsKyle ChandlerA depressed uncle is asked to take care of his teenage nephew after the boy's father dies.#5 - A master-class in acting by Affleck and Williams dominated by one of the most iconic chance encounters in film history. In the scene the two do very little but they speak unspoken stories; even though they convey few words they reveal worlds. Lonergan also, very wisely, manages to finagle some humor into the film as well so the sadness doesn't become interminable.
- DirectorDavid MackenzieStarsChris PineBen FosterJeff BridgesToby is a divorced father who's trying to make a better life. His brother is an ex-con with a short temper and a loose trigger finger. Together, they plan a series of heists against the bank that's about to foreclose on their family ranch.#4 - The unseen villain in this Bonnie and Clyde tale of brother bank-robbers is the economic systems that are collapsing around them as their very community disintegrates. That the brothers (the excellent Ben Foster and the very good Chris Pine) are trying to save the family acreage just so they can let it get sucked dry by fracking is just one of the many ironies in this horseless Western. So gratifying to see director MacKenzie finally have a ground-rule-double hit on his hands. And then, of course, there's Jeff Bridges, adding another memorable role (and one indelible scene) to his filmography.
- DirectorJim JarmuschStarsAdam DriverGolshifteh FarahaniNellieA quiet observation of the triumphs and defeats of daily life, along with the poetry evident in its smallest details.#3 - If you'd have told me that the Jim Jarmusch film about the bus driver who moonlights as a poet was going to be my favorite film at Cannes I would have been in utter disbelief (assuming you had a good history of predicting these things which is why I'd asked you in the first place).
About half-way through this beautiful film I started to repeat to myself, "Please don't turn into a movie. Please don't turn into a movie." And by that I meant "Please don't suddenly introduce a plot contrivance that advances the narrative."
It never happens.
This is a film that 10, 20 years from now, when an artist has lost faith in themselves, their medium, in the world, in the power of others to inspire us, a friend of theirs will sit them down and make them watch Paterson. And they will be healed. - DirectorDenzel WashingtonStarsDenzel WashingtonViola DavisStephen McKinley HendersonA working-class African-American father tries to raise his family in the 1950s, while coming to terms with the events of his life.#2 - The late August Wilson's play is at once universal and very specific. It is universal in the towering presence of Troy Maxson (Denzel Washington), a father whose athletic talent, denied by the times and his temperament, still inspires his booming charismatic character but weighs heavy on his sons. It is universal in the long-suffering Rose Maxson (Viola Davis), who is stronger than Troy can even guess at. It is specific in defining an experience for African-Americans in the late '50s in Pittsburgh.
The film itself, in the hands of director Denzel Washington is like tooled leather, craftsman furniture, made by artists at top of their game. Timeless. - DirectorDamien ChazelleStarsRyan GoslingEmma StoneRosemarie DeWittWhile navigating their careers in Los Angeles, a pianist and an actress fall in love while attempting to reconcile their aspirations for the future.#1 - LA LA LAND is a tribute to passion, to love, to music, to dance, and most of all to filmed musicals. Writer/director took all his WHIPLASH cache and bet it all on the kind of film that no one has the combination of guts, vision and energy to make anymore. Let's not forget that the film, unlike most musicals, is more than just an excuse for people to burst into tuneful song. It's about something, that person who helped make you what you are along your path in life. Thank you Damien Chazelle, composer Justin Hurwitz, Ryan Gosling (who learned to play the piano proficiently for the role) and the effervescent Emma Stone. You can't imagine this film being made with anyone else.