Live everyone else here, I ran out of time to catch up on some of the undoubtedly great movies I missed last year. That said, with rambling commentary:
01 - Arrival - A simply magnificent SF film, full of intense tension and human (and otherwise) emotion. I hadn't read much Ted Chiang, including this story, but when I heard he was being adapted by the director of Sicario I knew we were in for something special. This will not win all of the Oscars but, man, I wish it would. (Says the guy who hasn't seen most of the competition...)
02 - The Nice Guys - Until Arrival, this was hands down my number one pick for the year, and it only grudgingly (and in a loveable loser sort of way) let itself be kicked down to second place. I adored everything about this film: our hapless duo, the 70s setting, Shane Black cheerfully going all in for that hard R rating - everything. When your film is so awesome that it gets a novelization published under the Hard Case Crime imprint, you know you've got a winner.
03 - Deadpool - Speaking of earning the R rating, Deadpool totally went there in the best possible way, gave superhero movies the kick in the ass that they deserved, was a hysterical comedy on top of that, and still delivered plenty of action. The only problem with the film is that they've set an incredibly high bar to clear for the inevitable sequel, but that won't stop me from seeing them give it a try.
04 - Green Room - God, I wish I'd seen this theatrically. Not only did I appreciate it being an incredibly intense thriller - and one that was so harshy violent that, jaded horror fan that I am, I stll found myself looking away periodically - but it also is chock full of intense love for (and in jokes and references to) the punk scene and being plucky, starving musicians in general. Also, Patrick fucking Stewart was just plain great as Jean-Luc Le Pin.
05 - Swiss Army Man - You know you're witnessing something special when you find yourself literally agape before the opening title even comes up. There were moments in the film where I found myself literally flabbergasted and I had absolutely no idea where it was going with everything until the end, and then some. And, Daniel Radcliffe is an all-time acting hero for hearing about this project, demanding in, and then just plain going for it as hard as he possibly could. I don't think I ever need to actually see this flick again, mind you, but it's definitely one of the most memorable films in years.
06 - Hail, Caesar! - It's not that I don't like the Coens when they're in their (mostly) serious drama mode, but I think I like them more when they're in their (in this case entirely) absurd comedy mode. This was as incredibly charming a love letter to 50s Hollywood as you could possibly hope for. Also, I greatly enjoyed seeing my fangirl pals completely lose their shit during the "No Dames!" number.
07 - Hunt For The Wilderpeople - Speaking of charming, this was as heartwarming an adventure as you could hope for featuring an almost entirely rotund thug life middle school kid out in the bush with Sam Neill. I expected the film to be hysterical based on What We Do In The Shadows, but I wasn't prepared for it to also be poignant and beautiful as well. I am now incredibly stoked to see what Waititi does with the next Thor movie - and, admit it, that's not something you really expect to hear about a Thor film.
08 - The Lobster - My immediate response after watching The Lobster was, "I think I liked that a lot!" It's magnificnetly deadpan, terribly surreal, and looks like it was flimed in a Soviet spa resort circa 1979. While not inspiring the same sort of laugh-out-loud surprise as Swiss Army Man, my guess is that The Lobster will reward repeat viewings and provide quotable dialogue for years to come. Also, it has Olivia Colman in it, which is practically reason enough to just start handing the flick a pile of awards. If you're reading this and need more batshit insane comedy in your life, I suggest you go watch this ASAP and that you go in cold if at all possible - not that describing the exact premise could actually spoil anything. It's that sort of experience.
09 - Don't Breathe - I have a terrible weakness for plucky B-movies punching above their weight, which Don't Breathe counts as in my mind even considering it's eight figure budget and Sam Raimi's involvement as producer. However, it captures the feel of Raimi's horror work - okay, with less yuks, but still - while also being a terrific, scrappy thriller.
10 - 10 Cloverfield Lane - And, finally, an excuse to put a film with "10" in the title in 10th place. Oh, and it's a terrific suspense flick that keeps ya guessing and has great performances from John Goodman (as expected) and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (also expected, really). 'Nuff said.
Runner ups for me included the two big Marvel films of the year (both of which I thoroughly enjoyed but didn't consider absolutely top tier), Rogue One (wherein Disney applies the Marvel + Genre formula to Star Wars and has the good sense to start by combining it with The Dirty Dozen), The Boy And The Beast (a solid outing from Hosada but, again, not quite top tier for me), and Zootopia, which did a terrific job of making the cute bunny the racist Nick Nolte character from 48 Hrs. That wasnt what I expected from that particular animated flick, but it was certianly well done.
Naturally, there are piles of movies I still want to see, especially Hell Or High Water, Train To Busan, Miss Hokusai, The Handmaiden, Anthropoid, Our Kind Of Traitor, Midnight Special, Moonlight, Hidden Figures, and, as a release I am still stunned to see receive a US theatrical release, We Are X. (Psychedelic violence! Crime of visual shock!) Once I get more of these under my belt my top ten might change completely, but for now I'm happy enough with it to share with y'all anyway.
FnordChan
