I guess given
Zootopia's pedigree, I shouldn't have been all surprised that it was solid. Still, who would have suspected that the house of mouse could crank out a decent noir-esque detective story? Mix in stellar animation, a fantastic voice cast, and a decent 'moral of the story'; you have yourself an all around winner and further proof that Disney's animation studio is 100% back.
Boy,
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was an awesome movie. Just one of those all around solid throw backs to the buddy comedies of old, you know, like
Lethal Weapon. Actually, fun fact
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was written and directed by the guy who wrote
Lethal Weapon. Double fun fact...so was
The Nice Guys, and Shane Black proves that he still have the ability to write an entertaining film. It not perfect, heck I have my fair share of problems with the film, but it's still solid enough to be here at number nine.
I cannot tell you how many times I thought this film lost me when I first saw it. I was constantly going back and forth between "wow, I am really enjoying this" to "wait, am I actually enjoying this?" Some how though this film actually managed to stick its landing in a way that I was satisfied with the whole thing. Who would have thought that a film that picked up surprisingly apt moniker "the farting corps movie" at Cannes would have turned out well?
Christ, here is another weird one. Like I legitimately don't know what to write here. I guess the film is oddly funny and bleak and has something to say about the state of modern romance. It's also an original piece of work that is worth your time if you enjoy dower somewhat somber comedies.
Ok, so here is a prime example of my favorite kind of horror movie. Beautify shot, dripping with atmosphere, with a feeling of dread that weighs on your chest until you can no longer breath. It blows my damn mind that this was director Robert Eggers' debut film.
This is Jeremy Saulnier to the excellent
Blue Ruin and oh dear god is it awesome. The film pits a punk band and a gang of neo-nazis in a fight to the death after the punk band witness a murder. The film is brutal, but also perfectly constructed and incredibly well acted. If you have a strong stomach, check this one out.
- A few side notes for this point, first RIP Anton Yelchin who was absolutely amazing in
Green Room...but also the last four films on this list were produced by a single film studio, A24.
This is literally a mark of quality now:
After a brief stint in America, Park Chan-Wook is finally back in Korea and the world of cinema is better for it. For his return he has cranked out, what Wikipedia describes as a erotic psychological thriller and oh boy, does that description hit the mark. if you're into opulent cinematography, lesbian romance, and a healthy dosage of weird then
The Handmaiden should be right for you.
Am I the only one who is amazed by the number of films that Denis Villeneuve is putting out? He is averaging a film a year at this point and shows not sign of stopping. He has freaking
Bladerunner 2049 set to come out this year,
Arrival last year, and my film of the year for 2015
Sicario. What the heck? Seriously, what the hell? Also, Arrival, it's a pretty damn good movie and one you should have probably already seen. If you haven't, then you're missing out on smart Sci-fi at its best.
Right now
The Wailing is on Netflix, at least it is in the US, it's about 2 and half hours long...watch it. It's pretty awesome.
This film is about two brothers who go on a crime spree for reasons unknown to us...at least at the beginning. This film was written by Taylor Sheridan who wrote
Sicario and the film is add good as
Sicario, which considering
Sicario was my 2015 film of the year it's unsurprising that
Hell or High Water is my film of the year for 2016. Ignore the bland title and the fact that it stars Chris Pine, it's an awesome movie and you need to check it out.
Ok, that was 2016, what were some of your favorites?
