My Top 7 Favourite Movies of 2016
I know we have a couple of days left of 2016, but at this point I think I can make a fair judgement on what my top films I've watched this year have been. Honestly, on reflection it hasn't been my favourite year for film, I had to properly sit down and think about the films I really enjoyed this year as unlike previous years there wasn't a major stand out amazing film in my mind. That said, this year hasn't been without its gems and reading through my list now it seems that personally I've gotten more out of the quieter movies this year than the huge blockbusters. So here we go, let the count down begin!
Disclaimer - not all of these films were released this year but these are all films I watched for the first time this year, hence their inclusion on my list.
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OK so it's mostly the soundtrack of this movie that I fell in love with, but as soon as the film ended I just wanted to sit down and watch it all over again and that for me is a sure fire sign of a winner! The artwork is beautiful, the songs are ridiculously catchy and I can't wait for it to come out on Blu-ray so I can watch it all over again.
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I actually only watched this the day before writing this post and I haven't stopped thinking about it. Anything from the director of Being John Malkovich is guaranteed to be filled with melancholy whimsy and Anomalisa does not disappoint. I'm a huge animation fan so I was mesmerised with how gorgeous and realistic the animation was in this movie and how they managed to create one of the most convincingly natural sex scenes of all time. It's haunting in a dystopian sci-fi kind of way but that's where the joy of this one lies.
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I'm kind of surprised I haven't seen more people talking about Tangerine. Focusing on some trans sex workers in Hollywood, we follow the story of a day in their lives as they do what they have to do to survive. But it's not as depressing as it sounds, it's surprisingly endearing and touching, intellectual and hilarious. It's one of those movies where nothing really happens but also one you can't take your eyes off of.
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You always hear people saying they don't make films like they used to? Yh, well those people have clearly never seen The Nice Guys starring Ryan Gosling and Russel Crowe. It's a Shane Black movie, so obviously it's going to be dripping in cool quips and retro vibes but this movie is also absolutely hilarious and the two leads are ridiculously likeable despite being utter morons. In fact, I definitely need to watch this movie again as writing about it now has made me realise all over again how much I loved this movie!
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Leaving this movie I felt like I had witnessed actual evil. Pure, unadulterated evil. It's impressive how such a quiet and slow paced picture can so perfectly capture the paranoia and tension surrounding the witch hunts of days gone by. And the way it leaves literally every scene over to interpretation, from the relationship of the family to that goat. Everybody takes their own piece away from The Witch, probably the most perfect horror films of recent times.
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The premise of this sounded right up my street and I knew instantly I had to watch: set in a dystopian future, singletons are sent away to a retreat where they must pair off with another human in a couple. If they fail to do this within a set number of days, they are then turned into the animal of their choice. Yh, it's weird as hell, it's British and it has Olivia Coleman, this movie sounded like it was made for me. And it delivered in every possible way. It's kind of got an air of Cronenbergian monotony reminiscent of Cosmopolis and is clearly a twisted comment on the Tinder generation and how we're all so desperate for love, but there's weirdly a warm undertone to it that emerges as the protagonists battle to go against the grain. It's also speckled with flitterings of extreme violence, prominent enough to make your attention prick up but not too much so to be gratuitous. God I loved this movie.
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On watching the trailer, Green Room seemed like it was going to be just another crappy slasher horror where we tune in, grab some popcorn and watch some foolish foolish teenagers get hacked to death. But then you realise Patrick Stewart is in it and it catches your attention a little bit more. Yes, it's brutally violent but it's also clever and original with how that violence is portrayed. The plotline (I won't go into any details) is a lot more than 'teens are stupid, shit goes down' and the soundtrack is banging. It reminds me a lot of Eden Lake actually, it feels like a real location with real people, the hopelessness and isolation penetrates throughout. For fans of slasher with a willingness to think a little bit more.
So yh, it seems to me that 2016 was a bit of a stinker when it comes to the blockbuster but the indie weirdness really made some noise! I'm now gagging for Oscar season to begin and can't wait to get stuck in!
Talk later xoxo,
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