The Best of 2016 – Anthony edition
It’s the earth’s arbitrary birthday so it’s nice to reflect on the year that’s gone. Specifically, in this case, the movies that 2016 brought us.
There were good, bad and mediocre but there were also some that made my eyes pop and my heart soar. That took my imagination out on an adventure so grand it threatened to not come back. For whatever reasons, there were some films that just grabbed me.
From quirky assassins (three different ones) to clever movies that leave you thinking to creations of love, there was a variety to choose from this year. Surprisingly, for a confessed comic book fan, only one Superhero movie made it into the lists below.
But there were some that made me believe. Ones I’ll gladly re-watch. For 2016 these were those movies (in no particular order):
The top twelve of 2016
Hunt For the Wilderpeople
Everybody Wants Some
Mr Right*
Deadpool
Arrival
The Nice Guys
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
The Hateful Eight
Brand New Testament*
Zootopia
The Accountant
Special mentions:
Kubo and the two strings
The Lure (aka Córki dancingu)*
Tag (aka Riaru onigokko)* – note: I watched without subtitles and enjoyed piecing things together. Not sure how a ‘proper watch’ would go.
Embrace
Moana
Broke
Captain Fantastic
Trumbo
Eddie The Eagle
Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children
Eye In The Sky
These are the ones that impressed me. Feel free to agree or disagree down below. Did I miss any?
*technically released in 2015 but didn’t make their way to Australia until 2016
Didn’t you see Star Wars Rogue One?
I did see it yes.
What about FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM??????????????
Full disclosure: I’m yet to see that one. Travel late in the year hampered my ability to see a few and that was one of the victims. I will see it but can’t include it in the list without seeing it.
Others I’m yet to see but have been told are good:
10 Cloverfield Lane
The Shallows
Passengers
Scare Campaign
What did you like about Everybody wants some? I didn’t enjoy it.
At first glance it’s a B-grade 80s horny boy movie but it surprised me with layers that actually inspired some thought. The intelligent writing wasn’t in the cliched depiction of teenage boys, it was the way it looked at their motivations which weren’t just the obvious sexual satisfaction but the perception of their peers. An interesting exploration instead of a 2-D lust comedy. Surprising depth is always a plus in my book.
Moana was so much better than Zootopia! Strong female character not being outshone by the male.
I enjoyed Moana (and indeed it received a special mention above) but Zootopia worked on so many more levels. And I’d happily argue it was more empowering than Moana. In Zootopia we had a young female faced with odds that had never been overcome to achieve her dream. She not only does that but continues to face obstacles. She doesn’t give up and keeps chipping away and working hard. Moana faced strange adventures but had powerful friends (and even the ocean) on her side. It just felt a little more simplistic in a narrative sense. There weren’t too many layers or much to think about it – it was just fun. Zootopia on the other hand had other messages, and interesting plot (even if it was a tad predictable) and lots of lessons for our young women. Just my two cents of course…