Top films of 2016--a final ranking of a fantastic year in cinema

Top-ranked films of 2016

1. Louder than Bombs--not released in the US or UK until April (though elsewhere in 2015) this Westchester examination is in a league with The Ice Storm.   People are really really struggling up there, it turns out, and sometimes finding transcendence.  Extraordinary Jesse Eisenberg, Isabelle Huppert, and David Strathairn...and not just saying this because the director Joachim Trier is Scandinavian...
2. Embrace of the Serpent--this is actually at 2015 release but no one saw it in the US until 2016--when it lost the Best Foreign Film award to Son of Saul.  It shouldn't have (no comments about the surprise that a holocaust film won out over a true original gem with radical environmental and racial politics).   The movie tells of the relationships between Karamakate, an Amazonian shaman and last survivor of his people, and two scientists who work together over the course of 40 years.  The relationships show the violence, racism, covetousness, and abuse of the western system--looking at a very very sick Christian outpost, Karamakate concludes that "this is the combination of the worst of both cultures" (you'll strongly agree). 
3. Sing Street--a film of relations--both their realities and the fantasies we form to believe in them.   Dad sleeps on the floor next to the bed where his estranged wife dozes.   Bullies get their worst at home.   Older brothers possess wisdom beyond their years, based on their own failed expectations and the lyrics to songs you can't forget.   The answer to life comes in the form of a Duran Duran or The Cure song.  A grandfather leaves the secret path of escape to a better world.   And the girl of your dreams, albeit somewhat battered, really does push open the double doors and burst into your Senior Prom.   A rock and roll redemption film for the ages.   And wow, what a soundtrack!
4. Underdog--Swedes are leaving their broken economy to find employment in the service industries in Norway, but there's not a lot of love left between the two cultures--the Norwegians  are "like dumb cousins who won the lottery," and of course the Swedes went neutral in WWII to largely avoid the beating Norway received.  This is the story of a Swedish worker who rises above all that to provide love and honesty, particularly to the husband and two children of a middle class family she befriends.  The result is generosity that changes every one's life for the better.   Full of hope and warmth where you don't expect to find it.  
5. Toni Erdmann--very loosely, a father concludes that the only way to renew contact with his super A-type daughter is to pretend he's a business consultant like her and show up at all her meetings.  What emerges is almost a fable (including Bulgarian masks) of our individual hope to not be left alone, to connect, to remember.   You could not create a similar work of art in any other media than cinema.  
6. Knight of Cups--Tree of Life was one of the worst films of all time so this movie is Terrance Malik's "do-over" on the theme of loss of memories and time (Remembrance of Things Past, any one?).   He took his second shot and knocked it out of the ballpark.  (Released in 2015 in the rest of the world and 2016 in the US.)
7. Moonlight--I wish they had given seven supporting actor Academy Awards (to the six actors who play Kevin and Little/Chiron/Black plus Mahershala Ali--who actually got the only one).  The movie documents why a child would stop communicating, and then awards us with a drive from Atlanta to Miami that is a culmination of our joint searches to find moments of love and connection.   
8. The Confirmation--I wouldn't have guessed Clive Owen could pull off a bottom 10% AA member, but he did.   And where did they get those two kids?   Stunning performances.   This is an understated gem that reminds me of the absolute best, like Nebraska, or Ulee's Gold.  But it's mostly Clive Owen who competes favorably with Jesus in his fundamental generosity and forgiveness--traits rarely caught on film and never when the leading character is far at the bottom of the economic heap.  The moral of the film is, I believe, that you can judge a book by its cover, but only if you are judgmental yourself.   To some one with an open soul, every one you meet is a world of surprises. 
9. Hell or High Water--a routine small-scale cops and robbers story that takes on near-biblical proportions due to 1) Jeff Bridges in an amazing marbles-in-his-mouth performance and 2) Chris Pine and Ben Foster.   These two brothers have been equally victimized by easy bank loans and our gross economic unfairness, but have responded differently.   When they team up, the buddy film sparks fly high.   If only we can get to Oklahoma...as if the bankers aren't rapacious there too.   Fortunately, a few scraps are left on the table, and the brothers run to grab them up...
10. I, Daniel Blake--this one got a lot of Cannes attention apparently, for telling the story of an injured carpenter who is literally killed by the system--particularly the terror-inspiring gap between unemployment and the NHS.   At one point Daniel gets cheered for spray painting a government office.   You will to.   US viewers--don't feel complacent that this is set in the UK.   It's worse here.
11. Brand New Testament--truly an anti-religious film.   Which means it's true.   We kill people the world over because of a bunch of stupid words on some sheet of paper somewhere?  
12. Monster Money--can we be excused for enjoying this feel good lefty fable?   Even George and Julia and Jodie know that the kids are going back to Fussball and MSNBC stock reports as soon as the violence is over.   No one cares about corporate theft.   No one questions the wisdom of the halfwits who make their living in institutional investing, generally underperforming the Dow after stealing their portions.   But hey, it makes for good cable TV.  This is a fable, but wow, is it pleasant to live in the fantasy that change is possible for a few hours.
13. Mountains May Depart--too bad the script is a bit of a stop-and-go mess because the underlying love story--making the wrong choices and then either making peace with the past or not--is extraordinary.   Perhaps this is a metaphor for modern China, or perhaps not, but either way, the movie starts and ends with dance scenes that will haunt you for a long time.  
14. The Lobster--don't be not normal folks...the ritual punishments are painful.  And reincarnation doesn't look much better, whether fish or fowl...
15. Les Cowboys--I'll never know if John Ford was laughing at John Wayne when he filmed The Searchers.   But don't watch it to find out--50+ years later it's the most disgusting film in the world.   Watch this film instead.
16. Tickled--a New Zealand journalist who specializes in odd habits comes across the Competitive Endurance Tickling Championship, and asks for an interview.   What he gets back--gay hatred, fake lawyers' threats, a group of silly thugs who fly from LA to scare him, and most importantly a huge group of decent young men who have all been web bashed by the same person--is way more than any one could expect.   And he actually finds the guy--D'amato.  At the center is the most pathetic sadistic bully, living alone and pathetic in Long Island.   I applaud the filmmakers' courage on this one...I would have chickened out but they follow the story to the end.  
17. Captain Fantastic--Viggo Mortensen is amazing...and as much as home schooling creeps me out, you have to root for his combination of physical, mental, and spiritual strength.   All kids would be so lucky...
18. Mia Madre--while there is a very strong mother character in the middle of this story, the real mom is the film industry.   We all love her, and watching John Turturro tell the story of how he starred in Kubrick films (they fit me like a suit," he exclaims) and Margherita Buy work through her existential crisis about directing people like him is to know that love anew.   Turturro is cover-your-mouth-laughter funny from start to finish.   Wow.
19. Complete Unknown--recommended for a great Rachel Weisz and and equally good Michael Shannon.   Good supporting cast too!   Make sure you leave time afterwards to discuss--you'll find lots to think about.   Do we spend enough time reinventing ourselves?   Too much?  Shannon's decision near the end of the film becomes a referendum on morale behavior.   
20. Hail Caesar--the goofiest Coen brothers yet.   See George Clooney forget the final word ("faith") of a terrible soliloquy.  See Frances McDormand strangle herself in the cogs of a 35mm projector.  See Channing Tatum defect to the Russians.  See Tilda Swinton play herself--twice.  See Josh Brolin single-handedly keep Hollywood from falling into the ocean.  As many laughs--and classic film references--as you can cram into 2 hours of pure fun.
21. LaLa Land--Ryan and Emma a really really great together.   Music and dancing don't bring a lot new to the screen, but that's not why you'd go to this anyway.   Worth it to see the two of them spark (currently being featured as best film winner--I recommend any of the films higher on this list first).
22. Don't Think Twice--hard to get on the top films of the year list when your most redeeming characteristic is "sweet."   But this film does...you'll be envious of the close friendship between these disparate performers, which is tested when Keegan-Michael Key makes the step up to the Big Time.  As described, the essence of improv success is to never say "no" to your partners, and through thick and thin this group lives up to that essential rule, in their lives and in their shows.
23. Queen of Katwe--the tale of an improbable--no, impossible--chess championship

Worst films of the year

1. Silence--you're kidding right?   Scorcesee's apologia for the Jesuits and the Pope?  Like we need this now?   I already knew that Buddhism isn't all incense and yogic charm.  But don't hide behind that to do a puff piece for Rome.  Apparently, 17th century Japanese citizens needed better dentists, or so we learn here.  Beyond that...damaging.
2. A Bigger Splash--Luca Guadagnino cannot tell stories nor develop characters.   Why do people keep giving him money to make films, and why does Tilda Swinton keep working with him when she's so talented?  I'm embarrassed that I even went to this after I Am Love.
3. Now You See Me 2--if you liked the first one, you should be warned off by the 2 hour 9 minute run time.   If not, seeing Michael Caine and Mark Ruffalo dial this one in (maybe from inside a safe) will convince you to stay away.   The gestalt of the first was that there's a magic and spiritual element that defies evil as much as it defies science, when practiced to perfection.  That mythic quality is lost here, where the 4 Horsemen (the only high point is a strong but one-note performance by the one female character) are frequently getting beat up, seem not to understand what's happening, and only barely regain partial control at the end.  Morgan Freeman tries to save things as he always does by speaking in a low mysterious voice at the end, saying illogical things, but in all odds you've already left the theater. 
4. Secret Lives of Pets --devoid of any higher thought, and the writers obviously are dog people.
5. Wondrous Boccacio--have the Italians lost their film-making minds?   Or at least their artistic direction?  This movie will make you hate Boccacio, and hey, I'll throw in Chaucer, and the 1000 Arabian Nights too--I'm so turned off serial storytelling after seeing this piece of garbage.
6. Ma Ma--Penelope Cruz fails to ennoble a simplistic Spanish version of the "dying makes you open to new people" story.   In this case, you're hoping that the doctor's diagnosis is too optimistic
7. In the Shadow of Women--Ironic French couples drama about an ironic failed documentary filmmaker with an ironic voiceover.   That's hearsay upon hearsay upon hearsay and I chose not to view films about it.
8. The Treasure--a Romanian film that offers a unique pace (who ever filmed some one scanning an entire back yard with a metal detector, swath by swath?) and an ethics based around generosity (OK, the 800 euro loan DID pay off handsomely in Mercedes stock certificates from 1969, but I still wouldn't have given the cash) that you'd never in a million years recommend to a friend.
9. A Cure for Wellness--Gore Verbinski, of Pirates of the Caribbean fame, directed this dark film that shows that creepiness for its own sake doesn't equal cleverness. Or interest. Of course I don't like to swallow eels. I didn't need this movie to figure that out. One twist: the idiot who keeps returning to the scene of the crime when every one in the audience is asking "why?" is a guy this time. Usually it's a woman in underwear for some reason. So that's something. Has Verbinski done anything since this film? I hope he's through.

Films I enjoyed but that weren't in the top ranking

1. Kill Your Friends--released everywhere else in 2015 but seems to have released in the U.S in April 2016.   Surprising and chaotic crazy violence a bit like the Jake Gyllenhaal film from 2014.   Makes you laugh but you're not entirely sure why.
2. Eye in the Sky--OK, this is probably the best of the "war is hell and forces complicated moral decisions on normal folks who aren't equipped to make them" genre.   So it's better than American Sniper by a mile, for instance, if only because the management approval chain it depicts is so comical.   But don't forget:   this is a silly and propagandistic genre.   Let's stop making these films all-together and start thinking about the victims.  American imperialistic violence kills far more than a single bread-selling girl and some clearly acknowledged terrorist loonies. Eye in the Sky is a pleasant lie staged by propagandists.  
3. Dheepan--normal fringe life in the Paris suburbs takes on psychological and ultimately physical terror, but perhaps the first is worst when the subjects on screen are buying beds and making curtains after a life destroyed by the revolution in Sri Lanka.   The war more or less ended in 2009 when the government "won," but even if you take the Tamil Tiger out of the war, you can't take the war out of Antonythasan Jesuthasan.  Might win the best foreign picture award next April???
4. Nice Guys--I hope Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling have plans for NGII, NGIII, ad infinitum.  I'll forgive them that they perhaps are having more fun making the movie(s) than audiences have watching them, and go to every one.   There are moments here that mimic and rival Abbot and Costello--who knew it took 90 seconds to get out of a men's bathroom stall?
5. The Master Plan--decent standard fare heist movie where floors fall out and people throw champagne glasses and the son gets even for bad things done to the father.
6. Theeb--Beduouin coming of age story with a very strong moral center around family loyalty in a dying culture caught between the English, the Ottomans, and the geopolitics of war.
7. Equity--fun film to watch and discuss afterwards.   It turns out that if Goldman Sachs was 100% women, the world might be a slightly less greedy and hateful and inept place.   Emphasis on "slightly," as this clever film makes clear.  
8. Lo and Behold--I worried that Herzog wouldn't be able to add anything to this latest topic--the internet.   But it's Herzog.   He uses 10 vignettes plus or minus, largely focused around the faculty at Carnegie Mellon (a slight drawback for the film) to find 10 very new things to say about our networked lives.   It reminded me that this is the same guy who did Aguirre Wrath of God, as well as Grizzly Man.   Perhaps the greatest ever?  BTW, the title for this film comes from the purported first communication over the first two computers on DARPAnet--L (got it), O (got it)--CRASH.   So the first word ever sent on the internet was LO.   Lo and behold what we have now, indeed.
9. Hunt for the Wilerpeople.  Sam Neill was one of the very few actors as startlingly handsome and apparently decent as Newman and Redford.   Remember The Dish?   OMG. I miss seeing him in films so much...and though this movie has every cliche in the book thrown in (with comic downsizing from Hollywood chase film standards that become truly funny and much more touching when you know that every piece of New Zealand military equipment was rented to make the film), it's beautiful and wonderful.   Huge hints of Butch Cassidy and there's a long section in the film where you worry you're headed into Thelma & Louise territory.
10. The Idol--It's hard not to become insensitive to the Gaza situation--it's been getting worse for so long and no one on either side wants to do anything to fix it.   But seeing the live clips of the street celebrations when Mohammed Assaf won the Arab Idol competition reminds you in a more provocative way perhaps than more overtly political films that real humans with real aspirations are locked into a--what--100 square kilometer island surrounded by fences.   Go Mohammed!  You deserve everything you fought for.
11. The Handmaiden--a perfect film for TIFF and the BFI.  Wry and self-referential from start to finish, what a super-meta point at heart:  if you're titillated by porn, you're likely to be part of the problem.  This was certainly a fun 2+ hours--and OK, it was sexy, and yes it was a romping triple-cross story sort of like The Sting except with two Asian women who enjoy oral sex, and yes the bad guys definitely got what was coming to them in the end.
12. No Pay, Nudity.   All heart...the film starts with a sick pet, and moves on to the leftovers of Actors Equity (played by Gabriel Byrne and Nathan Lane, envisioning the end of their fantastic careers).   Any one who's acted has heard the line "if you can do anything else besides act, do it."   This is a film about those few who, in fact, couldn't do anything else.   Byrne plays Fool to  a Dayton Othello at the end in a way that will bring more tears to your eyes.   Indie, low budget, and wonderful.
13. Mellow Mud--two Latvian kids end up under the guardianship of their grandmother--until she dies and they bury her in the apple orchard. So, they fake it to avoid being separated--fake school notes, fake pension signature, fake happiness. They get the kind attention of one social worker, but no one else seems to care other than a teacher who helps the eldest daughter win an English language competition (while sleeping with her) but also so she can go to London.  Mom deserted them years ago but may live there (this leads to the most emotional rejection seen in films in a long time--they find mom who tells them to get lost, while carting a newborn on her hip). 

Films I haven't seen yet or don't plan to see

1. Ab Fab
2. Weiner--supposed to be great but I feel like I've had enough of the guy already
3. Demolition
4. The man who knew infinity
5. Havana Motor Club
6. Mustang--Turkish
7. Girl on a Train--the book was great, and more than enough
8. Birth of a Nation--I'm sure it will be fine but too much Cannes and other buzz always makes me worried
9. The latest Tom Hanks movie about scary Catholics