John's Top Ten Films Of 2016
A lot of people wonder why I care about movies so much. I often tell Sara when we're at The Bridge that the aura of expectation that envelops her mind as she tithes is how I feel at the box office before a flick. Sara and I attend church most every Sunday and the cinema most every Saturday. It's the closest thing to a religion I can honestly say I've ever felt. Obviously, most people I've made this claim to find it to be ridiculous, but indulge me a little. In church you sing worship music that stirs the soul and in film there are soundtracks that push the emotional impact of visuals to another height. Movies have characters that talk and act so truthfully that you desire to emulate them, much like the people written of in the holy texts. At the end of a fulfilling service you come out changed; nerves tingling, the hair of your arms on end and a lucid will committing to a fuller idea of what it means to exist in this world. I can tell you each of the films on this list had a similar effect on me.
Here are my choices for the top ten films of 2016:
Not Yet Viewed Before The List: La La Land (dir: Chazelle), Silence (dir: Scorsese), Nocturnal Animals (dir: Ford), Moonlight (dir: Jenkins), Patriots Day (dir: Berg), Jackie (dir: Larrain), Fences (dir: Washington) and Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (dir: Lee)
This is probably the closest one to a crowd pleaser that I have on my list so feel free to watch it with spouses and children in the room. The original soundtrack to this film is on par with some of the greatest I've ever heard and vibrant editing creates an energy that builds until the very end. The cast is pretty good, but it's the script that is bursting with honesty that makes the on screen action fulfilling. If you don't come out of this movie with a song in your heart and smile on your face, you may want to have someone check your pulse.
TFLOEG Fun Shinfo Fact: This is the first movie in a while that has used the term Golliwog, to the best of my knowledge.
Richard Linklater is one of those directors where I just feel like a child around. His complete grasp of seemingly every facet of life is humbling. Doe's he understand philosophy? Most definitely. Is he an approachable human being? Based off of the characters in his scripts he seems to fit into conceivably any social group with ease. OK, but is he good at sports? Well this is his film that is loosely based on his freshmen year of playing university baseball in Texas, so I'd say he's a real catch ladies (pun intended). My favourite Linklater movies are the ones where the plot is really secondary to the conversations the characters are having whilst moving through different set pieces. Everybody Wants Some meets that standard with ease, by the end of the movie you'll feel like a bro and want to do some deep existential reflection. That's the mark of a master filmmaker.
TFLOEG Fun Shinfo Fact: I briefly considered liking baseball again after watching, maybe Linklater isn't all powerful.
Do I like introspective white guy movies? This is the first of three. Terrence Malek's films have become some of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had. Like Bergman before him, he is a director that recognizes that humans are intrinsically spiritual creatures and crafting films around this search for greater truth is a high calling. Knight Of Cups, like Malek's other works, comes with the gorgeous cinematic shots, lofty orchestral soundtrack, and the narration of each character's inner dialogue as a way of connecting with the visuals. It's not for everyone, but I've always seen these types of films as a way to literally step into the shoes of another and find a level of shared understanding on the nature of things.
TFLOEG Fun Shinfo Fact: The film is loosely based on The Pilgrim's Progress, for you John Bunyan aficionados.
The best kind of science fiction is the kind that adds an element that is surreal, but if it was dropped in our lives tomorrow it's not so unbelievable. Now while the idea of first contact with aliens is a well travelled movie trope, Arrival takes a very logistical approach to what this would look like. I won't spoil too much, but this a film where the main character is a linguistics professor. I came away from the movie with a head full of questions concerning the nature of language, it's effect on the brain, and how it can be a joiner or destroyer of people groups. This film doesn't hold your hand, it hopes you keep up, but it's edited so beautifully that when the lights dim at the end you feel like a child who had just been told the most remarkable story before bed. If Sara tells you I was weepy, it was because some inconsiderate person was cutting an onion in the theatre. This film inspired my faith in humanity (despite the American election having happened days earlier) and a deeper understanding of the beauty of communion with each other.
TFLOEG Fun Shinfo Fact: Abbot and Costello finally get their due in my favourite film reference this year.
I won't waste too much time talking about exactly what elements of this film connected with me, avid readers of the blog have already read about my deconstruction and building back up of myself. What I liked most about the film is that while watching it I saw so vividly what it was like to feel completely disconnected with seemingly the span of humanity, but with a calmness that's come in retrospect with my adaptation and healthy reintegration back into the fray. Jake Gyllenhaal career is fascinating to me as each role he seems to take lines up around with where my own mindset is at. In this film he gives a brutally honest performance which never feels out of place.
TFLOEG Fun Shinfo Fact: I've always thought the kid sidekick trope was too cutesy, but Judah Lewis' performance made me want one!
If you saw Blue Ruin in 2013 then you understand my excitement when I heard Jeremy Saulnier was teaming up with Patrick Stewart to make a movie about skinheads. This movie seems like a fever dream of practical horror, intelligent characters and metal/punk references. I was pulled in right away as the movie always seemed realistic. These were normal people that you see at a rock show that are put into an extraordinary situation where there lives are in danger. I can't recommend it enough.
TFLOEG Fun Shinfo Fact: Imogen Poots became this year's Hollywood crush for me due to her character's desert island playlist preference.
I remember walking out of this movie in February feeling like it would be hard to top this for my movie of the year. It's dropped a few spots, but the feelings that I have for it are still aflame. Each actor seems to disappear into their performances, speaking in the Puritan colonial English and living out the appropriate gender roles for the time. Anya Taylor-Joy is the clear standout though, she is certainly a talent to follow going forward. A folk tale about the nature of faith for some people and the dangers it can have for others. While it takes place four hundred years ago, it's feels just as pertinent to today. The pace is pitch perfect and the dread seems to grow until all hell breaks loose. Others have stated that they don't like the ending as it takes a fairly ambiguous movie and wraps it up too cleanly, but I couldn't disagree more. I suppose I just choose to live deliciously.
TFLOEG Fun Shinfo Fact: Some of you may remember that my most memorable visual in 2015 was of Oscar Isaac dancing in Ex Machina. The Witch holds the annual title this time with a startling use of a raven. I turned to Sara (who was watching through her fingers) with the widest grin I've had at the cinema this year.
If you overlook this one due to it being about a former Saints player or being a documentary, you are making a huge mistake. Aaron mentioned that he sometimes feels like his life is like running on a hamster wheel and I can push him off with something I say. That's what this movie did for me. I've been following the Steve Gleason saga for around four years now and I consider him to be a hero. The inspiration to live a meaningful life, one filled with intention permeates this film. I walked into the theatre one man and came out a different one.
TFLOEG Fun Shinfo Fact: Steve played his college ball for the Cougars of Washington State. I guess friends do let friends go to state!
For the longest time I thought that this would be the number one film for me. It's a dark, twisted fairy tale about feminine culture and the price of beauty. Obviously, anything the director of Drive directs will be a priority for me to see and this one was worth the drive to Calgary. Sitting in an audience of five people, then watching the two older ladies leave as it wasn't exactly the fashion industry movie they expected. Like Refn's other work there is gore and other taboo subject matter, but the black humour that flows through the film makes the experience completely enjoyable.
TFLOEG Fun Shinfo Fact: Elle Fanning (of Super 8 fame) stays at a hotel in which Keanu Reeves is the sleazy manager. His lines are instantly quotable.
The only showing they had for this film at the Calgary International Film Festival was at 10:30 pm. As someone who is routinely in bed by nine in order to be up at five, this was an interesting prospect. Jim Jarmusch's previous narrative film, Only Lovers Left Alive, was my number two film of 2014 and when I heard he was making a movie about a poetry-writing, blue-collar, Adam Driver I needed to see it as soon as possible. If you've never watched a Jarmusch film before people tend to warn you that he isn't really focused on a huge plot and to realize that it's more of a character study. The film takes place over seven days in the life of a small town bus driver, his significant other and the random people he encounters or overhears; that's the extent of the plot. It's a movie that is filled to the brim with thought provoking ideas and I haven't really stopped indulging in them at least once a day since I saw this back in September. The high level of empathy I felt with the character, the huge scope of ideas explored and message that the film leaves you with is why Paterson is my top movie of 2016.
TFLOEG Fun Shinfo Fact: Yes, that is Kylo Ren.
Honourable Mention: Hunt For The Wilderpeople (dir: Waititi) , The Girl With All The Gifts (dir: McCarthy), and Midnight Special (dir: Nichols)
Feel free to mention your favourites in the comment section!
-The Commish
Here are my choices for the top ten films of 2016:
Not Yet Viewed Before The List: La La Land (dir: Chazelle), Silence (dir: Scorsese), Nocturnal Animals (dir: Ford), Moonlight (dir: Jenkins), Patriots Day (dir: Berg), Jackie (dir: Larrain), Fences (dir: Washington) and Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (dir: Lee)
10. Sing Street (dir: Carney)
This is probably the closest one to a crowd pleaser that I have on my list so feel free to watch it with spouses and children in the room. The original soundtrack to this film is on par with some of the greatest I've ever heard and vibrant editing creates an energy that builds until the very end. The cast is pretty good, but it's the script that is bursting with honesty that makes the on screen action fulfilling. If you don't come out of this movie with a song in your heart and smile on your face, you may want to have someone check your pulse.
TFLOEG Fun Shinfo Fact: This is the first movie in a while that has used the term Golliwog, to the best of my knowledge.
9. Everybody Wants Some (dir: Linklater)
Richard Linklater is one of those directors where I just feel like a child around. His complete grasp of seemingly every facet of life is humbling. Doe's he understand philosophy? Most definitely. Is he an approachable human being? Based off of the characters in his scripts he seems to fit into conceivably any social group with ease. OK, but is he good at sports? Well this is his film that is loosely based on his freshmen year of playing university baseball in Texas, so I'd say he's a real catch ladies (pun intended). My favourite Linklater movies are the ones where the plot is really secondary to the conversations the characters are having whilst moving through different set pieces. Everybody Wants Some meets that standard with ease, by the end of the movie you'll feel like a bro and want to do some deep existential reflection. That's the mark of a master filmmaker.
TFLOEG Fun Shinfo Fact: I briefly considered liking baseball again after watching, maybe Linklater isn't all powerful.
8. Knight Of Cups (dir: Malek)
Do I like introspective white guy movies? This is the first of three. Terrence Malek's films have become some of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had. Like Bergman before him, he is a director that recognizes that humans are intrinsically spiritual creatures and crafting films around this search for greater truth is a high calling. Knight Of Cups, like Malek's other works, comes with the gorgeous cinematic shots, lofty orchestral soundtrack, and the narration of each character's inner dialogue as a way of connecting with the visuals. It's not for everyone, but I've always seen these types of films as a way to literally step into the shoes of another and find a level of shared understanding on the nature of things.
TFLOEG Fun Shinfo Fact: The film is loosely based on The Pilgrim's Progress, for you John Bunyan aficionados.
7. Arrival (dir: Villieneuve)
The best kind of science fiction is the kind that adds an element that is surreal, but if it was dropped in our lives tomorrow it's not so unbelievable. Now while the idea of first contact with aliens is a well travelled movie trope, Arrival takes a very logistical approach to what this would look like. I won't spoil too much, but this a film where the main character is a linguistics professor. I came away from the movie with a head full of questions concerning the nature of language, it's effect on the brain, and how it can be a joiner or destroyer of people groups. This film doesn't hold your hand, it hopes you keep up, but it's edited so beautifully that when the lights dim at the end you feel like a child who had just been told the most remarkable story before bed. If Sara tells you I was weepy, it was because some inconsiderate person was cutting an onion in the theatre. This film inspired my faith in humanity (despite the American election having happened days earlier) and a deeper understanding of the beauty of communion with each other.
TFLOEG Fun Shinfo Fact: Abbot and Costello finally get their due in my favourite film reference this year.
6. Demolition (dir: Vallee)
I won't waste too much time talking about exactly what elements of this film connected with me, avid readers of the blog have already read about my deconstruction and building back up of myself. What I liked most about the film is that while watching it I saw so vividly what it was like to feel completely disconnected with seemingly the span of humanity, but with a calmness that's come in retrospect with my adaptation and healthy reintegration back into the fray. Jake Gyllenhaal career is fascinating to me as each role he seems to take lines up around with where my own mindset is at. In this film he gives a brutally honest performance which never feels out of place.
TFLOEG Fun Shinfo Fact: I've always thought the kid sidekick trope was too cutesy, but Judah Lewis' performance made me want one!
5. Green Room (dir: Saulnier)
If you saw Blue Ruin in 2013 then you understand my excitement when I heard Jeremy Saulnier was teaming up with Patrick Stewart to make a movie about skinheads. This movie seems like a fever dream of practical horror, intelligent characters and metal/punk references. I was pulled in right away as the movie always seemed realistic. These were normal people that you see at a rock show that are put into an extraordinary situation where there lives are in danger. I can't recommend it enough.
TFLOEG Fun Shinfo Fact: Imogen Poots became this year's Hollywood crush for me due to her character's desert island playlist preference.
4. The Witch (dir: Eggers)
I remember walking out of this movie in February feeling like it would be hard to top this for my movie of the year. It's dropped a few spots, but the feelings that I have for it are still aflame. Each actor seems to disappear into their performances, speaking in the Puritan colonial English and living out the appropriate gender roles for the time. Anya Taylor-Joy is the clear standout though, she is certainly a talent to follow going forward. A folk tale about the nature of faith for some people and the dangers it can have for others. While it takes place four hundred years ago, it's feels just as pertinent to today. The pace is pitch perfect and the dread seems to grow until all hell breaks loose. Others have stated that they don't like the ending as it takes a fairly ambiguous movie and wraps it up too cleanly, but I couldn't disagree more. I suppose I just choose to live deliciously.
TFLOEG Fun Shinfo Fact: Some of you may remember that my most memorable visual in 2015 was of Oscar Isaac dancing in Ex Machina. The Witch holds the annual title this time with a startling use of a raven. I turned to Sara (who was watching through her fingers) with the widest grin I've had at the cinema this year.
3. Gleason (dir: Tweel)
If you overlook this one due to it being about a former Saints player or being a documentary, you are making a huge mistake. Aaron mentioned that he sometimes feels like his life is like running on a hamster wheel and I can push him off with something I say. That's what this movie did for me. I've been following the Steve Gleason saga for around four years now and I consider him to be a hero. The inspiration to live a meaningful life, one filled with intention permeates this film. I walked into the theatre one man and came out a different one.
TFLOEG Fun Shinfo Fact: Steve played his college ball for the Cougars of Washington State. I guess friends do let friends go to state!
2. The Neon Demon (dir: Winding Refn)
For the longest time I thought that this would be the number one film for me. It's a dark, twisted fairy tale about feminine culture and the price of beauty. Obviously, anything the director of Drive directs will be a priority for me to see and this one was worth the drive to Calgary. Sitting in an audience of five people, then watching the two older ladies leave as it wasn't exactly the fashion industry movie they expected. Like Refn's other work there is gore and other taboo subject matter, but the black humour that flows through the film makes the experience completely enjoyable.
TFLOEG Fun Shinfo Fact: Elle Fanning (of Super 8 fame) stays at a hotel in which Keanu Reeves is the sleazy manager. His lines are instantly quotable.
1. Paterson (dir: Jarmusch)
The only showing they had for this film at the Calgary International Film Festival was at 10:30 pm. As someone who is routinely in bed by nine in order to be up at five, this was an interesting prospect. Jim Jarmusch's previous narrative film, Only Lovers Left Alive, was my number two film of 2014 and when I heard he was making a movie about a poetry-writing, blue-collar, Adam Driver I needed to see it as soon as possible. If you've never watched a Jarmusch film before people tend to warn you that he isn't really focused on a huge plot and to realize that it's more of a character study. The film takes place over seven days in the life of a small town bus driver, his significant other and the random people he encounters or overhears; that's the extent of the plot. It's a movie that is filled to the brim with thought provoking ideas and I haven't really stopped indulging in them at least once a day since I saw this back in September. The high level of empathy I felt with the character, the huge scope of ideas explored and message that the film leaves you with is why Paterson is my top movie of 2016.
TFLOEG Fun Shinfo Fact: Yes, that is Kylo Ren.
Honourable Mention: Hunt For The Wilderpeople (dir: Waititi) , The Girl With All The Gifts (dir: McCarthy), and Midnight Special (dir: Nichols)
Feel free to mention your favourites in the comment section!
-The Commish
I think my favorite so far in 2016 is hell or high water (mackenzie). Maybe it's cuz I'm older and can't remember all the movies i saw and liked this year or maybe I don't think there were many memorable ones but this movie was so amazing that I could have seen it Jan 1st and it would have been on my list. Had all the elements for me great acting, sense of family and brotherhood, violence with hilarious dialogue and and without spoiling it a great ending making you wanting more of the characters. John not sure if you have seen it but the soundtrack absolutely kicked!
ReplyDeleteHell or High Water was an exceptional film, I enjoyed it a lot!
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