Hey everyone! Now before you all say anything, I already know what you are all thinking: why am I finally posting a top 10 of 2016 list when we’re almost 3 months into 2017? Well, there is a pretty good reason for that. While most of my fellow film critics posted their top 10 lists either at the very end of 2016 or very early 2017, I decided to wait a little longer on writing up mine. Originally I wanted to have my list online much sooner but between both work and my busy personal life, I didn’t get a chance to do it over the pass two months until now. Which I think was a good thing because it gave me time to catch up some 2016 films that I missed and as well as see some of the high-profile Oscar nominated films to see if they were worthy to be on my list. While 2016 was a bit of an up-and-down year overall, there was still a lot of truly great films that were released nonetheless. Now before I go into my final official top 10 of 2016, here’s another list of films that sadly didn’t quite make it on there but were my honourable mentions for the year. Enjoy!
NOTE: I’ve only included films that were officially released in cinemas in either Australia, the U.K. or the U.S. in 2016 (however some films that I saw at film festivals this year won’t be included if they hadn’t had a theatrical release in either of those three countries yet).
HONOURABLE MENTIONS (In Alphabetical Order):
An (a.k.a. Sweet Bean)
Arrival
Boys In The Trees
Captain America: Civil War
The Conjuring 2
Down Under
Embrace Of The Serpent
Everybody Wants Some!!
Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them
Goldstone
The Handmaiden
Hell Or High Water
Hunt For The Wilderpeople
I, Daniel Blake
Jackie
Kate Plays Christine
La La Land
The Nice Guys
Nocturnal Animals
Pete’s Dragon
Remembering The Man
Tickled
Toni Erdmann
Under The Shadow
Weiner
Zootopia
…And now onto my official top 10 films of 2016…
10. LIFE, ANIMATED
(Dir: Roger Ross Williams)
“An incredibly moving, uplifting and crowd pleasing documentary that really resonated with me on a deeply personal level. It’s a film that shows just how cinema in a lot of ways can both help and enrich our lives for the better. It’s both equally insightful and inspiring.”
9. BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE (ULTIMATE EDITION)
(Dir: Zack Snyder)
“Now I understand why a lot of people didn’t like this film but for me personally, I honestly loved it. To me this was a truly ambitious, thematically deep and visually stunning superhero film that I found captivating from beginning to end. It definitely a lot better film than everyone is giving it credit for (especially in its Ultimate Edition cut).”
8. HACKSAW RIDGE
(Dir: Mel Gibson)
“10 years after making APOCALYPTO, actor Mel Gibson finally makes a truly triumphant return to the director’s chair with absolutely powerful and compelling war film that has a truly terrific performance from Andrew Garfield.”
7. THE NEON DEMON
(Dir: Nicolas Winding Refn)
While it won’t be for everyone but for me personally, I found it to be absolutely captivating and unique horror film. It’s hypnotic, self-indulgent, thought-provoking, flawed, beautiful, grotesque, hilarious, weird… So, yep. I absolutely loved it!
6. MOONLIGHT
(Dir: Barry Jenkins)
“A delicate but superbly crafted coming-of-age film whose power and themes stay with you for a long time after you have watched it. Everything from the performances to the filmmaking is just absolutely flawless in every way. It’s truly is a fantastic and moving film.”
5. ELLE
(Dir: Paul Vehoeven)
“Director Paul Verhoeven’s latest and long waited new film is a brilliantly made psychological rape revenge thriller that’s equal parts intelligent, shocking, riveting and darkly funny. Plus Isabelle Huppert gave without a single doubt in my mind *the* best performance of 2016.”
4. KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS
(Dir: Travis Knight)
“An absolutely fantastic animated film that’s its influences of both Japanese folklore and Studio Ghibli films to create a truly imaginative experience. It’s visually stunning, entertaining, funny, action packed, moving and surprisingly poignant as well.”
3. THE WITCH
(Dir: Robert Eggers)
“There is no doubt in my mind that this one of the scariest horror films that I have seen in a very long time. A superbly made and brilliantly horror film that was absolutely chilling from beginning to end. Seriously my stomach was in knots the entire time I was watching it. It’s a masterpiece of the horror genre.”
2. MANCHESTER BY THE SEA
(Dir: Kenneth Lonergan)
“There have a lot of films that released delved into the subject of grief and loss but there’s no doubt that this was truly best one of the lot. It’s an absolutely powerful and emotionally honest film that has at the centre of it a truly heartbreaking career best performance from Casey Affleck.”
1. SILENCE
(Dir: Martin Scorsese)
“It has taken legendary director Martin Scorsese nearly 30 years to bring his religious themed passion project to the big screen and I can tell you right now, it was truly worth the wait. While it won’t be for everyone but for me personally, this was an absolutely incredible film that explores its themes in a truly powerful and thought-provoking way. It’s a type of film that only Scorsese himself could have made. The direction, the performances, the script, the score, the cinematography etc. are all brilliantly done. After I saw this, I instantly knew that this was without a doubt the best film of 2016. It’s absolute masterpiece that’s ranks up there as one of Scorsese’s best films.”
Well, there you have it. Those are my official top 10 films of 2016. Agree or disagree? Let your voices be heard in the comments below or on the official SuperMarcey.com Facebook page! Also keep a look out a few days when I will unveil my highly anticipated top 10 worst films of 2016 list. That’s one you will definitely do not want to miss, it’s going to be terribly good!
– Bede Jermyn
The Super Network 