Top 10 for 2016

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As we say goodbye to 2016, Assholes are asking what’s the best thing you saw this year? And more hilarious for us, what was the worst? Happy new year to all of you, and a special thanks to all of you who stop by and leave comments. They are the oxygen of this site.

 

 

thumbnail_2508910. Peter And The Farm: I saw a lot of terrific documentaries this year. For the Love of Spock, Gleason, and Life, Animated all come to mind. But the one that never left my mind, not for a minute since I saw it, was Peter And The Farm. It’s unflinching and disturbing.

9. Hell or High Water: The best thing about this movie is that it sneaks up on you. It’s not flashy. It just builds. The writing is good and it earns every minute of screen time.

8. Jackie: Natalie Portman is spot-on in this film, but what I really enjoyed is seeing very familiar events, events we are so hyper-aware of they’re part of our collective conscience, be re-told from her perspective. And suddenly it’s fresh and eye-opening, yet still mysterious in the way only Jackie could be.

7. Arrival: A sci-fi movie that’s cerebral and genre-defying is exactly what I needed without even knowing it. The set-up is very precise and thoughtful, so even if you see the twist coming, it still unravels quite elegantly. Amy Adams is sublime.

6. Hunt For The Wilderpeople: Funny as fuck.

5. Manchester By The Sea: It’s a tough watch, and not exactly a ‘rewarding’ one but it takes a lot of courage to deviate from the ending we want and expect and instead go towards what’s real and honest, even if it leaves us feeling hollow.

4. Moonlight: Haunting in its portrayal of a perspective that feels at once unique, and universal. The film is well-crafted, the character unforgettable, the acting note-worthy across the board. Disarming, graceful, truthful.

3. Swiss Army Man: This movie just made my heart sing. It’s offbeat and original. It’s also maybe a little inconsistent, but the highs were so damn high I can forgive it nearly anything.07bluejay-master768

2. Blue Jay: Gutting. Superbly acted. Blew me away.

1. La La Land: the magic of this movie is almost indescribable. Stylish, joyful, smart, and above all, bittersweet.

 

 

For further reading, please check out the top 10 lists of our friends: Steve, Vern, Keith, Niall, Parrot, Becky, Sarah, 2 Eyes, Wendell, Caz, Brian, Tom, another Keith, Liam, Wilson , Mel, Paul, Lolo ….if we missed you, add your link in the comments!

34 thoughts on “Top 10 for 2016”

  6. Silver Screenings

    Absolutely loved Hunt for the Wilderpeople. That kid was amazing. So much charisma, and he could really hold his own with Sam Neill.

    Looking forward to seeing many of these on your list, including La La Land.

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  8. J.

    Haven’t seen any of these. Yet. Nor have I seen nearly enough 2016 movies. However, thanks to you guys my Netflix and IMDb lists total a kazillion.

    All the best for the new year, Assholes. Here’s to plenty great movies, good times, and good reads!

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      1. J.

        Woop! Thanks for the heads-up… Blue Jay added! Hunt for the Wilderpeople hasn’t made it to Netflix UK yet, though…

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  9. Often Off Topic

    Oh boy, so many movies I haven’t actually seen yet! I’m still compiling my best & worst lists. I’m torn between Arrival and Hunt For the Wilderpeople as my favourite, but I reckon Get a Job was the worst I was this year.

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  10. aidymcglynn

    Saw some great films this year, mostly on the recommendation of this site, but mostly tv that sticks in my mind – Vikings, Game of Thrones and only now catching on to Deadwood.

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  13. The Vern

    Four of of your flicks are for sure are going to be on my very best of the year list once I get around to making it. None of your picks are on my shit list. Great stuff

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  15. amykathwills

    I’ve already seen La La Land twice and I’m currently listening to the soundtrack- it is truly one of my favorites! I’m looking forward to seeing the others on this list.

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  16. SLIP/THROUGH - Dan

    Interesting Top 10. I love how you love indie cinema 😉 I need to check out the doc Peter & The Farm and Blue Jay. I really enjoyed Hell or High Water, so I’m surprised it’s on the lower end of the Top 10. That also makes me want to see the other films even more. Hehehe. I still need to see the heavyweights like Manchester at the Sea and La La Land. There were quite a few noteworthy films this year, so making the Top 10 must have been a challenge. Thanks. This was a compelling read 🙂 I’d honorable mention Nice Guys and Sing Street from what’s shining in the spotlight here.

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    1. Jay Post author

      I do love indie cinema, but I hadn’t really realized that this list reflects that until you pointed it out.
      I did this based on memory so there may be one or two that I just plum forgot about, but yes, there were lots I had to cut, and the ones yuo mentioned were on the long list. I also was surprised I didn’t end up with any animated ones, Loved Kubo especially. It’s probably #11.

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    1. Jay Post author

      Yes, looking at UK top 10 lists, lots of those I saw eons ago!! And yet you guys will still get a few before us. It’s weird and confusing and I think studios should just release them at the same time already.

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      1. Caz

        Oh I totally agree with you! But I think some of them are to have the Premiere’s in different places with the stars promoting on TV shows!

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  24. table9mutant

    Thanks so much for the link! And the others. I’ve not had a chance to look at end-of-year lists yet so it’s cool having these links in one place. : ) Being in the UK, I’ve not seen a lot of these yet. La La Land & Manchester by the Sea open this week. Not sure when Moonlight is out… I noticed that Wilderpeople is on Amazon Prime so I need to check that out. Never even heard of Blue Jay, though! And still think Swiss Army Man sounds nuts but it’s one I’ll definitely watch at home. : )

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