If 2016 was a year to forget then cinema obviously didn’t get the memo, as compiling my annual Top 10 has been surprisingly difficult.
I think I’ve consumed more films theatrically this year than ever before (although I used to gorge on them when I worked at The Ritzy).
Seeing 28 films in 3 weeks at The London Film Festival was just the right kind of madness, but unfortunately some of my favourite films of the festival (and year) are yet to be released here, so for that reason I’ve decided I can’t include them.
Yet despite this, whilst shortlisting, I realised just how many films of style, substance and significance were released.
What I’ve tried to do with this years 10 is choose my favourite of each genre.
There is an argument for choosing the 10 best no matter the genre, but if for example you were picking a best 11 footballers of the year, you wouldn’t choose 11 strikers.
So that is why compiling my list this year has been even harder.
The casualties who didn’t make the cut are a testament to this and it was with a heavy heart that I had to say goodbye to some genuinely awesome work.
BUT in no particular order here is…
THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS
And here, in no particular order is…
How can a film no one asked for, about a character that no one gave a passing thought, end up being arguably the best Rocky film since the original?
Ryan Coogler is the answer.
As a kid watching the Rocky films, Coogler says he identified more with Apollo and understandably so. For him, being a young black man, Apollo Creed was a screen idol and the hero, not Rocky Balboa.
So when he was approached to reboot Rocky, Coogler wanted to answer the question he had asked himself; “I wonder what Apollo’s son is up to?”
Watching Creed again it feels like a no brainer and an obvious route to refreshing the franchise.
But if it was so obvious why did it take so long? That is possibly the wrong question. “Why now?” is more apt.
The film is one of the clearest examples of what happens when stories are diversified both behind and in front of the camera. It fully justifies the need for mainstream films to tackle genre with attention to diversity.
Succeeding as a Rocky sequel and reboot is no mean feat. The film does both and is way better than it has any right to be.
From the almost superhero origin pre credit introduction to Adonis, the shift to Philly and the tender meeting between Creed and Rocky himself, the film eeks emotion and engagement from scenes that could otherwise have felt humdrum.
What is also apparent on repeat viewings is that the boxing scenes aren’t the meat to the movie, the smaller moments and pitch perfect patient character development imbue the boxing sequences with real drama, which other ‘Rocky’ films and their imitators have sometimes lacked.
So, when the fights arrive we really do give a s**t.
Also it’s not often a film treats it’s star attraction as a support player, a Rocky film needs Rocky to BE the superhuman focal point, or so we thought.
In Creed he is still Rocky, but his fight is something more human and personal. Leaving the physical battles to Creed allows for the film to have real life or death stakes.
Carried by Michael B Jordan’s ferocious and full-blooded turn it succeeds in using Stallone sparingly but wrings out every ounce of gravitas and his knowledge of the character.
Their relationship becomes so beautifully balanced that the film almost becomes a buddy film.
Then, when Tessa Thompson appears, she delivers one of the best and most badass female performances of the year, in a genre where woman are usually little more than an accessory.
Here Creed again dispenses with convention and cliché.
Credit must go to Coogler who writes and directs as if his life depends on it.
Much like his protagonist its as if he knew this was his shot at a prize, and he makes the right decisions at the right times, just like a champ would, proving he is a talented and exciting Director with craft, courage and cinema coursing through his veins.
HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE
While everyone was losing their shit over 80’s nostalgia and homages on show in an enjoyable (yet wildly overrated) TV series, something else came along that owed more than a passing debt to 80’s films.
Doing far more with far less, this film made me pine for 80’s films in a way Stranger Things didn’t.
It’s been a while since a film had me hooked as immediately as this did (literally 2 beats into the opening score), and lends weight to the argument of the less you know going in the better.
For a full time film geek like me I actually surprised myself when I realised that going in, I knew absolutely nothing about this film other than the identity of one of its stars Sam Neil and its writer/director Taika Waititi.
So imagine my delight when I realised very early on that I was watching something truly unique, surprising and wonderful.
And so in keeping with that sentiment I will not spoil the film or divulge plot beyond saying that HFTW is a lovingly crafted film reminiscent of 80’s sci-fi/action/adventure films such as The Goonies, ET, Romancing The Stone, Commando, Short Circuit, The Lost Boys.
And in it’s main character Ricky Baker it gave us a new cinematic hero who I hope will be cosplayed and quoted for years to come.
Wilderpeople is somewhat of an anomaly, an unashamedly crowd pleasing film with important and pertinent themes, which aren’t overtly rammed down the audiences throat or handled clumsily.
At its core it is a film about family and friendship, but there is a strong environmental message or at least a call for people (kids mainly) to get out and see the ‘real’ world.
Discovery, fantasy, play, make believe, responsibility, the excitement and peril of exploration amongst the wild are all themes that arise, and when wrapped up in the guise of a film that 80’s kids will immediately find familiar the film strangely marches to it’s own wickedly wild new beat.
That I’m yet to mention the film is a fairly small New Zealand production has surprised even me.
The film has a distinctly Kiwi vibe, it wears it with pride, it’s humour and heart are a hugely enjoyable product of it, so maybe I should’ve started with that.
I guess I was just so caught up in reminding myself of how much fun I had watching it and how good it made me feel. Sure I’ve probably laughed harder at the cinema this year but I’ve not smiled harder.
This is as fantastic and feel-good of a foray into celluloid escapism as I’ve seen since those halcyon films of the 80’s. This is a feel fabulous film, made with care and consideration. It doesn’t just want you to enjoy it. It demands you do.
Ok, so this is two films but it’s kind of hard to separate these films as both offered up absolutely vital female driven stories, from female writer/directors at a time where the discussion of women in film is vociferous, and rightly so.
Both films hit me hard in both heart and mind and were the types of films that for many reasons are just the kind of films I would love to make.
They featured complex characters; weighty themes, an authentic voice and most tellingly did all of this whilst delivering real cinematic entertainment.
Beautifully scripted, acted and executed I was left feeling so surprised when the lights came up on both.
Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s, Mustang was the more surprising of the two.
A film touted as a Turkish Virgin Suicides didn’t at first spark much interest in me, but by its denouement I knew I had watched one of the years very best films.
I fell in love with the sights and sounds. The shift between sun drenched snippets of sisterhood and the more subversive, sinister subtext was a shock and at times the film was gut wrenching, heart breaking and a real tearjerker.
The stars, a quintet of female actresses are in my mind the years best ensemble cast and captivated me in a way few films did this year.
Mustang has been on my mind all year, still burning my retinas, still etched into my memories. I knew it would make this list but I had no idea that it would have a kindred spirit in Divines.
Uda Benyamina’s, debut feature film Divines, was my second favourite film of LFF 2016.
Had it not been for the sheer perfection of Moonlight, it would’ve been my favourite.
Taking a cue from the (mostly) male centric, hustler, rags to riches tales, of which there are many of varying quality, Divines serves up a take that is fresh, fast, equally foul mouthed, but less fairy tale and more Fish Tank.
The story of a dirt-poor teenage girl wanting to make “money money money” had me gripped from the offset. It’s less style and more substance approach feels like a sign of the times, a story for the ages dressed up in the mood of the world today.
People want truth and when Cinema offers that it is impossible to look away. Equally captivating and compelling, as it is cautionary it kept finding new depths of emotion and cliché free curveballs.
Film festivals throw up films at all sorts of hours and seeing Divines at 9am was one hell of a wake up call, particularly by the time the film unleashed it’s climax.
Rarely do films earn their endings as much as this did.
Mustang and Divines make for a mesmerising and delightful double bill, albeit one that isn’t going to fill you with hope and happiness. Sure they have that in parts but they offer something far more lasting, thought.
You will be entertained, but that’s only the half of it.
Whilst The Eagle Huntress was a documentary of a supremely uplifting and inspiring nature and Ava Duvernay’s The 13th one of stunning power and importance, The Hard Stop is the doc that makes it onto my list primarily because it felt far closer to home.
Serving as a stark reminder of the 2011 riots by shining a light on the life, friends and family of the man who’s death sparked them, the film is captivating and carefully crafted with a deft balance of detail and cinema.
Marcus Knox-Hooke and Kurtis Henville, two childhood friends of Mark Duggan, the man shot dead by armed police in Tottenham, north London, in 2011, during a “hard stop” are the focal points of the narrative which unfolds over 3 years.
Knox-Hooke’s actions during the protest outside Tottenham police station escalated into the nationwide bedlam of looting and violence. For this he was imprisoned and the film follows this journey.
Henville avoided jail, having evidently taken no part in the unrest, but his life outside jail is just as fraught with fear and frustration.
The time spent with each man is considered and it is clear that they are very different personalities.
Henville is laid back, loquacious, funny and occasionally tragically honest. His attempts to get a legitimate job and provide for his family are sometimes amusing and heartbreaking.
Knox-Hooke is more hushed, angrier and placid, in part due to him finding religion and also due to the pain and loss he feels for his fallen friend.
It is a sombre and angry film, rightly critical of the justice system and unapologetic in highlighting the racism still suffered by young black men as result of the murder of PC Keith Blakelock on the Broadwater Estate in 1985.
This cycle of oppression, intimidation and intolerance has sowed seeds of rage and bitterness on both sides, but rarely have we heard from the voices speaking here. This is what sets the film apart.
The efforts of the Director George Amponsah have given these young men and the families a voice.
The film also arrived at a crucial time, during the hysterical grip of the referendum, and in a year where examples of similar incidents with police and the public have been visible for the world to see. This made it have even more impact on me.
It’s not an easy watch because the same systems of oppression outside our doors haven’t changed or vanished, they may have grown stronger and another cycle of chaos much like those balmy days in 2011 doesn’t feel like a pipe dream.
Yet despite the gloom it somehow manages to find moments of hope within it and for a British audience it is a vital film that should be seen.
2016 has to be the worst year for Blockbuster event films that I can remember.
The tripe served up this year ranged from the bad to the very bad to the “holy s**t, why am I still watching this” kind of awful, so maybe my expectations were incredibly low but even still, Rogue One was not an average film that benefitted from no expectations.
Expectations were high. This is a Star Wars film FFS and there was nothing but a burning hype after my first viewing of the first trailer. But then a funny thing happened.
I kind of forgot about it. I wasn’t thinking about it. I wasn’t excited about it.
Blockbuster films came and went. With each boring ‘moment’ that BVS tried to pass off as cinema, and with every gratuitous shot of Harley Quinn’s ass in Suicide Squad (included primarily for horny teenage boys), I was getting more fatigued and forlorn.
And then I saw the Rogue One trailer before Doctor Strange and I lost my s**t…again.
And now having seen the film, I know I was fully justified.
In a year of reboots, sequels and sequels no one asked for, Rogue One did the unthinkable, it delivered a Star Wars film that was kind of all of the above.
There are so many things to like about it, but the fundamental factor for me was that it felt new.
In a (cinematic) world where everything has been seen or done before, it managed to populate the screen with new characters, planets, life forms, stories and sounds.
And if this wasn’t enough it did something the last four Star Wars films have failed to do…WARS. Actual wars. One thing that has been lost in the prequels and The Force Awakens is the sense of a war and rebellion. Casualties and costs. Stakes and sacrifice.
Rogue One nailed all of this by serving up something bleak, brutal and ballsy.
It felt far closer to The Empire Strikes Back than any effort since then, and gave me a renewed sense of hope that the stand alone Star Wars stories will offer a real departure from the nostalgia that (whilst enjoyable) is becoming slightly tiresome.
The biggest compliment I can give Rogue One is, that having sat down to watch The Force Awakens a few days after seeing it, I quickly tired of it’s story and characters. It felt unimaginative and boring in comparison.
Rogue One is the Star Wars film we’ve has been crying out for since Episode 1 stank up the place.
And If the Han Solo stand-alone film does what this did, then I doubt I’ll be forgetting about future Star Wars releases again.
Rogue One was easily the best blockbuster of the year.
They might’ve made us wait for it, but by the power of the force, it was worth it.
Green Room is the type of film that gets me moist. A lean, crafty, brutal, badass flick.
It’s also the type of film they don’t make often anymore, owing a debt to exploitation films of the 70’s, Walter Hill and John Carpenter.
As a fan of simple concepts executed to perfection Green Room hit all the notes I hoped when I first heard about it.
It tells the story of a strapped for cash punk band who play a gig at a Neo Nazi club. After the gig they witness something they shouldn’t and end up being trapped in the Green Room.
What ensues is a tense and thrilling game of cat and mouse, and it’s to the immense credit of writer/director Jeremy Saulnier that the film builds on such a minimal premise.
Always creative in its use of mood and tone, and via subversion of generic conventions, it doesn’t take any prisoners. Moments that feel like they will follow a familiar pattern are flipped on their head resulting in some nasty shocks and surprises.
Fun is something that Directors sometimes forget to imbue their work with. The pursuit of being considered a credible and serious filmmaker means they eschew the primary objective of entertaining an audience.
Green Room isn’t just fun, but when it is it’s a joy.
The other striking thing is how this film now fits a zeitgeist. Neo Nazism and the far right are no laughing matter so the film feels more ominous and scarily believable.
The Nazis here aren’t buffoons or comical, they’re clever, calm, calculated and capable. Their message is misguided, but it has regrettably become mainstream.
Led by Patrick Stewart’s villain, who rivals Hans Gruber for chilling charisma and killer instinct, the baddies are some of the best seen on screen all year.
This is Friday night entertainment done well, by a new filmmaker who clearly has passion, energy and an unashamed rebellious streak in him.
Scenes are entered late and left early, monologues that riff on Action movie ‘hero’ moments are given short shrift, in general the film isn’t trying to give you more of the same it’s trying to give you more by doing less and it feels refreshing and dangerous in that regard.
The film also has a bittersweet coda to it as a result of Anton Yelchin’s tragic passing.
Never safe in his choices of roles and films he was always adept at playing it pitch perfectly whether it was a blockbuster or a smaller indie film.
He was watchable, likeable, his talent obvious and it is with much sadness to think he won’t be seen on screen again as he had such a bright future.
Green Room is a class act, lovingly made and performed. You can see that all involved really care about it and want you to enjoy it.
Grab a few beers, call your mates, get them round and watch this. It rocks, just like the ‘Ain’t Rights’, the (fictional) band that starts all the trouble.
2016 was the first time in 5 years that I had failed to see a film at The London Korean Film Festival, and gutted doesn’t even begin to describe my disappointment.
However that doesn’t mean I can’t maintain my pattern of having at least one Korean film in my annual Top 10.
Despite not seeing anything at LKFF, I still managed to see one of 2016’s best Korean films.
Train To Busan is a perfect example of why I think Korean cinema consistently knocks 10 shades of s**t out of western cinema on a regular basis.
Yes, this is a genre film and it won’t win awards for originality but making something as familiar as the Zombie/Horror genre feel new isn’t easy.
Zombies are the de-facto horror genre at present and Train To Busan kind of acknowledges this yet manages to overcome the audience expectations and knowledge of the genre.
Also, for me, what K-films do when working in genre, which western films don’t, is underpin everything with a real emotional connection to the core concept and characters.
This is what makes their genre fare better than Hollywood. We always care about the characters and whether we like them or not we feel we know them by the denouement.
Train To Busan is a perfect example of this. Even when it is travelling at breakneck speed through it’s bloody, funny and very action packed narrative, it still spends time with its core characters thus investing the action with real stakes.
It’s rare that a B-movie has a film that packs real emotional punch and this film has one hell of a knockout blow.
Some criticisms I’ve heard are that it isn’t a straight up horror and whilst it becomes clear that this is less of a horror film than some of this years efforts such as Lights Out, Don’t Breathe, The Conjuring 2, it still manages to make you jump out of your skin and make it crawl whilst also giving us a new twist on screen Zombies. These ones are nasty and not to be underestimated. Just like this film.
Again, the less you know about the plot here the better. It’s a Zombie movie, which either appeals to you or doesn’t.
I love Zombie films, and the thing that makes this worth seeing, and the reason it made my list is that it can easily be watched and enjoyed multiple times. You notice new things and find new characters to enjoy with each viewing. That’s the hallmark of a really good film.
So, if it’s a choice between this and a horror “From the makers of Saw” or “The team that brought you Paranormal Activity”, do yourself a favour, f**k those off, and sink your teeth into this bad boy from Busan.
Animated films have gone from strength to strength over the last decade. The last few years alone has seen an insane amount of stunningly perfect animated work.
This year we were treated to films as varied as Your Name, Zootopia, and Anomalisa all 5 star films in their own indomitable way.
But for me the best of all was a stop motion masterpiece in both look and content.
Kubo And The Two Strings didn’t just blow me away it literally hurled me across the room, removed my eyeballs, massaged my brain and then returned me to normal and expected me to get on with my life as if nothing had happened.
Forgive the hyperbole but I had no idea what to expect when I sat down to watch it, and when I did, I fell in love with it.
The remarkable thing about Kubo isn’t the stop motion (although the animation is mind blowing); the coup here is the story and the weaving of themes into it.
I can’t remember the last time a mainstream film, targeted primarily at children has delivered messages about mental health, spirituality, loss, energy, responsibility, tolerance, grief, nature and love in such a creative way.
Kubo is a film about real issues yet it is dressed up like an adventure epic for the whole family.
It genuinely amazed me how much happens yet it never loses sight of what it wants to say.
That is great filmmaking.
Animated films can’t be rushed so it is obvious when watching not only this, but also the years other sterling animated works that every effort is made to make the story sing. Story comes first.
This attention to detail is clearly strictly adhered to, as this is a film for everyone, and with that remit it must be inclusive and broad enough to connect with everyone on some level.
So I challenge you to watch Kubo and not connect with at least a few of its key themes. You won’t.
And to think, I’ve barely talked about the animation. Just goes to show how good the film is. Yes the animation is amazing. Stop motion has rarely been so epic.
Laika Studios have raised the bar not only for themselves but also for others.
Every frame is quite literally a painting, and any film that can claim to have the largest stop motion puppet ever deserves credit, for pulling off the feat whilst having it be part of the spectacle on show, not all of it.
If you’re looking for a NYD come down film, something to restore your faith in yourself and the world outside your doors, then dim the lights and cozy up with this lush film.
As exciting as it is entertaining, heartfelt as it is heavenly, stylish as it is sweet, Kubo is a kick ass example of animated films no longer being kiddie cannon fodder.
This is a real movie, albeit with paper and plasticine puppets. Proper Ku-Bo!
Its rare that a film’s stylistic choices are married perfectly to it’s content and subject matter, but Son Of Saul is a brave and bold film that had to be executed without doubt or misguided decisions.
Simply put this film does exactly what is needed to present a harrowing and unflinching look at some of the most atrocious events of the Holocaust.
That you leave the film feeling like you’ve actually been there with the characters is a testament to the complicit nature of the film’s photographic style, it makes you feel like you are sharing in the events, yet the film actually keeps much of the horror off screen.
Such is the scope and skill on display; the film ends up being nothing less than a work of truly remarkable power.
Shot in 4:3 ratio, the camera trains its focus tightly on proceedings thus creating a direct and immediate relationship to the main character, a prisoner working in the horror of 1944 Auschwitz.
Forced to burn the corpses of his own people he finds moral survival upon trying to salvage from the flames the body of a boy he takes for his son and give him a proper burial.
His is a goal of such searing humanity that it becomes ours too. Like him we want to see it through and by not averting our gaze we are doing everything possible to stay on the path we have chosen.
By choosing to shoot in 4:3, the audience is left imagining the horrors and events happening off screen. We see only what we are told to look at, mainly the main character and the rest is blurred into the background or barely visible. It is incredibly potent filmmaking.
The film also makes a mockery of the One Take motif.
Much of the film unfolds fluidly in long takes, like a living breathing series of events. Casts of hundreds embody their roles, living not existing, amidst the fire, smoke, dirt, blood, which all amounts to a visceral and unforgettable experience.
The film tackles moments that others films would hardly dare approach.
Starting with a scene in the gas chamber itself is audacious but the film depicts the hell and evil of the experience without trying to humanise or over dramatise. This is not exploitative nor is it sentimental.
As a piece of cinema Son Of Saul is one of the finest films to have been made since cameras began recording Sights and Sounds. It is a serious, morally faithful and intelligent piece of work that fully deserved its Palme D’or, Academy Award and place on many of the year’s best film lists.
See it when you’re prepared and be prepared for something unlike anything you’ve ever seen.
It feels awesome having a Shane Black film on my list, especially in a year where I’ve spent a considerable amount of time reading his scripts and writing mine.
Simply put, Shane Black is one of my favourite writers and on form, in his element; he does what others can’t, cool drama, comedy, action and wicked quips.
The Nice Guys sees Black return on blistering top form so it’s unfortunate that the film failed to do good business at the Box Office, all but ruling out the possibility of a sequel.
It’s clear from the first few minutes of shared screen time that the Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling pair up was inspired. They’re having a ball and they clearly have more mileage for another caper in Black’s lurid, foul mouthed, muscular and smoggy city of sin.
However if this is to be our only serving then it was well worth the wait and watch.
The Nice Guys is probably the most fun I had in a cinema all year. Granted I was treated to an intro by the stars and Black himself at the premiere, where their obvious rapport paved the way for proceedings, but even so in a screen packed with 1500+ people I wasn’t expecting the laughter to be so loud and full hearted.
This is a very funny film. Clever and quick witted.
The Nice Guys sees Black’s love for Neo Noir and detective tales given some star quality, with a budget that allows for something closer to his finest screenplay, The Last Boy Scout, and both he and his stars have a ball.
Crowe, draws on a number of his own roles and shows a knack for comedy those roles didn’t display. He is the brawn and brains yet he is at odds with the world he lives in and this struggle adds plausible vulnerability and humour.
Gosling is an absolute hoot. A loser of epic proportions, dumb, deadbeat and devilishly drunk for most of the duration, but much like Black’s best anti heroes he is capable. Every quip he delivers hints at the suggestion that he isn’t the failure we think he is.
Everything about their partnership works and when the film works, it soars.
Sure it’s a fairly disposable film that won’t change the world and some might be surprised to see it make my list, but I’m looking at it from a multitude of perspectives.
Great script? Check. Great cast. Check. Great performances? Check. Great Comedy? Check. Great Action? Check.
It did everything I hoped it would and stands up to repeat viewings, actually getting better when you already know the events and don’t have to try and keep up with the mystery.
It’s just a whole lot of fun and its clear Black is aiming for that.
Rather than shooting for the stars and landing in the sea, he rides the wave of what he’s best at, a blockbuster buddy film with bang for your buck.
Sometimes that’s more than enough.
