i have a great love and appreciation for film and that beautiful form of storytelling. it fills me up. so, for the last few years i've been keeping track of every movie i watch, along with a 1-10 rating. it's something some friends and i have been doing just for fun, to compare notes. though it's not competitive, we do have a little bit of a race to most-movies-watched-in-one-year going on. we consider it a huge victory to reach the 100 films in one year mark. though i'm embarrassed by the shear amount of time spent watching movies in 2016, i'm also super proud to have reached exactly 100 movies!
all that to say, i missed a bunch of movies i was excited to see last year, but i did see a bunch and these are my top 10 favorite films of 2016 (in no particular order) ...
1. ARRIVAL - i absolutely loved this one. it felt fresh, and stuck with me for quite some time.)
2. ZOOTOPIA - zootopia is the closest animation since tangled that, in my opinion, even holds a flame to the level of quality that pixar puts out. zootopia was layered, clever and i just liked it a bunch.
3. FINDING DORY - i was worried about this sequel, but always give pixar the benefit of doubt and i think they couldn't have made a more beautiful and sweet followup. masterful as always, pixar! side note: this was my daughter, lily's first movie at a movie theater!! a HUGE and wonderful moment that i'll always treasure!
4. LIFE, ANIMATED - a wonderful documentary. heartfelt, heartbreaking and redemptive. loved it!
5. ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY - i know this one has a divided response from fans and critics, but i really appreciated it. i was hopeful that these side stories in the star wars world, would bring darker, more challenging stories to the table. totally satisfied.
6. KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS - i loved this one. some of the most gorgeous animation i have ever seen. loved this story too.. see it!
7. LION - this is a 2016 film, but i just saw it the other day (2017), but had to include it. it's stunningly beautiful and does a lot of good things to the heart.
8. LA LA LAND -again, just saw this in 2017, but it's a 2016 film and it just had to be added to my list.. it's a rare and beautiful delight of a film. felt nostalgic and new all at once. totally loved it.
9. TIE: HOLY HELL and TICKLED - both documentary films that i saw at sundance. "holy hell" though far from a flawless, i was blown away by this fascinating documentary. "tickled" is one of the most surprising and unusual films i've ever seen.. a story truly disturbing in every way. whew.
10. THE NICE GUYS - laughed the most at this movie of any movie in 2016. incredibly crass, so funny and super entertaining. exceeded my expectations.
some honorable mentions: doctor strange, moana, sky ladder, captain america: civil war, cloverfield lane, hunt for the wilderpeople, hacksaw ridge, jim, allied, don't think twice, hell or high water, tony robbins: i am not your guru. also, movies i had REALLY wanted to see, but didn't get a chance to: la la land, fantastic beasts, fences, moonlight, loving, hidden figures. all of which i can't wait to see!
oh and in case you're curious as to what i saw:
2016 movies:
- sicario
- timbukto
- the hateful eight
- beasts of no nation
- dinosaur 13
- the revenant
- the big short
- spotlight
- anomalisa
- brooklyn
- mr. pig
- jim
- equity
- holy hell
- the free world
- weiner
- the land
- tickled
- goat
- shorts program 5
- other people
- morris from america
- lovesong
- carteland
- bone tomahawk
- bridge of spies
- room
- 99 homes
- dope
- deadpool
- creed
- 45 years
- trumbo
- hail, caesar
- 10 cloverfield lane
- mockingjay part 2
- eye in the sky
- the jungle book
- everybody wants some!!
- batman vs superman: dawn of justice
- the danish girl
- captain america: civil war
- hologram for the king
- the man from u.n.c.l.e.
- minions
- home
- money monster
- the nice guys
- meet the fangs
- zootopia
- x-men: apocalypse
- finding dory
- midnight special
- maze runner: scorch trial
- supermensch: the legend of shep gordan
- secret lives of pets
- star trek beyond
- comic con episode IV: a fan's hope
- ghostbusters
- tony robbins: i am not your guru
- joy
- the little prince
- suicide squad
- indignation
- kubo and the two strings
- love and friendship
- sing street
- popstar: never stop never stopping
- lo and behold: reveries of the connected world
- hell or high water
- captain fantastic
- deep water horizon
- miss peregrine's home for peculiar children
- storks
- mascots
- transylvania hotel 2
- life, animated
- blue jasmine
- the lobster
- dr. strange
- trolls
- arrival
- hunt for the wilderpeople
- don't think twice
- moana
- man vs snake
- sky ladder
- pete's dragon
- apex
- hacksaw ridge
- muscle shoals
- the wrecking crew
- the act of killing
- floyd norman: an animated life
- seymour: an introduction
- sugar coated
- manchester by the sea
- welcome to leith
- rogue one: a star wars story
- allied
