By Jared Huizenga – Contributing Writer
After returning home from Christmas in South Dakota, I sat down and started putting together my Top-10 Films of 2016 List, only to discover that I liked more than 10 movies of the past year.
As I arranged and rearranged the films, I found ones that I really loved moving further and further down, before eventually disappearing altogether. I thought about breaking it into features, animated features, shorts, documentaries, etc., before settling on my format.
I settled on a “Top-16” feature films (sorry shorts) using Oscar Best Picture parameters – minimum of one-week theatrical release in Los Angeles County.
Unfortunately, that eliminated some films I saw at the Twin Cities Film Festival that I really loved … so I’ll mention them here – feature films “June Falling Down,” “Green is Gold,” “Oxenfree” and short “Lend a Hand for Love.”
Also of note, I haven’t yet seen films like “Fences,” “Hidden Figures,” “A Monster Calls,” and “Silence,” so if you were to ask me in mid-January, this list could be altered even further.
La La Land
Musicals don’t typically resonate for me on the big screen. But the combination of catchy tunes; dynamic lead performances from Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling; epic, sweeping song and dance numbers; dreamy vibes; and emphasis on the classic Fred and Ginger-style musical, as opposed to modernizing it, made it jump off the screen for me. It’s been stuck in my mind since I saw it several weeks ago, which is something most of today’s films can’t do.
Arrival
Sci-fi heavy, with some romantic undertones thrown in to Hollywood it up a bit, but 100% driven by Amy Adams in the lead role. Without her, this film is still watchable and enjoyable, but her ability to bring emotion and realness to the screen while working primarily with inanimate objects and Jeremy Renner takes it to a whole other level.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
What’s not to like about a tween wannabe gangster hiding out from the authorities with his foster father in the New Zealand bush? It’s fun, it’s imaginative, it has a whole lot of heart and it deals with some heavy subjects without getting heavy-handed with it. The fact that this isn’t even in real award season consideration is a travesty.
Nocturnal Animals
Despite telling three stories at once – the pasts and present of our lead characters and a fictional story within the story to serve as a metaphor for those stories – “Nocturnal Animals” is surprisingly easy to follow and does an excellent job in doing all of them justice. Jake Gyllenhaal is outstanding in a dual role and is complimented by outstanding supporting turns from Amy Adams, Michael Shannon and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. It’s creepy, it’s moody, it’s brooding … it’s as if a mid-’90s emo song came to life on screen.
Moonlight
Telling a story as complex as this – a young man struggling with his identity in a community and culture that isn’t traditionally accepting of his identity – would be a challenge in itself. Now add layers of using three different actors to portray the lead character at three separate points in his life, and you have a whole new set of challenges. But writer/director Barry Jenkins expertly tells the story and does so in a moving and beautiful way.
Gleason
This documentary absolutely destroyed me on emotional and psychological levels. In turn, I recommended it to my cousin and his fiancé and it did the same thing to them. It’s hard to hear about a young man at the peak of his physical prowess (shortly removed from playing in the NFL) succumbing to physical ailments or disease (ALS in Steve Gleason’s case), and it’s 100 times worse to see it play out in front of the cameras. Honestly, I had to stop a couple of times to gather myself before I could finish, and now, several months later, I’m not sure I can revisit it. It’s raw and it’s painful, but at the time it’s joyous and life-affirming.
20th Century Women
A fun, quirky story about a single mother raising her teenage son in the late 1970s, the film features an outstanding cast – most notably Annette Benning and Greta Gerwig (who I’m normally not a big fan of) – and a soundtrack full of punk and new wave music that fits that angsty mood of the story. There are many elements at work here, but above all it’s a coming of age (whatever that age might be) story.
Manchester by the Sea
The story doesn’t hit quite as hard as “Gleason,” but it’s an emotional gut punch nonetheless. It’s starts on a down note and despite a few peaks, goes downhill from there. But it does so in a way that doesn’t allow you to look away. You feel the pain and the desperation in these characters, and that credit needs to go to cast, highlighted by Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams. The narrative didn’t grip me as much as those listed above, but the individual performances more than made up for it.
The Lobster
Perhaps nothing more weird or quirky made its way to theaters this year (with the possible exception of “Swiss Army Man”). The very idea of being forced to choose a mate in an allotted amount of time or be turned into an animal of your choosing is unnerving to say the least. But it’s an oddball look at love and the roles the powers that be play in our lives. It’s certainly not for everyone, but those that get it will get it and love it.
Captain America: Civil War
It was big, it was brash, it was expensive, and it’s little more than the tip of the iceberg of things to come in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It wasn’t perfect, but it was fun, and it gave a little peek behind the curtain at what being a superhero might be like. It probably has no business being in a “Best Of” list, but that’s how much I enjoyed the direction this is taking things.
The Eagle Huntress
Beautiful. Beautiful story about a young girl pursuing her dreams and her family standing behind her and encouraging them. Almost as beautiful as that is the cinematography that shows the natural beauty of Mongolia and the elegance, control and power that’s displayed in eagle hunting.
Lion
Driven by a great performance by Dev Patel, the based on a true story film shows the power of family and the human spirit, while also shining a light on the problem of missing children in India (over 80,000 per year). It’s a heartbreaking tale that eventually gets its happy ending … but not until the audience has shed many tears along the way.
Hacksaw Ridge
Another based on a true story movie that shows just how good Mel Gibson is at crafting a compelling story, and just how good of an actor Andrew Garfield is turning into. As with most World War II movies, its R rating is well deserved, but it was necessary to tell this story in the way it deserved to be told.
The Edge of Seventeen
Another coming of age story, this one featuring a star-making turn by leading lady Hailee Steinfeld. When this came out, many compared it to “Clueless” and “Mean Girls.” I preferred to liken it to one of my favorites, the wholly underrated “Outside Providence.” It’s painfully funny beyond what’s shown in the trailers, it’s smart, it’s heartfelt and best of all it feels genuine. It’s also a reminder of just how good Woody Harrelson can be in comedic roles.
Sausage Party
Some will see this and think it’s nothing more than Seth Rogen and his buddies making a cartoon so they can make vulgar sex and drug jokes through another medium. And there’s plenty of that to go around. But there’s also a ton of intelligent humor and cultural observations on display throughout and it pokes fun at pretty much everything from sex to politics to religion. I guess nobody can get offended if everyone is offended equally.
Krisha
The fact that this movie isn’t getting more love is ridiculous. It features a powerful story from writer/director Trey Edward Shults, who, in his feature debut, tackles the difficult subject of how addiction can destroy a family with the skill of a seasoned veteran. It also features one of the absolute best performances I saw all year from lead actress Krisha Fairchild, who plays the titular trainwreck bringing her family to its knees.
Honorable mention: Hell or High Water, Zootopia, Weiner, The Jungle Book, Kubo and the Two Strings, The Nice Guys, Too Late, Morris from America.
Jared Huizenga is a freelance movie critic. Follow his work at www.facebook.com/JaredMovies.