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jordoalejandro · 7 years

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The Sixth Annual List of Movies I Saw the Past Year

Year six. Movie ranking time. Not much up here because I wrote a lot on the actual list. Let's just get to it.

Here are all the films I've seen that have come out since-ish the last Oscars ceremony (2/28/16).

29. Fences - The biggest problem with this film is that it's not really a film. Fences reads more like a filmed play, which makes some sense, because it started as one. Still, when adapting anything from one medium to film, you have to add some, for lack of a better word, movie-ness. Fences doesn't. With the exception of just a few scattered scenes, the film takes place in and around the family home. Important scenes happen off-screen because they didn't happen on-stage in the play. Actors go on long, strained monologues about life because that's what happens in a play (they have that play cadence to them that constantly reminds you you're watching people act in a production). I mean, look, Denzel Washington was, as they say, a force. When he's on the screen, he's commanding. And Viola Davis is the only one who can keep up with him. But I wouldn't say I particularly enjoyed their acting. I think they did a good job for what they were going for, but they were definitely playing to the back rows too much for my taste. There's maybe something here if you like big performances, but I found this to be a real slog, like sitting through a show you didn't really want to see.

28. Jackie - This was, at the very least, a good looking film. And Natalie Portman does a solid job as Jackie Kennedy, shining in the prerequisite shock and horror scenes, though she does give off a strange vibe in many of the other scenes. I confess I don't know what the real Jackie was like most of the time, so maybe it was on the money, but Portman's Jackie, with her affected -- though from what I've heard, apparently accurate -- voice comes off as a bit peculiar. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, like she was air-headed, but not dumb; present, but not wholly there. Chalk it up to being in a bad state following (spoiler?) JFK's death, maybe? Anyway, the movie itself was not great. I think the problem is that not all real life stories necessarily deserve the movie treatment. There's certainly some interesting stuff in the immediate aftermath of the assassination, but around that, it's just kind of a series of disjointed scenes of Jackie being upset in a passive-aggressive, standoffish way. This and Manchester by the Sea are both movies about dealing with grief, but Manchester deals with it in a much more human, grounded, emotional way. This film feels like it's expecting the fact that it's about the first family to do the heavy lifting. Also, I have to note the score. It was this loud, avant-garde style music that reminded me of Philip Glass's work in Koyannisqatsi (that's right, I went to film school). It frequently felt at odds with the movie and was fairly distracting. A weird choice by the director, one of many weird choices made in this film.

27. Lion - This was another true story that I wonder if it was worth making into a film. There's just not that much here. (SPOILERS) The movie is essentially three parts: the first 45 minutes, Saroo, the main character, is a child in India. He is separated from his family and gets lost and wanders around India's streets getting into perilous situations. He eventually gets adopted by an Australian couple. The next 45 minutes, you have Saroo as an adult in Australia. The last 20 minutes is a lot of Googling and then a quick trip. Now, there's certainly some interesting stuff in the first 45 minutes about poor children in India (though, if I'm being honest, it's a little well-trodden ground. Hell, Dev Patel even starred in one of the films I'm thinking about that handled this subject matter better). But the second 45 minutes were just a whole lot of nothing: a guy living in Australia wonders about his previous life, decides he wants to know more about it, and then just acts aloof for a long time for kind of no reason. Saroo mentions at one point in this segment that he doesn't want to tell his adopted mother that he's looking into his former life in India for fear it would hurt her. So instead, he separates himself from his family and friends and retreats back to his dark apartment to obsessively Google stuff and set up a Homeland-style board of clues. Unsurprisingly, this makes his friends and family worry about him. I mean, was it really so hard to just tell your mom, "Hey mom, I'm curious about my past. I'd like to look into it." But then, that might've been a quick discussion, and how else do you stretch out the middle section of a film without creating unnecessary drama? So, then, the last 20 minutes (SPOILER warning again, because this is going to be about how the film ends), Saroo goes on one final, looooong Googling binge, figures things out, flies out to India, finds his hometown almost immediately, finds his mother almost immediately, has a quick reunion, and the movie ends. (END SPOILERS) I think there's a premise here could've been something much better. Instead, it was a strangely structured, fairly unsatisfying film. On the bright side, decent acting from both Nicole Kidman and Dev Patel.

26. Captain Fantastic - I think this is a movie about how being born into a cult might ruin a person for life if they don't get out fast enough. I’m not entirely sure. I really don't know what this movie wanted from me. Viggo Mortensen and his family live out in the woods and learn survivalist techniques and do gardening and discuss literature. I think the film wants me to sympathize with Viggo but he and his family come off like annoying weirdos and he's training them to be survivalists for reasons I don't quite get. On the other hand, it obviously doesn't want me to identify with any of the "normal" people, as everyone Viggo’s family comes across in the real world is either wildly antagonistic or an easily knocked down strawman or both. The film has some funny and/or entertaining bits and decent acting from Mortensen and the kids, who did a good job by making it through most scenes without reminding me they were child actors. The kids, though, are not really developed as characters. They’re mostly interchangeable and are pretty much just used as props to showcase what a good dad Viggo is, and how smart he's making them. The movie is essentially lots of insufferable people trying to prove their extremely polar opposite views on life are the right ones, and (SPOILER) it ultimately decides that it's okay to be forest people, just as long as you also sometimes go into the real world, which… OK.

25. Now You See Me 2 - I feel the same way about this movie as I felt about the first one: they’re both nuts. First, this is one of those exhausting movies where every character is four twisty, chess moves ahead of one another. Like, not just the good guys... the bad guys, the side characters, the background characters, people who appear in just one scene... they're all part of the game. Also, the world the movie takes place in is this insane world where Las Vegas magicians are, apparently, the biggest rock stars in the world, so much so that they have news channels doing live reporting on their tricks and every time anyone sees them they lose their minds. I mean that almost literally. The crowds in this film are crazy for these magicians. They scream and laugh and cheer and gather around in huge, enthusiastic mobs in a way that has never happened in real life for magicians, ever. But here's the thing, too. These magicians? They're also on like, the FBI's most wanted criminals list from their escapades in the first movie. So they appear randomly and put on these huge shows, and then inevitably have to take off running because the feds start closing in on them. The real world equivalent is like if Beyoncé randomly popped up at parks around the country, started singing to the quickly amassed mobs, and then took off running after a few songs as large groups of feds showed up and chased her. I can't even pay attention to the story because this film world is so crazy I can't figure out if it takes place on this Earth or a parallel universe Earth where any of this makes sense. I'm find myself wondering who was asking for this world. Who was thinking, "Well, if no one is going to put to screen the story of criminal thief secret society rock star magicians, I'll be the one to do it. It's what the people want. No! It’s what the people neeeeeed!" The movie also kind of nails that cringey, awful magician speech pattern, where you force a story to go with the trick and make cheesy quips and try to add flair to make it seem cool and mysterious. I really can't tell how far the filmmakers have their tongues in their cheeks here. Did they do that awful magician talk because they thought it would be funny how bad it is and accurate to real life magicians, or did they legitimately think it was cool? I mean, some of the stuff they do seems to indicate they know and are playing, but the finale of the film comes across so sincere that I'm thinking, "Oh no. No. They meant everything." One last thing, because I can't finish this review without mentioning it: Woody Harrelson plays dual roles in this film, as his character from the original and as his newly introduced evil identical twin, which appears to be Harrelson doing something of a Matthew McConaughey impression, including wearing a Matthew McConaughey curly wig. It stands out as one of the nuttiest choices in a film chock-full of them. All this being said, I don't know if I would tell you not to watch this film and its predecessor. They aren't good films, but they're so absurd that they're kind of entertaining. I found myself laughing and somewhat captivated, despite the awfulness. You know, like watching Russian dashboard camera compilation videos.

24. Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice - Okay, here are some positives: it’s a visually interesting film, it has an interesting take on Batman (though less so than Burton’s and Nolan’s takes), there’s a fun sequence with a bunch of real world talking heads that takes on the philosophical debate about how Superman fits into society, and there are some decent action scenes (the scene in which Batman infiltrates the warehouse to get Martha is the high point). Now, negatives. Most of the action is unspectacular. The big final fight, similar to the final fight in Man of Steel, is too CGI-y, which made it hard to focus on (on the bright side, seeing the big 3 of the Justice League together is a pretty cool moment). The actual Batman v. Superman Dawn of Justice fight itself was plodding and bland and the reasoning behind it was contrived. Batman’s motivation for wanting to murder Superman wasn’t strong enough and Superman likely could’ve prevented the fight altogether by articulating a few thoughts before throwing fists. And the ending to the fight is even more contrived and nonsensical (SPOILER: sure is lucky for Superman he was adopted by a Martha and not a Susan or something. Or that Batman’s mom didn’t go by a nickname. END SPOILER). Another negative: Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor is an insane, cartoon character, down to the voice, which I can't fully place my finger on, but I wanna say... half-Snagglepuss, half-Wally Gator? I don’t know what he was doing. I think he was trying to go for an over-the-top, chewing-the-scenery villain, but he didn’t stick that landing and, in fairness to Eisenberg, it was never going to work with Zach Snyder’s vision of this world, which is: grim, dark, and no fun at all. This world is also filled with wanton destruction. People had issue with the ending of Man of Steel for similar reasons (though it had much to do with Superman causing most of that destruction and not saving people), and you might think this almost universal negative reaction would cause the filmmakers to reconsider their approach. Their solution, however, was to have the same wanton destruction (they level like three different neighborhoods in the third act) but just, this time, keep having characters say, “It’s fine, there’s no one in the area.” At one point someone mentions that this whole huge swath of downtown is empty because it’s an office district and it’s after work hours. Oh, okay, that’s reassuring, I guess, unless there are people working late, or janitors cleaning the building, or any bars or restaurants at all in the area where people might’ve gone after work. Whatever. Here’s the biggest issue with the film: it is way, way, way too overstuffed, likely the result of trying to do what Marvel did in five films in, like, one and a half. I mean, this is a two and a half hour movie where every scene feels cut like a montage and lasts about 30 seconds (except for Bruce Wayne’s dream sequences, which are meaningless and go on forever). There’s just no time to breathe in this film. You never really get to appreciate that we have BATMAN AND SUPERMAN ON THE SAME DAMN SCREEN. Oh, and HERE’S WONDER WOMAN, TOO. We should get to savor this more, but we can’t because we need to keep moving, more story, more dream sequences, more explosions leveling blocks of abandoned buildings, more of Lex Luthor's affected monologues, more pointless cameos from other members of the Justice League. And my big worry is that this isn’t going to get any better in the next movie. This movie tried to tell a story (and not a simple one, either, one with grander DC Extended Universe implications) while introducing Lex Luthor, Wonder Woman, and Batman (and all his mythology) to Superman’s world. By the time Justice League comes around, they will not have laid any more groundwork. They’ll have released Suicide Squad (which doesn’t figure to have any significant impact on the overarching film universe) and Wonder Woman (which will at least flesh her out a little more). That’ll leave Justice League to tell a complete story while introducing Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman into the world (their two second cameos in this film were cute little Easter eggs that tell us nothing about the characters), and catching up on whatever the previously established heroes and their friends and love interests are up to, and introducing whatever villains will show up. There’s a lot of potential here to create an even bigger mess. It’s okay. I trust the filmmakers to not try and cover up any shortcomings they have in the story and character departments with more and bigger explosions. My God, this review has gotten as bloated and nonsensical as the movie itself. Uh… I didn’t hate this movie, I just didn’t like it.

23. X-Men: Apocalypse - This was another superhero movie that was kind of a mess. It's weirdly structured. The first hour is all team building for both the good guys and bad guys: new mutants showing up, meeting each other, interacting, yadda yadda. The next 30 minutes are a side mission that doesn’t serve the greater narrative of the movie at all and seems to have old been added so they could pay some fan service with a short cameo (which, in fairness, was one of the more fun parts of the movie). The last 45 minutes are the big final battle, which isn't particularly memorable and not set up well enough to really feel important. There's the obligatory shots of some cities being slowly destroyed, but we don't really know or see any characters in these cities so it feels somewhat impersonal and makes it hard to care. There's just nothing really remarkable at all about the film. There are also a lot of retreads of things we've seen in previous X-Men films: a “Cyclops's powers awaken” scene, a “Weapon X facility” scene, a “Quicksilver does a bunch of stuff really fast while era appropriate music plays” scene (though, again, in fairness, this scene is just about as fun as the last one and probably the high point of the film). There's even the "emotional appeal to Magneto" scene. Magneto’s arc in these movies is the same thing over and over again. He starts out an okay guy, then turns into an asshole, then at the last minute, becomes okay again, before leaving to go be a loner again at the end of the film. It’s getting tired. I also had a problem with how imbalanced the X-Men's powers are. The bad guy, Apocalypse, is like a God that can destroy worlds. Meanwhile, the X-Men have Beast, who is strong. And Mystique is just about worthless except to pull the one-time-per-movie trick where she walks up to a villain disguised as an ally, only to surprise attack. That, and she's good for leading the emotional appeal to Magneto to stop being an asshole. X-Men Apocalypse probably should have been two movies: one about the new class of X-Men so we get to know them better (which, granted, would've been a hard sell considering they just did a first class of X-Men movie not that long ago and we sort of already know most of these X-Men), and one about fighting Apocalypse so his plan and danger actually connected with the audience. Or maybe they just shouldn't have spent so much time retreading familiar ground.

22. Ghostbusters - This was a decent sci-fi action flick that was passably funny, which is a huge disappointment given the film's pedigree. Paul Feig, Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, and Kate McKinnon, some of the finest people working in comedy today, should've been able to cook up something much better than this. Instead, the Ghostbusters themselves are pretty bland and deliver very few laughs throughout. Honestly, the best and most consistently funny part of this film is somehow Chris Hemsworth. And he's great, but how does that happen with all the other comedy superstars in here? The main crew is even shown up by cameo roles on more than one occasion (Cecily Strong, Zach Woods, and Steve Higgins all produce solid laughs in just their short times on screen). Ultimately, this was a pretty average film that I cannot believe people fought a culture war over. Well, I mean, I can believe it because that's where we are in society, I guess. But, you know... Come on.

21. Jason Bourne - This one had some solid action and I like that Bourne only says about 25 lines throughout. It fits his character well and doesn't bog down the film with too much exposition. But overall, this isn't a great movie, which is so disappointing because I love this franchise. The directing and editing makes for good action films, but smart writing is what made the original trilogy into great films. Maybe it was Tony Gilroy's absence, or maybe it was just trying too hard to force a story for this character, but the writing just wasn't up to snuff here. The story is slow and, even worse, feels unnecessary, created just to allow for Matt Damon to travel around Europe and the world and kick ass. I mean, I can appreciate that. That is almost all that I want from a Bourne film, but it still left me feeling a bit hollow. I will always welcome more Bourne, but if they can't find a good reason for him to continue, then perhaps Jason's story should have ended with Ultimatum.

20. Central Intelligence - You kind of know what you're going to get. This is a decent buddy cop movie with some good laughs and serviceable action, though it has a fairly predictable plot and a few really lazy "lol so random" jokes in it. Kevin Hart does his Kevin Hart thing just fine. To be honest, I actually didn't care for The Rock's character. I didn't know what he was supposed to be: shy loner, obsessive weirdo, or even possibly slightly autistic? He was reading real strange, and I just don't think The Rock was able to pull it off. He has charisma, to be sure, and I generally like him in things, but he might not have enough range to give this character that roundedness it truly needed. Either that, or it was just a poorly written character. Fun movie in general though, and good enough to watch if you catch it on cable one day.

19. Hidden Figures - This was a nice, inspirational movie, even though it felt real dull around the edges, like it was almost made for children. The plot is very paint by numbers and there aren't a whole lot of surprises here. You do get some good acting from the cast, though (of note: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, and Kevin Costner), and that helps to carry the film all the way across the finish line.

18. Deadpool - Well, I will say this, this is certainly the funniest movie to ever feature a horrific, 20 minute segment of medical torture. The humor, in general, is very quantity over quality. There are a few really good jokes that land well and the film is at its best when it's making fun of superhero tropes, but there are so many goddamn dick jokes and topical jokes that will date super poorly: Rosie O'Donnell references? Jokes about the Taken movies? These aren't exactly fresh and hilarious now. If you rewatch this film in a few years, they'll make you cringe. The film has some decent, if sparse, action and Ryan Reynolds and Morena Baccarin had good chemistry. It's fun to get a different take on the superhero world every now and then, but I don't know that this film is, or even should be, the game changer that people were saying.

17. Keanu - This movie's got a handful of genuinely funny moments and some great running jokes, though there are parts where the comedy really slows down as they try to ratchet up the drama. Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele have fantastic chemistry and the kitten is an amazing actor, just heart-meltingly adorable. Fans of the Key and Peele show will enjoy this the most, but it plays well to all audiences.

16. Arrival - Arrival looks great and has some excellent acting, especially from Amy Adams, who carries most of the film, and Jeremy Renner, who does a good job without a whole lot to work with. The villains of the piece, though, are a little too one-note, on-the-nose bureaucrats. I was enjoying this film through the first two acts or so, but I had major problems with the ending. (SPOILERS) It's, as my brother put it, "future ex machina." The film essentially uses the causal loop as a way to resolve the plot. The causal loop is cute in movies like The Terminator as a way to make you reconsider elements from the film, but I hate it being used as a linchpin to make the plot work. This film perhaps might have been better served by focusing on communication and our issues with language, which is a subject it plays with well. I would've avoided the issues of time altogether because time travel movies rarely, if ever, are told without getting messy. (END SPOILERS)

15. Hail, Caesar! - This film's story is pretty weak, but all the things that happen around the story are fantastic. Hail, Caesar! is at its best when it's paying homage to old Hollywood with really well done song and dance pieces or sending up the business with excellent comedic bits. The film looks fantastic and gets strong performances out of Josh Brolin and Alden Ehrenreich. It's a love letter to the olden days of the film industry that's not as great as the sum of all its parts. Its parts, however, add up to a very high sum.

-Okay, break time. We're about half-way done with the list so here's where I'll stop to mention the two documentaries I saw this year.

Weiner was like watching a fascinating, slow motion train wreck. It makes you sad about what a good politician Anthony Weiner could've been if he could've kept his dick in his pants. It also helps you see that his passion and inability to back down from anything -- a big part of what made him a compelling politician in the first place -- is also what makes him constantly get in his own way. It's probably what also led to him to allow a documentary crew follow him around as he ran for mayor of New York, and stay around even after his second texting scandal broke. Also, my God do you feel bad for Huma Abedin.

O.J.: Made in America is a wide-spanning, masterpiece of a documentary that presents to you, in compelling fashion, everything you ever needed to know about O.J. Simpson. It covers him from childhood through his recent second arrest and conviction and touches on every part in between, including painting a vivid picture of race relations in America at the time of the trial. This documentary is about eight hours long, but you never feel like there's any stretching. In fact, you sort of wish there was even more. It's a gripping and tragic story and Ezra Edelman did a fantastic job putting it together.

I'm not going to try and fit these two documentaries into the list of narrative films, but I will just say I thought both of them were excellent and recommend them.

All right. Let's get back to it. These last 14 films all received A-minuses or better in my invisible rating scale that I use to help me order the list, so here, in my opinion, is the good stuff.-

14. Doctor Strange - This was a very fun, visually extraordinary ride. The action scenes were excellent, making clever use of space and time. The film is well directed. There's a lot of interdimensional traveling and warping of space in this movie that could've been a mess, but it's actually surprisingly easy to follow. Benedict Cumberbatch is very charismatic, though I felt he could've used some more character building (he just kind of goes from slightly a jerk to not such a jerk). There's lots of setup and exposition about Doctor Strange and his mythology, so there's less time to really develop Mads Mikkelsen's villain, Kaecilius, which feels like a missed opportunity. Otherwise, though, there are quite a few good supporting characters, including The Ancient One, played with some depth by Tilda Swinton. Another strong addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

13. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot - Or as I called it, Zero Dark Thirty Rock thank you, thank you very much. What? Roses? You're too kind. Thank you! Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is an excellent comedy/war drama, with some great dialogue, solid acting (of note: Tina Fey, Christopher Abbott, and strong bit roles from Billy Bob Thornton and Evan Jonigkeit), and surprisingly touching and/or dramatic moments.

12. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping - There are just so many jokes in this. They come at you a mile a minute, so there are bound to be a handful of misses (mostly when the jokes veer into the too silly, 14 year old boy stuff) but there are a lot more jokes that hit and hit hard. The best come when the film is sending up the music industry, especially using real, big names from said industry in faux interviews. The songs are a real high point, too. This was definitely the funniest movie I saw this year.

11. The Nice Guys - This one's the ol' Shane Black special: mismatched buddy "cops" (not really cops, but for lack of a better cliché), witty dialogue, violence, mystery, physical humor. It's expertly done all around from writing to acting to directing. If you're a fan of Black’s work, this is a quality addition to his oeuvre.

10. Other People - This one treads on somewhat familiar ground but does so in a smart, well-crafted way. It's a film about watching someone you love die, which makes it a hard film to watch, especially because it hits on this nugget of truth: living through the death of a loved one is weird. I mean, sure, it's painful and heartbreaking, but it's also often awkward and frustrating, and sometimes, even darkly humorous. Loss is a part of life we all must experience, but we never really know how to deal with it perfectly and this is a film that touches beautifully on that. Great acting from Jesse Plemons and Molly Shannon at the center of this.

9. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - A great take on a war movie in the Star Wars universe, with some excellent visuals, a fantastic third act, and a breathtaking sequence featuring Darth Vader. The film has a good score but I felt it was sometimes overbearing to the point of distraction -- there's a scene where a bunch of rebels are just debating at a table and the score is playing loudly like a battle sequence. Felicity Jones was a strong lead but, and maybe this is just my own issue to get over, Diego Luna just does nothing for me. The CGI Grand Moff Tarken was a little too CGI-y for my taste. He almost felt like a Jar Jar Binks-type full CGI character that wasn't actually there. I thought it could've used some scaling back but others who saw the movie with me didn't even notice he wasn't real, so maybe that was just because I went in with the knowledge the real actor had died years ago. Ultimately, this movie presents some cool ideas and offers a different, more grounded take on the Star Wars universe, but I have to say, I did kind of miss some of the Star Wars of it all: Jedis and lightsabers and such.

8. Moonlight - A beautifully shot, well written and directed film that touches on some familiar movie themes -- being poor and coming of age, being black and coming of age, and being gay and coming of age -- but combines them in a way that is more rarely seen. It's artfully done and without excess melodrama, though it's, let's say, methodically paced (the whole movie is maybe 10 segments). The acting is wonderful all around. The main two characters who we see grow up through the film are cast well. Chiron, especially, was a rich, full character created by three different actors doing the lifting. This film also received great supporting performances from Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monáe, and Naomie Harris. There isn't really a sour note in the whole ensemble.

7. Hunt for the Wilderpeople - This one is equal parts cute, funny, and touching, and is presented in an interesting style (very Wes Anderson-ian in camera, music, and color). At times, the plot isn't as tight as I'd like it to be, sometimes becoming almost dreamlike, moving from vignette to vignette, as the heroes encounter strange people and situations that don't always make sense. Still, there's a lot of heart at the center of this strange film, and it makes for an excellent movie going experience. Sam Neill and Julian Dennison give excellent performances.

6. Zootopia - I was not expecting to love this movie as much as I did. It's funny, sweet, and very imaginative. The little world that's been created for this film is fascinating, with clever parodies and animal gags (sloths running the DMV, for example). The film provides a pretty decent mystery thriller as well, while managing to touch on issues of classism, sexism, and racism (little on the nose though they might be - it is a kid's movie after all). It's impressive considering there are seven different writers credited on the story. That's normally a bad sign, but this movie worked. If you're looking for things to watch with the family, you could do much, much worse.

5. Manchester by the Sea - As a movie (that is, a story with a beginning, middle, end, 3 act structure and all that), it doesn't quite come all together for me. I wish the story was more solid. It almost feels like a visual novel, in a way, as weird as that sounds. I wish the music, beautiful as it was, was quieter or not there, allowing us to be fully with the characters more. I think these, for lack of a better word, shortcomings, as a movie prevent me from moving this film higher up the list. The reason I have this as high as it is, though, is because if you see this not as a film but as an examination of life, it's incredible. It speaks to how life can be unfair and unbearably painful and yet still humorous (sometimes morbidly so). How love and family can be the greatest sources of strength in our lives, and the things that cause us the most pain. How we deal with tragedy, and how in life, things don't always work out. Sometimes, there isn't character growth. Sometimes, we just find ourselves drifting, trying to make it through life as best we can. Manchester by the Sea is beautiful, and real, and emotionally gutting. Casey Affleck is amazing, his pain just simmering under the surface at all times, constantly affecting him. Lucas Hedges and Kyle Chandler were both excellent in supporting roles. And Michelle Williams, in her one big scene, is heartbreaking. That one big scene, too... my God, it's devastating. Affleck and Williams made me feel more emotion in that scene than any other scene in any film this year did. Don't be discouraged from watching this film because people talk about how depressing it is. There is sadness, to be sure. It isn't a light watch. But there's levity in here as well. There's both. That's life.

4. Florence Foster Jenkins - Another movie that took me by complete surprise. You see the commercials and think this is just a film with Meryl Streep singing bad and that's the joke and that's it. And sure, there's some of that. But this movie, at its core, is a beautiful, lovable movie about chasing your dreams. About making an effort to create, and being vulnerable, and trying things, and being a positive influence on the world. It's also a story about love, and what you would do to protect and support those you love. And finally, it's a movie about empathy, and about how we should treat one another. You get some fantastic acting from Streep, of course. I mean, yeah, she's good in everything, but what she did here, with what could be a one-note character, is made a full human. Streep plays Jenkins with a kindness that makes you love her, and a dauntless attitude that makes you respect her. You want her to succeed, and, knowing she can't, you want to protect her. There's solid supporting work here, too, from Rebecca Ferguson and Hugh Grant (who does an excellent job as a man of contradictions, but one who cares deeply for Florence and will go to great lengths to protect her), but I was most surprised by Simon Helberg's Cosmé McMoon. He brings a meekness and sweetness to his role that really humanizes his character. Look, your mileage may vary here. I’m not blind to some of the issues of this film, but it just hit me in such a wonderful, unexpected way and I enjoyed it immensely.

3. Sing Street - This is a fantastic little indie film with some great music and original songs, really funny bits, and good acting (especially from Jack Reynor, who plays a mentor older brother with a little extra bubbling under the surface). The film touches on the importance of music in life (especially as a form of escapism or a way to speak about love), about taking risks, and chasing dreams. I don't have a whole much else to say about it. It just works on every level and accomplishes everything it sets out to do. One of the most enjoyable films of the year.

2. Captain America: Civil War - The most fun I had in a movie theater this year. It's filled with great action sequences, including the awesome airport fight scene (the best action sequence of the year), that actually have some strong emotion behind them and consequences because of them. It also has some excellent bits of humor sprinkled throughout. There's a huge cast here, but they are used well and play well off of each other. Robert Downey Jr., who is always good as Tony Stark, shows a little bit of range, flashing some of his acting chops in a couple of family-related emotional scenes. Tom Holland is an outstanding Spider-Man and his interactions with Tony Stark and the rest of the Avengers are some of the high points of the film. Finally, I think it's an impressive bit of writing to establish both sides of the civil war as reasonable and somewhat unreasonable. You get why the heroes pick the sides they're on, and why they don't understand how their friends could pick the other side. Their reasons for fighting each other make sense and the fight feels like an inevitability instead of a obligatory point we've been forced towards. Another hit for Marvel.

1. La La Land - Feels like this Damien Chazelle guy might be someone to watch. This movie is pure, wonderful fantasy. It's just a delight. I loved it. It's brilliantly directed and cleverly written. Every shot and scene is so visually interesting and vibrant. There's some great choreography and the music is pretty good, though I actually think it could've been better. It's enjoyable while you're in the film, but outside of "City of Stars," none of the songs really stuck with me in a way I wish they did. Also, (SPOILERS) the ending is so emotionally crushing. I get it, I accept it, it's beautiful and bold in its own way of looking at life, but, come on, if you're going for a throwback musical, end it like a throwback musical. I mean, yeah, it's a throwback musical with a modern twist and in modern life, things don't work out all the time. Okay, okay, fine. But I say leave that stark realism to Manchester by the Sea and leave this film with the magic, happy ending. That’s the effect this film had on me. I know, in my head, the ending makes sense, but this film had me by the heart so badly that I couldn’t deal with it. I was so damn emotionally invested! (END SPOILERS) Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are incredible. They have the best on-screen chemistry of any couple on film this year. This film filled me with joy and left me in awe. I don't know how you could watch it and not have a smile on your face. That's why it's my #1 film of the year.

All right. Let's wrap it up with some individual awards.

Best Actor

5. Sam Neill, Hunt for the Wilderpeople 4. Jesse Plemmons, Other People 3. Denzel Washington, Fences 2. Ryan Gosling, La La Land 1. Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea

Best Actress

5. Taraji P. Henson, Hidden Figures 4. Viola Davis, Fences 3. Amy Adams, Arrival 2. Emma Stone, La La Land 1. Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins

Best Supporting Actor

5. Hugh Grant, Florence Foster Jenkins 4. Simon Helberg, Florence Foster Jenkins 3. Alden Ehrenreich, Hail, Caesar! 2. Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea 1. Mahershala Ali, Moonlight

Best Supporting Actress

5. Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures 4. Janelle Monáe, Moonlight 3. Molly Shannon, Other People 2. Naomie Harris, Moonlight 1. Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea

Best Director

5. Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Hail, Caesar! 4. Taika Waititi, Hunt for the Wilderpeople 3. Barry Jenkins, Moonlight 2. Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea 1. Damien Chazelle, La La Land

Best Screenplay

5. Shane Black and Anthony Bagarozzi, The Nice Guys 4. Chris Kelly, Other People 3. Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea 2. Damien Chazelle, La La Land 1. John Carney, Sing Street

There we go. Way too many words about movies. If you stuck around this long, I apologize for the insane rants about some of those movies up in the 20s.

Also, if you stuck around this long, what are you doing? You're crazy and I love you.

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Annual Lists of Movies I Saw the Past Year

#Reviews #Annual Lists of Movies I Saw The Past Year

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