I Speak in Movies: Top 10 Movies of 2016

In 2012 I started ranking my top ten movies of the year. After five years, I am continuing this tradition for my very small audience of readers and myself. These blog entries also are a personal landmark for the passage of time. I spend hundreds of hours each year watching old movies and new ones, and this is the only set of reviews I have to show for it. If you are reading this, there are some unconventional recommendations. Maybe you have seen these films or will see them in the future. Either way, I love talking about movies and welcome all disagreements. Although these movies are ranked 1-10, 2016 was one of the best years for movies in awhile. Every film I listed this year I loved, which I cannot say for past years. If we spend any time talking in the next few months, it's likely I'll make some veiled reference to one of these movies in 2017. Hence, "I Speak in Movies". 

10 
Queen of Katwe

"Queen of Katwe" is a Disney movie, starring Madina Nalwanga, David Oyelowo, and Lupita Nyong'o, about a young girl in Uganda who takes up the game of chess. One of the opening chess sequences in this movie shows Coach, played by Oyelowo, describing how with some thinking and a plan, a small pawn can someday become a queen. Thus, this story unfolds for Nalwanga's character Phiona Mutesi. This movie is filmed with bright colors, highlighting the beauty of the close knit community Mutesi lives in and not its poverty. As Mutesi struggles to become a chess champion, Director Mira Nair leaves us contemplating one's chances in life just by virtue of whom you are born to or where you are born. Oyelowo's performance is excellent as a man who realizes the structural injustices his community members face while still promoting a narrative of resistance to his chess team. This is a Disney feel good movie at its finest. 

9
The Lobster

Watching "The Lobster" is a strange, strange experience. In this dystopian world, Colin Farrell's character is sent to an asylum to fall in love or be turned into an animal after 45 days. The plot is clearly absurd but is designed in such a way that it forces viewers to contemplate the many types of love in our own world, and the pressures to be in love. Like many indie movies, there are a lot of unspoken feelings here. It's tough to say that any of the performances were excellent because the tone of the movie is so flat and often times uncomfortable. However, once Collin Farrell and Rachel Weisz characters team up, it's tough not rooting for them. Although this movie is brutally critical and skeptical of love, it also highlights the sacrifices, rooted in love, one makes for his or her partner. If you can sit through this movie the first time, it's worth a second viewing and heavy analysis. 

8
Moonlight 

Is there another movie like "Moonlight" out there? I can't think of any. "Moonlight" is a film made into three parts focusing on a character named Chiron as a boy, teenager, and man. What makes this movie unlike most is its setting--a poor neighborhood in the often glamorously depicted Miami--and the exploration of homosexuality within this context. There are characters who are drug users and drug dealers, and characters who do terrible things to others in this movie, and yet Director Barry Jenkins tactfully and subtly gives us a context for understanding--not necessarily acceptance--but understanding. Naomi Harris and Mahershala Ali deservedly received Oscar nominations for their work in "Moonlight". After seeing this movie and the delightful "Hidden Figures", I also expect a healthy acting career for Janelle Monáe. In a year which movie romances will inevitability be overshadowed by Oscar frontrunner "La La Land", the romance between Kevin and Chiron is unquestionably the one I rooted for the most. Roger Ebert, one of my intellectual heroes, once said of movies:

We all are born with a certain package. We are who we are: where we were born, who we were born as, how we were raised. We're kind of stuck inside that person, and the purpose of civilization and growth is to be able to reach out and empathize a little bit with other people. And for me, the movies are like a machine that generates empathy. It lets you understand a little bit more about different hopes, aspirations, dreams and fears. It helps us to identify with the people who are sharing this journey with us. 

As a straight, white, middle-class male, I can unequivocally say that "Moonlight" does just that.

7
Allied

"Allied" is one of those movies where I think people made assumptions about what it was, and decided to not see it or like it upon its release. I admit another Brad Pitt double-agent spy movie seemed unoriginal. There was rich irony though in Brad Pitt making a serious "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" with his rumored mistress. That being said, when I finally saw "Allied" I knew almost instantly this was much better than his Angelina Jolie rom-com from years earlier. "Allied" begins in perhaps the most famous movie setting of all, Casablanca. Its exciting in the early going thinking about how Pitt and Cotillard's assassins live in the same city as Rick and Ilsa. I loved the dynamics between Pitt and Cotillard in this movie, especially the first two acts. From the outset, you wonder what is real in their relationship and what is deception. As their romance develops, you stop caring and start rooting for them. Robert Zemeckis is genius in these early scenes establishing this dynamic, because when the story eventually leaves Casablanca to a domestic yet war-torn London, the core message of the movie begins to take shape: war is hell. "Allied" doesn't do this through violence like "Saving Private Ryan" [I purposely did not mention Hacksaw Ridge here. See below.] but, rather, by showing us how World War II destroyed the lives of husbands and wives, parents and children, and homes. 

6
La La Land 

It hurts me to put "La La Land" this high because I think it's going to rack up too many awards during tonight's show. This is your classic movie about show business which will be overrated by the old, stodgy Academy voters. If there is a movie about movies or the artistic process, that film is almost surely going to be overrated--looking at you "The Artist" and "Birdman". Yet, despite my sullen acceptance that I will probably be watching "La La Land" bank awards tonight, it hurts me to say I really enjoyed this movie. While the songs and dancing don't match with all-time great musicals, I do enjoy the callbacks to the classics like "Singin' in the Rain". Director Damien Chazelle's vision for this movie is also appropriately lighthearted and happy, as this movie is about love and dreams. No spoilers here: the end of this movie sealed it for me as one of the year's best. It had the courage to do something that only old movies would think of doing. See it if you haven't.  

5
Fences

"Fences" is so well-written and well-acted that it's undeniably a powerhouse. The performances of Denzel Washington and Viola Davis illuminate not only a story of family, strength, and heartbreak, but also the damage institutional racism wreaked on African American people in the early twentieth century. Denzel Washington plays the metaphorical sun in this family story, Troy Maxson, father of Cory and husband of Rose. Troy brightens the world of his family, yet when that light fades, particularly when he starts drinking, Troy's darkness is overwhelming. Just when you think Denzel has reached the peak of any performance that could possibly be delivered, Viola Davis surpasses his intensity in some of the most moving family dynamics I have witnessed on screen. For a film that never really leaves the Maxson's backyard, it's one of the most suspenseful movies of the year as well. Although the love between the characters is evident, I was never quite sure what kind of pain they might inflict on each other. August Wilson's brilliant script still shines in Denzel Washington's adaptation today. 

4
Arrival

Once my list hits "Arrival" at number four, my top movie rankings could essentially be interchangeable. "Arrival" was a deeply moving and thoughtful movie about grief, love, communication, and humanity. I was not really sure what to expect but I found the first five minutes of "Arrival" to be deeply moving. These opening scenes set the movie up as a story about grief, but Director Denis Villeneuve cleverly plays with our expectations of "Arrival" as a movie about grief and transforms into a movie about how we accept pain because love makes it worth it. If I had my choice at the Oscars tonight, Amy Adams would win best actress. Like Casey Affleck in "Manchester by the Sea", Amy Adams delivers during her moments of silence as much as scenes where she speaks. After "Prisoners" and "Sicario", Denis Villeneuve launches himself as a must-see director whenever his next film comes out. Oh yeah and this movie is about aliens too.  

3
Manchester by the Sea 

I've never watched a movie like "Manchester by the Sea" which captures what it's like growing up in middle-class, white America. When 16 year-old Patrick's father dies he leaves his son in the care of his brother Lee, a reclusive janitor in Quincy. Lee is thrust into the role of guardian which he is unprepared for and unwilling to accept. Patrick's life is based around his need for car rides, normally provided by one's parents, but now filled by Lee. Lee meanwhile is sucked into this world of hockey, high school dating, band practice, and all the other extracurricular activities Patrick is involved in. While this movie is about grief, Director Kenneth Lonergan avoids common tropes of independent films by instilling an undercurrent of hope in this movie. Casey Affleck, Lucas Hedges, and Michelle Williams are all great in "Manchester by the Sea". If Denzel does not win best actor, I hope it's Casey Affleck. It's usually the understated type of performance that is ignored but should not be. These are people wrecked by tragedy but constantly trying to heal and not let one another down. This movie packs a punch - get ready for it if you see it.  

2
Lion

Pay attention to the opening sequence in "Lion". The first images the audience is shown is aerial views of an unrecognizable place. I didn't understand it and these scenes seemed lazy to me. Yet, as the story unfolded I realized that Director Garth Davis created this opening sequence in order to mirror Google Maps, the device Saroo used to try and track down his parents. It is many ways symbolic of how perfectly Davis and his cast constructed "Lion". Sunny Pawar, young Saroo, stole this show as we watch him journey from India to Australia. Unlike many films "Lion" does not pull any punches. Saroo, as a college graduate played by Dev Patel, understands that in many ways the misfortunes of his youth led to the privilege he had in adulthood. Davis and his team clearly indicate to their audience, like "Queen of Katwe", that there is great injustice in this world just by virtue of where or to whom you are born. As an adult, when Saroo tries to find his family in India, he remembers how hard his mother worked, how poor his neighborhood was, and how much his family cared about him. For all he knew, his family must have assumed he was dead or trafficked by sexual predators. When Nicole Kidman and David Wenham's characters make young Saroo a part of their family, we feel as if we understand their pain later as adults trying to reach their adopted children. Saroo, like his adopted brother, hurts his parents, not out of spite but out of love. The same is true for his college girlfriend, the only person he has opened up to about his past. "Lion" is at times a haunting film but always powerful. "Lion" visually transported me to an India I did not quite understand. This is a tearjerker but an uplifting story about family and love. 

1
Silence

It's hard for me to separate a movie and view it individually from a director's body of work. Similarly to how I praised "Boyhood" a few years ago as an ultimate Linklater film, "Silence" is perhaps Martin Scorsese's most personal film. As a young man Martin Scorsese attended seminary school to become a priest but was kicked out for violating the school's code. Since that time, Martin Scorsese has made movies that explore the depths of his faith. Yet none are quite like "Silence". This film focuses on 17th century Spanish priests who travel to Nagasaki, Japan in order to save their spiritual mentor and missionary Father Ferreira, played by Liam Neeson, whose wife's death cannot be separated from this performance.

As the two priests played by Adam Driver and Andrew Garfield arrive in Japan they witness the horrors and persecution Japanese Christians face from a government that wants them to renounce Christ. While these two young priests watch these people abandon their faith to live, and keep their faith until a brutal death, they are forced to question their own belief in God. Scorsese aptly titles this film "Silence" because he raises a set of simple yet profound questions of faith: how can God exist yet be silent in the face of unspeakable horrors? And can you accept a God that does this? Scorsese does not attempt to answer these questions but masterfully uses a foreign world and the strong performances of his three leads in order to explore these questions.

When "Silence" ended, the full theater I sat in was--fittingly--silent.

Honorable Mentions

"Hidden Figures" - I really enjoyed this movie and its overall message but did not find it daring enough. It was a crowd pleaser to a fault. Themes of racism and resilience were powerful yet lacked nuance. This review sums up my overall feeling about the movie pretty well: https://sojo.net/articles/hidden-racism .

"Hacksaw Ridge" - I loved about 3/4's of this movie and its message. The end was tonally mismatched with the rest of the film. Mel Gibson, in typical Mel Gibson fashion, seems to indulge in the very thing he is criticizing, violence and war. I also find his final scene with imagery of the cross paralleled with Japanese officers committing suicide generally confusing and likely problematic. This is an incredible true story.

"Central Intelligence" - This comedy by The Rock and Kevin Hart was the best comedy of the year. It's lighthearted and has a lot of laughs.

"Everybody Wants Some" - Everyone who knows me knows I love me some Richard Linklater. This movie is excellent nostalgia porn about the 1980s and these dopey baseball players drinking and trying to get laid. It is insightful once these jocks meet women they actually want to date and try to find and develop some semblance of a soul.

Worst Movies of the Year... Maybe Ever

4. "Suicide Squad" - ruined a great performance by Margot Robbie, the saving grace of this movie.
3. "Batman v. Superman" - can D.C. Comics stop making movies? Please... They're consistently terrible.
2. "Collateral Beauty" - ASTOUNDINGLY awful. I can't believe there were hundreds of people who worked on this movie. They have hurt the careers of a handful of respectable actors and made the world a worse place.
1. "Patriot's Day" - This movie is insulting and Mark Wahlberg is a terrible human being. I am not surprised the guy who once said he could have foiled 9/11 is the action hero of a movie that should be about Boston's people.

Now...

If I picked the Oscar winners based on the nominations provided by the Academy.

Best Actor

Denzel Washington, "Fences"

Best Supporting Actor

Mahershala Ali, "Moonlight" 

Best Actress

Emma Stone, "La La Land"

Best Supporting Actress

Viola Davis, "Fences"

Best Adapted Screenplay

"Arrival"

Best Original Screenplay

"Manchester by the Sea"

Cinematography

"Silence" 

Visual Effects

“Rogue One"

Costume Design

"La La Land"

Director 

Screw it, it should be Martin Scorsese, "Silence".
But if I had to pick Kenneth Lonergan, "Manchester by the Sea"

Best Picture

"Lion"