MY TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2016:
1. ZOOTOPIA
This is still the best animated movie I've seen all year. I loved the storylines. There were many deep stories woven into this. Judy Hops is one of my favorite animated characters. Also Try Anything is one of my favorite songs this year. It's an absolute crock that it's not nominated for Best Original Song at the Golden Globes.
2. BATMAN VS. SUPERMAN-DAWN OF JUSTICE
Easily my favorite superhero/comic book movie of the year. So many layers. Henry Cavill is possibly my favorite male performance of the year-he is an excellent Superman. Ben Affleck did a fantastic job as Bruce Wayne/Batman. I absolutely love Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. The DC Trinity all together in live action for the first time was awesome. The view points from both Superman and Batman with Lex Luthor using them against both was well done. I'm a DC guy and I like darker comic book movies.
3. X-MEN: APOCALYPSE
X-Men has always been my favorite Marvel comic. The X-Men: First Class trilogy is my favorite superhero movie trilogy. Apocalypse was epic. I loved the battle sequences. I thought Sophie Turner was phenomenal as Jean Grey. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender always steal the show as Charles Xavier & Magneto/Eric Lensherr respectively. Oscar Isaac was great as Apocalypse.
4. THE NICE GUYS
Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe had incredible chemistry as a detective duo uncovering corruption in Los Angeles. The dialogue was simply amazing-well written providing some great comedic delivery at times. The scenes were memorable and both Gosling and Crowe evolve throughout the movie. Gosling was especially great here. His daughter was a great character as well helping to steer her father away from booze into the right direction. The mansion party is one of the most entertaining and memorable scenes this year. A must watch movie by Shane Black!
5. SUICIDE SQUAD
Enchantress was one of my favorite characters this year. Suicide Squad was a fun movie where it was finally cool to root for the "villains" (I always put villains in quotations, because I tend to side with the people we're supposed to be against: The Wicked Witch of the West, the Sith, etc.) Margot Robbie was excellent as Harley Quinn. I appreciated Jared Leto's interpretation of Joker. I thought the battle scenes with Enchantress were awesome. It was a fun movie, while still maintaining a serious quality that I like from comic book movies. Well done!
6. MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN
I enjoyed the book that the movie is based off of. I appreciated the changes made in the movie. Eva Green was perfect as Miss Peregrine. Asa Butterfield has been a favorite of mine since his great performance in Hugo. Ella Purnell did well portraying her difficulty dealing with her peculiarity. The time loop storylines were intriguing. The battle scenes where each student from Miss Peregrine's home was able to display their peculiarity to protect each other was fun to watch. I hope more people see this eventually, as it's an underrated movie and book series.
7.ARRIVAL
This is possibly Amy Adams best performance to date! I think she's one of the best actresses in the industry to begin with. It's great to see her nominated for Best Actress in a Drama at the Golden Globes. This was an amazing story about the importance of language and communication with a really well placed twist!
8. THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN
Emily Blunt gave her best performance to date in this movie. The story was dark and twisted and portrayed three female perspectives that you became invested in. The corkscrew scene is probably my favorite scene this year. Remember, ladies, always have one handy. You never know when you'll need it! I know a lot of people didn't like this, but I was really into it from start to finish. I'm pissed that Blunt isn't nominated as she deserves it for her work here.
9. EDGE OF SEVENTEEN
Hailee Steinfeld is on the verge of becoming one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. She has been turning heads since she stole the show in True Grit when she was 12 years old. Her work as Nadine was my favorite female performance this year, and it's awesome to see that she's nominated for her work at the Golden Globes. A really great mix of drama and comedy where Steinfeld proved how great of an actress she is. Woody Harrelson was great as Mr. Bruner as well. I can't say enough good things about this movie.
10. LA LA LAND
Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling-2 of my favorite people in Hollywood creating a colorful journey that the audience is invested in from the opening. Stone was great as the rising actress while Gosling was phenomenal as the passionate jazz pianist. The music is amazing, the performances are excellent, and the romance is innocent and timed well throughout. It's great to see deserving people nominated as both are on the list at the Golden Globes.
My honorable mentions for this year are:
KEANU
Keegan Micheal-Key & Jordan Peele created one of the funniest comedy sketch shows with Key & Peele. In this foray into movies, they succeeded. The plot of the cat was appropriately over the top. The comedy was spot on. The conversation about George Michael is even more relevant now.
WARCRAFT
This was a high octane fantasy adventure that was exciting the whole movie. It set records in China and there's talks of sequels that I'm excited for. I hope to see a focus on the elves story this time.
FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM
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This was a fun, fantasy adventure creating a new chapter in the Potterverse! I'm looking forward to see where this series is headed. There's so much that J.K. Rowling can play with in this series.
