Top 10 Films of 2016

Another year of films. After the jump are my top ten choices for the year's best....

Honorable mentions:

• 13TH
• Holy Hell
• Hello, My Name is Doris
• Deadpool

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10. The Shallows

A low-budget shark-movie with brains and thrills. 

9. Hush 

Dark, claustrophobic thriller with an inventive and compelling twist. 

8. Elle 

Be warned, this isn’t for everyone. It is a film that wallows deeply in dark and bizarre sexual psychology (there are striking and violent rape scenes). Nevertheless, its black comic humor is vivid, and Isabelle Huppert gives a daring and smart performance (probably the best of the year that I’ve seen – male or female). 

7. The Lady in the Van 

Nonstop hilarity and brilliant wit of the British variety. Plus, Maggie Smith is off-autopilot, giving more than shade-face, in great character work. 

6. Moonlight 

Hollywood rarely tells these stories. Even more rare…these stories being told well. I dare anyone to watch the “Am I a faggot” scene and not be devastated. 

5. Hidden Figures 

See: Moonlight description. Plus, this is American history, y’all. Bring the entire family. Folks ought to know that American history (and historical figures) includes women and people of color, and in this case, black women. 

4. Snowden 

Criminally ignored. Russian hacking animates half the country, while the other half feigns ignorance. Meanwhile, our own intelligence community subverts our own Constitution (and yes, I’m aware that Oliver Stone takes creative license). 

3. Fences 

Believe the hype. Believe the trailers. Believe the snot. Yes, it is dialogue-heavy (be prepared to process a ton). Yes, it is “stagy.” But the emotional gut-punches land and the character-rendering is so rich, you’ll sit with these folks long after you’ve watched them on screen. 

2. 10 Cloverfield Lane

Wildly exceeding my (admittedly low) expectations (I had no reference to the “source” material), ‘Lane’ proved adept at chills and thrills, while John Goodman gave a towering performance. 

1. Arrival

This is not the alien-invasion film one might expect. And unlike most in its “genre” (I’d call this a straight-forward drama, but most consider it “sci-fi”), it refuses the low-hanging fruit of mass destruction. This is more a sober, existential character drama, one that asks a ton of questions its audience will need to answer for itself. Every facet of the film impressed me.