It doesn't seem likely that the remaining couple movies I had wanted to see will be available to me by the time voting ends, so might as well cast them now. 2016 might have sucked...but not for movies, I gotta say.
1.
The Handmaiden
An erotic thriller than manages to actually be both erotic and thrilling, rather than just flashing some coochie getting on with a by the numbers revenge tale or some such nonsense. The Handmaiden is not content with being pinned down with any one label though, as it's also a lush period piece, tender romance, and the most damn fun movie you could see in theaters this year.
2.
The Witch
The finest horror film of the last two decades. Robert Eggars' measured and historically based approach to this dark fable lends it a haunting authenticity. It never resorts to the cheap stuff, and instead builds a creeping sense of dread and desolation through its hauntingly lensed setting and very strong character work, before quietly and seductively descending into hell.
3.
O.J.: Made in America
This comprehensive and balanced documentary not only faithfully conveys the sheer absurdity and tragedy of Orenthal James Simpson's life, but manages to contextual it in the broader American racial politics of the time in a way that manages to exponentially increase both those facets of the story without ever feeling unfocused. It's riveting.
4.
Manchester by the Sea
Kenneth Lonergan captures the essence of humanity in the crossroads between profound sadness and dry, at times almost absurd, humor. Nothing here feels inauthentic, thanks both to the expertly crafted narrative, and the superlative performance from Casey Affleck (among others).
5.
Moonlight
There is a wonderful economy about Moonlight, telling more about the characters' inner turmoils and passions through subtle glances and graceful camerawork than any lengthy and emotionally flourished exchanges. It has a quiet power and beauty that builds through to the wonderful final act.
6.
La La Land
Yeah, this movie is partly a fluffy Hollywood rom-com between two ungodly attractive and talented characters that expects us to both be charmed and feel sorry for them at the same time. But you know what? It totally worked. I was charmed, I was heartbroken, and I was tapping my feet along to every song in the soundtrack that I'm still listening to weeks later. It's a wonderful confluence of Hollywood yearning that's tempered by the cold waters of compromise and real life.
7.
The Wailing
A two and half hour nigh-incomprehensible mystery film whose tone careens wildly around from comedy to drama to horror and back again sounds like a mess. And it is a mess, a wonderful, insane, riveting mess. But what may seem incomprehensible at first reveals itself to be very carefully constructed, as clues are laced in every frame, and the initial confusion of the story is quite well articulated with the very theme of the movie.
8.
Everybody Wants Some!!
It is a true gift that Linklater manages to make a movie that is essentially about nothing feel so effortlessly compelling. The characters and world are so breezy and natural I would gladly watch scene after scene of the cast just hanging out, which is pretty much what this movie is.
9.
Embrace of the Serpent
This hazy, psychedelic journey down the Amazon is suffused with the same dread that so successfully fueled Apocalypse Now as well. It's a haunting journey of self discovery and sense of place in the natural world, and manages to do so with one of the most well realized uses of dual narratives I've yet seen, each storyline the murky river reflection of the other.
10.
Green Room
Once this movie kicked into gear, I don't think my hands stopped gripping the arms of the theater chair for the rest of the movie. The threat of real, filthy, malice-filled, violence is palpable in every inch of the movie, as it has every bit of the grimy punk attitude its band of characters swagger around as. It's not an empty threat either, as in this case the bite is every bit as bad as the bark, if not worse. And while it loses a little momentum in the third act, and much like Blue Ruin before it, it doesn't really amount to being a story with anything particularly interesting to say, but in this instance it's so good as a pure, visceral thrill ride I can let that go.
Honorable Mentions:
x. Arrival
x. Hail, Caesar!
x. Hell or High Water
x. Love & Friendship
x. The Lobster
x. Zootopia
x. The Nice Guys
x. Sing Street
