But, not all is bad with the world. In fact there has been a lot of good done. That ALS Ice Bucket Challenge everyone thought was so stupid actually raised the funds for a breakthrough in ALS research. The Giant Panda has officially been taken off the endangered species list, the world record for Planting Trees was broken in India, with people planting almost 50 MILLION trees!
Side Note, subscribe to R/UpliftingNews on Reddit. It'll change your outlook on life
Now, what does any of that have to do with movies? Well, nothing really, other than that this was a GREAT year for movies. You had the return of R-Rated horror films to the top of the box office, another stellar year for super hero movies, more great animated movies, and just a ton of great films. So, we're gonna go at this again this year. Again, it only includes movies i saw so if i missed one you like, convince me to see it. I won't revise the list, but I'd be interested regardless.
Number 10: Star Wars: Rogue One
Starring K-2SO, the greatest Star Wars Character Ever
It was a toss up of weather or not I was going to put this or Doctor Strange on the list. The first Star Wars movie set in the universe but without most of the iconic characters was a risky move. Fans that love the lore and settings will go crazy over it. Everyone else will probably be bored for about 25 minutes and then start caring when the Death Star shows up.
I don't have a whole lot to say in either direction about this movie, but the positives I have far outweigh any negatives. For one, Donny Yen and Jiang Wen steal this movie with their character dynamic. Yen plays Chirrut Imwe, a blind man who is a devout force believer. Wen plays Baze Malbus, a heavy gunner from the rebel alliance. Baze writes off Chirrut's abilities and skills as luck, saying without him, Chirrut would die. Their character interactions and scenes were great.
The movie also did a great job of making something in the universe I really didn't care about (how Leia gets the Death Star plans in Episode IV) into an interesting spectacle. It introduced a TON of new characters that I can't say are all completely interesting, but fit into the narrative well enough. And, the characters are all expendable, so that meant the writers didn't have to shoehorn in a happy ending to a movie about a suicide mission.
And finally, this movie features the single greatest character in Star Wars universe history, K-2SO. If you had told me going into this that the best written character in a Star Wars movie would be an analysis droid, I would have laughed in your face until you left. But it's true, the best character arc in not only this movie, but probably all Star Wars Cinema is K-2SO, the sarcastic asshole droid who want's to fight, but is "just an analysis droid". He saves the two main characters lives TWICE (arguably three times if you count his big moment in the end). His initial distrust of Jyn (the female lead) and him giving her the best compliment an analysis droid can before shining brighter than any other character in this movie was incredible, and really served to cement this movie on this list.
Number 9: Don't Breathe
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Don't bling, don't think, just go go go go...........sorry
Horror movies are great. They are responsible for some of the best movies in history. The tropes of horror movies bleed into other genres. Suspense, gore, tension...ahhh! I love horror movies so much. And it has been a long, LONG time since a really good, original horror movie has come out.
Don't Breathe is the first time since Saw that I remember actually seeing something in a horror movie and being really impressed by the suspense. The "perfect crime" story is a great set up, and the movie that follows is interesting, engaging, and actually chilling at a couple of parts. It's full of twists and has one of the coolest scenes this side of the blood rain from the Evil Dead remake. The lights go out, the characters pupils dilate, and the movie goes to another level with the tension.
If you missed this one in theaters, go out of your way to see it. It's horror done right.
Number 8: Sausage Party
Sex
It's a 100 minute joke about sex. And it's glorious. Never have I seen a movie go from an A- to an A+ so fast.
More importantly than it being a long wiener joke (hehe), it is surprisingly a movie with good social commentary on religion, sexuality, and acceptance. All covered in dick jokes. I LOVED this movie, probably more than I should have. Seth Rogan, Kirsten Wigg, and Michael Cera lead one of the best comedic ensembles you're going to find, the visuals of the supermarket at times mirror a Disney movie and other times look like Animal House, And it has, depending on who you talk to, the best or worst ending in cinema history.
Definitely not a movie for kids, but it is a must see if you like your comedy raunchy but with a message that it's not too preachy about.
Number 7: Zootopia
My fursona is tingling
Now, on the complete opposite spectrum, let's talk about Zootopia. Disney brought their A-Game this year. Moana was a fantastic movie, Pixar's Finding Dory was great as well. But neither of them compare to Zootopia. A movie about following your dreams, learning to accept people as who they are, and proving that Shakira can not only transcend language, but also species and still be amazing.
Now kids, Try Everything doesn't mean EVERYTHING
Judy Hopps is a lovable cop trying to get her foot in the door as the first bunny police officer by solving the case of a missing otter. The cast is great, with Idris Alba being the angry police chief being a real stand out. The settings are stunning, with the song montage driving us through all the different sections of Zootopia being one of the best scenes. It isn't as magical as most Disney movies, but the grounding in reality allows Disney to pull a Sausage Party and be a social commentary on race issues; a topic Disney doesn't have a rich history with and something that's nice to see them attempt.
This isn't going to set the world on fire like Frozen did, but it's nice to see Disney make a grounded film that features animals again. Also, please...more Shakira in movies.
Number 6: Deadpool
This was a really good year for movies in general, but this was an AMAZING year for comic book movies.
"But Dean! What about Suicide Squad?!"
Okay, um...it was an amazing year for MARVEL based comic book movies.
"But Dean! What about X-Men: Age of Apocalypse?!"
Um...Well, it...
So Deadpool was really good. Better than it had any right to be, honestly. Deapool is annoying. And more importantly, Deadpool fans are really, REALLY annoying with their love of the character. And honestly, Deadpool as a character should not work as the main focus of a movie. Which is why he's hardly in this movie as Deadpool. Instead, the movie takes it's time setting up the character and LEADING to the big pay off of seeing Deadpool in all his glory.
I don't really want to exaggerate here, but I wanted Deadpool to be a huge bomb. Like, a make-no-money failure the likes of The Adventures of Pluto Nash. But, somehow, Fox must have hired a writer that cared about what they were producing for once and made a charming, "totally revolutionary, never done before, unbelievably edgy" R-Rated comic book movie. And it's really good almost despite itself. It's certainly the best Non-Marvel offering since The Dark Knight Rises and pretty much single-handedly saved Fox's super hero genre films from looking like complete failures over and over again.
Number 5: We Are X
I have nothing witty here...this movie just makes me happy-sad
Let me ask you some questions, dear readers. Do you like Rock Music? Do you like triumph and tragedy? Do you love hearing real life stories that sound so unbelievably false that you gasp at the fact that this shit is actually real? Then do I have a film for you.
We Are X covers the honestly tragic history of the band X-Japan, a Japanese metal band that literally changed the way Japan views music. Think what the Beatles did for pop, but with way bigger hair, way heavier drums, and a hell of a lot more sadness
FYI, these are all men
For those curious as to what wacky things happened in these men's lives to justify this film, let me try to break this down as simply as I can without droning. Here goes:
The leader/Drummer/Keyboardist Yoshiki was born with fragile bones that should have resulted in his death as a child, but has somehow lived to be 40 years old. He walked in on his dad shortly after he committed suicide and only has one photograph of him because his mother burned all of her husbands belongings believing him to be possessed by a demon. He started playing drums to stop himself from killing himself like his dad and formed X (or, in america, X-Japan) with his best friend Toshi. They became a huge success in Japan and made it their goals to play in America. Well, somewhere down the line, Toshi got brainwashed by a cult and left the band, crushing all of their dreams. Shortly after, the guitarist Hide (stylized hide.) died, prompting several Japanese people to commit suicide over their loss. Yoshiki, unwilling to let his band's dream die, reforms X with a now un-brainwashed Toshi and sets off for America in hide.'s honor, despite now living in literal constant pain from (I shit you not) rocking too hard for his body to handle.
It's a movie that managed to tell the story of a band that arguably should be one of the biggest bands in the world that honestly nobody outside of America really knew. Even as a fan of the band, my bias is taken out when considering how well put together the documentary is. And, again, despite being a fan, I had no idea about most of the backstory of the band. It is a roller coaster of emotions that I'm glad I got to watch with only one other person in the theater. If you somehow get the chance to see this movie, do it. Watch it and take inspiration from their story.
Number 4: The Revenant
OSCAR AWARD WINNING ACTOR LEONARDO DiCAPRIO
Let's get this out of the way: If we are being REALLY technical, this movie sort of came out in 2015. BUT, I am not one for technicalities. It got it's wide release in 2016 and I couldn't include it last year, so it's here.
This is the movie that taught me that sometimes you don't need to make everything in a film a ceremony. Sometimes, things just need to be brutal. When I woke up this past January and went to the theater, the thought of "I wonder what it would look like if Leonardo DiCaprio got mauled by a bear" didn't really cross my mind. Nor had it before I saw this movie. But I will remember forever.
This movie follows the batshit insane (somewhat) true story of Hugh Glass as he literally rose from the dead to get revenge of the man who left him to die in the first place. The acting in the movie is impeccable, with Tom Hardy being amazing as always and Leo really earning his Oscar in this one. The post-colonial America setting is brought to life so beautifully, showing off the stunning wilderness surrounding the camps and villages. And the bear scene. Jesus. It is, without a doubt, the BEST movie on this list, but this isn't about being the best. While I loved this movie, I didn't have the emotional connection to it that I have for the top three movies. It's a bit too serious for my entertainment levels. THAT BEING SAID, make sure you see this movie at least once because it is incredible.
Number 3: Kubo & The Two Strings
Kubo & The Two Strings isn't just my favorite animated movie this year. It might be my favorite animated movie of all time now. I don't think a kids movie has ever hit me so hard with it's beauty in the holy trinity of film: writing, visuals, and sound. I have not seen the other Laika movies (though believe me, I will be after seeing this), but the amount of detail put into this stop motion movie is nothing short of awe inspiring. Just the visual of the ocean in this movie brings tears to my eyes. The soundtrack is mystifying, including a hauntingly beautful rendition of my favorite Beatles song ever written, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, performed by Regina Spector; a performence that gave me goosebumps from the opening notes to the outro.
And the writing...damn, where do I even begin. This movie is dark for a children's movie; not dark in the sense that it's too much for a kid to handle, but it's very mature. And that maturity only adds to the film as a whole. Kubo's journey to defeat the Moon to save himself, get revenge for his eye being taken, and avenge his fallen mother is engrossing, enchanting, and inspiring. It's everything a movie like this should be: an epic, sprawling adventure that shows growth for all of it's characters. I laughed, I cried, and I fell in love with stop motion all over again. It's truly a shame that this movie BARELY made back it's budget and I hope that it's home media releases boost this into the legendary status that I think it deservse.
Number 2: Captain America: Civil War
#TeamCap
Do I even need to write a description here? Somehow, Marvel manages to weave a complicated plot, involving the introduction of The Black Panther and THE GREATEST SPIDER-MAN IN HISTORY, 10 or so main characters, a literal war between super heroes, and still manages to make it a Captain America movie. Sure, The Incredibles' did the whole "people turn on the heroes" plot, but I'd argue that this amazingly manages to be better than that. Which is saying something because The Incredibles is a flawless movie.
What gets me the most about all of this is how many genre's the Captain America movies have managed to cover. The first one was a period drama about a comic book character. The second was an espionage thriller about a comic book charicter. Captain America: Civil War is a straight up, unapologetic, action movie. And god does it do it well.
Everyone puts in stellar performances, with Chadwick Boseman and Tom Holland making excellent debuts and cementing themselves as stars. The fight scenes are some of the best you are going to find in a Hollywood Blockbuster, with the chase scene between Winter Soldier, Black Panther, and Captain America being a non-stop thrill ride. I could go on and on and on and gush about how amazing they did a storyline that I really didn't think could work as a movie. And after the disaster that was X-Men: Days of Future Past, I was genuinely scared that this movie would be an absolute shit show. But, through Disney's magic touch, this pulled out another win for Marvel studios.
Now, what could possibly top that?
Number 1: Sing Street
Spoilers: It's this
Surprise! It's a musical, coming-of-age comedy drama set in the 80's in Ireland that nobody saw in theaters. Now, if that sounds uninteresting to you, join the club. I heard the premise of this movie (boy starts a band to impress a girl) and thought "wow...how lame."
Then I saw the reviews, and read about everyone loving it so, so much. And I thought "wow...these people must be out of their minds."
Then I watched it. And they were all right. There isn't a whole lot to give away here. The boy, Connor, is an outcast suffering through his parents marriage falling apart, takes solace in music he's introduced to by his brother. He sees the girl, Raphina, and tries to win her over with music. And the journey from there is just beautiful. You see the kids grow together, find themselves, and find each other. The soundtrack is unbelievable, to the point that it's still on repeat on my phone a month later. And the soundtrack is a MAJOR part of this movie because they are about the characters. Connor writes the songs about Raphina, his position in life, and the world around him. For an example, the ballad To Find You is beautiful in it's own right, but knowing about the characters the songs about adds another layer to the beauty. The growth of Connor through the movie is a masterclass in writing characters.
I adore this movie. A movie so good that I went out of my way to tell people to watch it. A movie so good that it made me want to go out and accomplish something. A movie so good that I looked at these characters and saw reflections of myself and people I know. It's real and raw, but still has the fantasy element that every dreamer has. And that's why it's my favorite movie of 2016. Go out of your way to see it. It's on Netflix and is 10,000% worth the watch.
Happy New Year everyone
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