# Best film of 2016?



## Dave Barsby (Dec 29, 2016)

Just two days in the year left, so I feel safe in casting my vote. Note I've only seen around 90 films made in 2016 and only half of those were theatrically released so I haven't seen all the year's great movies, but thus far I'm plumping for Arrival - intelligent, captivating, heart-breaking and big alien spaceships all rolled into one.

But everyone has different tastes, so what gets your vote?


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## Parson (Dec 30, 2016)

Only 90??!!! I don't believe there's ever been a year that I've seen 9. The film that will stay with me the longest is _Collateral Beauty_. This is a cracker jack of a film. Great plot, great acting, and by far best of all, a wonderful message for human beings.


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## Droflet (Dec 30, 2016)

I haven't seen those two films. 90 films, Dave? So, you're a bit of a movie fan then. You might want to check out the playrooms thread. There is a name the film contest. And other fun stuff.
Hmm, best film. I don't think I've got one. Most fun film? Hands down, Guardians of the Galaxy. It's that one or my name isn't Groot.


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## Dave Barsby (Dec 30, 2016)

Droflet said:


> I haven't seen those two films. 90 films, Dave? So, you're a bit of a movie fan then.



I used to be a movie critic and never got out of the habit of watching and reviewing everything I come across. Reviewing is my way of writing every day, and at some point I'll figure out how to design a website for them.


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## Steve S (Dec 30, 2016)

Dave Barsby said:


> Just two days in the year left, so I feel safe in casting my vote. Note I've only seen around 90 films made in 2016 and only half of those were theatrically released so I haven't seen all the year's great movies, but thus far I'm plumping for Arrival - intelligent, captivating, heart-breaking and big alien spaceships all rolled into one.
> 
> But everyone has different tastes, so what gets your vote?



Hoping to see Arrival soon (heard lots of good things about it), but the best film I've seen this year would be Son of Saul - an intense experience but truly unlike any other film I've seen before.


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## kythe (Dec 30, 2016)

I'm with Parson - I think I've seen exactly 9 new releases in 2016.  About 8 of them were in the discount theater because that is how I make the movie-going experience affordable.  

My personal favorite movie of the year was Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.  I actually saw that one twice because I enjoyed it so much, and as of last night I started reading the book by Ransom Riggs on which it was based.


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## Cli-Fi (Dec 30, 2016)

Dave Barsby said:


> Just two days in the year left, so I feel safe in casting my vote. Note I've only seen around 90 films made in 2016 and only half of those were theatrically released so I haven't seen all the year's great movies, but thus far I'm plumping for Arrival - intelligent, captivating, heart-breaking and big alien spaceships all rolled into one.
> 
> But everyone has different tastes, so what gets your vote?



90 movies??? That's a lot! I've probably seen most of the new TV shows, though. Not the movies. However, from what I did see. I would agree with you. Arrival has staying power in my mind. I'll probably run through the list of the ones I missed during this long weekend, but Arrival was the best one I've seen.


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## HanaBi (Dec 30, 2016)

"*Hell or High Water*" was my key film this year.

I have only seen about 20 releases for 2016, mostly via on-demand. I liked "Arrival", "The Assassin", "The Revenant" and "The Witch". But "Hell on High Water" gets my vote because it's very similar to other favourites of mine "Blood Simple" and "No Country for Old Men". And it lived up to the high standard of these two classics as well.


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## sinister42 (Dec 30, 2016)

Best film I saw in theaters: Arrival, closely followed by Rogue One.

Worst film I saw in theaters: Suicide Squad.


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## sinister42 (Dec 30, 2016)

kythe said:


> I'm with Parson - I think I've seen exactly 9 new releases in 2016.  About 8 of them were in the discount theater because that is how I make the movie-going experience affordable.
> 
> My personal favorite movie of the year was Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.  I actually saw that one twice because I enjoyed it so much, and as of last night I started reading the book by Ransom Riggs on which it was based.



Miss Peregrine's was cute but doesn't rank as high for me as Arrival or Rogue One.


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## kythe (Dec 30, 2016)

sinister42 said:


> Miss Peregrine's was cute but doesn't rank as high for me as Arrival or Rogue One.



Actually, I haven't seen Arrival or Rogue One yet.


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## Parson (Dec 30, 2016)

I have not seen _Arrival_, which must go on my "to see" list, but I have seen Rogue One... Excellent... heard today it might move into the top ten grossing movies of all time this weekend. That blows me away, but for me it did not come up to _Collateral Beauty. _


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## Starbeast (Dec 30, 2016)

*Comedy:* DEADPOOL

*Action:* CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR

*Science Fiction:* 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE

*Drama:* GREEN ROOM



I haven't seen _ARRIVAL_ or _ROGUE ONE................_yet.


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## sinister42 (Dec 31, 2016)

Yeah I forgot about Deadpool - that's probably my #3, with Civil War #4.  Still need to see 10 Cloverfield Lane.


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## 2DaveWixon (Dec 31, 2016)

This is the first time I've ever tried to put together a list of my fave movies for a particular year. And this depends on my often faulty memory; but I'll do the best I can.
(Keep in mind that my youth was informed -- and formed -- more by comic books than by movies: comic books got to my tiny home town, but we had no movie theater...)

IMHO of course:
(1) *Batman v. Superman.*
(2) *The Accountant.*
(3) *Rogue One*.
(4) *The Finest Hours*.
(5) *Eye in the Sky*.
(6) *The Revenant*.
(7) *Captain America: Civil War*.
(8) *X-Men: Apocalypse*.
(9) *BFG*.
(10) *Jack Reacher* #2 (forgot the subtitle...).

(Caveat: I noticed that @Droflet  nominated *Guardians of the Galaxy* -- but my memory says that one was one of my favorites in 2014...if I'm wrong on the date, consider it added to my list -- high up!)

Unexpectedly, *BvS* turned out to be one of those movies that I kept going back to again and again -- because I found I was seeing something new in it each time. And I think they're figuring out how to make a legend.

*The Accountant* (note: Ben Affleck in both of my top two picks? interesting...): interesting concept and wonderful acting! (Both good enough that I discovered that, having unpeeled the onion of the story the first time I watched it -- it still held my attention through a second and third viewing...!)

*Rogue One*: the first adult story in the Star Wars collection, this one makes most of the earlier SW movies look childish. (Side note, which will be a bit vague so as to avoid a potential spoiler: at the end, when the data so many have died for is passed along to a person not hitherto featured in this movie -- the audience clapped, and a few wept...me too!)(It probably had a lot to do with the fact that we all saw the movie three days after a passing...)

*The Finest Hours* starred Chris Pine in what was said to be a true story of the Coast Guard in the North Atlantic. It was a dynamite movie!

*Eye in the Sky* starred Helen Mirren and Alan Rickman, among others, in a story revolving around the use of drones to battle terrorism in the Middle East. A tragedy.

*The Revenant*: Leonardo di Caprio as mountain man Hugh Glass. This movie was considerably expanded from the actual events it was based on, but the underlying Glass story is always strong in my mind...

(7) and (8) weren't top-of-the-list movies, but they did a better job of being the kind of comic book movies that I like, than did *Deadpool* or *Suicide Squad*.

*BFG* starred Mark Rylance, and he outweighed the movie in every respect -- the man is just a wonderful actor!

Tom Cruise in the second *Jack Reacher* movie: the first was so-so, but this one was much, much better! (Cruise's character in so many of his recent movies continues to get beaten to a pulp, over and over again...but at least this time he shows he is otherwise human.)

(You may have noticed that *Arrival* did not make my list...I saw it, but I saw the ending coming from mid-way through the movie...and there was nothing else there to care about. If I really like a movie, I'll go to see it several times; not this one.)

Good movies, but not top ten:
Kubo and the Two Strings.
Free State of Jones. (Very good for a while, but just seemed to fade out unsatisfactorily...)
Miss Peregrine's Home for Special Children.
Suicide Squad. (There's a seed of something here...maybe, if they do a second one...)

Worst movies of the year:
The Hateful Eight.
Deadpool.
Hardcore Henry.
Keanu. (This one I just walked out of after thirty minutes...)
Ratchet and Clank.
Warcraft.
Teen-Age Mutant Ninja Turtles #2.
Hail, Caesar!


And a separate category: Movies that had good FX but a lousy story:
Gods of Egypt.
The Legend of Tarzan.
The Jungle Book.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. (Special award for sets and costuming...it was like watching one of those "Regency teas" that one encounters now and then at Boskone...but with zombies.)
Independence Day: Resurgence.
Ghostbusters.
Star Trek: Beyond.
Finding Dory. (I wanted it to work. But it just lacked the magic of the first one...)


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## sinister42 (Dec 31, 2016)

Bah how could I have forgotten Star Trek?

Ok then.  In order, my favorite movies of the year:

1) Arrival
2) Rogue One
3) Star Trek: Beyond
4) Deadpool
5) Civil War

Yes.  That's the correct list.  Ok, maybe flip Trek and Deadpool?  No, as a Trekkie, I can't do that.  Still.  Yes, I'm a Trekkie, not a Trekker.  It's a distinction that I make based on reasons.


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## Culhwch (Dec 31, 2016)

I actually started going to the cinemas regularly again this year after a long time of going maybe one or two times a year if I was lucky. Even so, I didn't wind up seeing a lot of very good movies...

I haven't seen _Arrival_ yet, and I suspect that would go somewhere on my list. But of those I've seen:

1. _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ - I had no expectations for this movie, and that may be why it worked so well for me.  I had a small problem with the end, but other than that it did a great job of reminding me of why I loved the HP universe so much.

2. _Rogue One_ - Conversely, I had very high expectations for this, and for the most part it totally delivered. One aspect in particular took me out of the film, though, and that's why it's not number one.

3. _Deadpool_ - Admittedly not to everyone's taste, but I loved this crass, juvenile, irreverent film that still managed to have plenty of heart.

4. _Zootopia_ -  When did Disney start making better Pixar movies then Pixar?

5. _Civil War_ - Not a perfect film, by any means, but a better Avengers film than either of the two actual offerings in that particular series.

My disappointments were both DC films that landed this year. Both _Batman v Superman_ and _Suicide Squad_ promised a lot and didn't deliver. Hopefully _Wonder Woman_ and _Justice League_ fare better in 2017.


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## Dave Barsby (Dec 31, 2016)

2DaveWixon said:


> I noticed that @Droflet  nominated *Guardians of the Galaxy* -- but my memory says that one was one of my favorites in 2014...



@2DaveWixon You are indeed correct about *Guardians* being 2014 but we'll let it slide otherwise we'll have to take the 2015 films The Revenant and Eye In The Sky off you too.


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## Dave Barsby (Dec 31, 2016)

And FYI in addition to the aforementioned Arrival, my top ten would be rounded out by (in alphabetical order):

Captain America: Civil War; Deadpool; The Jungle Book; The Legend Of Tarzan; Love & Friendship; Midnight Special; The Nice Guys; Rogue One; The Shallows


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## Starbeast (Jan 1, 2017)

Darn. I still need to see the new _Star Trek_ and _X-Men_ movies too. Plus _Batman vs Superman_ & _Suicide Squad_ too, I suppose.


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## 2DaveWixon (Jan 1, 2017)

Starbeast said:


> Darn. I still need to see the new _Star Trek_ and _X-Men_ movies too. Plus _Batman vs Superman_ & _Suicide Squad_ too, I suppose.


Why say "Darn"? Think of all the good watching that lies ahead, all vouched for by your friends here...


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## Starbeast (Jan 1, 2017)

2DaveWixon said:


> Why say "Darn"? Think of all the good watching that lies ahead, all vouched for by your friends here...



Very true. Film gems, hopefully.

I don't go to the theaters much (like I used too) because it's expensive. I mean geez, I could buy the movie for a fraction of the admission price, and popcorn (essential), and drink (goes with popcorn), and candy (once in a while), and if I'm treating others.

Anyway. There's also many independent films out there that I've discovered and enjoyed. so, there's a lot for me to watch. Takes me a year sometimes, to see the BIG movies.


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## Starbeast (Jan 3, 2017)

*NEW LIST*


*Comedy:* DEADPOOL

*Action:* CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR

*Science Fiction:* Star Wars: Rogue One

*Drama:* GREEN ROOM



A friend treated me to _Rogue One_ and dinner last night.


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## Parson (Jan 3, 2017)

@Starbeast ... Great Friend!


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## AlexH (Jan 14, 2017)

Captain America: Civil War - I was travelling around some sparsely populated islands off the west coast of Scotland for 3 months, and managed to catch this in a tiny 22-seat cinema when I was back on the mainland for a day.

I enjoyed Deadpool a lot, too.

Films I haven't seen that I really want to: Kubo and the Two Strings and Warcraft (just because I'm a big fan of Moon - I missed Warcraft while on those islands).


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## Frost Giant (Jan 18, 2017)

I have to agree with a lot of the posts that are already here: Deadpool, Civil War and Rogue One.


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## BAYLOR (Jan 19, 2017)

I Thought Deadpool an excellent film.


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## clovis-man (Jan 25, 2017)

I'll avoid seconding the obvious ones, e.g., Rogue One, The Revenant, the latest Star Trek, etc. and go right for my two faves this past year:

*Arrival
Hail Caesar*

One is an intelligent SF story, well filmed and acted and the other is a hilarious love song to golden age Hollywood.


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