Once again I can't rank them, so I've separated them by genre, and that was hard enough. Check the sidebar for my best of lists for previous years!
La La Land
A fantastic musical about love, life, and sacrifice. It's real and it dares us to dream big in life, while reminding us how hard it can be to achieve our dreams, and all the things we may need to sacrifice for them. The songs are great, and the story is great. When I first came out of the film I didn't think it was the best of the year, but after some time thinking about it, listening to its songs, and rewatching Arrival, I have to say that it really was the best of the year. And any movie that makes me get up and play the piano for an hour a day deserves all the awards.
Arrival
This film was such a pleasant surprise because as you go in expecting a movie about aliens, and a crazy alien invasion, instead you get a great and unique story about humanity, and what it means to be a human, and how human nature works. It's hard to say how a movie about an alien invasion is getting so much attention without actually spoiling it, but after my brother watched it he said he finally understood why so many people liked it.
Your Name (Kimi no Na wa)
This was also a great and very pleasant surprise. I don't really watch any anime but I was blown away by how complex and engaging this anime was. It's a really great love story about two teenagers switching bodies at random, and it starts off as something so absurd and surreal and cute, but it turns into something very emotional and complex, and I really loved it. I still have not gotten around to watching any of Makoto Shinkai's other works, but I'm very excited to begin watching them after this film.
Hidden Figures
An important film that needs to be seen if only to show us the dangers of dividing humanity on the basis of race. This was such a breath of fresh air when I didn't need to cry (as much) in the midst of all these sad Oscar movies. It was such a feel-good film, and sure maybe it was just because of the sheer volume of black sass, but it was also great knowing that this was a true story. These three women were real women who managed to overcome both racial and gender stereotypes of their time, to achieve something amazing in the Space Race. And it sends a great message especially in these days, that we as a nation, and as a world, are better off standing united rather than divided.
Yeah, yeah, I couldn't just pick one. This was also a great film about a man who was lost and separated from his family in India at the young age of 5 years old. This 5 year old is played by Sunny Pawar, who did an amazing job carrying the entire first half of the film in India, and these scenes were the best of the movie. Dev Patel was also fantastic and he has completely transformed himself from the lanky dweeb in Slumdog Millionaire (like seriously, he is so hot right now, when did this happen??). He gives an amazing performance at the end of the movie, and I was bawling like a baby. Really hope he takes the Oscar.
Manchester by the Sea
Talking about crying, this film was so terrible sad. Casey Affleck gives a great performance here as an irritable loner with a terribly dull life who is just thrown into this situation he doesn't want to be in, because he's still coming to grips with his tragic past. His performance is so subtle in this, I am really rooting for him to take the Oscar. Michelle Williams is also great in one scene, and Lucas Hedges is a fantastic supporting actor. The film was also structured really well, and it slowly breaks your heart bit by bit as it slowly reveals the story to you.
I remember loving this film and thinking it was the best film of the year, then suddenly all these Oscar movies came out and I sort of forgot about this film. Nevertheless, it's still a really great modern Western drama. It's not all cowboy shootouts and things like that, as it takes a more "drama"-esque point of view, but Chris Pine and Ben Foster were great as brothers, I really bought their relationship. Jeff Bridges was great as well, but this guy really needs to come with subtitles. Overall, this was a pretty tense film that I don't think too many people have seen, but it really is worth a watch!
Yes, sorry, there are a lot of dramas and I couldn't pick! This film utilises quite a unique way of storytelling that looks at three stages of one man's life. I loved the way this film was done because it was almost like peeking into someone's most treasured and precious memories of his life, and all the events that shaped him into who he was. Naomie Harris was really great in here, and all three of the actors who played Chiron were great. This was also the first I saw of Janelle Monáe, and she was a huge reason I wanted to see Hidden Figures.
The Edge of Seventeen
A refreshing coming-of-age story where it's okay to laugh at someone joking about suicide, and where you kind of hate the main character. Hailee Steinfeld is really great in this as someone so annoying and hateful, yet quite relatable as well, and I'm really looking forward to seeing her in a lot more things. Woody Harrelson is also pretty hilarious here and the two have great chemistry. Apart from that it's just an overall entertaining and quirky film about surviving one's teen years.
Captain America: Civil War
This film seems like a lifetime ago but I still really love it. Hard to believe it only came out in 2016 though. The fight sequences were fantastic, and I felt like they built up each character and their reasons really well. The airport scene and the 2v1 fight were done fantastically, and I am also very excited to see more of Black Panther.
Notable mentions: Doctor Strange was a fun acid trip, Deadpool was pretty hilarious, Star Trek Beyond was very exciting, and the second half of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story deserves a mention
The Jungle Book
This film came out around the same time as Civil War, so it also feels like a lifetime ago. However, Neel Sethi who plays Mowlgi did a really great job in his breakout role here, and the CGI was exceptionally beautiful.
It has a weird name, but the stop-motion animation in this looks so much like CGI that it blew my mind. The storytelling and the lore of this film is really great, and it would have been great to see more of it. But what we did see was still pretty amazing.
Notable mentions: Moana was a pretty exciting look into Polynesian culture, and had great songs; Zootopia waas fun but I didn't really see what the hype was about, and Finding Dory was a pretty decent sequel to our beloved Finding Nemo, if a bit cliche at times.
Nocturnal Animals
A really intriguing story within a story. The only reason this makes it worthy of this list is because the second story is super interesting. However, the main story isn't as interesting and while it does have some parallels with the more interesting story, it's still a bit slow paced and not as intense. Still, though, Jake Gyllenhaal and Aaron Taylor-Johnson are great in the story-within-the-story.
Notable mention: Deepwater Horizon was a pretty thrilling and interesting look into the huge BP oil spill that we all heard about in high school, and it was great to see what went down that day.
Hacksaw Ridge
I mean, this isn't really an action film for the most of it, but in the second half of the movie when the action does kick in, it is CRAZY. And it is definitely the best action of year, as it's on par with Saving Private Ryan levels.
Notable mention: The Magnificent Seven was a very fun and enjoyable cowboy action film.
Well, that's it for now. There are some other films I have not gotten round to seeing yet but I have heard they have gotten good reviews, and they are:
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