FORSGREN: My 10 Favorite Movies of 2016
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Okay. So, I’m really not dealing very well with Carrie Fisher’s death. As Princess Leia in “Star Wars”, she was my first celebrity crush. As Mystery Woman in “The Blues Brothers”, she was a hugely important (and hilarious) part of my all-time favorite movie. And she did activist work to remove stigmas from mental illness which I, a person who deals with depression and anxiety, have no doubt benefitted from. I’ve spent the past couple of days yo-yoing between heartbroken tears and annoyance that the death of someone I don’t know personally is affecting me so much.
The best way to deal with this quagmire of emotion is to get your mind off it by talking about something else. So, let’s talk about movies.
While 2016 wasn’t a great year for mainstream movies, with too many flops and underwhelming disappointments, there were some gems. Here are my ten favorite movies from the past year. Keep in mind that this is not a “Best Movies of 2016” list, just the ten movies I enjoyed the most. If you don’t see your favorite movie here, that doesn’t mean I thought it was garbage. Unless your favorite movie was “Ghostbusters: Answer the Call.”
10. “Keanu”
Sure this movie was hilarious. Key and Peele always get me laughing, many times uproariously. But what makes this movie for me is the title character, an adorable little cat that everybody in the movie is trying to steal. The cute factor not only tugged at my heart, but it gave an extra humor kick to the action scenes.
9. “Shin Godzilla”
So good to see a Japanese Godzilla flick. Nobody does kaiju cinema like them. But while this movie has some sweet Godzilla-stomping-on-Tokyo action, it’s also a satire of the way bureaucrats cause governmental gridlock and make things take way longer than they need to. It’s an unexpected, but welcome, surprise.
8. “Deadpool”
”Deadpool” is the perfect antidote for superhero blockbusters. It’s bloody, profane and hilarious. It takes risks its bigger-budgeted superhero counterparts CAN’T for fear of alienating mass audiences. And it found a mass audience anyway. This is what happens when studios give talented people an opportunity and then get out of the way. We need more movies like this.
7. ”Everybody Wants Some”
Ok. So this is basically writer/director Richard Linklater’s “Dazed and Confused” transposed from the 70s to the 80s and swapping the stoner teenage rock fans for college kids. So what’s wrong with that? Linklater still captures authentic, appealing characters. His warm, witty take on early adulthood not only transports you back to your own youth, it puts a smile on your face while doing so.
6. “Captain America: Civil War”
Why is this here? The airport battle scene. ‘Nuff said!
5. “The Nice Guys”
Shane Black’s comedic take on neo-noir features terrific performances from Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe and is chock full of witty writing and memorable characters. The story is a little too twisty for its own good, but the point here is watching Gosling and Crowe bounce off one another. And boy, is that fun!
4. “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”
You knew this was coming. While the front end of “Rogue One” is a little bumpy, epic action scenes, characters like Chirrut Imwe and K-2S0 and some well-timed laughs more than make up for it. Is it a “Dirty Dozen” knock-off? Absolutely. But it’s still an epic, well-told story .
3. “Arrival”
Thoughtful and brilliantly constructed, “Arrival” is a compelling story that is so much more complex than just an alien-infested sci-fi yarn. I’d say more, but I can’t without spoiling things.
2. “Kubo and the Two Strings”
This is one of the most visually beautiful movies I’ve ever seen. On top of that, the characters are lovable, the action is exciting and the flick packs an emotional punch, as well. I mean it wholeheartedly when I say “Kubo” is by far the best animated movie I’ve seen since “The Iron Giant”.
1. “Sing Street”
As someone who putters around on guitar, occasionally writes his own tunes and wishes he could play in a band, “Sing Street” hit me where I live. This story about a kid that starts a band to impress a girl is funny, heartfelt and packed with great 80s-style pop songs. The rush of young love, the giddy ecstasy of writing and playing music with your buddies… “Sing Street” effortlessly captures these feels and translates them into a movie that crackles with joy. I absolutely loved it.