A Year in Review: Adam's Top Ten Films of 2016

It's been a crazy start to 2017, one that inevitably delayed me from working on this list. But fear not, I'm finally ready to reveal my Top Ten of 2016!

Unlike previous years, I was more selective of the films I watched. This was a really good year to be a fan of film.  We will be talking about a lot of these films for years to come.  But there are always two side to every coin. Even though I was more selective, the bad films I watched made me question why I ever had a fragment of hope for them.  I'm talking about you, Independence Day 2!!

This year's trend was that the big blockbuster films were just good-to-average.  There were exceptions like Captain America: Civil War and Star Trek: Beyond.  Unfortunately, a lot of the bigger films were overhyped and/or disappointed me (X-men: Apocalypse, Deadpool, Ghostbusters, Batman v Superman, and Rouge One)

The smaller indie films made me more emotional than any other year in recent memory.  Fences, Manchester by the Sea, Moonlight, and La La Land were a few of the culprits that moved me to tears.

While we are on the subject of tears, let's take a brief moment and remember some of the actors and actresses we lost this last year:
Debbie Reynolds, Carrie Fisher, Alan Thicke, Florence Henderson, Gene Wilder, Kenny Baker, Garry Marshall, Anton Yelchin, Patty Duke, Garry Shandling, and Alan Rickman.

Now, lets move on to some awards:

Total films seen: 147
Thumbs up Percentage: 70% (up from 64% in 2015)

Actor of the Year:

Adam Driver

Film: Midnight Special, Paterson, Silence

T.V.: Girls

Video Games: Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Actress of the Year:

Amy Adams

Films: Arrival, Nocturnal Animals, Batman v Superman

Best Actor: Casey Affleck - Manchester by the Sea, Chris Pine - Hell or High Water, Denzel Washington - Fences, Andrew Garfield - Silence, Adam Driver - Paterson

Best Actress: Amy Adams - Arrival, Viola Davis - Fences, Rebecca Hall - Christine, Emma Stone - La La Land, Ruth Negga - Loving 

Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali - Moonlight, Stephen Lang - Don't Breathe, Ben Foster - Hell or High Water, Shia LeBeouf - American Honey, Aaron Taylor-Johnson - Nocturnal Animals 

Best Supporting Actress: Michelle Williams - Manchester by the Sea, Naomie Harris - Moonlight, Jena Malone - The Neon Demon, Soo-an Kim - Train to Busan, Lupita Nyong'o - Queen of Katwe

Best Break-Out Performance: Ruth Negga - Loving, Auli'i Cravalho - Moana, Anya Taylor-Joy - The Witch, Angourie Rice - The Nice Guys, Noel Sethi - The Jungle Book

Best Director: Denis Villeneuve - Arrival, Martin Scorsese - Silence, Kenneth Lonergan - Manchester by the Sea, Ezra Edelman - O.J.: Made in America, Barry Jenkins - Moonlight

Best Original Screenplay: Manchester by the Sea, Hell or High Water, Swiss Army Man, The Nice Guys, La La Land

Best Adapted Screenplay: Moonlight, Arrival, The Neon Demon, Fences, Nocturnal Animals

Most Underrated Films: The Nice Guys, The Neon Demon, Hush, The Edge of Seventeen, Midnight Special 

Most Overrated Films: Deadpool, The Birth of a Nation, Florence Foster Jenkins, Ghostbusters, Rogue One

Biggest Surprise: Don't Breathe, The Invitation, Barbershop 3, Eddie the Eagle, Hello, My Name is Doris

Biggest Disappointment: X-men: Apocalypse, Batman v Superman

Best Sequel: 10 Cloverfield Lane

Best Laughs: The Nice Guys, The Bronze, The Edge of Seventeen, Popstar, Keanu

Best Scares: Don't Breathe, Hush, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, The Witch, The Conjuring 2, Lights Out

Bottom Five of the Year (from Bad to Awful): Boo! A Madea Halloween, Hardcore Henry, The Darkness, The Other Side of the Door, Independence Day 2

Movies that I haven't seen, that could make my list:  The Handmaiden, Shin Godzilla, Toni Erdmann, The Salesman, 20th Century Women, Neeja, Live by Night, Kicks, Captain Fantastic, Morris from America, A Monster Calls, The Monster, The Eyes of My Mother

 Honorable Mentions:

Fences

(Denzel Washington)

La La Land

(Damien Chazelle)

Nocturnal Animals

(Tom Ford)

Moana

(John Musker, Ron Clements, Don Hall, Chris Williams)

Christine

(Antonio Campos)

10.

Paterson

(Jim Jarmusch)

What a pleasant surprise this film was.  Adam Driver plays Paterson, a normal guy who lives in Paterson, NJ.  Patersons adheres to a simple routine: he drives his bus route, he writes poems in his secret notebook, he walks Marvin his dog, stops by the bar for exactly one drink; he then goes home to his wife Laura.  Golshiefteh Farahani plays his wife Laura, a woman who has new dreams for life daily and encourages Paterson's poetry. It's a simple observation of the ups and downs of everyday life.  This film doesn't have any action scenes and there isn't a bomb on his bus, but it does however celebrate the life of the normal man.  The chemistry that the two leads have - Driver and Farahani - shines and they are quite charming together.  It also is very funny and captures the little moments in our lives.  It's also worth noting that Rizwan Manji constantly made me laugh each time he was on screen.

9.

Hell or High Water

(David Mackenzie)

From the first trailer I watched I was hooked.  We follow as a divorced father and his ex-con brother resort to robbing banks to save their family farm.  This is one of the few films I have ever re-watched immediately after my first viewing.  It's an indie film, but feels a lot bigger than it actually is.  I love how real the characters were.  They are relatable, and we're able to put ourselves in their shoes and care for them.  Jeff Bridges, Gil Birmingham, Ben Foster, and Chris Pine all stepped up their games and delivered great performances.  Chris Pine gave the best performance of his career and I'll remember it for years to come.  Even though I'm a fan of Jeff Bridges, I would have loved to see Ben Foster nominated instead.  I also suspect writer Taylor Sheridan is going to have an amazing career,considering he recieved an Oscar nomination for this film and he wrote Sicario as well.

8.

Moonlight

(Barry Jenkins)

Arguably, the most important film that came out last year.  Moonlight, tells the story of Chiron at three different stages in his life, when he is a young boy, a young man in high school, and when he is a grown man.  We witness the struggles of Chiron as he try's to find his place in the world and battle with who he is.  Barry Jenkins, follows up, Medicine for Melancholy, with another extraordinary film.  Jenkins was able to get amazing performances out of his actors, with the standouts being Mahershala Ali and Naomie Harris.  This film isn't easy to watch but it's worth it.  I have seen this film a few times now and it gets better and better and I seem to cry with each viewing.  The only reason it's not higher is that the third act wasn't the strongest as the previous two.

7.

The Neon Demon

(Nicholas Winding Refn)

 Nicholas Winding Refn has made one of the weirdest and arguably the most disturbing films of this year.  It's about a young up-and coming model who gets tangled in a web of behavior and a lifestyle that doesn't reflect her character at all.  Jealousy and greed saturate her contemporaries in the industry.  It is so bizarre and really hard to describe with any detail.  I have watched this several times and with each viewing I got something different out of it.  The one thing for sure, the cinematography, costumes, makeup, score, and acting are some of the best of the year.  Elle Fanning and Jena Malone prove that they are amazing actresses that need to be in more stuff.  The ending will leave you speechless and make your stomach turn.

6.

Don't Breathe 

(Fede Alvares)

&

Hush

(Mike Flanagan)

I hate ties as much as the next guy but there was no possible way I could split these two films up.  For starters, they both are home invasion films that have characters that are without certain senses: I.e Don't Breathe - has a blind ex military type man. Hush - has a mute and deaf female writer.  Watching both of these films with the lights off made my senses more heightened and me nervous for what was about to happen next.  Now any other year you wouldn't see a horror film even close to my top ten list but 2016 was special for the horror genre.  These two films were even more special because they were scary but had characters that we're believable and vulnerable and limited the horror cliques that I hate.  Both films cast were top notch as well.  Stephen Lang from Don't Breath and Kate Siegel from Hush showed us that horror films can have great acting in there films and become the exception not the rule.  I strongly recommend these films, they will make you feel uneasy, scared, and put you on the edge of your seat.

5.

Train to Busan

(Sang-ho Yeon)

It's funny the places you hear about films.  Everyday when I drive to work I listen to NPR, and one day they were talking about Korea's first zombie film.  So when I finally watched it, I was surprised by how awesome and intense it is.  This films follows several passengers as they travel from Seoul to Busan while trying to survive a deadly zombie virus outbreak.  I enjoyed this film so much - my heart was beating non stop.  But it isn't just a zombie film.  It has character you both come to believe in and despise as well.  This would be a very fun character study on how the world handles tragedy and horrible situations.  Aside from character development, the technical aspects are also well done.  The effects, sound, makeup, and editing are some of my favorites of the year.  Fun little side note: this movie was my number one for most of the year until recently.  If you don't mind subtitles and want to see a very fun, entertaining, and suspenseful film, check this out.

4.

O.J.: Made in America

(Ezra Edelman)

You know a documentary has to be great to make my top ten list.  This is the first documentary to crack my list since my number one film of 2005, Earthlings.  Originally this was a TV documentary series, but I'm so glad that it's being considered a film by the academy.  It is a real, detailed look at the rise and fall of O.J. Simpson, but also covers what was happening with the LAPD and in the country at that time.  It is very interesting and frustrating to watch.  Even with a total  run time close to nine hours, you want to know more right away.  I knew very little about O.J. going in and after watching this I felt very upset and disgusted by the man he was.  This film also sheds light on issues that are as relevant today as they ever were.  To quote my friend and fellow film critic, Todd Plucknett: "This isa film about race, the justice system, Los Angeles, celebrity, and most of all - America."

3.

Silence

(Martin Scorsese)

So, one of the main reason this list was delayed was I wanted to watch the next Scorsese film.  Scorsese is my favorite director of all time.  The Departed, Taxi Driver, and Goodfellas are some of my favorite films of all time.  Silence, in time, could join the ranks of the greatest Scorsese films.  This film follows two Jesuit priests and their journey through Japan to find their mentor and friend.  It takes place in 17th century Japan, where the simple acknowledgement of being a Christian resulted in torture and the ultimate price: death.  Ultimately, this film is about true faith and being a martyr for what you believe in.  Even with a long run time it never feels as long as it actually is.  Some of the imagery on screen is hard to watch, so be prepared.  It is criminal that this film was almost enitely snubbed at the Oscars outside of cinematography.

  

2.

Arrival

(Denis Villeneuve)

Denis Villeneuve has finally started becoming a household name.  He is quickly moving up my favorite directors with each film I see.  Arrival, is his third film in the last four years to make my top ten list; the others being Sicario (2015), and Prisoners (2013).  What I enjoy about this film is that we are in a time of alien/science fiction films having a lot of explosions and action, but Villeneuve scales everything back to make a more human story.  Another thing he does well is that he isn't afraid to make strong female characters in his films.  Don't be fooled - Arrival does have aliens, but this film is really about communication and humanity.  It's beautifully filmed and the score is amazing.  Amy Adams gives one of my favorite performances of the year and her lack of nomination is a glaring Oscar snub.  Even with eight nominations at this years Oscars, I feel Arrival, was snubbed for visual effects, score (Passengers and Lion don't even come close), and Amy Adams.  This film will leave you with questions, so multiple viewings are a must.  I have seen it twice so far and I'm still in awe of everything I witness on screen.  

1.

Manchester by the Sea

(Kenneth Lonergan)

There was no film experience of 2016 quite like this one.  Manchester by the Sea is an emotional roller coaster that will be hard to shake well after the credits rolls.  Casey Affleck plays an apartment handyman who receives custody of his nephew after his brother passes away.  We've seen this premise in a lot of other films before, but as the story moves along and the layers of Affleck's character are peeled back to reveal a grief like no other.  Casey Affleck gave us his best performance as well as the best of the year.  He and fellow costar, Michelle Williams, broke my heart as I watched the relationships and pain reveal themselves.  I put myself in his shoes and I never want to feel the pain he felt.  Manchester by the Sea is not just a film - it's the closest experience to actual life that might have ever been put on screen.  It will make you laugh, cry, but most important of all - it will make you appreciate the little things in life and not take them for granted.  I recently just rewatched this and I walked away liking it even more, it truly is a work of cinema mastery.  I feel that Arrival and Manchester by the Sea will forever be locked in a back and fourth death match for my number one film of this year.  

Well that's my list!!  Did I surprise you?  What did I leave off?  Let me know your top ten and your opinions on mine!

Thank you again

ADAM

SNL 41.10 Review - Adam Driver, Chris Stapleton

Original Airdate - 1/16/16

Star Wars is now the highest grossing movie of all time.  It only makes sense that Saturday Night Live tries to cash in on some of that success.  They picked the perfect cast member to host their show too.  Adam Driver has been an actor known well by some and not at all by others.  Some recognized him as the boyfriend from Girls, others recognized him from minor roles in an array of random films.  I always thought of him as the weird sound effects singer from the Coens' Inside Llewyn Davis (starring fellow Star Wars actor Oscar Isaac ... he would be a great one to host too!).  Then Star Wars came out, and he is instantly recognizable by everyone.  However, one thing that you notice very quickly in this episode is that Adam Driver is really funny and, despite being known now as the epitome of evil, he is built for sketch comedy.

Cold Opening

This had to be the worst Cold Opening of the season.  Yes, there was a Republican Presidential Debate this week, and yes, SNL loves to comment on the political scene as they are very good at it.  However, the last episode before Christmas started off with a Republican Presidential Debate sketch, and this felt more like a re-run of that sketch than something fresh.  It did nothing new with the material.  They even brought back announcer Darrell Hammond to be the Donald, but even he seemed bored with it.  You can't start two shows in a row with the same sketch.  That's a rule.

Monologue

Quickly, the stale Cold Opening was forgotten as the Monologue started.  From the moment he stepped on stage, it was obvious that Adam Driver belongs there.  He commanded the room in a way few hosts know how.  He made light of his military past and thwarted off Star Wars fanboys asking him to reveal secrets.  It was a pretty standard bit, but it showed enough to realize this would be a strong episode.

Weekend Update

Pete Davidson is a strange guy.  I love it when they let him go to the Update desk and rant about something on his mind.  He keeps his material much fresher than Leslie Jones does.  We also learn some things about him every time.  He definitely enjoys making light of his own situations for the sake of comedy.  This week, the topic was gun control and the potential of letting guns into mental institutions.  Pete got pretty personal about his experiences with this, but what could have been awkward remained light enough to still get some good laughs.  Next to the Update desk came Vanessa Bayer's kid reporter, which is awkwardly adorable every time.  As far as the material from Jost and Che, it was strong as usual with the exception of one part.  Naturally, Michael Che had to comment on the lack of diversity in this year's Oscar nominations.  His comments went away from racial and instead talked about how no one ever sees the movies nominated for Oscars.  As an Oscar fan, I thought this was stupid especially this year.  First off, blockbuster films that everyone sees are usually not that high of quality.  Second, if they are, they get nominated, especially this year.  Star Wars got 5 nominations, and Mad Max: Fury Road got 10 nominations including Best Picture!  How much more do you want?  Not to mention, films like The Revenant become cultural phenomenons because of the attention they get from awards shows.  Some years, this is a relevant joke to make.  This just isn't one of those years.  Okay, I'm done.

Best Sketch

Following this episode, there were two sketches everyone as talking about.  I myself didn't see them as groundbreaking in any way, but they were culturally relevant and put SNL in a public eye like few sketches have in recent memory.  Because of that, they were the best sketches of the night.  First, you have the inevitable Star Wars sketch.  If you have the star of the biggest box office film of all time, why not use him?  The way they used him was quite clever too as he became the Undercover Boss on StarKiller Base.  The premise was better than the actual sketch, but it was still pretty funny.  Another good thing about this sketch is it was the only Star Wars sketch they did.  It can be easy to overdo something like that until it isn't funny anymore, but luckily they realized Adam Driver's ability to do pretty much anything and stayed away from Star Wars the rest of the night.  The second sketch that got attention was Aladdin's magic carpet ride that didn't go quite as planned.  First, for everyone who hadn't seen Inside Llewyn Davis, there was general shock that Adam Driver could sing.  Then they begin to realize that the skies aren't as clear and pure as they wished they were.  Cecily Strong pulls off a pretty convincing Jasmine too.

Worst Sketch

This sketch angered me so much.  It started out as something that looked like it was going to be really funny.  Adam Driver was hosting a show about funny cats where he narrated what the cats were doing.  It was ridiculous, silly, and hilarious coming from such a big guy with a deep voice.  This was all this sketch needed to be.  Instead, the cast ruined it.  Kate and Cecily came out as his French counterparts and gave their French commentary on the same clips.  Something that started out as being a lot of fun slowed to a stop once they started talking.  It was dull and boring.

Dark Horse Sketch

These two clips were my favorite parts of the episode.  First, you have a sketch that had to be written by Kyle Mooney.  He has such a strange brand of comedy.  A husband/wife team win a Golden Globe and tell their kids in the acceptance speech to go to bed.  We then see the kids listen and go to bed while the parents party all night.  It is so bizarre, but so funny at the same time.  The surprise cameo at the end just adds to the whole sketch too.  The second clip is a special appearance by SNL alum Fred Armisen.  Fred comes back quite often, but this time it was to pay tribute to the late great David Bowie.  It was a very well done and touching moment.

Grade

This was one of my favorite episodes of the season.  It was a fairly consistent episode throughout (except the Cold Opening) as it showed off the many sides of a new star not many people know much about.  Adam Driver was everything a host should, and he better be asked back often.  If they keep asking Chris Hemsworth back, Adam Driver has to be on the short list too.

***B+***

View the full episode here: