Month: December 2016

Well, here we are, coming up on the end of 2016, and what a year it was for movies…except for summer, let’s not speak of that again.  I’m still trying to recover.  In all seriousness, we’ve had a great number of phenomenal movies this year.  Some of my favorites weren’t even big budget films.  They were smaller independent pictures that really had a lot of effort put into them.  That being said, for my last post on this topic, I will give you my movie of the year.  But before we get there, let’s go through a number of films that came really close to nailing it for 2016.  Now, I will be including movies from the middle of December of 2015 onwards because I feel a movie needs to be in theaters more than a month to qualify.  So any movie released on December 15, 2015 or later can be included on this post.  So, let’s begin:

Runner Up #1:

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

For a guy who is a MASSIVE Star Wars fan, one would expect this movie to be my movie of the year.  Make no mistake, this is an awesome movie.  It blows the entire Prequel Trilogy out of the water.  This takes some of the best elements from the original movies and it amplifies it.  It’s got incredibly memorable characters like Poe Dameron, Finn, Rey, and the old cast which includes Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher.  It’s a well made movie with some really clever and sharp dialogue.  There’s a lot of humor here and there’s plenty of drama to add to it as well.  The villain of the film, Kylo Ren, is very memorable and the action is second-to-none.  The Force Awakens doesn’t get my movie of the year because it does follow the original film a little to closely, and that’s a minor quibble, but it’s enough to keep the film from being Movie of the Year.  It’s still an awesome movie, though.

Runner Up #2

The Witch

As far as horror movies go, 2016 was a banner year for the genre.  The Witch is quite possibly one of the best horror movies I’ve ever seen.  It’s incredibly atmospheric, tense and though-provoking.  It’s a period piece set in the time of the Puritans, so there is bound to be tension in terms of religious symbolism.  It’s unusual for a film that’s not overly gory to be very chilling.  I don’t want to spoil it, but there is a lot that goes in this film between the family members that’s really intense.  It’s a beautifully shot film with a haunting score that’s sure to remain with you long after the credits roll.  It has to be seen to be believed.

Runner Up #3

Blood Father

It’s been quite a while since Mel Gibson took the lead role in a film.  He’s still got it, despite the issues that he’s had in the past.  Blood Father sees Mel Gibson as an ex-con who takes in his estranged daughter after she’s been on the run from a Columbian cartel.  Mel Gibson’s performance in this film is simply one that you have to see.  It’s his best performance in years.  Erin Moriarty plays his daughter, and the two work wonderfully together.

Aaaand my Movie of the Year goes to…..(drum roll, please):

Forsaken

What?!  A Western?!  Have I gone mad?   It’s entirely possible.  For me, Forsaken is probably the most compelling experience I’ve seen in movies this year.  One of main reasons is that both Kiefer Sutherland and his father Donald are playing father and son.  It’s truly movie magic seeing these two in scenes together.  The movie itself is a traditional Western, but that’s not a bad thing, but it focuses more on the characters and the story than it does the action.  Everybody in the film does an incredible job, including Michael Wincott and Brian Cox.  It’s incredible how well this movie came together, and it’s a damn shame it didn’t get a wide theatrical release like it should have.  It’s a great movie that outshines all the others that I’ve seen this year.

There you have it:  My Movie of the Year: Forsaken.  That is going to conclude The Best of 2016.  Next year promises to be even bigger, so I’m looking forward to it.  Before the year is over, though, I would like to go over my greatest disappointments of the year.  I may do that after I’ve completed my Game of Thrones marathon, which starts tomorrow.  Next week is going to be a bit of a challenge, but it’s one that I believe I can tackle.

For this post, I’m looking for the best acting in films this year.  This post is going to be different because everyone that I mention here is a winner.  Getting a strong performance out of an actor regardless of their experience is not an easy thing to accomplish, so the ones that I mention here are the actors/actresses that put in the best effort.

Michael Fassbender in X-Men Apocalypse

Michael Fassbender has come a long way since 300.  His performance as Magneto in the new X-Men films is phenomenal, but it’s his performance in Apocalypse that really gives him an edge.  His character of Magneto has settled into an ordinary life with a wife and daughter until Apocalypse wakes up.  His family is killed and he turns his rage on everybody else.  This scene is an emotionally powerful moment in the character’s arc in the film, and I don’t think anybody else could have done it as well as Mr. Fassbender.  He’s phenomenal.

Kiefer Sutherland/Donald Sutherland in Forsaken

It’s a very unusual thing to see actors who happen to be father and son playing…well..father and son.  Kiefer Sutherland and his father Donald play a father and son who are estranged from each other, because of Kiefer’s character’s exploits.  The scene that I selected is the only one I was able to find, but it’s very cool seeing these two powerhouse actors performing together in the same scene and film.  The relationship between the two actors makes their performances all the more intense.  This is the strongest performance I’ve seen from Donald in years, and there are points in the movie that it’s heartbreaking.  When Kiefer’s character confesses to his father about an incident during his time as a gunfighter, it’s heart-wrenching.  I don’t think anyone else could have pulled it off.  Aside from the movie being a fantastic western, it’s anchored by amazing performances from everyone.

Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice

Say what you will about Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice.  A lot of people didn’t care for it, and I had my problems with it, but the one thing that most people can agree on is Ben Affleck’s performance as Batman.  Ben Affleck plays on older and more world-weary Bruce Wayne who has seen a lot of terrible things in Gotham, and he witnessed first-hand the destruction of the fight between Superman and General Zod.  As a result, he has a very skeptical view of the Kryptonian and seems to feel that he’s a serious threat to the planet.  Ben Affleck delivers a very grizzled and nuanced performance not only as Bruce Wayne, but he makes his Batman scary as hell.  He’s one of the main reasons why I loved Batman V. Superman.

John Goodman as Howard in 10 Cloverfield Lane

Now, I mentioned this film as one of the best thrillers of 2016, but there’s a reason for that:  The performances.  Everybody here is in top form, but the one who steals the show is John Goodman.  He is one of the greatest character actors alive.  His performance as Howard is not only creepy at times, but also unhinged at others.  You have no idea who this guy is or what his intentions are, but Mr. Goodman manages to make this guy likable at the same time, which allows the movie to play with the audience.  10 Cloverfield Lane was a phenomenal film and John Goodman’s performance is one for the books.  It’s definitely worth taking a look.

Well, these are the most compelling performances I’ve seen this year, so apologies if this seems like a short post, because it is.  For me, anyway.  Tomorrow, I’m going to wrap things up with the Best Movies of 2016.  It will be for the best movies released this year.