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.