Film Discussion - 2016

My Top 12 Favorite Movies of 2016

If for nothing, my Best list this year will be interesting to look back.

This is the year that animated films soar in qualities. There are more animated movies in and competing for a spot in the list than any other year. East Asian cinema is also competing with Hollywood, making some serious progresses.

This is also the first year where practically all the big Oscar contenders (Silence, La la land, Arrival, Fences, Moonlight, Lion, Hidden Figures, Hacksaw Ridge, Manchester by Sea, Jackie) are released in January in my country. This results in a list that is infinitely more competitive, and to be honest, much more interesting, so we should get right into it.

-On the side note, the movies I regretted not getting the chance to see the most are The Edge of Seventeen, Patriots Day and Island Funeral)–

HN. Shin Godzilla

I wanted to give a spot to this movie just for its metaphorical commentary alone. As far as the directing, storytelling and visual effects go, this truly is a masterpiece of blockbuster. However, its weak characters and confusing writings really did hold it back for me. While watching the film, I was thrown back and forth between loving it and feeling really disappointed. Shame.

HN. The Conjuring 2

This is an actual decent sequel to a great horror movie. It maintains the factor of fear and suspense without losing the focus on characters. Wann hasn't lost his touch in building atmosphere and delivering on the tension with a satisfying climax.

HN. Sully

It may be slow but Sully is a respectful and subtly engaging biopic. It misses the list quite narrowly.

HN. Star Trek Beyond

This movie actually rounds off the new Trek films trilogy really well. It ultimately feels too episodic to be too special but I think that's the idea.

HN. 10 Cloverfield Lane

This film was a breathe of fresh air. It gives us an original story, a non-flashy marketing campaign, a small but intriguing story and a great performance by John Goodman. This is another one that misses the list by a small margin.

HN. Green Room

A more hardcore version of 10 Cloverfield Lane, this movies is insanely good at building suspense.

HN. Kubo and the Two Strings

Objectively, this would be quite high up on the list for me. The issue is that the story didn't click with me as much as I wanted it to. It is still great though – a definite front-runner for best animation.

HN. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

I can watch the last act of this movie 50 times over and I don't think I would get bored, as long as I can skip some scenes in the first two acts.

HN. Sing Street

Sing Street is an unforgettable coming-of-age musical. A lot of people will identify with this movie. Perhaps I didn't but I still recognize its mastery. I still can't get some of its songs out of my head

HN. The Magnificent Seven

Like Shin Godzilla, one single crippling flaw prevents this film from reaching greatness. This movie is a great remake with great characters, great actions, great directing. But they failed to make the most of it. Another 40 minutes or an hour for us to see the characters interact and with more conflicts would've made this movie one of the year's tops. Still I can't deny, I had great fun watching this movie as a fan of the original Seven Samurai.