2016 was far from a champagne year for film, but among a year of some fairly major flops there were some damn fine releases and here are the best, but first some honorable mentions:
Hail, Ceasar!
The Cohen Brothers do a damn good job of capturing the feeling of cinemas golden age. As an original work it struggles but as an ode to an era of film making past it’s something quite beautiful.
10 Cloverfield Lane.
Dan Trachtenberg uses tense claustrophobic shots to tell the story of a woman fighting against a man who is either her captor or her saviour. Twilight Zone-esque and full of palpable tension it’s a fantastic first step into Hollywood produced by JJ Abrams.
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Rogue One is a dark, dense and gritty story that takes place within the Star Wars universe. Rather than focusing on a force user, Jedi or “chosen one” character the story instead focuses on a Jyn, the daughter of a family tied to the construction of the Death Star. Rogue One is more focused on giving a genuine feel of humanity and strife to the rebellion. These are not just characters on the “good side”, they’re desperate individuals pulling together to fight a foe who seems totally insurmountable. Rogue One takes a beloved franchise and twists it to feel new, interesting and gritty in many of the right ways.
- Deadpool.
Deadpool is easily the most memorable movie of 2016, it is one of the funniest films released in the last few years due in no small part to the incredible, 4th wall breaking performance of Ryan Reynolds. Deadpool’s commitment to dark humour and a mature tone helps to separates the movie from its super hero peers, making Deadpool feel fresh and vibrant in a genre that felt somewhat bloated this year. It’s brutal, messy, sexy, gory and hilarious from start to finish exactly as you’d want a Deadpool movie to be.
- Captain America: Civil War.
Civil War switches up the usual Marvel formula by replacing the traditional Macguffin based antagonist with a deep, tense and human drama driven by the politics of The Avengers. The film’s plot is fantastically smart and just when you think it’s running out of steam it surprises you with another card it’s been playing close to the chest. It’s action is beautifully choreographed so that every member of its giant ensemble has their own recognisable fighting style and can be picked out and followed amongst the fast paced, giant scale battles. Civil War manages to make a Marvel film feel fun and action packed but also tangibly tense and like it has real consequences. It’s a brilliant action movie that manages to stay two steps ahead of its very excited audience at all times.
So the best of the year has begun, next up is 2016’s album of the year. Thanks for reading!
Cam Writes 
This year wasn’t great , yes but last year was REALLY bad, so many bad superhero movies and reboots and sequels.
Your list soo short tho, got me feeling like you missing out on some stuff…
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I’ll be honest I thought last year was not bad at all, Star Wars, Mad Max, Kingsman, Ted 2, Birdman so on.
My list is quite short, I’ve always done a top 3 for movies and a top 5 for album’s. What is it you think im missing? I’m afraid to say they’re are movies i didnt get the opportunity to catch like Arrival and Allied, unfortunately I can only write about what I’ve had the opportunity to see.
What do you think I’m missing. would be fascinated to hear your thoughts.
Thanks for reading.
Cam.
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*THAT AS A CHEAP SHOT FOR YOU TO CHECK OUT MY WORK, MAN.* #SHAMLESSADVERTISING
Bad movies last year, remember:
FANTASTIC 4, MORTDECAI, HOT PURSUIT, JUPITER ASCENDING, AND OF COURSE THE GOD AWFUL 50 GREYS OF SH#t? yep. It was a bad year,
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