This 2016 list wasn’t supposed to take anywhere this long but unfortunately, look where we find ourselves. Its inching closer to the end of 2017 now so I shouldn’t finish it but I’m almost done so why not. Anywho, to switch things up, I’m going to write some of my recaps for each movie in bullet point form.
We’re finally at the TOP 10 movies on my complete movie list for 2016. Expect to see some Marvel flicks, a couple Ryan Gosling movies and more.
Before we start the TOP 10, here are some movies that I saw after starting this long, way past due list and what their rankings would have been:
24. Patriots Day
46. Hidden Figures
87. Get a Job
105. Live by Night
Alright on to the MAIN EVENT…..
10. Doctor Strange
For my thoughts on this great movie, listen to this episode of the Leo B. Gyllenhaal Podcast: Top Ten and Chocolate Boseman (Episode 40)
9. The Nice Guys
Besides the plot being murky at times and taking too much time to be fully revealed and an iffy resolution, the movie was great and very entertaining. It kind of reminded me of ‘Rush Hour’ in a way and I could see a couple solid sequels coming from it. Based on the weak box office results, that probably won’t happen though, unfortunately. But whatever, I’ll still enjoy this movie just fine. Shane Black provided a great script that was made even better by performances of the cast. Gosling showed why he is a great well-rounded actor. He’s been funny in other movies but this felt like the first time where he was asked to carry the majority of the comedy load and he did it like it’s something he does on the daily. Add Russell Crowe in as his co-lead and they made for a great duo with some entertaining chemistry. Angourie Rice, who played the daughter of Golsing’s Holland, also was able to standout. I did not see that coming because that seems like a hard thing to do as a teenager who hasn’t really acted in a major movie like this before and is going up against some big time actors but she proved me wrong. Lastly, I want to say that this movie was always on the move so it felt like I watched so much in the almost 2 hour run-time and that was a great thing.
8. Sausage Party
For my thoughts on this great movie, listen to this episode of the Leo B. Gyllenhaal Podcast: Top Ten and Chocolate Boseman (Episode 40)
7. La La Land
For my thoughts on this great movie, listen to this episode of the Leo B. Gyllenhaal Podcast: Top Ten and Chocolate Boseman (Episode 40)
6. Arrival
For my thoughts on this great movie, listen to this episode of the Leo B. Gyllenhaal Podcast: Top Ten and Chocolate Boseman (Episode 40)
5. The Conjuring 2
Yet again, James Wan showed why he’s an amazing director, especially when it comes to horror movies. His style of directing horror movies are awesome and he showed his skill again with this sequel. I loved ‘The Conjuring 2’ in a different way than I loved its predecessor. The feel of the two movies are different because the scares came quicker into the movie and tried to hit you in the face at a more rapid pace. It’s kind of similar how your typical “scary” movie approaches scares but this movie did it at the highest level and I like that it differentiated itself from the the first one. It seemed like Wan tried to make the aesthetics and vibe feel somewhat like an ‘Insidious’ movie (another great Wan franchise) and it worked for me. Also, the pacing being upped this time around made this an entertaining and thrilling movie from start to finish. The movie had 3 different villains that helped with that. Things didn’t get crowded with all these demons, villains, ghost or whatever you want to call them because they each played their part and offered their own style of horror. And last but not least, Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga were great again as the leads and I can’t wait to see what the Warren’s have to go up against next.
4. Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising
‘Neighbors’ was hilarious!, so I had high hopes for the sequel. Actually, I usually have high hopes for movies that Seth Rogen or Rose Bryne do because they usually don’t let me down. Lucky for me, I definitely wasn’t let down by this movie. There was no sophomore (or sequel) jinx here because I was hilarious from start to finish. Rogen and Bryne were, yet again, a hilariously entertaining duo with great comedic chemistry. Zac Efron killed it, yet again as well, with the comedy. Chloe Grace Moretz was a great addition to the cast and there were funny moments throughout from the supporting cast members. As of now though, I will say ‘Neighbors’ was the better of the two because the all-around performances from the fraternity members in the first one were better and funnier than those who made up the sorority members in this second one. Oh yeah, while I’m on the topic of flaws, the movie could have definitely used some more Selena Gomez. I was a little upset that she was only physically in like one scene and digitally placed or something like that in another scene. That just didn’t cut it for me. But anyways, I liked that this movie had more of a message this time around. The first one did when it came to life after college, friendship and stuff like that but I felt that this time around, the message was made more of a priority and brought to the forefront. The message of girls being themselves and not what others (specifically college boys) want them to be didn’t come off as cheesy or preachy and meshed right in this comedic setting.
3. Deadpool
For my thoughts on this great movie, listen to this episode of the Leo B. Gyllenhaal Podcast: Top Ten and Chocolate Boseman (Episode 40)
2. Captain America: Civil War
For my thoughts on this great movie, listen to this episode of the Leo B. Gyllenhaal Podcast: Top Ten and Chocolate Boseman (Episode 40)
1. The Lobster
For my thoughts on this great movie, listen to this episode of the Leo B. Gyllenhaal Podcast: Top Ten and Chocolate Boseman (Episode 40)
Previous: My 2016 Complete Movie List: #20 – #11
(Photo Credit: Michael Nordine – http://www.indiewire.com/2016/06/the-conjuring-2-spinoff-the-nun-james-wan-1201689203/; WILL LEITCH – https://newrepublic.com/article/133619/nice-guys-back-to-basics-buddy-cop-movie; http://www.hbo.com/movies/neighbors-2-sorority-rising)
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