Movies Released in 2016 That I've Seen

If the idea of a movie about exploring faith in the midst of suffering doesn't turn you off of the whole premise, then Silence is an incredibly powerful, thought-provoking film. Martin Scorsese does a great job directing the film, and Andrew Garfield leads a very talented cast to bring 17th century Japan to life... in very disturbing fashion no less. It is probably not everyone's cup of tea, and it may be a little slow for some peoples' liking, but Scorsese has put together a real emotional tour de force. In my opinion, it blows his previous religious effort, The Last Temptation of Christ, out of the water with a far more nuanced story, stronger performances and more mature direction.

I'm shocked by just how much I enjoyed The Founder. What initially sounds like a rather boring and conventional biopic idea ends up being a gripping and nuanced character study with unintentional parallels to modern America. It's fantastic, and I heartily recommend it.

I don't know how they managed it, but Marvel have somehow taken what looked like it was going to be an overstuffed disaster and made the absolute best film in the MCU to date. Brimming with complex internal politics and with some stellar action sequences to keep the masses happy, Civil War's real secret weapon is the characters - they're fun to watch and we really, really care about them all, making it even more heartbreaking to see them tear each other to pieces (and wisely, the film opts to capitalize on this heartbreak rather than defer to an external threat unlike, say, Batman v Superman...). Civil War is easily the best and most ambitious film in the MCU and I have no idea how they're going to be able to live up to it from here onwards.

Don't Breathe is an exceptionally well-crafted horror-thriller which will leave you on the edge of your seat, as they say. The way that the film establishes setting early on is very strong, but the real strength is in how Fede Alvarez drags out the tension in every single scene without making any single situation go on too long - the sheer number of inventive situations that the filmmakers craft out of the film's premise is truly astounding. Between this and Evil Dead, Fede Alvarez has proven himself to be a new force in the horror genre, perhaps giving James Wan a fight for the crown of "king of horror" if he can keep this up. Seriously, see this film.

As much as I enjoy The Force Awakens, it is hobbled by some pretty major weak points in the latter half of the film which diminish the overall experience. In contrast, Rogue One is solid overall and only gets better as it goes on. It is also very different from what Star Wars usually feels like, but being an anthology film rather than a full episode, somehow this feels fine. There are some absolutely inspired moments of fan service which literally had me squealing with glee - if you love Star Wars, then you will probably have a great time.

Kubo is a really gorgeous and heart-breaking film, oftentimes simultaneously. The title, while strange at first, is actually really effective once you realize what it refers to. Really, I don't want to say too much to spoil the film, just trust me when I say see it.

A Silent Voice is a very powerful anime with some fantastic direction and challenging writing that goes in unexpected ways. It also doesn't fall into anime cliches or get overly melodramatic, so it's a worth watching even if you don't normally enjoy this sort of feature.

Dennis Villeneuve has quickly become one of the most exciting current directors in Hollywood for me, and Arrival further cements that feeling. It mainly revolves around alien linguistics and the finer points of communication, and if that sounds boring to you then you would be pleasantly surprised. The film also holds some pretty staggering surprises in its narrative, although I do feel like it is a little too "convenient" at times. That said, any issues the film does have are pretty minor, especially when considering that I couldn't stop thinking about it in the days after watching it. That alone is an accomplishment worth celebrating.

The Witch is a very gorgeously-shot and directed film with some great performances and a very encompassing, creepy atmosphere. It also captures the disturbingly overwhelming religiosity of 1600s New England very effectively, while also being very true to the folklore of the era (yes, the Puritans/Pilgrims believed that the wilds were full of demons and witches, and that the Devil lurked in the New World). However, be aware that this movie is very slow-paced and more about suspense and atmosphere rather than outright frights, although when the frights do come the results tend to be very unexpectedly shocking. I also wasn't a big fan of the way that the movie ended, the conclusion didn't feel "earned" in my opinion and was rather abrupt. I don't think it's destined to be a classic, but The Witch is a very suspenseful and unsettling family-drama - I just think that it could have done with some tightening up (particularly in the ending) to be a real masterpiece.

A modern classic zombie movie with really inventive, creative use of its setting to crank up the tension. The zombies here are downright terrifying, the characters are compelling, and (like every good zombie movie) there's a healthy dose of social commentary granting the movie a deeper thematic resonance.

I'm not sure how Marvel manages it, but nearly all of their superhero flicks soar at a time when their competition seems to be struggling to attain any level of success. For course, Doctor Strange is no stranger here, offering another very strong entry in the MCU which will no doubt have major implications on the upcoming Infinity War, but also into the future beyond that. It also keeps things fresh by offering a new perspective on this world, with some absolutely gorgeous visual effects stealing the show. As always though, the characters aren't lost in the shuffle and provide the rock solid foundation upon which everything else is built.

Zootopia is extremely clever and well-written, managing to be extremely entertaining for both kids and adults. The film's racial and gender allegories are also very well-written, well-handled and absolutely central to the film, which makes this movie even more relevant. In fact, I would be shocked if this film doesn't go down as one of the defining animated films of the decade, kind of like how Team America defined the Bush-administration with scathing aplomb. If it weren't for the weak 3rd act, this could have easily managed to be my favourite film of the year, but as it is, it's still a fantastic experience.

Deadpool is hilarious and a really fun time at the movies, mainly due to Ryan Reynolds' obvious love and understanding of what exactly makes the character so damned appealing. Hell, even Ed Skrein was great as the face-punchingly smug villain. The action is visceral and the humour is deliciously juvenile. The only real major flaw is that the "origin story" trappings get really dour and drawn out as they go along, sucking a lot of fun out of the film's momentum in the process. Still, Deadpool will hopefully provide another breath of fresh air to the superhero subgenre and entice studios to take some more "risks" with their properties.

This film is very suspenseful and well-made, especially considering that it's largely set in a single location for its runtime. The cast is perfect and the narrative moves along at a good pace, always causing you to second guess things and leaving you wondering exactly what will happen. The ending was slightly disappointing in my opinion, as is the lack of any real direct connection to Cloverfield, but all-in-all 10 Cloverfield Lane is an edge-of-your-seat thriller and a great way to spend an evening.

Green Room is a very tense thriller which does its best to subvert the audience's expectations at every turn and leave you unable to predict exactly what is going to happen next. The set-up is quite simple but works well, with some strong performances anchoring us, despite no one being particularly sympathetic. The film is also pretty brutal once the chaos boils over, with more than a couple happenings leaving me cringing. All-in-all, Green Room is a strong thriller, it's just too bad that it had to be one of Anton Yelchin's last films as well.

Hush is a very effective horror film, especially considering that it's basically just a stripped-down version of a standard slasher/home invasion movie, with the sole twist being that the protagonist is deaf and mute. However, this is enough to make the film uniquely intense and more plausible than these sorts of movies usually are. Additionally, the intensely creepy performance of John Gallagher Jr really elevates what could have been a boring villain to something truly sinister and captivating.

Star Trek Beyond is a surprisingly strong entry in the franchise, one which I think a lot of people had written off prematurely. It plays out basically like a very expensive, full-length version of an episode of the Original Series, with some great character focus at its core. In that way, it's much more faithful to the spirit of the series than the previous 2 Trek films, which focused a little too much on creating an "epic" storyline with galactic stakes. I must say, the "Sabotage" scene might have been one of the best scenes I've seen all year. Ultimately, Beyond is just incredibly entertaining and should hopefully portent great things for the series' future.

Somewhat surprisingly, The Conjuring 2 is a solid sequel which is still very much in the vein of 70s ghost story horror. In that same "spirit" as those sorts of films, The Conjuring 2 doesn't change the formula up too much from the original film, although this isn't a knock against the film, as it remains as good as ever. The only major complaint I have is that, similar to the first film, the ending is both rushed and over the top, making the efforts of believably in the earlier acts hard to swallow. Adding the real audio tapes over the end credits was particularly haunting though, and a great touch.

Andrew Garfield is having a hell of a year between Hacksaw Ridge and Silence, carving out a dramatic, theological/philosophical niche for himself. He puts in a pretty great performance in Hacksaw Ridge, although I do feel like the film is slightly let-down by the screenplay, which defers to cliche and leaves out a lot of the even more ridiculously brave things Doss actually accomplished to get his Medal of Honor. I also think the film makes a mistake by not revealing Doss's status as a conscientious objector until nearly 1/3 of the film is over. These issues dampen the film a bit for me, but aren't crippling.

Even up to the moment I sat down in the theater, I thought that this movie looked like total garbage, even in spite of all the positive buzz it was getting. I'll admit though, this movie shocked me with how good it ended up being. It has some dumb moments and isn't particularly original, but it is definitely effective and very well done. A shame that it's basically little more than a board game advertisement, but if only all advertisements could be this solid then we might not complain.

An enjoyably quirky little biopic about one of the most enjoyable oddballs in sports history. Taron Egerton puts in a really fine performance as Eddie, which helps highlight that he's a truly talented young actor with quite the future ahead of him.

War Dogs is a fun crime drama that toes the line between plausible and ridiculous, between critical of its protagonists and glorifying them. Pretty much every element is strong, but particular praise must be given to Mile Teller and Jonah Hill's performances, which keep everything fun and engaging throughout.

The Push makes for a compelling and elaborate social experiment, which will leave you guessing until the end (and then beyond that too). It's more than a little elaborate, and perhaps tips things in its favour where the results should be obvious, but the best part is that it's trying to instil a lesson about being aware of ourselves.

Honestly, I was expecting this movie to be utter *beep* but I was pleasantly surprised. For a Michael Bay flick, it is very restrained and reasonably mature. The action scenes were also very intense, reminding me quite a bit of Black Hawk Down (although they are, at times, edited very incoherently). My main issue with the film however is how it is written - basically, the whole thing feels like utter *beep* because the soldiers are always portrayed as geniuses while everyone else is portrayed as an utter dumb ass for absolutely no good reason. Furthermore, I really couldn't tell who the characters were or what was going on during more than one instances. That said though, the movie was far better than I was expecting, and is worth seeing just for the great action scenes.

Banking on Bitcoin is a rather fascinating documentary about the development and history of Bitcoin. The film itself remains mostly neutral on the subject, which I liked, although it only gives voice to the libertarians and businessmen who believe in it, so one should exercise some discernment while watching it. It does present some interesting cases on the pros and cons of virtual currency and whether it needs regulation, which makes for an engrossing documentary if the subject matter sounds in any ways intriguing.

Neighbours 2 isn't quite as fresh as the original, mainly because it's very obviously trying to be more over-the-top than its predecessor, but it still carries the key ingredients which made the original so likeable, while adding some new elements into the pot. In particular, teaming Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne and Zac Efron together makes for plenty of laughs. Like the original, the film also has plenty of heart and the premise is actually pretty well-thoughtout, well-researched and lends the film some very serious stakes.

Gold is a reasonably-entertaining film, although it is unfortunately hobbled by the usual true story drama weakness of going through the plot beats without making them feel really meaningful. It's certainly a watchable film, it just doesn't stand out.

Election Year is certainly a very timely film, but the strong emphasis hamfisted, unsubtle and rather stupid politics sucks a lot of the fun out of what should have been a sure-thing after the series seemed to hit its stride with Anarchy. The movie also kind of wastes Frank Grillo's Leo - most of the best scenes revolve around him doing something cool, but there just isn't enough street-level carnage. The performances are also really strange at time, although the candy bar psycho was so (I suspect intentionally) bad that she turned it around and is arguably my favourite part of the movie. Anyway, I hope that the next Purge movie just goes back to the basics of what makes this series so interesting - 12 hours of legalized crime. We don't need the political window-dressing, we just want to watch the world burn.

There are a lot of crappy things in The Legend of Tarzan - the CGI is generally poor, Alexander Skarsgård is incredibly bland as Tarzan, Margot Robbie is wasted on Jane, and the central plot isn't nearly as epic as the film seems to want it to come across. However, it all started to grow on me a little towards the end due to the clear thought and sincerity which went into the film. The filmmakers put a lot of thought into trying to update Tarzan to a modern audience and excise the traditional racism and sexism of the original text... the results aren't exactly positive in that regard though, which makes me wonder why people so concerned with such subject would even bother touching this property in the first place.

There is definitely ambition to All I See is You, but it suffers from a lack of forward motion and a lot of meandering. There are lots of interesting ideas and the cinematography is very stylish, portraying visual impairment within a visual medium in a compelling manner. It's too bad the execution and the script itself couldn't have been tighter, because all the components for a great film are here, which makes the hollow end product more tragic.

I really like Seth Rogen's brand of humour, and while I wasn't too keen on Sausage Party at the start, it really began to win me over in the second half. This is mainly due to its story, which is way more clever than it has any right to be. While the film begins with an overemphasis on vulgarity for cheap laughs, it ends up becoming a satire of society and belief, which is way more than anyone would expect from a movie like this. The second half also has some pretty ridiculous carnage which makes it particularly enjoyable. All-in-all, it's a really dumb movie that isn't going to resonate with everyone, but if you like Seth Rogen's brand of humour, then you'll probably find something to enjoy here.

The Shallows is anchored by a great lead performance by Blake Lively. It's at its absolute best when it's about figuring out how to survive against the odds. However, the killer shark movie elements are just ridiculous in an otherwise-serious film. I caught myself laughing at how ridiculous the shark was acting over and over again, which is too bad - with a bit more even tone, this could have been an absolute nail-biter. As it is, it's just enjoyable.