Let’s get this out of the way first: 2016 was a tsunami of horrific news.
Fontaine’s intimate epic of faith, science, resilience and sacrifice, inspired by a true story, is a monumental achievement, this post-WWII saga of a French doctor (portrayed brilliantly by Lou de Laâge) coming across an abbey filled with pregnant Polish nuns an unforgettable stunner that held me spellbound first frame to last. Masterful.
Set immediately before the events of 1977’s Star Wars, this side story taking place inside the intergalactic confines of George Lucas’ massive science fiction universe is a down-and-dirty, WWII-style slugfest that’s got far more on its mind than its simple story of espionage and heroism would initially lead one to believe.
I’m not going to go into detail on these this year; I just don’t have the energy or heart to tear anything apart, let alone films I felt particularly let down by. Let’s just say these are the ten motion pictures I hope to never have to deal with again. I’m pretty sure nothing more needs to be said.
Our list of the Top 100 Films of 2016. Enjoy sifting through them all.
This is a good movie, at times even a great one, and if not for a few minor missteps right at the end I’d not hesitate for a second to call The Autopsy of Jane Doe a terrifying little gem as well as one of the year’s most spectacularly discomforting winners.
Sing is a fun movie. More, it also has its heart stuck effortlessly in the right place, things moving along at an ebulliently jovial clip as things progress to their suitably endearing conclusion.
I, Daniel Blake is an important story, perfect for today’s world, Loach once again proving that, even at 80 years of age, he’s not done telling it as it is, and that’s a wondrous thing indeed.
But too much of Why Him? feels rushed and slapped together, the dramatic moments falling so flat caring about what happens to any of the characters or their respective problems is practically impossible. It’s all sound, all fury, the nothing at the center signifying a creative indifference no audience member should pay good money to experience.