Saturday 31 December 2016

Emlyn's top 10 films of 2016


There’s been a lot of ink spilled about 2016 being a terrible year for films, but that’s really not the case. Sure, it’s been a fairly crummy year in a lot of respects, and the big studio movies have by and large been fairly forgettable, but for smaller titles it’s been a great year – and there’s even been the odd really good blockbuster as well. So without further ado, let’s get to it: in no particular order, my ten favourite films of 2016.


BONE TOMAHAWK 

Forget about THE HATEFUL EIGHT – this was the best Western starring Kurt Russell and his magnificent moustache released this year. A compellingly weird genre blend of old-fashioned oater and cannibalistic horror, it certainly stick in the memory. The first two acts play out much like THE SEARCHERS, with a quartet of cowboys and gunslingers trading some of the year’s best dialogue as they pursue their cannibal quarry. And then the final act slams a hard left into truly gruesome, terrifying horror in the vein of THE HILLS HAVE EYES as our characters realise just how badly outmatched they are. It’s terrific stuff, and has the best kill of the year too.


THE NICE GUYS

Shane Black’s back with one of the funniest films of the year, teaming up a hard-boiled Russell Crowe and a delightfully slapstick Ryan Gosling as they try to solve a mystery involving a dead porn star, a missing girl and something to do with the automobile industry in ‘70s LA. Gosling is a revelation here with a real gift for inspired idiocy, and while it’s perhaps not as good as KISS KISS BANG BANG, it’s always a treat to have another Shane Black buddy cop movie. Sequel, please. 


HELL OR HIGH WATER

Another Western, but this time a modern one as two down-on-their-luck brothers rob the bank that’s about to foreclose on their land so they can pay it back with its own money. Genuinely nail-biting and constantly surprising, it has Chris Pine’s best performance to date and a welcome return to Rooster Cogburn mode from Jeff Bridges as the surprisingly sympathetic antagonist. Besides, the real baddie here is capitalism, as we see how the banks have laid waste to rural Texas, driving ordinary people to desperate measures in order to survive. In the circumstances, it’s hard not to want the brothers to succeed in ripping off the bank that’s ripped off so many before now.


I, DANIEL BLAKE

Ken Loach came back out of retirement to make this, and that goodness he did: it’s a searing, devastating indictment of the current Conservative government’s austerity policies and the endless, unthinking cruelty that people endure at its hands. It’ll make you ashamed to be British and want to immediately volunteer at your local food bank. An achingly honest, almost unbearably moving film which is as simple as it is potent, it’s the most important British film of the year by a long way and should be required viewing for employees of the DWP. 


MOANA

Disney has had a stunning year, and their animation department is no exception. On top of being a refreshingly unique and effortlessly charming tale inspired by the mythology of the Pacific Islands, a setting we see far too little of in our cinemas, MOANA is spectacularly beautiful and has a soundtrack to die for courtesy of Lin-Manuel Miranda and Opetaia Foa’i. My only complaint is that I would’ve liked more songs in the native languages of the Pacific rather than English, but it feels churlish to complain too much in the face of how purely enjoyable this movie is. And who knew The Rock could sing this well?  


LA LA LAND

What is there to say about this one that hasn’t already been said? A simultaneously life-affirming and heartbreaking musical romance, it confirms that director Damien Chazelle is the real deal if there were any doubt after WHIPLASH, features career-best work from Ryan Gosling (him again) and Emma Stone, and is likely to have you dancing in the aisles from the very first musical number. But where Another Day Of Sun managed to plaster a big stupid grin on this non-fan of musicals, Emma Stone’s climactic Audition and the overwhelming finale will rip the still-beating heart out of your chest and stamp on it for good measure. It’s been a long time since a film made me cry this much.


SILENCE

Every Scorsese movie is special, but a nearly 30-year passion project of his is truly something to savour. Epic in scope but also hugely personal, it’s a film that expects a lot from its audience but has rich rewards for those who put the work in. It’s an inquiry into the nature of faith, the unspoken arrogance of missionary work and the dangers of cultural imperialism that should prove enormously satisfying even for non-believers. At nearly three hours it’s not an easy watch, but it’s one of the most thematically dense and thought-provoking films I’ve seen in some time. I can’t wait to see it again. 


ARRIVAL

One of the best true SF films in years, ARRIVAL is one that we’ll probably be talking about in the same terms as CLOSE ENCOUNTERS or BLADE RUNNER in 20 years’ time. How great is it to see an alien invasion film where the priority is to communicate with them rather than kill them all? A paean to the best of the human spirit and a desperate call for cooperation in a world that seems to be more divided by the day, this is truly a film of its moment in time and might help restore some faith in humanity after this disastrous year. Before seeing this, I was deeply sceptical of any attempt at a sequel to BLADE RUNNER. But with Denis Villeneuve at the helm, now I say bring it on. Can he do DUNE next? 


THE HANDMAIDEN

This one’s a bit of a cheat as it’s not out in the UK until April, but it’s my list and I make the rules. The best film of the 2016 London Film Festival for my money, it’s a period drama heist movie set in Japan-occupied 1930s Korea with two lesbian protagonists, from the director of Oldboy. What’s not to like about that? Another one that will reward repeat viewings, the sheer number of twists and rug-pulls in its storytelling beggars belief – the plotting alone is a huge achievement. But it’s also a fascinating period piece set in an era of history most people in the West will know little about, and a very sweet, surprisingly funny love story about two women taking the fight to their male oppressors and actually making quite a good go of it. I think it would be a very good date movie.


ROGUE ONE

What can I say? I’m not sure I’m physically capable of disliking a film where a Rebel ship pushes one Star Destroyer into another, smashing them both to smithereens in the process. Add to that a brief, glorious glimpse of what a STAR WARS horror movie might look like and a story about ordinary people choosing to give everything they have to a cause more important than any individual, and you have a great space opera movie which takes this venerable franchise to previously unseen, very exciting places. As much as I love the Skywalkers, I also loved seeing the normal people of this universe, and what they do when there’s no Chosen One to save the day.

But seriously, that space battle was an all-timer, wasn’t it?  


Image: The Handmaiden