Happy New Year! Yes, I know it's late February. Sorry, I've been occupied of late.
I know that 2016 was a terrible year - with tragic deaths of both celebrities and innocent people, Britain voting to leave the EU, America electing a racist, homophobic, overearning windbag as President, and
Doctor Who being off air -, but there was one place where 2016 proved to be a fine year: the movies!
Yes, there were horrible films like
Dirty Grandpa,
Nine Lives,
Gods of Egypt and
Fifty Shades of Black, as well as
major disappointments like
Suicide Squad (plus films that I found not to be as bad as people thought, like
Batman v Superman, the
Ghostbusters reboot, and
Alice Through The Looking Glass). But the last twelve months also proved to include some fascinatingly original cinematic stories, and continuations of major franchises. So, I've decided to give you a list of my Top 10 films released in the UK in 2016 that I either saw in cinemas or on DVD between January and December. Note: I have cheated slightly, as two of the entries in the list are doubles.
10)
Eddie The Eagle
This was a surprise one. I decided to see this at the cinema after changing my mind about seeing
Batman v Superman because of the number of bad reviews it had received (I did later see it on Blu-ray, and didn't find it to be as awful as people said, at least not in the Extended Edition). So, me and my friend Jenny went to see this instead. Boy, did we make the right decision. Directed by Dexter Fletcher, it's a fictionalised take on the true story of Eddie Edwards and his determination to become Great Britain's first Olympic ski-jumper, leading up to his legendary appearance at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. Taron Egerton (continuing his rise started in
Kingsman: The Secret Service) gives a wonderful performance as Eddie, who remains loveable despite most people thinking he's a buffoon. Hugh Jackman adds gravitas as his *fictional* coach Bronson Peary, with whom he develops a great teacher-student bond. The supporting cast includes Jo Hartley and Keith Allen as Eddie's parents (the mum being very supportive, the dad being a grump mostly, but slowly coming around), Tim McInnerny as a stuffy British Olympic official, Mark Benton as a less-stuffy one, and cameos from Jim Broadbent as a commentator and Christopher Walken as Jackman's former coach. Add in a fantastic 80's style score by Matthew Margeson, with both classic pop hits and new ones written by Gary Barlow and performed by 80's legends OMD, Holly Johnson and Mark Almond, and you get a real feel-good movie experience. Also, it was one of the movies in 2016 that made me cry at the end.
9)
Florence Foster Jenkins
This was a film I didn't see until December on DVD, and was another pleasant surprise. Based on the true story of the New York heiress who loved to sing, yet was incapable of holding a tune, Stephen Frears directs a love letter of a biopic, in the same vein as Tim Burton's
Ed Wood. Meryl Streep delivers another great performance in her amazing career as Florence, being able to convincingly portray a bad singer, and creating a character who you find yourself rooting for. Hugh Grant gives what I consider to be his best performance as Florence's lovingly supportive common-law husband, St. Clair Bayfield, a failed actor, but needless to say a great showman. Simon Helberg, mostly known as Howard Wolowitz in
The Big Bang Theory, channels the spirit of Gene Wilder as Leo Bloom to play Cosmé McMoon, the pianist hired to accompany Florence. There are great supporting turns from Rebecca Ferguson as St. Clair's mistress, Nina Arianda as an old-Hollywood style blonde, David Haig, and Christian McKay.
8)
Deadpool and
Captain America: Civil War
The first double entry in my countdown, and both based on Marvel characters, these are both totally different types of 'superhero' film.
Deadpool is a very funny film, full of fourth-wall breaking and pop culture references, all led by a career-best performance from Ryan Reynolds (which totally makes up for the way he played the character in
X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which gets joked about in this film, as does his
Green Lantern).
Starting off 'Phase Three' of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a big bang,
Civil War sees the Avengers realise the consequences of their actions and the friendship between Steve Rodgers/Captain America and Tony Stark/Iron Man torn apart by the decision Tony makes to sign an agreement meaning that their actions have to be controlled by the government. Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., and the rest of the MCU veterans all play their parts really well, but it's the newcomers who steal the show: Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther, Paul Rudd in only his second appearance as Ant-Man, and Tom Holland as simply the best screen Spider-Man ever! Also of note is Daniel Bruhl as Zemo, one of the more layered villains the MCU has seen, who is doing what he does because of what the Avengers have done. Definitely the second best MCU film, after
Guardians Of The Galaxy.
7)
Arrival
I don't want to give away much about this film, but, as I said in a previous blog post, this is my generations
2001: A Space Odyssey. Adapted from a short story, it's fantastically directed by
Denis Villeneuve, Amy Adams is amazing, and it is a movie needed at the time it was released. I have nothing but high hopes for Villeneuve's
Blade Runner 2049.
6)
Notes On Blindness
One of the most unique documentaries I have ever seen, this tells the story of John Hull, a theology professor who went blind in 1980, and, in order to better learn about his condition, began keeping an audio diary. In a similar style to Clio Barnard's
The Arbor, the films uses the audio recordings Hull made and has actors lip-syncing to them. Dan Skinner (most famously known for his comedy character of Angelos Epithemiou, and his work with Vic & Bob), plays Hull on screen, and gives an amazing performance. The directors Peter Middleton and James Spinney manage to create unique ways of visualising Hull's condition from the way he felt it, making for a powerful cinematic experience.
5)
Anomalisa
The first of two animated features in my countdown, and the latest film from Charlie Kaufman, this started life as a 2005 on-stage sound play. Teaming up with stop-motion director Duke Johnson, he transformed the play into a quite realistic production, despite the fact that the joins where the puppet masks are put on are deliberately kept visible. David Thewlis voices Michael Stone, an author and customer-service expert going through a midlife crisis. It doesn't help that everyone he encounters seems to have the same facial features and speaks in the same voice (that of Tom Noonan, who is given the task of playing the whole supporting cast and delivers). That is until he meets Lisa, a unique woman with her own face and own voice (a career-best performance from Jennifer Jason Leigh), and the two of them embark on an affair. With amazing animation work and voice performances, Kaufman once again proves to be a unique visionary in Hollywood.
4)
Tale of Tales and
The Witch
Another joint entry, both of which involve witches and fantasy.
Tale of Tales (not to be confused with the Yuriy Norshteyn animated short of the same name, though both are masterpieces) is directed by Matteo Garrone (who previously made
Gomorrah), and is based upon three fairy tales by Giambattista Basile. If you want to see Salma Hayek eating the heart of a sea monster in order to become pregnant, Shirley Henderson as an old woman who wishes to be flayed so she'll look young again, and Toby Jones as a King who becomes infatuated with a flea, then you will love this movie.
The Witch, the directorial debut from Robert Eggers, is about a Puritan family, cast out from their plantation, who start a new life for themselves, building a farm on the edge of a large secluded forest. Ralph Inerson and Kate Dickie play the parents of the family of five children, the eldest of which is Thomasin, an absolutely stand-out performance from Anya Taylor-Joy, who is already proving herself to be an incredible screen presence (she's also great in
Morgan)
When bad things start to happen - the crops start dying, the baby son vanishes, and the second eldest falls ill - it causes paranoia amongst the family, and suspicions of witchcraft start to play on the father's mind. A truly great horror, with a slow-burning feeling of dread, great performances, and the animal performance of the year in the shape of Black Phillip the goat.
3)
Love & Friendship
I never thought I would be putting a Jane Austen adaptation in my top five films of the year, but here one is, thanks to the genius of Whit Stillman, and a career-best turn from Kate Beckinsale. She plays Lady Susan Vernon, 'the most accomplished flirt in England' (the film is based on Austen's
Lady Susan, but takes it's title from another book of hers). Recently widowed and relatively young, Lady Susan is seeking a suitably wealthy match for her only daughter, Frederica, and a similarly wealthy husband for herself, in order to renew the state of her fortunes.
Beckinsale is a really refreshing screen presence here, using her charm and wit to thrive in any situation. There are great supporting performances from Morfydd Clark as Frederica, Xavier Samuel, Chloë Sevigny (both she and Beckinsale previously worked with Stillman in 1998's
The Last Days Of Disco), James Fleet, Jemma Redgrave, Justin Edwards, and a cameo by Stephen Fry. The film however is very nearly stolen by Tom Bennett, giving the comedy performance of the year as Frederica's suitor Sir James Martin, who is well-meaning but extremely foolish (the scene with the peas is a particular highlight).
2)
When Marnie Was There
And speaking of
Love & Friendship, I don't think any other film in 2016 is about those two things as much as my choice for the best animated film of the year, which comes from legendary Japanese company Studio Ghibli, responsible for some of my favourite films (
My Neighbour Totoro being my favourite animated film of all time). Based on the book by Joan G. Robinson, but relocated from Norfolk, England to Japan, it follows an introverted 12-year-old girl named Anna, who is sent to live with her foster aunt and uncle in a rural seaside town to improve her asthma. She soon comes across a seemingly abandoned mansion across a salt marsh, where she meets a mysterious blonde-haired girl named Marnie, and the two form a close friendship. Later on, truths are revealed and a closer connection between the two comes to light.
Sadly, this is apparently Ghibli's final feature film, but it is a worthy swansong. Beautifully animated, with an emotional story, it ranks alongside their finest work.
1)
Hunt For The Wilderpeople
So, my favourite movie of the year turns out to be a really funny indie film from New Zealand. Directed by Taika Waititi (who directed the vampire mockumentary
What We Do In The Shadows), and based on
Wild Pork And Watercress by Barry Crump (Not a relation of mine!), it tells the story of Ricky Baker, a troublemaking foster kid (played by relative newcomer Julian Dennison) who is taken by child welfare to live on a remote farm with Becca (Rima Te Wiata) and her cantankerous husband Hector (a career-best performance from Sam Neil). To start, Ricky tries to run away, but eventually finds that he likes living there, as Becca is a great mother figure for him.
However, Becca suddenly dies, and the child welfare people plan to take Ricky back. So, he ineptly fakes his death (burning down the barn in the process) and goes off into the wilderness. Hec catches up with him, but twists his ankle, leading to the pair having to camp out for a period. Child Welfare worker Paula (a scene-stealing Rachel House) comes to the conclusion that Hec is mentally unstable and has abducted Ricky. When the pair learn of this, they both decide to go on the run into the bush, and learn a new found respect for each other, whilst Paula chases them, 'like the Terminator' as she puts it.
This is a really wonderful film, with a charming relationship between Dennison and Neil, a really great supporting cast (including hilarious cameos from Rhys Darby and Waititi himself), and a perfectly written script. I look forward to Waititi's next film, which happens to be
Thor: Ragnarok for Marvel!
Honourable Mentions (from the films I saw in the cinema or on DVD in 2016):
Creed
The Danish Girl
Hail, Caesar!
The Hateful Eight
The Revenant
Green Room
A Bigger Splash
High-Rise
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Doctor Strange
The BFG
Ethel & Ernest
The Beatles: Eight Days A Week - The Touring Years
Lo And Behold: Reveries Of The Connected World
Life, Animated
Films I wasn't able to see in 2016, but may have been in the Top 10 if I had:
Sing Street
Captain Fantastic
The Nice Guys
Swiss Army Man
A United Kingdom
13th
Moana
I, Daniel Blake
Under The Shadow
Julieta
Kubo And The Two Strings
The Edge Of Seventeen
Your Name
I Am Not A Serial Killer
Nocturnal Animals
The Birth Of A Nation
