Here’s a quick rundown of my TOP 10 (+5) films of 2016.
There were a lot of smaller movies that grabbed the audience this year. While blockbusters threatened all-time records every second weekend, a few little films stole the spotlight.
This Top 10 combines the best of popcorn-munching box office smash hits and critical darlings.
2016 was such an amazing year for film. I added a Plus 5 to shine the spotlight on even more must-watch movies. Expect a more in-depth Top 10 later with a REWIND & RANK Edition coming soon.
15. SILENCE
14. TRAIN TO BUSAN
13. CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR
12. PATRIOT’S DAY
11. SING STREET
10. STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE
9. BIRTH OF A NATION
8. LA LA LAND
7. MOONLIGHT
6. FENCES
5. HELL OR HIGH WATER
4. MANCHESTER BY THE SEA
3. THE NICE GUYS
2. YOUR NAME
1. ARRIVAL
HONORABLE MENTIONS
10 CLOVERFIELD LANE / 13th / DEADPOOL / DEEPWATER HORIZON / DON’T BREATHE / THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS / GREEN ROOM / HACKSAW RIDGE / HIDDEN FIGURES / THE HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE / KUBO & THE TWO STRINGS / NOCTURNAL ANIMALS / SWISS ARMY MAN / THE WITCH
NOTABLE FILMS I NEED TO SEE
PATERSON / THE HANDMAIDEN / THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN / LION / ELLE
DISAPPOINTMENTS
BATMAN V SUPERMAN / INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE / SUICIDE SQUAD / X-MEN: APOCALYPSE
What do you think?
SLIP/THROUGH - Entertainment You Don't Want to SLIP THROUGH the Cracks 
Great list. Birth of a Nation and Patriots Day are the only films on your films that I didn’t like and really glad to see Arrival at #1. It just barely missed my top spot.
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Arrival was just top-notch. Loved the narrative. Loved the emotion. Great characters. Great directing. Great everything. I had high hopes for Birth, it was less than stellar though; whereas Patriots surprised me and avoided a lot of melodrama. Thanks for chiming in.
My fellow nerds… Click on Khalid, warp to his site, and dig on his Top 10 for the year. It’s definitely worth it 🙂
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I’m seriously behind on 2016’s great movies (more of a DVD watcher than a cinema goer), but I’m thrilled to see Arrival and Your Name at the top here. Civil War was probably my favorite of last year just for entertainment value alone, but both of those are such amazing emotional films. Your Name and Sing Street were robbed, as far as Oscars go, but I’ll definitely catch up on the other Oscar contenders later in the year.
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Yes. A fellow Your Name lover. What a special film, eh. It surprisingly got me – big time. Arrival was amazing for a few reasons. It just fired on all cylinders. I really dug on Sing Street too, and Civil War was super-fun! It sounds like we have some similar tastes. Once these other flicks hit DVD, I wonder if our Tops will still line-up. 2016 was just filled with fantastic films. Thanks for chiming in, buddy.
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I’m notoriously slow at catching up on Oscar material so it’ll be a while, but I do want to watch everything on your list at some point (and Lion, really want to see that one). Since you liked Your Name, you might check out one of the director’s earlier films called Children Who Chase Lost Voices. No one else seems to have heard of it, but I think I like it even more than Your Name, and the animation is just as gorgeous.
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Super duper thanks! I haven’t seen more films from the director, but look forward to the experience now.
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I think it’s surprising that Nice Guys was totally snubbed. Do you think it just released too early in the year?
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You know what they say, the Academy has short memory each year. That said, I think Nice Guys isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
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Nice List Dan.
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Thanks for checking out the Top 10, Lloyd. I made some modifications (and will continue as I see even more). Your Name was a huge surprise. It’s the little train that could for 2016. I definitely recommend it. And Birth of a Nation is a huge snub by critics in award season (due to controversy), but is another must-watch for the year, if you haven’t seen it 😉
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My best friend has recommended Your Name and so I’m keen to see it.
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Same. It came out of nowhere (otherwise). Your Name totally floored me in all the best ways. Don’t let the animation scare you away, this is for adults too. A solid drama with scifi twist, incredible emotion, and some good laughs too. Plus, how many animated movies are hand-drawn still? It’s a rare art to enjoy nowadays. Looking forward to hearing what you think about it later.
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Probably a good list, but I haven’t seen most of them. All on my to-watch list.
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I’m still haven’t seen a few big ones either. This year has several heavyweights though and some surprise new cult classics. I think you might enjoy Train to Busan (Korean zombie flick – set on a speeding train).
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Yeah, I got Train from a buddy. Was going to see it on the holidays and didn’t have time. Did see The Wailing though – that was utterly fantastic.
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Oh cool. Let me add Wailing to my list 🙂
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