2016 was a great year for movies—but which ones? DCist’s movie critics share their favorites, which overlap less than you might think.
Mahershala Ali and Alex Hibbert in MOONLIGHT (A24)
Dominic Griffin
5. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Sure, it’s Not Very Good and the Director’s Cut released for home video is a more coherent, watchable film. But the theatrical version of this monstrosity is easily the most uniquely visceral moviegoing excursion I had this year. Batman v Superman is two and a half hours of the superhero movie genre imploding on itself, which is nothing less than tragicomic pop art. Read SFist’s full review here.
4. Elle. Normally, a Paul Verhoeven rape revenge thriller would not rank highly on my list, but this film is so much richer than the reductive tagline used to market it. It’s an intense character study housing one of the best performances of Isabelle Huppert’s career, and a movie that isn’t afraid to provoke in its quest for catharsis. It’s also absolutely hilarious. Read our full review here.
3. La La Land. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone have great chemistry, but neither would be at the top of my wishlist if I ever made a musical. The movie isn’t about them. It’s director Damian Chazelle’s coming out party, and for all the film’s foibles, watching him pull out every trick in his directorial playbook was one of the year’s most consistently entertaining experiences. Read LAist’s full review here.
2. The Nice Guys. With the better of this year’s two Ryan Gosling performances, this ’70s-set action comedy is a successful throwback to director Shane Black’s heyday, when he practically invented this kind of movie with the script for Lethal Weapon. But beyond the period appropriate aesthetic and striking visual comedy, it’s a powerful buddy picture that leverages the tropes of film noir to tell a tale of redemption. Read our full review here.
1. Moonlight. Barry Jenkins’ sophomore film is worth every ounce of its hype. You can argue that there were more ambitious or more epic films in 2016, but there were none as resonant, as soul-nurturing, or as beautiful. Read our full review here here.
Michelle Williams and Casey Affleck in MANCHESTER BY THE SEA (Claire Folger/Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions)
Mark Lieberman
5. The Edge of Seventeen. Don’t let Hailee Steinfeld’s uninspired pop music career distract you from her onscreen effervescence and wisdom beyond her years. And don’t let preconceived notions about the cliches inherent to the high-school dramedy deter you from seeing this wonderful debut feature from writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig.
4. Hail Caesar!. The Coen Brothers are among the foremost cinematic artists of the last three decades. Their darkly comedic exploration of ’50s Hollywood boasts dazzling performances, baffling narrative detours, and a gleefully manic tone. Oh, and a Channing Tatum dance number for the ages. Read our full review here.
3. Manchester By The Sea. Call it misery porn, call it an exercise in white male navel-gazing, call it a naked gambit for Oscar consideration. It made me tear up, and laugh so hard I teared up, and then tear up all over again. It produced a sensation unique to the movies, and that’s rare. Read LAist’s full review here.
2. Hell or High Water. Chris Pine’s mustache and Jeff Bridges’ cowboy hat are just a few of the visual touchstones that connect this modern-day tale of economic disenfranchisement to the American Western tradition. Writer-director David Mackenzie’s direction generates suspense from the first frame to the last, and a colorful cast of supporting characters and an almost overwhelming sense of atmosphere keep the film firmly planted in an urgent present-day.
1. Moonlight. Barry Jenkins’ stirring, romantic, contemplative drama has appeared at the top of many critics’ ten-best lists, but it’s not groupthink that put it there—it’s rapture. Each of the film’s three acts build atop the previous one, until the riveting final scenes cap off the story in gorgeous, moving fashion. For telling the kind of story that’s rarely told on film, and for investing in its story with abundant care and craft, this movie will be memorable and riveting for decades to come. Read our full review here here.
Peter Simonischek and Sandra Hüller in TONI ERDMANN (Sony Pictures Classics)
Pat Padua
5. The Fits. This was a great year for coming-of-age movies that were more than coming-of-age movies. Director Anna Rose Holmer, who comes from a documentary background, follows the story of 11-year old tomboy Toni (Royalty Hightower) as the members of her school step-dance group are suddenly overcome by a series of seizures. This taut 72-minute drama takes the most ordinary trauma of growing up and makes it something mysterious and almost mystical.
4. Krisha. Required viewing for anyone who thinks their Thanksgiving dinner was rough, the feature debut from director Trey Edward Shults is a fascinating domestic horror show. The film’s unpredictable tension is aided by sharp shoe-string camerawork and a brooding score, and most of all by a tour-de-force performance by Krisha Fairchild, who happens to be the director’s aunt. Read our full review here.
3. Everybody Wants Some!!. Director Richard Linklater spent 12 years making Boyhood, which topped a lot of critics’ lists in 2014. Yet that film suffered under the weight of clunky, preachy moments that completely elude the circa 1980 bros of this coming-of-age-movie that really is just a coming-of-age movie. Which makes this a better, more natural movie, sweetly hilarious and unforced. Read SFist’s full review here.
2. The Handmaiden. Sex and violence sells, and this lurid thriller from Korean director Park Chan-wook sold it best this year. Read our full review here.
1. Toni Erdmann. Area moviegoers have at least one thing to look forward to on January 20; that’s when the year’s best movie opens in D.C. You may well wonder why a nearly three-hour German comedy is appearing on so many top ten lists. Just trust me, and stay tuned for a full review next year.
