9. Kubo and the Two Strings – Travis Knight
Out of all of the wonderful animated films to come out of 2016 (and there’s been many), it’s Laika’s Kubo and the Two Strings that will last through longevity due to the sheer ambition and artistic precision demonstrated in the films running length. There’s much to be admired about the internal yet larger than life folk tale, from it’s musical score, the strong voice cast and the story about grief and how people process the loss of a loved one, especially for children watching who will watch as Kubo must deal with learning how to move on and cope with sadness. However, the greatest asset and what makes it one of the best of the year is the craftsmanship that makes every moment of joy, terror and love all the more cinematic, visceral and evocative. – Allyson Johnson
8. Arrival – Denis Villeneuve
Denis Villeneuve is one the best directors working today. Genre films are hardly taken seriously anymore and mostly suffer from a cliche plot and forgettable characters. Villeneuve defies those expectations and create incredibly rich genre films ranging from crime thrillers to murder mysteries. Villeneuve’s latest creation was Arrival, a science fiction film about a strange alien invasion. Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is a linguist who is hired to try to communicate with these mysterious creatures and figure out what they want from Earth. Villeneuve doesn’t waste time on action sequences; instead, he creates a slow burn and lets the audience take its time inhaling the vivid details and coming up with their own interpretation. When the pieces finally start coming together, you just sit there, amazed that you couldn’t solve something that was in front of you the whole time. Arrival is one of the smartest movies of the year and proves that we can still make quality science fiction films (and we do need them after the garbage Independence Day: Resurgence). – Yasmin Kleinbart
7. Hunt for the Wilderpeople – Taika Waititi
Whether it’s the memorable characters or the catchy dialogue, Taika Waititi created something special in Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Known for his mockumentary, What We Do in the Shadows, Waititi has a knack for taking a situation so absurd and making it relatable. It has a perfect mixture of comedy and drama and even the most ridiculous of lines has some meaning to it. The film follows Ricky, (Julian Dennison) , a rebellious foster child, who is sent to live with the saintly Bella and her crusty husband, Hec (Sam Neill). After a tragedy, Ricky runs away into the woods and has Hec coming after him to bring him home. After a series of big misunderstandings with child welfare and the police, they are suddenly on the run in the New Zealand bush. Folks were worried about such a small time comedic director taking the helm for Thor 3, but, after this film, there’s nothing to worry about. Waititi pays attention to such small details in his characters’ traits that they almost feel like real people. With the Hulk and Thor being the least favored out of the Marvel heroes, it’s about time that they start to get taken seriously. – Yasmin Kleinbart
6. Green Room- Jeremy Saulnier
From its punk rock soundtrack to the ugly cinematography to the violent nature of its action, Green Room wants to make you uncomfortable, yet ensure that you can’t look away. It seems to be something writer/director Jeremy Saulnier (Blue Ruin) specializes in and that talent feels fully realized in his brutal survival thriller Green Room. Played out like a pseudo-home invasion movie, it follows a punk rock band playing a skinhead bar who get trapped after seeing a dead body in the bar’s green room. Locking themselves in fearing for their safety, the bar’s owner (a terrifying Patrick Stewart ) and his employees circle around the club with knives, guns, and attack dogs to flush them out, dead or alive. Saulnier is a master of tension, both building it and executing a payoff from it. It’s like watching someone bend an arm and agonizing as to when the bone will break. Saulnier also keeps his cast young and plucky with solid turns from the likes of Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat, and the late Anton Yelchin. Saulnier is clearly building his career and Green Room is one step closer to Saulnier creating something truly iconic. But what a step it is. – Jon Winkler
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5. Jackie – Pablo Larraín
Next: 4-1
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