Let's
get onto the good stuff finally. I am not going to do any honorable
mentions, this is it, my top 20 of 2016, and while the title of this
list states that these are the "best" films of 2016, that is not really
the case, these are my "favourite" films of 2016. Alright, enough talk,
lets begin with my:
TOP
TWENTY BEST FILMS OF 2016
20. THE DEVIL'S CANDY
This is the sophomore effort from Australian horror
director Sean Byrne whose debut, “The Loved Ones”, graced the
screen back in 2009. It has taken seven years for his follow up to
become a reality, but the wait was definitely worth it as Byrne
proves that he was not just a one trick pony and that the talent he
displayed was the real thing. “The Devil's Candy” is about a
struggling artist trying to support his family and in doing so finds
a great deal on a farm house. Soon after moving in though, the
artist is possessed by an evil being determined to destroy his
family. The greatest thing about this film is the father/daughter
relationship at the centre of it. It feels so incredibly real, that
the two come across more like best friends, mainly due to their
shared interest of heavy metal music. In fact that music style
features prominently in the film, which is why I think I resisted the
film at the start. However, it became far too easy to like the
characters involved due to their genuine love for one another, and
when that becomes threatened you cannot help but feel it too. This
is another great horror film that builds slowly, and it has the most
incredible pulse pounding twenty minute finale. This is a brilliant
horror film, perfectly acted by all involved, and it is a mystery why
“The Devil's Candy” has not seen a commercial release as of yet
(I was lucky enough to see it at MIFF this year).
19. MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN
I fell in love with the atmosphere of Tim Burton's
latest film right from the get-go and was spellbound by this story of
misfits and freaks. There was a naivete and innocence to the whole
thing that I found really beautiful and it felt different to the
regular Burton film whilst also feeling familiar at the same time.
In other words, there was no doubt as to who the author behind the
film was, but it felt like he was tackling new ground with “Miss
Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children”. I loved all of the
designs and looks of each of the individual children, but my personal
favourite had to be Emma Bloom, who has the power of air, thanks to
the lovely performance from Ella Purnell. She had a beautiful
ethereal quality to her and I loved her budding relationship with
Jake, the protagonist of the film. I will admit that I think the
film falls apart slightly in its messy third act, as Burton starts to
lose some control of his film, but until the Harryhausen inspired
skeleton fight, the whole thing is heavenly. I must make mention of
just how beautiful the film looks, thanks to Bruno Delbonnel's bright
and colourful cinematography.
18. SHELLEY
You may notice pretty quickly that low budget horror
films seem to dominate my list this year and “Shelley” is yet
another one of these. The film is about a middle aged couple whose
only wish is to have a child but since the woman is unable to
conceive, they come to a financial agreement with their Romanian maid
if she will be their surrogate. While everything goes to plan early
on, the pregnancy starts to rapidly increase and it soon becomes
apparent that what the maid is carrying may not be human. What makes
this film stand out is the location where its set with the couple
living in a shack by a lake away from all of the comforts of modern
technology. Things like electricity or phone lines do not exist
where they live, and this gives the film a real old quality
atmosphere to it. The other thing that is done very well is the
creation of believable relationships especially between the two
women. Although from different nationalities, they can relate to
each other through the unborn child as being a mother is something
inherent in women. As you may suspect by the plot summary, this is a
slow paced horror film that continually builds in its creepiness
towards its finale. Thanks to the location, it is also beautifully
photographed too. People may find “Shelley” a frustrating
experience because it is not the kind of film that answers every
question that it asks, threads are left dangling, but for me it was
exhilarating and I look forward to rewatching it soon.
17. I AM THE PRETTY THING THAT LIVES IN THE HOUSE
This is actually director Osgood Perkin's second film;
the first being his magnificent “February”, that inexplicably
still has not been released commercially. While both films could be
classified as slow burn horror, “I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives
in the House” is a completely different film to the earlier one.
It has a simple premise; its about a young nurse who moves in with an
elderly woman who was once famous for writing horror novels, but the
nurse soon questions if these novels came out of her reality as it
quickly becomes obvious that the house she now resides in is haunted.
The whole thing moves at a snails pace, but its also an exercise in
style and atmosphere and it rewards the patient viewer grandly. The
whole thing has an eerie feeling throughout that continually builds
as dread and danger starts to creep in more and more. This is
definitely not a film for everyone, in fact I think the majority of
people could find the movie boring, but I found it amazing. It was
also stunningly shot by cinematographer Julie Kirkwood (who actually
has three films that she shot in this list) in quite a distinctive
and unusual manner, in particular the ghostly manifestations. Again,
as much as I loved this film, I recommend watching the trailer to
gauge if this film is for you, but for me, after two films, Osgood
Perkins is a very bright light in regards to the future of horror.
16. ALLIED
When the initial trailer for “Allied” came out I was
sold straight away. It told a story about a soldier and a former
leader of the French Resistance joining forces in Casablanca to pose
as husband and wife in an attempt to get close to and assassinate
upper level Nazi soldiers and collaborators. The cream on the cake
was that the film was directed by Robert Zemeckis and starred Brad
Pitt and Marion Cotillard. Seriously, shut up and take my money!!
But then the second trailer came out and exposed a whole new layer to
the film (the second half) that wasn't even hinted at in the first
trailer. The film still looked amazing but I thought just how much
better the surprise of the second half would've been if it wasn't
shown in the trailer, and because of this I wont be speaking of this
half of the film but I will say that this is a great film that also,
thankfully, has an equally great ending. I'm a big fan of films that
deal with the resistance during World War II; the dealings in the
shadows, the life and death consequences of every action/inaction
they take, so because of this “Allied” had my attention from the
start, and it did not waver once. The whole thing is perfectly paced
and edited. Not once was I not interested or got bored in “Allied”;
I was with it 100% of the time, which sadly is a rare thing these
days. Actually in the first minute I thought I was going to hate it
because the CGI in the opening was terrible, but after that, I never
noticed it again. Unlike a lot of the films on my list this year, I
think “Allied” is a film that could appeal to anyone. It is a
ripping yarn, superbly acted, filled with palpable suspense that
continues to build until it is white knuckle stuff and then ends with
a perfect finale. One of the very best from Hollywood in 2016.
15. HUSH
Already responsible for my “biggest surprise” of
2016, now Mike Flanagan enters my top twenty list with his stunning
home invasion thriller. “Hush” was a film that came out of
nowhere; shot on a very low budget in secret, between “Before I
Wake” and “Ouija: Origin of Evil”. It was immediately scooped
up by Netflix after premiering at Sundance, and then appeared on that
service within a few weeks. It was an incredibly quick turnaround
from shooting the film to release, but Netflix obviously had massive
faith in the film and after watching it its easy to see why. Home
invasion thrillers are very easy to get emotionally involved with
because everyone has the fear of a stranger entering their home,
their safe place, and causing havoc within. What makes “Hush”
stand out from the pack is that the protagonist is actually deaf, so
obviously does not have one of her main senses to keep her safe when
danger approaches. In fact the opening confrontation of the film is
so chilling as we, the audience, know that the killer is around her
but she herself has no idea until he steals her phone and starts
sending photos to her of herself. It is very creepy. However, just
because she is deaf does not mean she is helpless, and Maddie (the
girl) ends up giving just as good as she gets. From a technical
standpoint the flowing smooth camera work is exemplary, creating
unnerving suspense, but my favourite aspect of the film is the sound
design, which helps to give some indication of what it must be like
for a hearing impaired person. Again, the film is not perfect, as I
was not a fan of the fact that the killer removed his mask so early
on in the film, ruining his mystique and there is also a scene
towards the end that I'm still not sure about. When I initially saw
it, I was just stunned; my mouth was agape because I couldn't believe
that the filmmakers had the balls to do what I just saw. However it
ends up being Maddie working out the best option for her survival, so
what we saw did not actually happen which is a little bit of a cheat.
It makes sense within the story, on a greater level than I make it
sound, but I'm still torn by this scene a bit. Besides that though,
the rest of the film is a breathtaking (literally) thriller with the
suspense level turned all the way to 11. I also loved the fact that
the film is relatively short and has very limited dialogue. Great
horror film.
14. THE HANDMAIDEN
When I reviewed this film all the way back in August, I
was a fan of the film but a little colder on it than I am today. I
would now even go so far as to say that this is Park Chan-Wook's best
film since 2003's “Oldboy”. Park is just having fun with “The
Handmaiden” as this is him, at his most playful. He gives the film
a very light tone and there are times when the whole thing feels like
a comedy, you are laughing so hard. But of course with this being a
Park Chan-Wook film you know that the comedy must be of the darkest
variety. He also does not disappoint in the visual department
either; as usual he has created a sumptuous looking tale with image
after image being stand-outs. The twisty-turny narrative is complex
but richly rewarding for those who pay attention. While a film that
is hard to talk about in fear of ruining its secrets, I can say that
the film is split into three sections where each section upturns
everything you thought you witnessed in the sections prior. “The
Handmaiden” is also Park's most sexually explicit film to date but
this is one aspect of the film where I think he isn't as confident in
and as such gives us more of a male's fantasy of lesbian love and
sex, as opposed to a real flesh and blood depiction. While the film
has a long running time, it is well worth it; just sit back and enjoy
watching all of its secrets unfold before you. It is such a bizarre
and complex story, I'm sure that most will be impressed by it.
Click here to read my original review.
13. THE NICE GUYS
The funniest film I saw
in 2016 was Shane Black's ridiculous detective thriller “The Nice
Guys”. I was literally laughing out loud through the majority of
this, finding particular amusement out of Ryan Gosling's high-pitched
screaming and bumbling detective, who his own daughter describes as
the “world's worst detective”. Seriously, until this film who
would've thought that Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe could work so
well together and be this funny, but they are just perfect together.
The whole story is batshit crazy, as what initially starts as a
simple missing persons case ends up being a small part of a much
bigger tale. Whilst the film is always funny, it also has some
excellent action scenes and as usual Shane Black does not shy away
from the blood and gore. By the end of the film, the whole thing
plays like a Looney Tunes cartoon with the amount of abuse that poor
Ryan Gosling's character goes through. Another nice touch is having
the film set in Los Angeles in the late seventies. The stand out of
the film is young Australian actress Angourie Rice who plays
Gosling's daughter. I thought she was magnificent as the young
innocent girl in the Australian apocalyptic thriller, “These Final
Hours”, from a few years back, and she follows up her good work in
that with a more rugged and hard edged (whilst still amazingly
innocent) performance in her role of Holly here. This girl is going
to be a star, mark my words. My favourite scene in “The Nice Guys”
is when they infiltrate an L.A party on a fact finding mission but
Gosling gets too inebriated by all the free liquor that he is unable
to get his mouth to ask questions with the words in the right order.
So funny!! If you have seen Black's previous “Kiss Kiss, Bang
Bang” and enjoyed it, I recommend wholeheartedly “The Nice Guys”
as it is cut from the same cloth. My wife said after the screening
that she had never seen me laugh so hard in a movie before.
12. TRASH FIRE
This is a film I saw
during the last week of 2016 and was totally blown away by it. I was
a massive fan of director Richard Bates Jr's debut feature
“Excision”. It was that rare kind of horror film that made me
feel totally uneasy and disturbed throughout. It was so ballsy and
unlike anything I had previously seen, that it was my fourth
favourite film of 2012. However, when his second film came around,
“Suburban Gothic”, I was much more cold to it; in fact I was not
much of a fan of it at all. It just seemed so safe and generic, that
I was ultimately disappointed after the extremeness of “Excision”.
I actually wondered whether or not the first film was just a fluke
and as such did not pay much attention when his third film, “Trash
Fire”, came out. I also wasn't too impressed by its trailer.
However I was suckered into seeing it thanks to some very positive
reviews and I was so glad I made the effort. I love films where you
never know where it is going to take you, and “Trash Fire” does
exactly that. From where the film starts, you would never be able to
guess where and how it will end. The film is about Owen who, after
his on again / off again girlfriend Isabel confides in him that she
is pregnant with their child, must confront his troubled past and
re-connect with his own family who he hasn't seen since he was the
cause of a house fire that killed his parents and scarred his sister
for life with horrific burns. That is all I'm saying about the
film's plot because it is so good to go into this film cold because
it takes many twists and turns and then the tone changes entirely
until it becomes very dark and horrific. The most amazing thing
about “Trash Fire” is that the main character of Owen is a total
prick, selfish to the nth degree, and yet through Adrian Grenier's
honest performance, we find ourselves actually caring for him. He is
an epileptic and has many seizures in the film, which is actually the
source of the films funniest scene when he has an attack in the
middle of having sex with Isabel, with her reaction being priceless.
It is so wrong but oh so funny, that you will question yourself for
laughing at such a moment. The whole cast is fantastic with a
particular mention going out to Fionnula Flanagan as Oliver's foul
mouthed but super religious grandmother. I also enjoyed the fact
that Bates Jr once again cast AnnaLynne McCord, a stunningly gorgeous
woman in reality, as the hideously disfigured burn victim, Pearl. It
must be something of an in joke between the two because he did the
same thing with her in “Excision”. Finally I want to mention
that I was rapt that Bates Jr had the balls to follow through with
his finale of this film. It is so incredibly dark but fits the film
like a glove. I think it is safe to say that I am once again on the
Richard Bates Jr bandwagon once again.
11. I AM NOT A SERIAL
KILLER
This is another one of
those low budget horror films that impressed the hell out of me this
year, but its also one of those films that you cannot talk about in
much detail without destroying its secrets. The film is about a
fifteen year old boy named John, who attends therapy for homicidal
tendencies. He has all the signs of a person that will eventually
turn and become a monster to society but he is actively trying to
stop this. However, when murders start to begin happening in his
little sleepy mid western town, John is drawn to them trying to work
out the who the culprit may be whilst at the same time combating his
own demons to not follow down this same path. I was totally
unprepared for how great this film was going to be. While it has a
lot of dark elements to it, it would probably be more apt to call “I
Am Not a Serial Killer” a drama which skirts the realm of horror.
It deals with a coming of age process but in a much darker fashion
than normal. Something I found interesting is the fact that John,
while trying to help himself, at the same time helps his mother out
in the family run mortuary, so he is constantly surrounded by death,
the one thing he is trying to stop himself from committing. While
watching the film, I had no idea that the actor playing John was
actually Max Records, who was the little boy in Spike Jonze's “Where
The Wild Things Are”. It is a brilliant performance, beyond his
years, in that it is both such an honest depiction and a very creepy
one. The stand out scene in the film is when John confronts a bully
at a party, all with a smile. Even though his face looks happy, he
never feels more dangerous and the entire thing is chilling.
Christopher Lloyd is also a nice surprise in the film, as is the fact
that John has a genuine friendship with the old man. It isn't
something you see in films, teenagers befriending the elderly, but
here he helps the man particularly with modern day technology that he
is struggling with. I don't really want to say any more about the
film, other than it is fantastic and well worth seeking out.
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