The 20 best movies of 2016 (... and those "bubbling under")
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- DirectorDavid MackenzieStarsChris PineBen FosterJeff BridgesToby is a divorced father who's trying to make a better life. His brother is an ex-con with a short temper and a loose trigger finger. Together, they plan a series of heists against the bank that's about to foreclose on their family ranch.Most surprising movie of the year delivers on all levels.
- DirectorDamien ChazelleStarsRyan GoslingEmma StoneRosemarie DeWittWhile navigating their careers in Los Angeles, a pianist and an actress fall in love while attempting to reconcile their aspirations for the future.Good ol' fashioned musical for the 21st century.
- DirectorMike MillsStarsAnnette BeningElle FanningGreta GerwigThe story of a teenage boy, his mother, and two other women who help raise him among the love and freedom of Southern California of 1979.Outstanding all-star ensemble, with career-topping performance from Annette Bening. One of the best movies of the year for me.
- DirectorJosh KriegmanElyse SteinbergStarsAnthony WeinerHuma AbedinJordan Zain WeinerAn examination of disgraced New York Congressman Anthony Weiner's mayoral campaign and today's political landscape.Best documentary of the year.
- DirectorTrey Edward ShultsStarsKrisha FairchildAlex DobrenkoRobyn FairchildKrisha returns for Thanksgiving dinner after ten years away from her family, but past demons threaten to ruin the festivities.Devastating family drama made on a nickel and a dime.
- DirectorKenneth LonerganStarsCasey AffleckMichelle WilliamsKyle ChandlerA depressed uncle is asked to take care of his teenage nephew after the boy's father dies.Casey Afflick is showing us that he's more than Ben's little brother.
- DirectorDon CheadleStarsDon CheadleEmayatzy CorinealdiEwan McGregorAn exploration of the life and music of Miles Davis.Don't call it a Miles Davis bio-pic! Shout out to the Queen City as Cincinnati once again stands in for New York
- DirectorKelly ReichardtStarsMichelle WilliamsKristen StewartLaura DernThe lives of three women intersect in small-town America, where each is imperfectly blazing a trail.Latest Kelley Reichart movie is a winner yet again.
- DirectorIra SachsStarsGreg KinnearJennifer EhlePaulina GarcíaA new pair of best friends have their bond tested by their parents' battle over a dress shop lease.Another winning indie film
- DirectorJohn CarneyStarsFerdia Walsh-PeeloAidan GillenMaria Doyle KennedyA young lad notices a beautiful girl who begins to occupy his thoughts. While struggling with poverty, personal relationships and life's woes, he starts a band, hoping to catch her attention.Resistance is futile, this is the latest music-filled charmer from the maker of "Once".
- DirectorBarry JenkinsStarsMahershala AliNaomie HarrisTrevante RhodesA young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.Barry Jenkins' devastating look at the life and times of one African-American (played by three different actors over the years).
- DirectorAnna BillerStarsSamantha RobinsonJeffrey Vincent PariseLaura WaddellA modern-day witch uses spells and magic to get men to fall in love with her, with deadly consequences.The latest labor of love from writer-director-producer-set designer-composer Anna Biller
- DirectorAnna Rose HolmerStarsRoyalty HightowerAlexis NeblettDa'Sean MinorWhile training at the gym 11-year-old tomboy Toni becomes entranced with a dance troupe. As she struggles to fit in she finds herself caught up in danger as the group begins to suffer from fainting spells and other violent fits.Outstanding coming-of-age movie, filmed entirely in Cincinnati's gritty West End and Over the Rhine neighborhoods.
- DirectorJaume Collet-SerraStarsBlake LivelyÓscar JaenadaAngelo Josue Lozano CorzoA mere 200 yards from shore, surfer Nancy is attacked by a great white shark, with her short journey to safety becoming the ultimate contest of wills.Clever and utterly enjoyable 'shark movie', it's like Jaws retooled for the 21st century.
- DirectorYorgos LanthimosStarsColin FarrellRachel WeiszJessica BardenIn a dystopian near future, according to the laws of The City, single people are taken to The Hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in 45 days or they're transformed into beasts and sent off into The Woods.Not for everyone's taste, but I enjoyed this quirky 'romance' drama
- DirectorMatt RossStarsViggo MortensenGeorge MacKaySamantha IslerIn the forests of the Pacific Northwest, a father devoted to raising his six kids with a rigorous physical and intellectual education is forced to leave his paradise and enter the world, challenging his idea of what it means to be a parent.Engaging family drama from start to end
- DirectorLuca GuadagninoStarsTilda SwintonMatthias SchoenaertsRalph FiennesA famous rock star's vacation in Italy with her boyfriend is disrupted by the unexpected visit of an old friend and his daughter.As much enjoyable for the scenery as it is for the story
- DirectorDaniel KwanDaniel ScheinertStarsPaul DanoDaniel RadcliffeMary Elizabeth WinsteadA hopeless man stranded on a deserted island befriends a dead body, and together they go on a surreal journey to get home.One of the most unique movies of the year.
- DirectorAnne FontaineStarsLou de LaâgeAgata BuzekAgata Kulesza1945. Mathilde is a French Red Cross doctor working on a mission to help the French survivors of the German camps. While she works in Poland, she is asked for help by a nun. In her convent, several nuns are pregnant.Another post-WW II nun drama from Poland (think: Ida)
- DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsIsabelle HuppertLaurent LafitteAnne ConsignyA successful businesswoman gets caught up in a game of cat and mouse as she tracks down the unknown man who raped her.Directed by Paul Verhoeven, but don't be fooled, this is an excellent movie, with Isabelle Huppert in the role of a life time (again!)
- DirectorAndrea ArnoldStarsSasha LaneShia LaBeoufRiley KeoughA teenage girl with nothing to lose joins a traveling magazine sales crew, and gets caught up in a whirlwind of hard partying, law bending and young love as she criss-crosses the Midwest with a band of misfits.(... and those "bubbling under")
Some great stuff but the movie is overly long at 2 hrs. 40 min. - DirectorPablo LarraínStarsNatalie PortmanPeter SarsgaardGreta GerwigFollowing the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy fights through grief and trauma to regain her faith, console her children, and define her husband's historic legacy.Natalie Portman captures Jackie Kennedy perfectly
- DirectorTobias LindholmStarsPilou AsbækTuva NovotnySøren MallingDuring contact with the Taliban in Afghanistan a Danish commander makes a decision which saves many of his men's lives but inadvertently takes the lives of some Afghani civilians. Now he is facing criminal charges.Intriguing Iraq war drama from Denmark
- DirectorNanni MorettiStarsMargherita BuyJohn TurturroGiulia LazzariniMargherita, a director in the middle of an existential crisis, has to deal with the inevitable and still unacceptable loss of her mother.Engaging family drama from Italy
- DirectorHans Petter MolandStarsStellan SkarsgårdBruno GanzPål Sverre HagenAfter his son is murdered by drug dealers, a snowplow driver starts seeking revenge.Excellent 2014 movie from Norway that showed up in some US theaters two years later...