Strat's 20 of 2016

This might be the worst year for films that I've come across in over a decade (weakest year since 2005) Lots of fine films, but the amazing for this year is very few.

20. The Salesman (foreign drama)
A worthy film out of Iran, proving simple and intense family dramas can still be interesting without being terribly edgy.

19. Captain America: Civil War (action/adventure)
Finally we start to see a divide in the hunky-dory comic book series and the lines are being drawn.

18. Doctor Strange (action/adventure)
Cumberbatch exudes great skill, allowing an Inception-like world to co-exist with the superhero universe.

17. Star Trek: Beyond (sci-fi)
A solid addition to the Star Trek universe, but a film that struggles to elicit genuine feelings other than sentimentality.

16. War Dogs (comedy)
This film is one part joke and one part warning about the excesses of military contractors and how greed fuels much of our need for warfare abroad.

15. Knight of Cups (drama)
Kick back and have a glass of wine, knowing that Terrence Malick will take you on an amazing visual and symbolic journey through various philisophical meandering on fame today.

14. Nerve (drama/thriller)
A film few may pick up, proves to be a potentially disturbing tale of where teen culture is headed in this new century and the dangers of peer pressure.

13. Hail, Caesar! (comedy)
The Coen Brothers are back to some of their favorite periods with some of their favorite actors in this story about communism and Hollywood.

12 Passengers (sci-fi)
Definitely a film that I did not expect much from. Leave it Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt to make this is a film that will leave you debating their choices for awhile.

11. Weiner (documentary)
The mistakes and stupidity of politicians are nothing new.  What's interesting here is seeing how those stupid mistakes can be magnified tenfold by the media. 

10. The Jungle Book (adventure)
A retelling of the Disney classic with a live-action update. The film is amazing in how after awhile, you just accept that animals can talk and emote like people. 

9. Rogue One (fantasy/adventure)
The Star Wars prequel that never was. This film is a worthy installment to the franchise with a side of the universe that we haven't seen prior. 

8. The Edge of Seventeen (drama/comedy)
A film that by any stretch of the imagination wouldn't normally be this high up. While it's a solid film and the performances by Woody Harrelson and Hailee Steinfeld are excellent, it is 2016 after all.

7. The Barkley Marathons (documentary)
Not to be overlooked is a story of a bizarre contest with characters galore.  Definitely lighter documentary fare.

6. Deadpool (action/adventure/comedy)

The first comic book film that goes out of it's way to break the fourth wall of cinema. Not to mention one that's rip-roaring entertaining and well executed.

5. Moonlight (drama)
A coming of age story that never tries to telegraph itself to you and forces the audience to work for the information. It's a unique story in American cinema with the bonus of an excellent all around cast.

4. Hell or High Water (drama)
A heist film that finds new heights in its gritty realism and excellent chemistry with surprise performances by Chris Pine and Ben Foster.

3. The Founder (drama) 
Based on the true story of the founding of an American business Empire, a fascinating dive into the greed and corruption of principles for the sake of being on the top of the fast-food world.

2. 10 Cloverfield Lane (sci-fi/thriller)
One of the best scary films in a long while. Heart pounding action in an enclosed environment that resurrects the Cloverfield franchise from being a Blair Witch Project knock off.

1. Zootopia (animation)
Disney steps up to the plate to compete with Pixar, delivering a film that not only plays to the general public and to kids, but offers a socio-political message that is rather timely and portrayed without holding back. Not to mention the film is a whole lotta fun.