Now that you’ve some free time, these are all highly recommended.
Yeah it’s another end of year list, but we’re going to try and keep this one as brief and helpful as possible. In no particular order, here are some of the films that we absolutely loved in 2016.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Plot: A national manhunt is ordered for a rebellious kid and his foster uncle who go missing in the wild New Zealand bush.
It’s almost like: Flight of the Conchords meets Moonrise Kingdom.
Watch it because: It’s the best film of the year because it somehow manages to balance laughs, lunacy and lovely moments. We can’t recommend it highly enough.
Spotlight
Plot: The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.
It’s almost like: The style of All the President’s Men if it examined the scandals in the Catholic church.
Watch it because: It won the Oscar for Best Picture. See why.
Deadpool
Plot: A fast-talking mercenary with a morbid sense of humor is subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers and a quest for revenge.
It’s almost like: A really f**ked up version of Spider-Man that goes heavy on the gore and cursing.
Go see it because: Sometimes, you just want to see a film that’s fun. This is an absolute riot.
Eye in the Sky
Plot: Col. Katherine Powell, a military officer in command of an operation to capture terrorists in Kenya, sees her mission escalate when a girl enters the kill zone triggering an international dispute over the implications of modern warfare.
It’s almost like: A very real discussion of the morals and consequences that drone warfare involves.
Go see it because: You’ll finish the film and question your own moral viewpoint. It stays with you after leaving the cinema, which is always a good thing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZeVSdKtQVY
Clip via – FilmTrailerZone
Supersonic
Plot: An in-depth look at the life and music of the iconic rock band, Oasis.
It’s almost like: Being on the tour with the band.
Go see it because: Music, drugs, booze, fights and iconic tunes. The story about their gig in Whisky A Go Go is unintentional comedic gold.
Arrival
Plot: A linguist is recruited by the military to assist in translating alien communications.
It’s almost like: Gareth Edwards’ Monsters mixed with Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Go see it because: The film has so many different layers, but the ending is very brave and thought provoking.
Green Room
Plot: A punk rock band is forced to fight for survival after witnessing a murder at a neo-Nazi skinhead bar.
It’s almost like: The nastiness of Deliverance mixed with the claustrophobia of Panic Room, all soundtracked by some punk-rock music.
Go see it because: Patrick Stewart’s villain will chill your bones while Anton Yelchin’s quite stoicism will make you mourn his tragic passing even more.
Captain America: Civil War
Plot: Political interference in the Avengers’ activities causes a rift between former allies Captain America and Iron Man.
It’s almost like: The film that Avengers: Age of Ultron, Suicide Squad and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice so desperately wishes they were.
Go see it because: In a summer season that was desperately poor on quality, this was the clear winner. BY. A. MILE.
The Edge of Seventeen
Plot: High-school life gets even more unbearable for Nadine when her best friend, Krista, starts dating her older brother.
It’s almost like: If Catcher in the Rye was set in the modern-era and re-imagined with Holden Caulfield as a teenage girl.
Go see it because: Hailee Steinfeld delivers an absolute tour-de-force and her scenes with Woody Harrelson are a joy to watch.
13th
Plot: An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation’s history of racial inequality.
It’s almost like: The social commentary and sweeping narrative of Roots combined with a myriad of inventive documentary styles (Louis Theroux and Making A Murderer come to mind).
Go see it because: Cinema is is an emotive art form. This should leave you angry, frustrated and demanding answers.
Don’t Breathe
Plot: Hoping to walk away with a massive fortune, a trio of thieves break into the house of a blind man who isn’t as helpless as he seems.
It’s almost like: A really sinister version of Home Alone.
Go see it because: We’re aware that it’s not even close to being the best film of the year, but it was that rarest of things, a genuinely claustrophobic and gripping horror film.
Hell or High Water
Plot: A divorced father and his ex-con older brother resort to a desperate scheme in order to save their family’s ranch in West Texas.
It’s almost like: True Grit with a modern twist.
Go see it because: Chris Pine gives his best ever performance.
The Revenant
Plot: A frontiersman on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s fights for survival after being mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team.
It’s almost like: The Thin Red Line mixed with Alive
Go see it because: It looks beautiful and it’s the role that finally saw Leonardo Di Caprio land that Oscar.
The Nice Guys
Plot: In 1970s Los Angeles, a mismatched pair of private eyes investigate a missing girl and the mysterious death of a porn star.
It’s almost like: The porn world of Boogie Nights meets the writing of Shane Black – he’s responsible for Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
Go see it because: Ryan Gosling has never been funnier and there are some truly wonderful one-liners and deranged scenes.
Bone Tomahawk
Plot: Four men set out in the Wild West to rescue a group of captives from cannibalistic cave dwellers.
It’s almost like: No Country for Old Men meets The Hills Have Eyes.
Go see it because: One scene will stay with you for the rest of your life. Trust us.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Plot: In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction.
It’s almost like: Black Hawk Down in a galaxy far, far away.
Go see it because: The last hour is a thrill ride which features a truly iconic Star Wars scene.
https://twitter.com/starwarstuff/status/810837271968698368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Honorable mentions to : Victoria, Sing Street, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, Train to Busan, Midnight Special, Weiner and The Young Offenders.
