Why So Blu?

Gregg’s Best and Worst Films of 2016

It was certainly a turbulent year in the entertainment business as 2016 saw the passing of numerous stars. Bowie left us, then Alan Rickman and the list went on with Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds passing just days apart. While they have moved on to whatever the next stage may bring, we will always have them on film. Music and movies are two things that can bring people together so take a moment to remember those we admired while continuing to enjoy to the films we loved in 2016. Keep in mind this is not a list of the most artistic films of the year, just my personal favorites as well as a few that had me squirming in my seat in boredom.

 

Before we talk about the best films of the year, let’s take a look at those that really left us wanting more…or just wanting our money back.  Yes, every year has a few stinkers and 2016 was no exception.  First on the unfavorable list is a movie that wasn’t necessarily bad, but wasn’t exactly great either.  Warning, there are spoilers ahead.

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Most Disappointing

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Rogue One: A Star Wars Story –  Again, this wasn’t a bad film, but I’ve never been bored in a Star Wars movie until this came out.  In addition, there were two things that severely bruised this film for me.  One, it was the least memorable soundtrack of any Star Wars film.  Then I found out that the original composer was dismissed during reshoots and a new guy was brought in.  He had four or five weeks to score the first stand-alone film in the most successful movie franchise ever.  No pressure.  So, I cannot fault Michael Giacchino, but the music is still forgettable.  However, I can heavily fault director Gareth Edwards for the incredibly distracting CGI Peter Cushing.  Just recast the role.  It was unnatural watching a computer-animated human on screen interacting with real actors.  The whole time I’m watching Tarkin’s scenes I sat there thinking, “Are you kidding me??”  What’s more frustrating is the actor that stood in for the role actually bears a resemblance to the late Cushing.  They should’ve just used the real actor, head to toe.  Still, Rogue One had the best ending of any Star Wars film.  In a word, Epic!

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Worst Films of 2016

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3) Warcraft – The transition of video game to movie is one that rarely works.  That was no exception here as the massive multi-player online computer game became a film.  It was CGI-heavy but the orcs were delivered with an admirable amount of realism.  The problem was the movie felt like a four-hour trip to the land of monotony.  I found the fight scenes unexciting and the story uninspiring.  There was one bright spot, however.  Warcraft proved that even in green skin with a massive tusk-laden underbite, Paula Patton is still hot.  Yes.  I said it.

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2) The Girl on the Train – A few years ago, I saw the trailer for Gone Girl and I didn’t think much of it.  I passed on it in the theater and rented it on a whim from Redbox.  That movie was awesome if nothing else. This time around I made sure not to make the same mistake as the trailer for The Girl on the Train had a very similar feel.  As I settled into the posh leather recliner at local cinema, I prepared to be wowed as the film began.  Instead I found a movie that became predictable, was overly dry and almost caused me to start rocking back and forth as if something was wrong with me (beside the obvious).  Character development was another flawed aspect as there was no real attachment between audience and on-screen character.  The Girl on the Train need not stop, as I have no desire to board this vehicle a second time.

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1) Hardcore Henry – Previews for this film first surfaced in 2015 and my interest was soon piqued.  While IMDB bills it as a 2015 release, it didn’t come out in the States until last April.  I caught the film opening weekend to not only disappointment, but disgust.  Whereas Warcraft was a trip to monotony, Hardcore Henry was a migraine-inducing journey.  I give those involved on the project credit for doing something unique and innovative.  I fault them for creating a bunch of nonsense that tried to pass as a story and a run of first-person action that was more nauseating than anything.  Prior to seeing the movie, I read numerous positive reviews.  After seeing the movie, I went back and read those same reviews and noticed something interesting.  They were all written by Russians.  This was a Russian-created film.  Make no mistake, this is certainly not an anti-Russian rant.  It is, however, more than a coincidence that the majority of support is not unique in origin.  Friends and family of the director?  Paid reviews?  Who knows?  Who cares?  This movie stunk.

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The Ones That Got Away – Films I Missed in ’16

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Nocturnal Animals – I’ve heard nothing but positive things about this Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams-starred movie.  Unfortunately, it was only in theaters by me for a meager two weeks.  As a result, I never got to see this one.  Is it a game changer?  Would it have made by list of bests?  Too late now, but there’s always Netflix and Redbox.

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The Neon Demon – IMDB describes the film, “When aspiring model Jesse moves to Los Angeles, her youth and vitality are devoured by a group of beauty-obsessed women who will take any means necessary to get what she has.”  To Dr. Gonzalez in Sarasota, Florida (the best professor I never I had and fellow movie aficionado), this one is for you.  The law enforcement scholar brought this film to my attention and soon after it was a chain reaction of positive feedback that I came across.  The Neon Demon will have to be a 2017 viewing for me at home.

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Jackie – I’m always a sucker for historical films, and this was no different.  While reviews of the movie have been hit or miss, it was still on my list to see. Unfortunately, time ran out and Natalie Portman as the wife of John Fitzgerald Kennedy will have to wait.  From what I’ve seen in trailers, I’ve been impressed by the historical accuracy.  Hopefully it is retained in the film as a whole.

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La La Land – Typically I’m not a fan of musicals, but this one has garnered so much positive attention that it’s hard to turn a blind eye to it.  Hey, if Ryan Gosling can convincingly pull off some dance steps opposite Emma Stone, I’ll give it a go.

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Top 10 Films of 2016

Finally!  I don’t know if you heard the drum roll, but it’s been playing since you opened this article.  You need wait no more as the best of the best list has arrived!  The drummer was getting tired anyway.  Without additional delay, I give you my ten best films of 2016…

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10) Fences – Adapted from the popular stage production of the same name, Fences stars Denzel Washington and Viola Davis along with newcomer Jovan Adepo.  For those unfamiliar, the story follows a family which features Denzel as the overbearing father, Viola Davis as the matriarch, Jovan Adepo as their son, and a very small cast that shows the dysfunctional trials and tribulations of an African-American family in the 1960’s.  What I found most interesting in this film is how universal it is.  Every family is dysfunctional to some degree and that crosses the lines of whatever backgrounds we’re from.  With almost no soundtrack, Fences delivers dramatic dialogue that doesn’t miss a beat in this Denzel Washington-directed pic.  While everyone else is talking Oscars for La La Land, I look at Fences and see the best actor, best actress and best director.

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9) Eye in the Sky – Unless there is an unreleased film out there of Alan Rickman, this was his last picture.  As usual, he provided an excellent performance to lead Helen Mirren along with fellow supporting actor, Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul.  In the all too prevalent matter of terrorism, a joint U.S./British military operation monitors a highly sought-after terrorist holed up in a Middle Eastern house.  While Mirren’s character is ready to give the order, Paul mans the U.S. drone that is able to follow through with the strike.  The problem?  There’s an innocent young girl minding her own business outside the targeted structure.  As British officers and politicians debate the strike and possible resulting damage, the tension grows throughout the film.  Do they give the green light to hit the house or not?  Find out for yourself with the very well done Eye in the Sky.

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8) Hacksaw Ridge – To say the Battle of Okinawa was a bloody one is a gross understatement.  Over 12,000 American soldiers and 77,000 Japanese soldiers lost their lives on the island.  While the fighting was severely intense, not every soldier there had a rifle.  One in particular was U.S. Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, who, from basic training on, refused to hold a firearm due to personal reasons.  While history will never know the marksmanship skills of Doss, that irrelevant fact is overshadowed by countless acts of selflessness he made, honorably told in Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge.  While Saving Private Ryan holds the benchmark in WWII films, Hacksaw Ridge tells a very unconventional story during the time and does an exceptional job of it.  Starring Andrew Garfield, Hugo Weaving and even Vince Vaughn in a serious role, the movie does a brilliant job in relaying the action, pain and confusion of war.

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7) Collateral Beauty – In all likelihood, I will have more viewings of Hacksaw Ridge than Collateral Beauty in my lifetime.  This is because Collateral Beauty is strongly built around emotion and some very crafty writing, kind of like the way The Sixth Sense was.  Once you see it, the secret is out and it is difficult, if not impossible, to recapture the surprise.  A similar script structure is present here, but with a very different story.  Still Collateral Beauty brings forth a fantastic delivery and a most impressive cast consisting of star Will Smith whose performance is worth an Oscar nomination. Helen Mirren, Edward Norton, Kate Winslet, Keira Knightley and Michael Peña also fill out the roster.  Let’s not forget about the very stunning Naomie Harris and the talented Jacob Latimore who both bring a lot to the table in this film about loss and mortality.  Collateral Beauty is certainly an emotional one and kudos should be given to director David Frankel for a job well done.

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6) Sing Street – Unfortunately, this movie didn’t get a lot of recognition stateside, but what a gem it is!  Taking place in the 1980’s in Dublin, a teenager looking to impress a girl tells her he has a rock band and asks her if she wants to be in their next music video.  That would all go smooth as glass if he was actually part of a rock band.  An organic assembly of musicians gradually progresses along with the roadblocks teenagers can experience at both home and school, while the film’s soundtrack brings together an awesome inclusion of 80’s tunes from groups like Duran Duran and Hall & Oates.  I can’t leave this movie without talking about how the film’s band excels in their own original tunes which made the actual soundtrack.  Sing Street is a very effective combination of humor, drama, music and inspiration that gives viewers an impressive final product.

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5) Deadpool – I want all the important studio heads of the world to watch this movie.  You don’t have to like it.  You just have to acknowledge that A) it made a massive, massive profit, and B) this is what happens when you don’t meddle in the creative process.  The Deadpool character, played by Ryan Reynolds, initially appeared on film in the first Wolverine movie.  It was abysmal, both the film and the Deadpool character.  Whatever we comic book nerds knew of him from Marvel was essentially erased and re-written for that movie.  In 2016, Ryan Reynolds returned as Deadpool, but this time, oh this time everything was done like that third bowl of porridge in the Three Bears’ house…it was just right.  To be done right, this film needed to be R-rated.  It was.  This film needed a fast-talking, smart-mouth actor who could play the lead.  It did.  Deadpool was so expertly executed by all parties involved that it was like a perfect storm of goodness.  Who knows the what, when and where of a sequel, but Reyonlds and company definitely hit a grand slam with this effort.

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4) Hell or High Water – Chris Pine and Ben Foster play a pair of brothers down on their luck who resort to a spree of bank robberies in an economically depressed section of Texas.  One of my favorite actors, Jeff Bridges, plays a U.S. Marshal along with Gil Birmingham.  I know what you’re thinking.  How good could this be?  It’s another case of cops and robbers that’s been done a zillion times in the movies.  Believe me, it’s damn good.  The script and acting highlight the film, giving it a bit of a different, more realistic flair than prior attempts at the subject matter.  There’s no vigilante here.  No super villain.  It is simply a superbly acted film that drew me in from the title credits while an engrossing story unfolds throughout.

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3) The Jungle Book – Believe it or not, this is not the first attempt at a live action Jungle Book film.  In 1994 we saw Jason Scott Lee play an adult Mowgli.  The 2016 version goes back to the book’s roots with a childhood Mowgli making his way through the jungles amidst a score of computer-animated animals that were done quite convincingly.  While many of us may not be new to the story, this movie is so worth the watch due to how outstanding everything came together.  Neel Sethi was a perfect Mowgli.  The thespian ensemble who voiced the animals were not only impressive by name, but more importantly by performance.  Personally, Bill Murray as Baloo was my favorite but Ben Kingsley as Bagheera is not far behind.  Idris Alba excels as the tiger villain Shere Khan while Lupita N’yongo, Scarlett Johansson and Christopher Walken also lend their vocal talents to the film.  It’s gripping, lovable and exceptional.  This one is a no-brainer.

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2) Eddie the Eagle – Just as much as I love historical films, I think that category may only be outdone by inspirational films (done right of course).  In the late 80’s I remember watching the Winter Olympics as I always do to this day when they’re on.  The ski jump is one of my favorite competitions to watch, and in the ’88 Calgary Games, I watched as this guy from England with these Coke bottle-thick eyeglasses leap from the massive ramp and soar to a not-so-spectacular distance.  For some reason, this guy was over the moon with his results.  As a kid, I didn’t get it.  After watching this movie, I definitely did. Eddie Edwards was the athlete and if you see what he went through just to have the privilege of placing at or near the bottom, you would be inspired too.  Sure, Hollywood takes a liberty here or there with the story, but by and large, the reality of it all is intact and Taron Egerton gives an award-worthy performance along the way.  Hey that Hugh Jackman guy’s not too shabby either.

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1) Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice – Marvel has dominated the comic book market both in, well, the comic book market and in film as well.  Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy was masterful, but there wasn’t a whole lot DC and Warner Bros. could root for before then (save for the first Batman with Michael Keaton, though that was a number of years prior).  Enter DC’s latest attempt to stake their claim in comic book Hollywood, but they had their work cut out for them.  There were pre-movie complaints that Ben Affleck was Batman now.  There were people like me who were put off by Man of Steel. Heck, I’ll even admit that I thought Jesse Eisenberg was an odd cast for the role of Lex Luthor.  Boy was I wrong.  Eisenberg was a ruthless son of a B.  Cavill donned the red cape once more and played an admirable Superman.  Amy Adams?  Awesome Lois.  Ben?  Yes, he succeeded as Batman.  To be honest, my favorite of them all was Jeremy Irons as the new Alfred.  Still, great characters need a solid story to make it all work, and a solid story it was.  Director Zack Snyder took a needle and thread behind the camera and sewed together an incredible production that has gotten more viewings out of me than any other film on this list.  I can’t conclude this bit without mentioning the bangin’ soundtrack of Hans  Zimmer either, especially the Wonder Woman theme which couldn’t be better.  As BvS set the stage for the future of DC’s film universe, there is no denying that it did a rockstar job of laying the foundation for the task.