The Cream of the Crop in a year of Crap.
Plenty of garbage to get through over the horizon, so without further adieu, the films that made 2016 easier to get through.
10. Silence
Many a faith based movie will be getting their “due” in
discussion of the worst films of the year in the coming weeks but bringing up
the bottom of the best is a movie that asks questions about the true worth of
faith and religion along with implications of how we treat the entertainment
industry in general.
“Silence” is brutal and unflinching; a harsh trial of faith
that tests the bounds of human will and deconstructs the nature of religion and
the purposes that it can be twisted to suit.
The mission of a Jesuit priest to preach the gospel of Christianity
to a land under rule adamant on snuffing it out is a film that Hollywood legend
Martin Scorsese has been trying to get off the ground for quite some time and the
complexities of its narrative make it clear to see why.
All of the ugliness and shades of grey surrounding faith and
its impact on the villagers of the film can make it difficult if not downright
impossible at times to fully root for any side in particular. The questions
raised about pragmatism, self preservation, and the worth of ceremony and individual
actions when compared to reasoning and character are never fully answered by
the film primarily because it recognizes the worth of these ideas as too
personal to make a statement on or what we can never have a definitive answer
for.
Whether or not modern mainstream audiences are ready to
study a concept so powerful and emotionally charged as religious faith with a
cold critical eye remains to be seen. Regarless of the world’s readiness for it
however, “Silence” is nevertheless a masterfully crafted and well balanced look
at a sensitive philosophical and historical topic, for which Andrew Garfield
probably deserves his nomination for over the lesser but still commendable “Hacksaw
Ridge.”
9. Florence Foster Jenkins
The nominations of Meryl Streep by the Academy at this point
is nearing trolling status but her talent in her craft is undeniable
nevertheless.
She brings her A game to a modest production about the
passions of a woman who is commonly viewed as one of the worst professional
singers of all time.
Florence Foster Jenkins may have lived in a delusional
social bubble that fostered her nonexistent talent to a hilariously tragic end
but she was still a woman with societal pull that believed in the worth and power
of the arts at a time when the world was focused on matters dubbed more
practical.
Her journey to her first public performance generates a
masterpiece of dramatic irony and cringe comedy that laughs at the cynicism of
society and their affinity for mockery but holding up the level of earnestness
and sincerity that she and her loved ones had for her, each other, and what she
did and believed in as something rare and beautiful. If nothing else, it’s
refreshing to see a movie honestly say to not be ashamed of doing what you love
regardless of how good you are at it rather than justify sucking as being of
unique quality.
“Florence Foster Jenkins” is a wonderfully rounded and
heartfelt comedic package that must be seen to be believed.
8. Snowden
One of the most controversial figures of our time sitting at
one of the most controversial issues of our time, Oliver Stone’s biopic of the
man that exposed the government’s monstrous violations of internet age privacy slipped
past quite a few radars last year.
While many a joke could be made regarding Oliver Stone’s
recently growing political paranoia, at the end of the day he continues to do
what he does best; tell tightly focused character narratives that grapple with
morality and the nature of man without blindly demonizing the subject as
inherently evil.
Solidly paced and carried by an excellent cast that knows
how to pull back enough to not overtake their material or subject matter, the
real winner of “Snowden” is Stone’s direction and Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s portrayal
of the title subject; a man driven to do something dangerous, risky, and
ethically questionable by a sickness grown from the regular exposure to
institutional abuse of tools that have no form of checks and balances.
Whether the film wins you over to the real Edward Snowden’s
side of the argument is debatable but it’s humanization of the man over
spouting off his cause is what lands this one for me as one of the most
underrated films of the year.
7. Hell or High Water
“Hell or High Water” is a testament to how far minimalism
can go in filmmaking and storytelling in general, composed of a mixture of
elements so simple and basic that it really does leave you scratching your head
as to why Hollywood’s endless supply of moneybags can churn out something with
even half of its charm on a regular basis.
As if simply calling Jeff Bridges into a role that he had to
be active for across a fairly accurate portrayal of West Texas’ deader
districts striking cinematography that works despite an obvious digital shoot
wasn’t enough, the film tells a simple but intimate narrative of a family that may
not like each other but are never afraid to show how much they love one another
through the sheer power of stellar performances; special kudos to Chris Pine,
who’s finally started living up to his potential as an actor more so than a
mere matinee idol.
It’s slim, hard hitting, to the point, and possibly the best
neo-western ever made since Robert Rodriguez brought the format to popularity.
6. Rogue One
There’s very little I can say about “Rogue One” that I haven’t
already covered last month.
It’s everything that I’ve been waiting to see from this
franchise ever since I first watched “A New Hope” at the age of 6; a three
dimensional setting teeming with life and culture that finds itself victim to
the crossfire of a growing large scale conflict between an oppressive government
offering miserable stability and a well meaning rebellion setting out to right
wrongs by committing heinous acts of betrayal and opportunism to overthrow the
current regime with no solid plan for how to handle regaining control over
the galaxy.
The motivations and stakes feel more human than ever and the
cast manage to inject more dimension into their characters than the admittedly
minimalistic dialogue would leave you to believe adding, up to a 3rd
act and climax that remains one of the show stoppers of the year.
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” is every reassurance that the
future of this franchise is in daring and competent hands that I wasn’t quite fully granted by “The Force Awakens”
and has set a high bar for “The Last Jedi” to live up to, held back only by
flaws that could have been fixed by extending the length beyond the 2 hour
acceptance point that mainstream audiences seem to want to hold all stories financially
hostage to.
The only thing keeping it from being the best “Star Wars” film
ever made is that the actual film holding that title belongs to one of the best
cinematic sequels in existence.
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