Monday, February 13, 2017

THE TOP 10 BEST FILMS OF 2016...






Not a particularly great year in film but its been a hectic one. Here are the best films:









1. THE WITCH: the new wave of horror films continues its impressive streak with Eggers' debut, a daring risk of old Purtanical value system versus humanity in its starkest denial: yes its a battle between sin and good but trapped between is youth not sure which side it belongs on. And that iconic ending will haunt you long after the credits roll.





2. LA LA LAND: forget the weird backlash its faced in recent times, Chazelle has constructed the most positive musical since Moulin Rogue--a work of art that joyously celebrates life and love. it gives hope to so many trapped in the dreary routine that is constantly surrounding us.





3. MOONLIGHT:to be young, black, gifted and queer...the new cinematic look of gay African-American life is emerging not only in music but film too and Jenkins' astonishing film lets us know with the highs (acceptance from others) comes lows (teenage bullying) and, even more importantly, the resilence of survival.





4. CEMETARY OF SPLENDOUR: no other director takes the everyday mundane stuff and shapes it into fantastical simple things like Apichatpong Weerasethakul.





5. DON’T BREATHE: you will never look at a blind person again and doubt their capabilities. it's not technically a horror film but this is downright scary and nightmarish. bravo!





6. FENCES: a labour of love and it shows as Denzel and Viola trade fire and ice in an absorbing pas de deux.





7. ZOOTOPIA: sublime animation but its the reality of the diversity issue that really raises the stakes.





8. SING STREET: the oldest story in the world: boy meets girl, boy falls in love but girl is older and not really looking at him. That is until he makes her believe he's headlining in a rock band. From there, 'Sing Street' flows seamlessly into a sequence of uniform goodness--with great music taste along the way.





9. DON’T THINK TWICE: when friends move from congratulating you on the new promotion to outright jealously, 'Don't Think Twice' treads on the grey space carefully but its done with so much wit and honesty. It even had the incoming Trump presidency and SNL battle spot on.





10. CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR: the natural critically-approved successor to 'The Avengers', this one even surpasses it.