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DAJK

The "Wowza I can't believe we're already here" thread. DAJK's best and worst of 2016!

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3 hours ago, 4815162342 said:

Keanu the worst movie of the year?

 

Worse than Independence Day: Regurgitation?

 

Come on now.

ID4 was pretty horrible, but at least it gave me some pretty things to look at. Keanu was just a whole lot of wasted potential, which makes it even worse for me.

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Honorable Mentions

some of the other great films of 2016

 

Kubo and the Two Strings

Image result for kubo and the two strings poster

 

As visually impressive as it is narratively gripping, Kubo and the Two Strings is yet another seemingly impossible step-up for Laika, and unfortunately was one of the most disappointing box office runs of the summer. The filmmakers did such a great job with this movie, not only with the impressive, elaborate sets and colours, but also with stitching together a heartwarming story filled with bright and lovely characters. Impeccable voice work coupled with a sense of adventure, danger, and wonder only add to the fact that Kubo and the Two Strings is a movie you should definitely check out.

 

 

 

Eye in the Sky

Image result for eye in the sky poster  

 

Director Gavin Hood really brought it with this one. A movie I wasn't expecting I would get the chance to see, Eye in the Sky completely took me by surprise. One afternoon my shift happened to end right as this filler movie was about to start (one I had not even seen a trailer for), so I decided to check it out. The next two hours went by so quickly as I was sucked in to this story that unfolded like the pages in a tense thriller novel. The acting of course is exceptional across the board; I was sort of expecting that what with Helen Mirren and Alan Rickman making up the cast, but what really surprised me was how a story that started off so simple became this complex thrill ride that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. The movie isn't just entertaining however, as it explores real world issues, and provided a different look on modern warfare that I don't think Hollywood shines a light on often enough. 

 

 

 

Bridget Jones's Baby

Image result for bridget jones baby poster

 

I had honestly never seen one of these movies before I bought a ticket for this third one. While reviews were good, I was expecting this to just not be my thing, and that I was going to leave at the end saying "why do you do this to yourself? You saw Norm of the North even though you knew you'd have it, and now THIS?" I'm okay with being wrong, especially when I get a clever, heartfelt, and charming movie out of it. I don't think there was even a single aspect I disliked about this movie; it was sweet, it was funny (and I mean FUNNY), and the characters were all likable. Smartly written, capably directed, and more than competently acted, Bridget Jones's Baby was that unfortunate domestic bomb that I thank God for overseas audiences. 

 

 

 

War Dogs

Image result for war dogs poster

 

The next movie in the "I thought it would suck but was actually really great" list that will probably end up being a recurring theme here, I thought War Dogs looked like utter garbage. I like Miles Teller, and I like Jonah Hill, so why did I want to barf every time this trailer came on? The movie looked unfunny, pointless, silly, and as my British friend would say "absolute rubbish." So naturally I was dreading when my friend dragged me into the auditorium to check this out. But honestly I think I ended up liking it more than he did! Smart, funny and interesting, War Dogs told a legitimately crazy story in a gripping manner that kept my eyes glued to the screen until the credits rolled. Teller and Hill were both superb in their roles, and I have a newfound respect for Todd Phillips for making a funny movie that isn't silly or stupid. In fact, I wouldn't even call War Dogs a comedy, as most of the funny moments come from the absurdity of its story. Great job War Dogs! Now it's just up to others to give you a chance :)

 

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#15 Best Movie of 2016

Sing

Image result for sing movie poster

 

Rotten Tomatoes score: 69%

Domestic box office: $180.9 million (as of time of writing)

 

In what's probably going to be one of the controversial picks for this list @Ethan Hunt, Sing was a movie I... enjoyed the first time seeing it. But it wouldn't have been near my list if it weren't for how much I fell in love with it the second time around. Continuing what was an incredible year for Illumination Entertainment, Sing went bonkers at the box office, and the fact that it has a shot at $300M domestic isn't just because of a lack of competition. Sure the tunes are catchy and the movie's gags work (most of the time) what really won me over in Sing were its characters. Much like I remember when I used to watch these singing competition shows when I was younger, a big thing I hated about them was I fell in love with just about everyone, and to see one of these people get voted off was just heartbreaking sometimes. While this movie goes a slightly different route, (almost) all the characters in this movie were 100% lovable, and I could cheer for everybody. The final performances alone are enough to win over crowds of audiences. While I would be pretty upset if this one any major awards for animated films over say Kubo and the Two Strings (or some upcoming movies I have here), I think Sing deserves to be enjoyed in its own right. 

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1 hour ago, Tower said:

How could you be upset about Sing getting an award over Kubo if you ranked Sing higher yourself? 

Because kubo was "a better movie" than sing, I just personally preferred sing better. I was debating for ages which one to place at 15 and which to put at an honourable mention, but I went with what I personally enjoyed more :)

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#14 Best Movie of 2016

Don't Breathe

Image result for don't breathe poster

 

Rotten Tomatoes score: 87%

Domestic Box Office: $89.2 million

 

Wow, what a monster of a film this was (at the box office it did pretty good but I mean to watch). While I thought the trailers looked fairly intriguing, I was way more excited for other summer horrors like The Conjuring 2 and Lights Out than this (while both those films were good, neither will make my list). You'd be hard-pressed to find many people who thought this film would be as good, and make as much money, as it did/was. Director Fede Alvarez, who made a fairly decent Evil Dead remake a few years back, took what was really a very simple premise and directed the hell out of it, creating an extremely tense, and at times frightening film. Every member of the fairly small cast deliver excellent performances in my opinion, especially Stephen Lang!! The film uses his terrifying persona to create real tension, instead of relying too heavily on cheap and overdone jump scares. To be frank, the film's title is basically the studio having a nice laugh, as that is what audiences were doing the entirety of the film (or not doing...). This is surely one of the best films of the year, one of the most memorable theatre experiences I had this year, and will hopefully go down in history as a modern horror classic. 

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8 hours ago, DAJK said:

#15 Best Movie of 2016

Sing

Image result for sing movie poster

 

Rotten Tomatoes score: 69%

Domestic box office: $180.9 million (as of time of writing)

 

In what's probably going to be one of the controversial picks for this list @Ethan Hunt, Sing was a movie I... enjoyed the first time seeing it. But it wouldn't have been near my list if it weren't for how much I fell in love with it the second time around. Continuing what was an incredible year for Illumination Entertainment, Sing went bonkers at the box office, and the fact that it has a shot at $300M domestic isn't just because of a lack of competition. Sure the tunes are catchy and the movie's gags work (most of the time) what really won me over in Sing were its characters. Much like I remember when I used to watch these singing competition shows when I was younger, a big thing I hated about them was I fell in love with just about everyone, and to see one of these people get voted off was just heartbreaking sometimes. While this movie goes a slightly different route, (almost) all the characters in this movie were 100% lovable, and I could cheer for everybody. The final performances alone are enough to win over crowds of audiences. While I would be pretty upset if this one any major awards for animated films over say Kubo and the Two Strings (or some upcoming movies I have here), I think Sing deserves to be enjoyed in its own right. 

 

:ohmygod:

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#13 Best Movie of 2016

The Light Between Oceans

Image result for light between oceans poster

 

Rotten Tomatoes score: 59%

Domestic Box Office: $12.5 million

 

This movie was always a huge question mark for me. I mean who doesn't love Fassbender in the X-Men movies? And he was incredible in 12 Years A Slave (hard performance to watch, but the guy's an incredible actor). Same goes for Alicia Vikandr; I've only really known of her for less than 2 year now and already she's impressed me in Man From Uncle, Ex Machina, and especially the Danish Girl. Furthermore, The Place Beyond the Pines hit me like a train the first time I watched it. So many of the pieces were there to make this an awesome movie, so why was Disney dumping it on arguably the worst weekend of the year? Why did I think the trailer looked dull? And then the mixed reviews started to pour in...

 

"You know what screw critics," is kinda what I thought. So I drove to the next town over to a theatre that was actually playing the movie. 2 hours later my butt was numb from the awful seats, but I was floored by how much I liked this film. Sure the pacing could have been handled better, but somehow I got so wrapped up in the story that the slower pace did not bother me. The two leads gave excellent performances, coupled with a beautiful soundtrack but the amazing Desplat, gorgeous cinematography, a powerful ending... yea this movie worked for me guys. I'll talk a lot about movies that "surprised me", and that's because as someone who sometimes forces himself to sit through some crappy movies more often than he would like to admit, it's a real breath of fresh air when a movie completely exceeds my expectations. Thank you Light Between Oceans, for making my trip to one of the worst theatres I've ever been to at least worth something. 

Edited by DAJK
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#12 Best Movie of 2016

Deepwater Horizon

Image result for deepwater horizon poster

 

Rotten Tomatoes score: 83%

Domestic Box Office: $61.4 million

 

 If Patriots Day is as good as I'm hearing it is, and even if it isn't, I think it's time we forgive Peter Berg for Battleship ;) I used to think of the "Jaume Collet-Serra/Liam Neeson trilogy" as a solid bunch of movies. But the Berg/Whalberg pairing is going to go down in history. Lone Survivor was an incredible, intense, and at times very sad and true view into a horrific not-so-distant event of real life heroes. Deepwater Horizon takes it a step further, in retelling the story of a disaster that I remember having to write a little essay on in Science class in grade 7. Let's just say that doing the research for my essay didn't quite inform me of the brutality of this man-made disaster. A powerful film that had me holding my breath for the better part of its second half, Deepwater Horizon doesn't make an attempt to cheaply pull on audience's heartstrings, but instead it chooses to craft together a thoroughly well-made film that truly depicts how brave human beings can be when faced with scary odds. While unfortunately one of the biggest bombs of the year (come on world, whats wrong with you), after seeing the movie I respect the massive budget that went into this film; none of the scenes felt fake, no effects were held back due to money constraints (at least not that I noticed while watching the movie), and the movie didn't pull any punches when it came to depicting the brutality of the disaster. A truly moving film, I highly recommend Deepwater Horizon to the many many people who missed it in theatres.

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#11 Best Movie of 2016

Moana

 

 

Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%

Domestic Box Office (as of time of writing): $219 million

 

"Will this be The Good Dinosaur to Zootopia's inside out?" I'm so glad I was wrong, because Moana was one of the most charming, feel-good and memorable films of the year. With songs that at times can hold their own among some of the Disney greats, characters that feel truly three-dimensional, and quite possibly the most impressive animation I have ever seen, Moana was everything I had hoped it would be. Without going into specifics so as to avoid spoilers, I found the progression of the character of Maui to be truly genuine; his character arc flowed smoothly and none of his actions were jarring or felt out of character. Moana herself was an extremely likable hero as well, her surprising sense of humor really adding to her longing for adventure. The movie in my mind is really built upon the strength of the two lead characters, which itself sounds strange coming from an animation, but the character building in this film are so incredibly strong it is hard not to fall in love with cartoons (this point will come up again a bit further on as well). 

 

Did I mention the music? Of course, but it is worth giving another shout out to. I may not have mentioned it in my previous write-up, but The Light Between Oceans DID include my favourite music of the year, until I saw this movie. Catchy, memorable, and the singing performances honestly blew me away. Who knew The Rock could sing as well as he did???

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#10 Best Movie of 2016

Captain America: Civil War

Image result for civil war poster

 

Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%

Domestic Box Office: $408.1 million

 

There were some good comic book movies this year, but in my opinion this was the only great one. BvS was a mess, Suicide Squad was fun but nothing special, Dr. Strange was good but that's about it, and same for Apocalypse. Civil War on the other hand didn't just have great action, or cool effects, or an awesome story, or awesome performances and cool surprises. It had it all. I'm not a comic book reader, and even though I've heard that the Civil War story is incredible, there are quite a few ways that a film adaptation of a team of superheroes fighting each other wouldn't work. And introducing all these new characters too? How are even the directors of the best Captain America movie possible going to manage that? They must have found a geenie in a bottle that granted them three wishes because this movie turned out fabulous. At times a more mature superhero flick, Civil War still has that childlike fun that the Marvel team is certainly known for. Every year I say I'm going to soon get tired of the Marvel shtick, but I guess that'll happen when they start turning out garbage, which in my opinion hasn't happened yet. If anything, Civil War cemented their status as makers of some of the best blockbusters around. 

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#9 Best Movie of 2016

Bad Moms

Image result for bad moms

 

Rotten Tomatoes score: 59%

Domestic Box Office: $113.3 million

 

Another pick that may end up being more controversial, Bad Moms is on this list for one main reason: I don't think I've ever laughed harder in a movie theatre than I did in this movie. 21/22 Jump Street may be close, but in my opinion Bad Moms is one of the best comedies of this decade. Another movie I didn't really think I would like, I saw this mainly out of curiosity. And while it may sound like I have some sort of fetish, a 17 year old boy having a movie titled "Bad Moms" as one of his favourites of the year (I swear I don't :lol: ) but I've got to give this excellent comedy credit where credit is due. In some ways reminding me much of Mean Girls all grow up, this film proved that Jupiter Ascending was just an accident for Mila Kunis, and that she can really shine in the right roles. Kristen Bell, and especially Katheryn Hahn were also great, as well as Christina Applegate. Bring on Bad Dads STX, bring on Bad Moms Christmas, bring on Bad Anything... just don't let Lionsgate get confused and give us another Dirty Grandpa. 

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#8 Best Movie of 2016

Eddie the Eagle

Image result for eddie the eagle poster

 

Rotten Tomatoes score: 80%

Domestic Box Office: $15.8 million

 

One of the criminally underrated movies this year, Eddie the Eagle was something of a flop. Not because it had a massive budget, but just because nobody went to see it. It did fairly well at my theatre on opening weekend, but I went on a Wednesday night and it was mostly empty in there. A truly heartwarming film about an underdog who became a star not because of any world-class skill, but because of charm, staying positive, and always chasing his dream no matter how impossible it may seem. Yea... I remember a parent actually complaining about the message it sent out, and whether they have a point or not, I think this is a film that soooo many more people should watch. Not just because of the top-not performances by the actors, or the sharp writing and occasional witty comedy, but because this is an extremely heartwarming and uplifting movie plain and simple. You immediately fix onto Eddie as a character and can't help but root for him till the very end, but I personally even found myself getting all teary near the credits. So anyone that reads this list, I'm pretty sure this movie is on Netflix (at least in Canada), so I guess you Canadians out there who've got Netflix don't have an excuse to at least give this film a shot. It is well worth your time.

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I don't get Moana here until January 19th :(

 

Civil War was excellent it is true. This year has not dampened my anticipation for Superhero films.

 

Bad Moms... I kind of hated, but comedy is the most subjective genre out there so at least I agree Dirty Grandpa was bad :)

 

Eddie the Eagle was fantastic. With Kingsman, this and Sing, Egerton is showing that he has the range to be an absolute star in the future and it must only be a matter of time before a Comic Book or Star Wars like mega franchise signs him up to something big. (I wanted him to be Solo) 

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#7 Best Movie of 2016

The Jungle Book

Image result for the jungle book poster

 

Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%

Domestic Box Office: $364 million

 

I remember when @Treecraft was saying a while back that this was going to be one of the highest grossing movies of 2016, throwing around $350M+ or even higher predictions. I honestly thought those predictions were crazy, and was anticipating MAYBE 65/200 for this. Well for one, I didn't anticipate what a monster this was going to be at the box office, nor did I predict what a lovely, enthralling, gorgeous, and fun adventure this would turn out to be. I actually got to see Jungle Book at least a few days before its release, and while I did eventually post a quick reaction on the main page, I was tossing back and forth whether I could get in trouble for doing so and so my reaction was from a while after I had actually seen the movie. What I would call a shoe-in for the best visual effects Oscar this year, this movie has got to be one of the most visually stunning films I have ever seen; watching the movie it's crazy to think that 95% of what you see is all fake. It's incredible! And to watch a kid like Neel Sethi act in front of, really, nothing is impressive if nothing else. Not only does he capture the character's spirit, but also the heart of what I think made the animated film so special for people. The voice work is also fantastic across the board, as is Favreau's direction (did anyone catch that behind the scenes clip that showed how the shot the scenes where Shere Khan jumped out at Mowgli in the grass? Apparently the stuffed Tiger they were using didn't get the right reaction out of Sethi, so one take Favreau actually sneaked up behind him and scared the crap out of him). 

 

Anyways, this film was a wonderful surprise in the pretty dreary month of April. Its box office run was extremely fun to follow (don't even get me STARTED on that weekend thread though), and watching the film itself was an even bigger treat. 

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#6 Best Movie of 2016

Zootopia

Image result for zootopia poster

 

Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%

Domestic Box Office: $341.3 million

 

To be quite honest #6, 5, and 4 have all flip-flopped around countless times even in the past hour. While my 1'st, 2nd and 3rd positions are all secure, I have been having a lot of trouble deciding which order to place these next three movies. So having Zootopia on at #6 does not mean I liked it any less than my #5 or #4, but that just at this very second I have placed them in this order. Call them 4a, 4b, and 4c if you will. Regardless, Zootopia completely blew away my expectations! The trailers were cute and interesting and all, but I certainly did not expect the level of intelligence and sincerity that this movie had. Dealing with real world issues in a more mature way than many other films have, this hopefully animated classic takes a clever premise (but not one we haven't heard of at all before) of a "city full of animals" and uses it to discuss themes of racism and prejudice (among others). The two lead characters are among the most charming Disney has ever churned out, and the array of side characters are given distinct personalities of their own, yet don't detract at all from the main story and characters we are supposed to become attached to. Even writing this now, I am still amazed at the level of imagination in this movie; each section of the city we visit feels distinct and every characters weaves themselves into the story so well. Zootopia is one of the best animated movies in recent years, and its crazy box office is certainly justified. If you haven't seen it... why not???

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#5 Best Movie of 2016

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Image result for rogue one poster

 

Rotten Tomatoes score: 85%

Domestic Box Office (as of time of writing as per BOM): $461.4 million

 

Sorry Dad, I know you hated this with a passion, but who says you're always right. Rogue One was awesome guys! Awesome enough that I am on the Gareth Edwards train after that god-awful trainwreck known as Godzilla back in 2014. The director here proves he knows how to handle a story, a budget, characters, and emotional strength. The latest Star Wars installment may be a bit more "for-the-fans" than previous entries in my opinion, but as a fan I can't complain! I loved almost everything about this film; how it was able to introduce all these new characters and make me actually care about them by the end; how it gave even more gravitas to A New Hope (actually made me like that movie even more to be honest); how it gave us one of the best sci-fi battles of the past like 10 years. The movie looks beautiful (the posters don't lie), the effects are what you should expect from a Star Wars movie, and Edwards' sense of scale really works in this film. Much as he was able to really showcase the enormity of Godzilla (ok... one of the only good things about that movie), he took each scene in this film and really put you as the audience in your place. The Death Star looked massive, the AT-AT's were intimidating as they can be, and the battles and stakes felt huge. But Rogue One also contained many smaller character moments which are what brought this movie I think as high up on the list as it is. Because the movie is so new however, I don't want to discuss anything that might be considered a spoiler, so I'll avoid any specific scenes. Let me just say that a certain iconic movie villain had me squealing in my seat a couple of times...  

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