Numbers' Numerical Numbering: Vol. III, A 2016 Top 50 (COUNTDOWN COMPLETE)

[4815162342]

So I'm finally ready to begin my 2016 countdown. Wanted to squeeze in a couple final foreign films before getting everything finalized.

 

The countdown proper will begin tomorrow night, but since I forgot to do one of these for 2015 (by the time I felt ready it was already mid-March), here's my Top 50 from that year:

 

Spoiler

1. Steve Jobs
2. Sicario
3. Creed
4. Ex Machina
5. Amy
6. Inside Out
7. Mad Max: Fury Road
8. Spotlight
9. Bridge of Spies
10. Far From the Madding Crowd
11. The Martian
12. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
13. Bone Tomahawk/Slow West
15. The Big Short
16. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
17. Black Sea
18. The Hateful Eight
19. Straight Outta Compton
20. The Gift
21. Room
22. Beasts of No Nation
23. The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
24. The Revenant
25. What We Do in the Shadows
26. Macbeth
27. Kingsman: The Secret Service
28. The End of the Tour
29. Everest
30. Love & Mercy
31. Crimson Peak
32. The Assassin
33. 99 Homes
34. Spy
35. Cinderella
36. Ant-Man
37. Mr. Holmes
38. It Follows
39. Clouds of Sils Maria
40. Legend
41. Black Mass
42. Trainwreck
43. The Walk
44. Chappie
45 Avengers: Age of Ultron
46. Furious 7
47. Southpaw
48. Jurassic World
49. Z for Zachariah
50. Jupiter Ascending

 

Luckily there's no lego movie in 2016 for @Blankments to freak out about not being super high.

Edited February 21, 2017 by 4815162342

[Dementeleus]

I never realized you liked STEVE JOBS that much. Nice!

[4815162342]

1 minute ago, Telemachos said:

I never realized you liked STEVE JOBS that much. Nice!

 

I was pretty low-key last year about a lot of films, because I was intending to do a countdown.

 

But then I got sidetracked, and wanted to catch up on a few, and then suddenly it was mid-March and way too late to justify starting things.

[Dementeleus]

2 minutes ago, 4815162342 said:

 

I was pretty low-key last year about a lot of films, because I was intending to do a countdown.

 

But then I got sidetracked, and wanted to catch up on a few, and then suddenly it was mid-March and way too late to justify starting things.

 

I understand the sentiment -- I have the same approach more often than not. 

 

And -- after the fact -- it's nice to see some more love for a movie that was (IMO) criminally underrated and overlooked. 

[That One Girl]

Ooh, another fan of Steve Jobs?  Fucking fantastic movie.  Can't wait to see what tops your list.

[Webslinger]

Love the Steve Jobs love.  It hit sixth on my 2015 list, and Fassbender and Winslet led my ballot in their respective acting categories.

[aabattery]

Terrific title. Looking forward to the list.

[chasmmi]

Anyone who hates Jupiter Ascending is okay by me. 

 

This will be the final list start before my bloated mess kicks off  

[4815162342]

34 minutes ago, chasmmi said:

Anyone who hates Jupiter Ascending is okay by me. 

 

Yeah...About that...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I give it a B-.

[Cmasterclay]

Hey, me and Numbers had the exact same top three last year! Albeit it in a different order, but still. I knew there was a reason he was one of my MVPs. 

[4815162342]

32 minutes ago, Cmasterclay said:

Hey, me and Numbers had the exact same top three last year! Albeit it in a different order, but still. I knew there was a reason he was one of my MVPs. 

 

Tribe power.

 

 

I'm going to do an honorable mention first, shortly after getting home from work. Then the countdown proper starts later tonight.

 

Honorable mention hint: @chasmmi liked it about as much as Jupiter Ascending, if my memory serves me right.

 

Non-chasmmi hint: an annoying fan behavior in sport stadiums.

[chasmmi]

Well at least there is a decent chance that your top 50 will all be better than the Honorable mention  

 

(Although actually looking at my current list, I do have more than 10 films below that one [not much more than 10 though ] )  

 

 

[chasmmi]

2 hours ago, 4815162342 said:

 

Yeah...About that...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I give it a B-.

 

Oh yeah, top 50 does still leave open the crazy possibility that you saw more than 50 films. Forgot about that.

 

Well I suppose only having 2 of my bottom 10 in your top 50, is still a decent sign I'll be okay with this list  

[4815162342]

Ok, time for the starter

 

HONORABLE MENTION aka #51

 

Spoiler

 

 

Directed By: Roar Uthaug

 

Starring: Kristoffer Joner, Ane Dahl Torp

 

Domestic Release Date: March 4, 2016

 

Our honorable mention is a Norwegian disaster film inspired by the possibility of such an occurrence happening at some point in the future in Western Norway. The film encapsulates many of the tropes of an American disaster film (Roar Uthaug is a fan of films like Twister and Armageddon) and yet merges it with Norwegian politeness and reasonableness. The superior who doubts Kristian's fears about the fjord, unlike an American film where he would shout and yell and call the protagonist a lunatic fearmonger and probably leave the whole area defenseless, agrees to go to yellow alert and have 24-hour monitoring of the danger area. A nice diversion from the norm. The focus of course is on the family, with a family of four caught in the middle of terror when a 300-foot high wave caused by a massive rockslide barrels towards the tourist town they call home. While there are some nice emotional tugstrings along the way, the development for most of the characters never goes beyond rudimentary (especially the son, Sondre, whose defining characteristics are he listens to music and skateboards). The disaster sequence itself, while taut with tension and fear, could have gone on a bit longer and shown a bit more of the Wave's destructive power. Instead we never get a true money shot and we awkwardly cut from a car getting engulfed to sound stage sets showing destruction sometime later. All in all, an enjoyable ride, but it could have used some more meat on the bones and punch in the delivery.

 

 

[4815162342]

Hints for #50-46:

 

50- A climax straight out of Art of the Deal

 

49- Not quite so Hateful

 

48- Power couple

 

47- World's most expensive group therapy session

 

46- Greed isn't always good.

[Dementeleus]

8 minutes ago, 4815162342 said:

Ok, time for the starter

 

HONORABLE MENTION aka #51

 

  Hide contents

 

 

Directed By: Roar Uthaug

 

Starring: Kristoffer Joner, Ane Dahl Torp

 

Domestic Release Date: March 4, 2016

 

Our honorable mention is a Norwegian disaster film inspired by the possibility of such an occurrence happening at some point in the future in Western Norway. The film encapsulates many of the tropes of an American disaster film (Roar Uthaug is a fan of films like Twister and Armageddon) and yet merges it with Norwegian politeness and reasonableness. The superior who doubts Kristian's fears about the fjord, unlike an American film where he would shout and yell and call the protagonist a lunatic fearmonger and probably leave the whole area defenseless, agrees to go to yellow alert and have 24-hour monitoring of the danger area. A nice diversion from the norm. The focus of course is on the family, with a family of four caught in the middle of terror when a 300-foot high wave caused by a massive rockslide barrels towards the tourist town they call home. While there are some nice emotional tugstrings along the way, the development for most of the characters never goes beyond rudimentary (especially the son, Sondre, whose defining characteristics are he listens to music and skateboards). The disaster sequence itself, while taut with tension and fear, could have gone on a bit longer and shown a bit more of the Wave's destructive power. Instead we never get a true money shot and we awkwardly cut from a car getting engulfed to sound stage sets showing destruction sometime later. All in all, an enjoyable ride, but it could have used some more meat on the bones and punch in the delivery.

 

 

 

*grits teeth*

clicks like

[That One Girl]

For a second I thought it was The 5th Wave and I was like "wtf why."

[cannastop]

21 minutes ago, Telemachos said:

 

*grits teeth*

clicks like

Too high or too low? Can't remember who likes what.

[4815162342]

1 minute ago, cannastop said:

Too high or too low? Can't remember who likes what.

 

It was in his Top 15

[4815162342]

#50

 

Spoiler

 

 

Directed By: Scott Derrickson

 

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Mads Mikkelsen, Tilda Swinton

 

Domestic Release Date: November 4, 2016

 

 

Beginning the countdown proper is the most recent edition of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Aside from a couple forced references, this is a movie that is content to do its own thing and have fun doing it. Benedict Cumberbatch is well cast as the arrogant and talented surgeon Stephen Strange, who after being crippled in a car accident embarks on a journey through time, space, and the aether to find his true purpose. Of course, as an MCU movie, it certainly falls prey to the standard pitfalls: Underwritten female lead character, underwritten main antagonist character, and underwritten best friend/ally character. Luckily Cumberbatch's charisma and the whip-smart casting of perpetual weirdo Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One drive this film forward. The visuals are trippy and engrossing, the climatic confrontation is clever, and Giacchino's music is solid. Could have stood to have been a bit more daredevil in approach, but a cheery fun time at the theater nonetheless.