My favorite movies of 2016
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- DirectorBarry JenkinsStarsMahershala AliNaomie HarrisTrevante RhodesA young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.You must see this movie. Period.
- DirectorAndrea ArnoldStarsSasha LaneShia LaBeoufRiley KeoughA teenage girl with nothing to lose joins a traveling magazine sales crew, and gets caught up in a whirlwind of hard partying, law bending and young love as she criss-crosses the Midwest with a band of misfits.Now that Moonlight has connected with an audience and is receiving the critical acclaim it so richly deserves, American Honey is the next gem I hope audiences will discover/embrace (it's streaming now). Such an original vision/story. You will not be disappointed.
- DirectorGareth EdwardsStarsFelicity JonesDiego LunaAlan TudykIn a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire's ultimate weapon of destruction.Revolutions are built on hope. It's the Star Wars films we've all been waiting for since Return of the Jedi.
- DirectorKenneth LonerganStarsCasey AffleckMichelle WilliamsKyle ChandlerA depressed uncle is asked to take care of his teenage nephew after the boy's father dies.If you liked Ordinary People, or any rich drama that assumes its audience is intelligent enough to follow a plot that is not spoon fed and predictable, this is a movie for you (and let's be honest, smart adult dramas are damn hard to find these days). And this film also boasts the single best scene of the year -- a master class in acting.
- DirectorMatt RossStarsViggo MortensenGeorge MacKaySamantha IslerIn the forests of the Pacific Northwest, a father devoted to raising his six kids with a rigorous physical and intellectual education is forced to leave his paradise and enter the world, challenging his idea of what it means to be a parent.First saw this at Sundance and am so happy that it remains standing firmly in my top 10 now that we've reached the end of 2016. Don't miss it. Streaming now.
- DirectorDamien ChazelleStarsRyan GoslingEmma StoneRosemarie DeWittWhile navigating their careers in Los Angeles, a pianist and an actress fall in love while attempting to reconcile their aspirations for the future.Dancing, singing, Ryan and Emma ... enough said? Damien Chazelle (Whiplash) continues to demonstrate that he is going to be one of the most important filmmakers of his generation.
- DirectorTaika WaititiStarsSam NeillJulian DennisonRima Te WiataA national manhunt is ordered for a rebellious kid and his foster uncle who go missing in the wild New Zealand bush.When was the last time a movie entertained and delighted you, introducing you to unique characters and landscapes that you fell instantly in love with? If it's been too long -- and especially if you need to LAUGH -- don't miss this Taika Waititi film, which is streaming now!
- DirectorLuca GuadagninoStarsTilda SwintonMatthias SchoenaertsRalph FiennesA famous rock star's vacation in Italy with her boyfriend is disrupted by the unexpected visit of an old friend and his daughter.Sexiest film of the year, gorgeous to watch, complicated. Loved it. Streaming now.
- DirectorClay TweelStarsSteve GleasonMike GleasonScott FujitaAfter he is diagnosed with ALS, former professional football player Steve Gleason begins making a video diary for his unborn son, as he, his wife, and their friends and family work to raise money for ALS patients as his disease progresses.Having grown up in New Orleans and currently residing in Seattle, this film GOT to me on a number of levels. It was such a strong year for documentaries, but this is the one that made me laugh and cry and think. And cry some more.
- DirectorRichard TanneStarsTika SumpterParker SawyersVanessa Bell CallowayChronicles the 1989 summer afternoon when the future President of the United States, Barack Obama, wooed his future First Lady, Michelle Obama, on a first date across Chicago's South Side.
- DirectorAva DuVernayStarsMelina AbdullahMichelle AlexanderCory BookerAn in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.Required viewing, especially as we enter into the era of Trumputin.
- DirectorKelly ReichardtStarsMichelle WilliamsKristen StewartLaura DernThe lives of three women intersect in small-town America, where each is imperfectly blazing a trail.Two reasons to watch this film: The performances of Lilly Gladstone (mark my words, she is going to have a HUGE career) and Kristen Stewart.
- DirectorMike MillsStarsAnnette BeningElle FanningGreta GerwigThe story of a teenage boy, his mother, and two other women who help raise him among the love and freedom of Southern California of 1979.An exploration of single motherhood and raising your kids with the help of an eclectic tribe.
- DirectorJ.A. BayonaStarsLewis MacDougallSigourney WeaverFelicity JonesConor, a twelve-year-old boy, encounters an ancient tree monster who proceeds to help him cope with his mother's terminal illness and being bullied in school.Not an easy viewing -- but so cathartic if you are grieving the loss of a loved one.
- DirectorTim MillerStarsRyan ReynoldsMorena BaccarinT.J. MillerA wisecracking mercenary gets experimented on and becomes immortal yet hideously scarred, and sets out to track down the man who ruined his looks.
- DirectorDavid MackenzieStarsChris PineBen FosterJeff BridgesToby is a divorced father who's trying to make a better life. His brother is an ex-con with a short temper and a loose trigger finger. Together, they plan a series of heists against the bank that's about to foreclose on their family ranch.
- DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsAmy AdamsJeremy RennerForest WhitakerA linguist works with the military to communicate with alien lifeforms after twelve mysterious spacecraft appear around the world.
- DirectorTom FordStarsAmy AdamsJake GyllenhaalMichael ShannonA wealthy art gallery owner is haunted by her ex-husband's novel, a violent thriller she interprets as a symbolic revenge tale.
- DirectorTodd PhillipsStarsJonah HillMiles TellerSteve LantzLoosely based on the true story of two young men, David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli, who won a three hundred million dollar contract from the Pentagon to arm America's allies in Afghanistan.I included this film because my expectations were low going in, but it was thoroughly entertaining. I don't think it got the attention it deserves this year.
- DirectorChris RenaudStarsLouis C.K.Eric StonestreetKevin HartThe quiet life of a terrier named Max is upended when his owner takes in Duke, a stray whom Max instantly dislikes.
- DirectorKenneth BranaghStarsJude HillLewis McAskieCaitríona BalfeA young boy and his working-class Belfast family experience the tumultuous late 1960s.