My Top 10 Films Of The Year So Far

THE TOP 10 FILMS OF THE YEAR SO FAR

 

As the first 6 months of 2016 quietly dissolve into the ether, it's once again time to look back over the last 183 days and recall which movies made going to the cinema a treat and which ones made going to the cinema torture. Unlike last year which began on a distinctly mediocre note, 2016 has already had it's fair share of cinematic gems and while not every one has managed to secure a place in my final ten, they still warrant a mention. These films are:

'The Hateful Eight' - Tarantino's blood-drenched Western combines violence and humour to create the directors most consistently entertaining film since 'Pulp Fiction'.

'Anomalisa' - This utterly unique stop-motion animation features one of the most realistic relationships seen on screen this year. A strange yet undeniably moving oddity.

'Concussion' - Will Smith gives a brilliantly muted yet disgracefully Oscar-snubbed performance in this emotionally driven biographical drama.

'10 Cloverfield Lane' - Not so much a sequel as a cousin to the 2008 monster hit, Dan Trachtenberg's intense psycho-thriller features terrific performances and a plot that keeps it's audience guessing until the bitter end.

'The Big Short' - As funny as it is shocking, Adam McKay's satirical comedy drama sheds new light on the economic crisis with unexpectedly eye-opening results.

'High-Rise' - J.G Ballard's dangerously acerbic writing is bought to the big screen courtesy of Tom Hiddleston and cult maestro Ben Wheatley.

'The Jungle Book' - Jon Favreau updates the classic 1967 Disney cartoon with stunning CGI, wonderful characterisations and brilliant storytelling. The bare necessities will come to you if you see this visual effects filled delight.

'Deadpool' - Ryan Reynolds swear-tastic superhero box office champion proves to be the funniest movie of 2016 so far

All of these movies are wonderful in their own unique, bizarre, violent and shocking way and deserve a place on any top 10 list. However, I was lucky enough to watch 10 other movies which were even better than these jewels in the crown of what has already turned out to be a terrific year for film.You may agree or disagree with some of my choices for for me personally, these are the motion pictures released in the first half of 2016 that made me truly proud to be a cinema lover.

10) 'BONE TOMAHAWK'  -
My full review : http://dc-moviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/bone-tomahawk.html

A film that owes just as much to the 80's video nasty than it does to the work of John Ford and Clint Eastwood, S. Craig Zahler's strange, quirky and extremely graphic Western/horror hybrid may be a slow burner at first but in it's final act turns one of the most intense and horrifying viewing experiences of the year so far.

9) 'KUNG FU PANDA 3' -

My full review : http://dc-moviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/kung-fu-panda-3.html#more

The second sequel to Dreamwork's studios martial-arts smash, 'Kung Fu Panda 3' features typically stunning CGI animation and wonderful voice acting, led by franchise regular Jack Black who injects his performance of the titular Po with a great deal of heart and humour. Exploring the themes of family, loss and spiritual and psychological development with a surprising amount of emotionality, 'Kung Fu Panda 3' is both fantastically entertaining and, at times, beautifully poignant.

8) 'MUSTANG' -
My full review : http://dc-moviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/mustang.html#more

Despite not winning the coveted Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film this year, Denis Gamze Erguven's semi-autobiographical drama is still an absolute must-see drama that manages to explore troubling ideas and contentious social issues without ever succumbing to the typically exploitative narrative tactics of it's similarly themed counterparts. It's story which centres around five young sisters who attempt to escape from their mansion-like home in which they are imprisoned to await arranged marriages is, as you would expect, very hard to watch at times and while never overly explicit or melodramatic, it's central themes do make for a rather uncomfortable viewing experience. But while it is sad and sometimes very harrowing, 'Mustang' is underpinned with an exuberant, almost contagious sense of adolescent vitality and energy that helps to soften the films edge without ever diluting it's satirical potency.

7) 'CAPTAIN AMERICA : CIVIL WAR' -
My full review :http://dc-moviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/captain-america-civil-war.html#more

With it's expert balancing of script, character and story, The Russo Brothers' 'Captain America : Civil War' sees the ever-present Marvel Cinematic Universe at the very height of it's cinematic powers - a fantastically entertaining and emotionally rich spectacular that pitted some of the most beloved superheroes of all time against each other to both astonishing box office success and almost unanimous critical acclaim.

6) 'SPOTLIGHT' -

My full review : http://dc-moviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/spotlight.html#more

Telling the true story behind the Boston Globes uncovering of one of the most shocking scandals of the 21st century, Tom McCarthy's uncompromising Best Picture winner explores the horrifying systematic abuse of children by Catholic priests without ever crossing the boundaries of taste or succumbing to inflammatory finger-pointing.

5) 'EYE IN THE SKY' -
My full review : http://dc-moviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/eye-in-sky.html#more

Masterfully directed by Gavin Hood, 'Eye In The Sky' is a consistently gripping, intensely provocative and, at times, deeply moving war drama that effectively explores the ethics and the politics of modern drone warfare while significantly foregoing the pretensions and bias of many of it's thematic counterparts.


4) 'WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE'
My full review : http://dc-moviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/when-marnie-was-there.html

Studio Ghibli's supposed final film is a heartbreaking, melancholic and utterly beautiful fable that much like 'Spirited Away', 'The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya' and 'Howl's Moving Castle' explores deeper and more mature themes than many Western animations but still remains colourful and magical enough to fully entertain it's younger intended audience.


3) 'SON OF THE SAUL' -
My full review : http://dc-moviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/son-of-saul.html#more

The film that effortlessly beat the aforementioned 'Mustang' to the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, Laszlo Nemes' fearsome directorial debut is an overwhelmingly powerful drama that in its attempts to portray the evils of the Nazi war machine miraculously manages to find some humanity during the most inhumane of times.

2) 'THE WITCH'
My full review :http://dc-moviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/the-witch.html#more

Coming in at a very close second is Robert Eggers' bizarre and disturbing folk horror 'The Witch', a film that may have divided audiences upon its release but has all of the trademarks of the next cult classic. It's direction, acting and cinematography are all fantastic but there is one simple reason why I love 'The Witch' and that is that it takes the genre I love deadly seriously; something which seems to have been bypassed, or simply ignored by the past decade of standard franchise fare.

1) 'ROOM' -
My full review : http://dc-moviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/room.html#more
 

It was a very close call but narrowly beating 'The Witch' to the top spot of my list of the ten best movies of the year is Lenny Abrahamson's unbelievably moving masterpiece 'Room', a heart-breaking and extraordinarily acted adaptation of Emma Donaghue's equally moving 2011 novel of the same. Brie Larson fought off stiff competition from the likes of Cate Blanchett and Jennifer Lawrence to deservedly win the Best Actress Oscar but it is the sorely overlooked 8 year old Jacob Tremblay who proves to be the real star of the show here - delivering a startlingly naturalistic performance that rivals that of his contemporaries many decades older. While it's themes of forced captivity and sexual abuse may imply a harrowing and deeply upsetting watch, 'Room' is is a beautifully crafted parable that centres on the most fundamental of human relationships - the undying, unwavering and unconditional love between a mother and her child ; a love that can destroy boundaries, emblazen the spirit and overcome seemingly impossible odds.