Top Ten Films of 2016

This slow burning thriller takes place at a secluded California home where a couple, Eden and David, has invited all their estranged friends for a dinner party. One guest however, Eden's ex-husband Will, is suspicious of the host's true intentions. Logan Marshall-Greene gives a great performance as Will, a man stricken with grief after the death of his son years earlier. With each strange occurrence...

Director Denis Villeneuve's latest hit comes on the heels of his masterful 2015 film, "Sicario." His new film is a science fiction tale about a linguistics professor, played by Amy Adams, who has been recruited by the US government to translate the language of an alien species that has deposited 12 ships around the world. This is a sci-fi for the thinking man; there is no climactic space battle a...

How can you not love this movie? The entire Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has been building up to this action masterpiece meets Shakespearian tragedy. To make a long story short, Iron Man and Captain America are at odds with one another over a piece of legislation that will put the Avengers under government control. The stakes are raised, the drama is heightened, and the action is obviously brilliant....

I don't think I've seen a more strange film in my entire life. At face value, "The Lobster" is a quirky, darkly comedic dystopian film; when you take a deeper look, however, you notice that it's really a social commentary about relationships. The film is set in a future wherein single people are sent to a hotel where they must find a mate within 45 days, or be turned into the animal of their choosing....

This emotional powerhouse tells the remarkable true story of Saroo Brierley, a man who was lost on the streets of Calcutta as a young boy. After spending most of his life in Australia with his adopted family, he sets out to find his lost family in India. Newcomer Sunny Pawar portrays Saroo as a young boy, lost on the bustling streets of India. Dev Patel plays an older Saroo as he begins to retra...

I didn't have a better time in the theatre this year than when I saw "Everybody Wants Some." It centers on a group of college baseball players in 1980, and all the hijinks that ensue. It's much more than the funniest film of 2016; there's also some heart behind the thick layer of testosterone-fueled tomfoolery. Director Richard Linklater crafts full bodied characters, each with their own distinct, m...

The classic western gets a modern restoration with "Hell or High Water," the story of two brothers who resort to bank robbing in order to pay off their deceased mother's debts; meanwhile, a soon-to-retire cop and his partner hunt their trail. While the story is simple, the characters have depth and complexity. Chris Pine and Ben Foster give wonderful performances as the two brothers, and have a dynamic foil in terms of their temperament. The screen...

This is the most heart-wrenching documentary I've ever seen. It follows former Saints player Steve Gleason as he's diagnosed with ALS--what ensues is a devastating, in-depth look at the life of a New Orleans legend whose been reduced to a wheelchair. The bulk of the film comes from personal footage shot by Gleason, who began making a video diary when his wife, Michel became pregnant. Seeing Gleason...

"La La Land" is a masterpiece and there's no getting around it. This modern musical captures two doting love birds, played by Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, as they attempt to accomplish their dreams in the city of angels. Gosling and Stone's chemistry is note-perfect, capped off by one of the year's best screenplays from writer/director, Damien Chazelle. His direction is also flawless, perfectly bl...

It's hard to put into words just how special this film is. The script, the performances, the realism, and even the editing all make "Manchester by the Sea" the masterpiece that it is. Casey Affleck plays Lee Chandler, an emotionally stunted janitor who is made to care for his teenage nephew after his brother tragically dies. Affleck gives the best performance by any actor this year; his nuanced subtl...