7. Hell or High Water
Chris Pine and Jeff Bridges team up for a neo-western heist-crime movie that will make you reconsider the boundaries one can cross for their family.
Divorced father Toby works effortlessly to give his son a better life but to no avail until his ex-con brother makes a tempting offer. Planning a series of heists, it seems that nothing can go wrong until a Texas Ranger crosses their path. Taking the lawman lightly because of being mere weeks away from retiring, the two brothers bite off more than they can chew.
6. Fences
Actor-director and two-time Academy Award winner Denzel Washington hit the silver screens once again with the drama movie Fences. Starring himself and Viola Davis, the movie is based on the play of the same name showcasing a star’s fall from grace.
Set in the 1950s, a Negro League baseball player must come to terms with leaving the sport he loves so much and becoming a garbage collector. Squashing his son’s dream of becoming a football player and struggling to provide for his family, Fences is a gut-wrenching experience of a reality check.
5. Silence
An absolute master of the art of filmmaking, Martin Scorsese is a veteran of the movie industry and never fails to impress. Releasing one blockbuster after another, the acclaimed director has now offered Silence.
Described as a “passion project” being developed since 1990. Scorsese has teamed up with Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, and Liam Neeson for the very first time to present a historical drama movie about two Portuguese Jesuit priests who travel to Japan to find their mentor who renounced his religion after torture.
4. Arrival
Based on the short story ‘Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang, Arrival features the unique science fiction tale of gigantic spaceships landing on Earth. As nations begin to question their fate, it is up to linguist Louise Banks and military theoretical physicists Ian Donnelly or DC’s Lois Lane and Marvel Comics’ Hawk Eye – to save the day.
Immensity praised for its story and of the performance executed by Amy Adams, the buzz about the five-time Academy Award-nominated actress is that she just might achieve a sixth nomination and an eventual win.
Directed by Denis Villeneuve, Arrival proves to be the best alternative for the ill-fated sequel Independence Day: Resurgence for fans of space movies. On an interesting note, the filmmaker has been assigned the heavy responsibility of directing the long-overdue sequel to Blade Runner. Judging from the success of Arrival, it can be safely assumed that Blade Runner 2049 is definitely in safe hands.
3. Manchester by the Sea
With the release of hotly anticipated yet disappointed Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Ben Affleck has been one of the most talked-about actors of the year but his younger brother has not been too far behind.
Arguably his greatest performance yet, Casey Affleck mesmerized everyone as sullen, ill-tempered loner Lee Chandler in Manchester by the Sea. After the unexpected death of his brother, Chandler finds himself with a handful of responsibilities as he is given the custody of his nephew.
A story of grief and tragedy, the movie might possibly result in Affleck’s first nomination for Academy Award for Best Actor since The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford in 2007. Premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and widely released in December, the movie is definitely Oscar material.
2. La La Land
Best known for his portrayal of “young and in love character” Noah Calhoun in the 2004 romantic comedy movie The Notebook, Ryan Gosling aimed to replicate all of that and he did brilliantly by starring in the romantic comedy movie La La Land.
Costarring Emma Stone, John Legend, and Academy Award-winning actor J. K. Simmons, the movie has received an unprecedented amount of rave reviews due to successfully revitalizing the art of musical film.
Apart from the amazing chemistry of Gosling and Stone being in the limelight of attention, the overall production and the incredible usage of musical scores to make the scenes more alluring also manages to steal the show. An expected front-runner as far as the Academy Awards are concerned, La La Land makes sure to keep the audience glued to their screens.
1. Moonlight
Receiving an enormous amount of praise in terms of acting, direction, musical score, screenplay, cinematography, and virtually anything that comes into mind as far as filmmaking is concerned, Moonlight seems to excel on every level possible.
Revolving around a withdrawn and shy homosexual African-American lad in Florida, Chiron struggles in the “War on Drugs” era while passing through three defining chapters of his life: ecstasy, pain, and falling in love.
Premiered at the Telluride Film Festival, jammed with a beautifully told story that exceeds perfection and receiving universal acclaim from the critics, Moonlight has undoubtedly deserved to be called the best movie of the entire year.
Did we miss any of the best movies of 2016? Please let us know in the comments below!
