Well, I had intended to wrap up this ranking in a single post a few days ago. But - big surprise - I got lazy. I'd rather put out something than nothing, however, so here you go. It's not the big conclusion to the list that you all have been waiting for (and by you all, I mean the three people that have been following this ranking) but for now it will have to do.
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#10
Coming into this movie, I thought it would be your standard shark attack film. I didn't have very high hopes.
Turns out I liked the movie a lot more than I had thought I would. This isn't just a cheesy shark film. This is a film about life or death survival. It features a character being tormented by a shark, but it has more substance to it than that. As Blake Lively swims around the ocean from a giant whale carcass to a floating buoy to a random chunk of rock sticking out of the water looking for safe haven, she reflects on what brought her here. Memories of her mother and how this used to be her favorite place.
The movie surprised me because it isn't all action and people getting killed by sharks. It has a heart too. Not only is it very fast paced, intense, and not only did it keep me on the edge of my seat - it pulled me in on an emotional level as well.
Plus, Steven Seagull was a total stud.
This was an excellent movie, but not quite good enough to be a serious contender for favorite movie watched in '16.
#9
Here is another movie I didn't know much about when I started watching it. I had read the premise of the film, but I expected it to be more noir-like, somehow. The basic idea is that a band playing a gig at a seedy club witnesses a murder and is held hostage by the club's owner, who is trying to cover up the crime.
That is the basic idea, but the film is much more brutal than you would expect. There is a lot of violence here, some of it very graphic and lifelike. The physical and psychological torture some of these characters go through can be tough to watch. The whole film is very intense, and the level of dread the characters feel is palpable in the air.
I always look for movies that can elicit a strong emotional response, and this one does just that. You can't help but feel on the edge of your seat the whole way through. It is just so suspenseful. My only complaint is that I really feel that Patrick Stewart could have been amazing as a bad guy, but he is way too subdued here. He's the main reason I watched, but I was a little let down by his performance.
#8
I have seen this movie many times in my life, but I never really sat down and watched it and focused on it until my viewing in 2016. In the past I have found this movie to be just okay, but watching it now I loved it and was really fascinated by it.
This film is loosely based on the life of the Marquis DeSade. In the movie, he is being held captive at a mental hospital. He's done terrible things in his past. Violence, rape. I think it is hinted that he murdered someone. He also writes a lot of sexually graphic stories, which are taboo for his time. He smuggles them out of the mental hospital with the help of Kate Winslet's character. She is a chambermaid that takes out his laundry.
The whole movie is very, very entertaining. There is a big and colorful cast of characters. The Marquis himself is the biggest character of all, but the people he shares occupancy with at the mental hospital really add to the carnival-esque tone of the film.
Things get darker in the second half of the movie when the Marquis's stories are traced back to the hospital, and someone is brought in to stop him from writing by any means necessary.
I was fascinated by the film and its violent and at the same time very sexual tone. But also by the character of the Marquis himself. You can tell a movie has piqued my interest when I research it after the fact (which I normally don't do). Quills definitely left a big impression on me.
#7
I thought the Rocky franchise was dead and had nowhere else to go. This isn't technically a Rocky movie, but it does prove that there is still life in the film's story line.
Creed follows the boxing career of Adonis, an orphaned boy who finds out that world famous boxer Apollo Creed was his dad. He follows in his dad's footsteps to become the best ever, teaming up with Rocky Balboa who vows to train him to the best of his ability. The two have their ups and downs, but become very close in the process.
The movie not only makes you feel good with Adonis and his underdog story, it also tugs at the heartstrings as Rocky suffers health problems and spends some time in the hospital. The acting is really great in this movie, and it made me shed a few tears while watching.
This was a great movie that I would rank above several movies in the Rocky franchise. I was very impressed bu the film and hope to see a sequel some day.
#6
It is actually a little disappointing to me that this film "only" ranks number 6 on my list. I had been looking forward to this for a long time, and was hoping that it would blow me away as one of the best Star Wars films of all time.
While it is certainly an excellent movie, I expected better. The first half of the film is a little bit of a mess. Too many worlds, too many characters, too many odd situations where you don't know what the heck is going on. Once things start to come together a bit, however, the whole movie turns itself around.
I had a really great time with the second half of the film. It was vintage Star Wars with the big battles and the epic musical score. The movie really shines with its tone in the second half. The whole underdog story, that feeling of hopelessness like the main characters have to do everything themselves, or they will all be wiped out. There is this certain feeling of dread that permeates the whole second half of the movie that I found to be very well done.
It is a sad movie too, with a lot of heartfelt moments. Major spoilers coming up, so be forewarned. But about a half hour into the movie I got this feeling in my stomach like "oh crap everyone is going to die, aren't they?" A lot of characters from the film appear in later Star Wars movies, but all the main ones are nowhere to be seen. So I was pretty sure that they were all going to die getting their hands on the plans, and that is exactly what happened.
Many manly tears were shed while watching this movie.
So while this movie wasn't necessarily as great as I had hoped it would be, I still consider it a very worthy addition to the Star Wars universe.
Still in contention:
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Captain America: Civil War
10 Cloverfield Lane
The Rock
10 Cloverfield Lane
The Rock
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