Benchwarmer

I posted my top 30 favourites on Facebook at the end of last year, with the usual caveats that it was going by Australian release dates (so A HIDDEN LIFE will have to wait till next year) and likely subject to a lot of changes throughout January, which it so far has been. But as of today, I’m feeling very happy about my top 10, and I think it will likely stay fairly solid. My 10 favourites (in order of preference): 1. AMAZING GRACE 2. THE IRISHMAN 3. LITTLE WOMEN 4. ONE CHILD NATION 5. THE FAREWELL 6. APOLLO 11 7. THE BODY REMEMBERS WHEN THE WORLD BROKE OPEN 8. KNIVES OUT 9. MARRIAGE STORY 10. BY THE GRACE OF GOD

My lists (like every other year) are very much in flux, and will likely be edited at least a few times over the next couple of weeks, but overall, I do feel very happy about my top 10....also, my list is going by 'Australian release dates,' so it's highly likely that a number of these might have been seen by many of you last year, or just haven't been released in your country yet. Okay, here we go.... My 10 favourites (in order of preference): 1. ROMA 2. THE RIDER 3. SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE 4. SWEET COUNTRY 5. WON'T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? 6. LEAVE NO TRACE 7. SHOPLIFTERS 8. SUMMER 1993 9. I AM NOT A WITCH 10. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT 10 Runners-up (alphabetical): 1. BLACKKKLANSMAN 2. THE BREADWINNER 3. EIGHTH GRADE 4. FACES PLACES 5. FIRST MAN 6. FIRST REFORMED 7. FREE SOLO 8. A QUIET PLACE 9. THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD 10. TULLY 20 Honourable mentions (alphabetical): 1. ANNIHILATION 2. THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS 3. BLACK PANTHER 4. CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? 5. CUSTODY 6. THE DEATH OF STALIN 7. THE GUILTY 8. HEREDITARY 9. INCREDIBLES 2 10. LEAN ON PETE 11. MIRAI 12. NO DATE, NO SIGNATURE 13. EGY NAP (ONE DAY) 14. THE POST 15. SEARCHING 16. SHADOW 17. SHIRKERS 18. A STAR IS BORN 19. TEEN TITANS GO! TO THE MOVIES 20. WAJIB

So I have to give the usual disclaimer that a lot of the movies I list are stuff that many of you would have seen last year, as I’m going by Australian release dates. My 12 favourites (in order of preference): 1. SILENCE 2. DUNKIRK 3. A GHOST STORY 4. THE SALESMAN 5. THE UNKNOWN GIRL 6. MUDBOUND 7. I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO 8. PADDINGTON 2 9. MENASHE 10. GET OUT 11. WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES 12. MY HAPPY FAMILY 15 Runners-up (alphabetical order): 1. AFTER THE STORM 2. ALL SAINTS 3. THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN 4. FENCES 5. I CALLED HIM MORGAN 6. I DON’T FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE 7. THE INNOCENTS 8. LOVING 9. MOUNTAIN 10. ONLY THE BRAVE 11. PATHS OF THE SOUL 12. A SILENT VOICE 13. THINGS TO COME 14. THE WEDDING PLAN 15. THE YOUNG MESSIAH 20 Honourable Mentions (alphabetical order): 1. BABY DRIVER 2. BAD GENIUS 3. THE BIG SICK 4. BLADE RUNNER 2049 5. THE CASE FOR CHRIST 6. COCO 7. GOOD TIME 8. INGRID GOES WEST 9. INVERSION 10. THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE 11. A MONSTER CALLS 12. MOONLIGHT 13. 1922 14. PATRIOTS DAY 15. STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI 16. STRONG ISLAND 17. THE TEACHER 18. THOR: RAGNAROK 19. THREE WEST 20. WONDER WOMAN

Well FWIW, that has already been confirmed: https://mobile.twitter.com/DecentFilms/status/786360573432823808

Good observations Mike.

FWIW SDG, it is for literally all the reasons that you mentioned that I was in a debate with my brother (who began entering the seminary last year) over the films' negative portrayal of Catholicism. I personally found the films' altogether negative portrayal - with the one exception being in (what is significantly) a "fantasy/perfect world" sequence - of Catholicism to be a strong caveat in a film that really had a lot going for it. My brother was able to bracket the anti-Catholic elements in a way that I found I could not. He felt that the "1980's Irish counter-cultural context" was an understandable backdrop for the villainous portrayal of Brother Baxter and the negative youthful attitude towards the faith, but his more relaxed take wasn't enough to encourage me to give the film a place on my end-of-year honourable mentions list.

Like a lot of other people, I found trying to narrow my favourites down to be a very difficult task this year. 2016 struck me as an above average year at the movies in many respects. Two disclaimers: 1. I'm likely to come back and edit these lists in the coming weeks, so they are very much in flux. 2. Y'all here at the Arts and Faith community will likely notice that a lot of the movies I list are stuff that you would have seen last year. That's because (like every other year) my lists are going by Australian release dates. My favourites (in order of preference): 1. PATERSON 2. 45 YEARS 3. BROOKLYN 4. LOVE & FRIENDSHIP 5. THE RED TURTLE 6. HELL OR HIGH WATER 7. SHERPA 8. ARRIVAL 9. HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE 10. THE JUNGLE BOOK 11. TRAIN TO BUSAN 12. SPOTLIGHT 13. HACKSAW RIDGE 14. DOCTOR STRANGE 15. QUEEN OF KATWE Runners-up (alphabetical order): 1. APRIL AND THE EXTRAORDINARY WORLD 2. THE BFG 3. EYE IN THE SKY 4. HAIL, CAESAR 5. KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS 6. MIDNIGHT SPECIAL 7. RAMS 8. SULLY 9. 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE 10. THE WITCH Honourable mentions (alphabetical order): 1. THE BIG SHORT 2. THE FOUNDER 3. LIFE, ANIMATED 4. PETE'S DRAGON 5. SAND STORM 6. SNOOPY AND CHARLIE BROWN: THE PEANUTS MOVIE 7. STAR TREK BEYOND 8. STEVE JOBS 9. YOUR NAME 10. ZOOTOPIA

I saw it about 4 months ago. I definitely recommend re-visiting it soon. FWIW, I know at least two other Arts and Faith regulars who are likely to list it in their favourites also.

Okay, edited and fixed. But let it be known that Part I was also there once upon a time!!!

In alphabetical order: 2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick, 1968) 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days (Mungiu, 2007) Babe (Noonan, 1995) Fargo (Coens, 1996) The Godfather Part II (Coppola, 1974) Of Gods and Men (Beauvois, 2010) Raiders of the Lost Ark (Spielberg, 1981) The Son (Dardennes, 2002) Spirited Away (Miyazaki, 2001) Vertigo (Hitchcock, 1958)

You may not be wrong at all. It seems to me that Some Like it Hot & The Apartment are held in such high regard everywhere I look. Double Indemnity & Sunset Boulevard are also held in high regard, but I see them talked about a lot less than the other two in critic circles these days. Though I'm quite happy to acknowledge that I may very well be looking in the wrong places. Either way, my main reason for saying this is that I seem to personally be more easily drawn to early Wilder films than I am to his later ones!!!

Having watched several Wilder films within the last few months, I'm inclined to say Double Indemnity & Sunset Boulevard > Some Like it Hot & The Apartment by a pretty strong margin!!!

Going by Australian release dates - My favourites (in order of preference): 1. PHOENIX 2. INSIDE OUT 3. SELMA 4. MAD MAX: FURY ROAD 5. THE END OF THE TOUR 6. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - ROGUE NATION 7. WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE 8. LEVIATHAN 9. EX MACHINA 10. CINDERELLA 11. LOVE & MERCY Runners-up (alphabetical): 1. AMERICAN SNIPER 2. BRIDGE OF SPIES 3. FOXCATCHER 4. THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 2 5. THE IMITATION GAME 6. KNIGHT OF CUPS 7. THE MARTIAN 8. SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE 9. STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS Honourable Mentions (alphabetical): 1. '71 2. 99 HOMES 3. AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON 4. CREED 5. GETT: THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE AMSALEM 6. GIRLHOOD 7. A MOST VIOLENT YEAR 8. MR. HOLMES 9. STILL ALICE 10. TRAINWRECK Others worth mentioning (alphabetical): 1. ANT-MAN 2. DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL 3. FAR FROM MEN 4. JURASSIC WORLD 5. MAN UP 6. MOMMY 7. SICARIO

That's an excellent review Evan. Great job!!!

Which one?