lynchian's 2016 in film

Featuring the best and worst films last year had to offer. Rants, raves, favorite performances, etc.

Let's do this

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Recent Viewings (rewatches noted with an *)
Barbarian- (4/5)
Nope- (4.5/5)
Jurassic Park Dominion- 0.5/5
What Josiah Saw- (4.5/5)

Elle

(3,5 out of 4)

I first fell in love with Isabelle Huppert after seeing in I Heart Huckabees at the age of 14. Her mere presence immediately had me captivated whenever she was on screen, when it ended I knew I had to seek out more of her films. Watching The Piano Teacher later on just solidified the fact that she is among the greatest actors in the business today. With Elle, Huppert has found a character she was born to play. She is once again flawless in her portrayal of a very damaged individual, but also a smart one. To label it as a mere rape-revenge story would be to short change the final product., Director Paul Verhoeven does away with cliches and familiarity for something radically different. Every expectation is subverted keeping the proceedings quietly tense and not always knowing where it is going to go. And where it goes are some pretty taboo areas that will make many a viewer squirm, gasp, or potentially offended. Somehow Verhoeven makes it work excellently, and there is never a sense of exploitation or lack of taste. Instead we have a dark, fearless, and vivid character study that will leave much to chew upon and process. Elle is a fascinating work, but without Huppert it would not be the same, she really owns this piece. A peak performance, in a career of many peak performances.

Suicide Squad

(1 out of 4)

Who the hell knows what went wrong with this one, whether it be studio interference, or just plain awful. It gets just about everything wrong; the hack job editing, the embarrassing performances, the basic storyline that lacks an ounce of intelligence or logic, or the worst examples of how to use music cues in film. I could go on, but in short Suicide Squad is a trashy mess. The closest thing we get to greatness is Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, she absolutely steals the show, her Harley is the films high point. When she’s not on screen we immediately flatline once again. Then there is Leto’s Joker, of which I was intrigued and anticipating what he would do with the iconic character. Let’s just say everything Heath Ledger did right, Leto did wrong. Fortunately there’s not much of him, and if what we see of his performance is any indication— I don’t think he was edited out because of length issues. He tried though, bless him. Just watch Mystery Men instead.

Good Elle review . I liked it alot top ten for me so far. Haven't and probably won't see Suicide Squad.

We're having 2016 Film Awards if you are interested in sending a list, btw. The deadline is March 1st if you're interested, here's the thread -

http://www.movieforums.com/community...ad.php?t=47192

(3 out of 4)

Not your average horror film going for cheap scares, but rather a deeply unsettling study on the effects that can be caused by an unspeakably traumatic event. A thick layer of dread, grief, and melancholy weighs down on every moment within the film. Taking it’s time to quietly sneak up on the viewer, only to throw truly disturbing, even haunting, images and implications. Gorgeously, perhaps ironically, shot in black and white, and downright chilling. The Eyes Of My Mother slowly burrows its way into your head and stays there.

Thanks! Yeah I've been working on my voting choices for the past couple of nights. It's hard to pick just 5 in each category. I know I'm going to forget some of my favorites.

Eyes of My Mother is another one from my top ten. Still got plenty i want to see though.

Most films dealing with the common ‘mother is battling cancer’ trope go for easy manipulation if only to get people to break out the kleenex to wipe their tears. Other People, while dealing with familiar themes, executes them so gracefully and with such humanity that it never feels cheap or overly sentimental. Molly Shannon gives a career best performance, showing the many stages of cancer; the hope, the heartbreak, the vulnerability, and the bitterness of acceptance without a false note in sight. Jesse Plemons more than holds his own, his warmth and pain are deeply felt, and both Shannon and Plemons form a miraculous dynamic. Sad though it is, there is so much truth and natural humor in Other People that it takes on the flow of real life, rather than a lifetime movie of the week. It earns it’s every tear and laugh.

What is your top 10?

01.American Honey
02.Everybody Wants Some
03.Certain Women
04.Krisha
05.The Witch
06.13TH
07.Your Name
08.Sing Street
09.Elle
10.The Eyes of my Mother

Only seen 26 though and i probably won't get to alot of the ones i want to see most until next month.

What ones do you want to see most?

Manchester By The Sea, Silence, Moonlight, The Salesman, La La Land, The Edge of Seventeen, I, Daniel Blake, The Handmaiden, Toni Erdmann. Probably forgetting some.

Checkout The Childhood of a Leader, Christine, Always Shine, The Neon Demon, and The Wailing while you're at it.

Christine (Kate Plays Christine too), The Neon Demon and The Wailing are on my watchlist too. Not sure if i've heard of the other two.

All the ones i've seen are in this post btw.

An account of the tragedy that occurred on August 1st, 1966, when Charles Whitman climbed to the top of a texas university tower with a sniper and shot 49 people, killing 14. Tower is an incredible cinematic achievement. A documentary like none other released in 2016, perhaps unlike any I have ever seen in general. Mixing rotoscope animated re-enactments, talking heads with both the actual survivors and the actors playing them, and chilling archival footage. The cumulative impact is both staggering and cathartic. What’s most refreshing though is that the main focus remains on the unexpected heroes and victims of that day, rather than exploring what drove Whitman to his horrific acts. From this we get testimonies that are as gut-wrenching as they are life-affirming, with factual accounts that restore faith in humanity, while also powerfully breaking the heart. Beyond that it’s a visionary work of cinematic art, the animation is ingeniously incorporated, never getting in the way of the cathartic power the film holds. Of all the films released last year, both factual and fictional, Tower is absolutely essential viewing.