Feature - Films I Missed in 2016 (and some I saw)

I always enjoy reading film Top Ten (and Bottom Ten) lists at the end of the year. Much as I'd love to add my own, however, I got back into this reviewing lark much too late in the day to produce the full deal. Here's what we'll do instead...

I'll submit five films I really enjoyed, then list ten I totally failed to see, along with brief descriptions of why I want to catch up with them. Then if you've seen any on the list, you can let me know whether or not, in your opinion, they're worth my time. Sounds good? It totally does. Let's go.

Five I Loved

1. Creed

This could have been nothing more than a Rocky rip-off. Instead it had heart, depth and a Sly Stallone who looked so hang-dog you wanted to hug him. He might have punched you though, if you tried.

2. Captain America: Civil War

A super-hero movie with wit, style and superb direction, where the protagonists are each other's main antagonist. They did the same thing in Batman Versus Superman, but not, so I've been told, to anywhere near as good effect. 

3. Nocturnal Animals

It's a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma, swathed in total darkness. But it's also written and directed by fashion designer Tom Ford, so it looks amazing throughout. I was kind of uplifted and depressed at the same time, but never less than engrossed.

4. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

This one just uplifted me, as on the wings of a thunderbird. J K Rowling's imagination is back on screen and this time she's writing her own screenplays. Her characters are funny and endearing, and as for those beasts... They're pretty damn fantastic.

5. Arrival 

Not everyone loved this story of close alien encounters as much as I did. However let me put it this way - in a year of global insanity, this is a visually powerful story about the importance of communication, perspective and love. 2016 needed this film more than any other. It reminds us what's important.

Ten I Missed

1. I, Daniel Blake

Apparently it's Ken Loach (now in his 80s) being as politically provocative as ever. This film got name-checked several times in Parliamentary debates. It looks like one robust piece of social drama.

2. Hell or High Water

Contemporary crime-thriller-cum-Western with a reputation for having real grit. It also has real Jeff Bridges.

3. Midnight Special

Science fiction film that sounds a bit X-Files-y. My regular reader Dave Thomas (who frankly knows a lot more than I do about cinema) says I should see it. Good enough for me, my friend.

4. The Revenant

Leonardo de Caprio wrestles a bear and the American wilderness. He wins an Oscar for his trouble.

5. Room

The story behind Room does sound scarily reminiscent of the Josef Fritzl case, but word is it's much more about the power and imagination of a mother's love for her child.

6. Deadpool

Another Dave Thomas recommendation. Super hero movie of the year, he insists, but I sense it's rather less family-friendly than Captain America: Civil War.

7. Love and Friendship

It's got Kate Beckinsale being as outrageous as one can be in a Jane Austen adaptation. Sexy.

8. 10 Cloverfield Lane

I know this is linked at some obscure level to 2008 found-footage horror film Cloverfield. The trailer suggests a scary John Goodman and lots of sweaty paranoia.

9. Julieta

It's Pedro Almodovar's best since his 2006 Volver, so they say, and 'they' include Mark Kermode. Plus I really liked Volver.

10. Under the Shadow

An Iranian horror film with depth, I am assured. I like my Iranian horror films to have depth. (I've never actually seen an Iranian horror film - but if I did, I'd definitely want it to have depth.)


One I Dread

Son of Saul

So the word on this Holocaust drama is that it goes to the dark places from which Schindler's List shied away. Supposedly it's very good indeed, making it one of those films I feel I should watch, rather than want to.

That's all from me regarding UK film releases in 2016. Let me know if you've seen any on my lists and what you thought. Also, if I've missed out any must-sees, let me know that too! And did you have any bad movie experiences? Those are always fun to hear about. Over to you.