On Wednesday I revealed the first part of my annual list of the year’s best films. They are, in ascending order: Manchester by the Sea, The Edge of Seventeen and Sing Street (tied for No. 9), Moonlight, Captain Fantastic and Hidden Figures. So here then is the top five, my picks for the year’s best movies — and of course finally the one that tops them all.
As I said, making this list is very tough as there are so many great choices in 2016. Assigning a number to each of them is difficult, almost a fool’s errand, but that is the game this time of year. This was a particularly good movie year, especially for films with a strong independent spirit, and the ones that made my final cut are there for specific reasons — and I wanted to spotlight the adventurous, original filmmaking spirit is common to each of my choices.
As for my No. 1 film, it is in that spot because it is doing something no movie has done in a very long time: a complete original that celebrates the art of cinema in ways that are very encouraging. But I have to say it really doesn’t matter what number they are on this list, all these films (along with many I wanted to include) are winners and represent hope that the movie business can thrive even if you don’t make $100 million your first weekend.
Check out above to see my top five films of 2016. And Happy New Year. I hope 2017 turns out to be as good a year for movies as this one has been.
