This is the Sun Day News’ third annual review of the past year in movies. I saw a total of twenty-eight films this year, and obviously I missed some good ones (Manchester by the Sea, Fences, Jackie, and Moonlight among others). I also know I missed a treasure trove of bad ones. Thus, my comments are limited to the ones I have seen.
Category one, my favorites, in no particular order: 1. The Jungle Book, director Jon Favreau’s photorealistic look at Kipling’s timeless story is amazing. This great adventure story is for all ages. 2. Sully, Clint Eastwood’s adaptation of “the miracle on the Hudson,” stars Tom Hanks as pilot Chesley Sullenberger. You won’t soon forget the three minutes and twenty eight seconds in the cockpit as the plane maneuvers to land in the river. 3. Queen of Katwe, the true story of a young girl, living in the impoverished slums of Kampala, Uganda, who becomes a chess prodigy. This is a great movie overlooked by the critics and theatregoers alike. 4. Arrival, a superb science fiction story starring Amy Adams as a linguist trying to communicate with aliens whose space ship is hovering over Montana. 5. Passengers, a stirring space odyssey, highly creative and innovative. 6. La La Land, a legitimate Hollywood musical with great song and dance routines, just like the old days. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling surprise us with their musical talents.
Category two, biggest disappointments. 1. Independence Day, another failed sequel, lots of hype and nothing to show for it. The director should have known they were in trouble when the climax of the film featured Judd Hirsch driving a school bus across the desert. 2. Ben Hur, I wiled away my time playing solitaire while this debacle was on screen. 3. Jason Bourne, if you are a fan of the original trilogy, as I am, this will disappoint you. If, however, you like senseless deaths and obliteration this will satisfy your needs for at least a decade.
Category Three, worst films of the year. 1. Mother’s Day, this is a mindless, meaningless tribute to the most important people on earth. The all-star cast cannot overcome a terrible script and the film editing fails completely. 2. X Men Apocalypse, as hard as I tried I could not get a refund; this was a terrible (correction-horrible) sequel. 3. Now You See Me 2, this was a sequel. The original was terrible, so you can imagine how bad this one had to be. What a waste.
There are two other films I would like to comment on, and they are extreme polar opposites. Hacksaw Ridge is Mel Gibson’s realistic look at the bloody battle of Okinawa, putting on display not only the heroic true story of Medal of Honor winner, medic Desmond Doss, but the barbarism of the Japanese army as well. (No doubt ISIS learned from them). It was a tremendous movie but I thought it was too graphic. We heard from readers who disagreed and those who agreed. Pick your poison. Nocturnal Animals is probably the most obnoxious movie I have seen in some time. If you are titillated by heavy people dancing around totally nude, “machine gun” profanity, rape, and mutilating murder, this is for you.
Category Four, my favorite performances of the year, once again in no particular order. 1. Jennifer Garner, Miracles from Heaven. 2. Neel Sethi, The Jungle Book. 3. Viggo Mortenson, Captain Fantastic. 4. Tom Hanks, Sully. 5. Madina Nalwanga, Queen of Katwe. 6. Lupita Nyong’o, Queen of Katwe. 7. Amy Adams, Arrival. Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence, Passengers. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, La La Land.
In my opinion, Sully was the best movie of the year, but I would bet on La La Land grabbing the gold. Let me know what movie you liked the best.
