The 15 Best Movies of 2016

Image courtesy of Walt Disney Studios

Some have called 2016 the worst year in recent cinematic history. Whether you agree or not, here are the 15 best movies released in 2016.

Raise your hand if you’re excited 2016 is over. I know I am. Not only did this year suck in terms of mass celebrity casualties and the election, but there’s quite the argument worth making about the movies this year being less than exemplary. So when it came time to craft my list of the year’s best, I was shocked that I found over fifty films I recalled enjoying this year, eventually paring that down into the 15 you see here – with five honorable mentions. Of course, with time being of the essence I’ve probably missed many films others would consider worthy. And since I don’t live in a major city, late-January releases like Fences and Silence didn’t make the cut. That’s why you should all leave your own lists in the comments, if only to tell people what’s worth watching.

As far as honorable mentions go, these are the films that just barely made the cut: Karyn Kusama’s thriller of manners, The Invitation; Disney had a great year and Jon Faverau’s beautiful, photorealistic adaptation of The Jungle Book almost got in; the horror genre had so many fantastic features and two of them – The Witch and Hush – almost made the list; the Coen brothers Hollywood throwback Hail, Caesar! and the bizarre Catfish-esque documentary, Tickled.

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