All The Movies CinemaBlend Gave 5-Star Reviews To In 2016
A perfect 5-star rating is hard to achieve. It SHOULD be hard to achieve, by design. Movies rarely are perfect, though we appreciate the ones that strive for greatness. And this year, though we handed out numerous 4.5-star grades to movies like Moana, American Honey, Hell or High Water and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, we only distributed 5-star ratings to eight films.
These, then, are the cream of the crop. They are the best films that the critics at CinemaBlend saw, the ones that made us go all the way to the top of our ratings scale and give out the perfect grade. Chances are you will read about these movies again as we start to publish our personal Top 10 lists on the site this week. So, how many of these perfect films did you see? And do you agree that, for 2016, these were as close to perfection as the year could manage?
Arrival
Denis Villeneuve, who is about to break it big with Blade Runner 2049 and a possible reboot of Dune, shows off his knack for intelligent science-fiction with this astounding contemplation of the global community's reaction to First Contact. Amy Adams plays a key linguist brought in to establish communication with an alien species, potentially preventing World War III in the process.
From our review:
The Nice Guys
Welcome back to the land of film noir, Shane Black! After a detour to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for Iron Man 3 with his frequent collaborator Robert Downey Jr., Black (Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout) once again is telling a seedy detective yarn in his favorite city (Los Angeles) during his favorite time period (the dirty, grimy 1970s). Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe are a dream team for private dick jokes, the case is deliciously twisted, and Black's attention to period detail are to die for.
From our review:
La La Land
The other "Ryan Gosling in L.A." movie to come out this year, and one that's equally delightful, just in a different way. Whiplash director Damien Chazelle tries another musical, this one more traditional than his little-seen directorial debut Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench. Focused on the dreamers who chase impossible goals in Los Angeles, La La Land is drunk on the chemistry between Gosling and Emma Stone, and boasts the year's most memorable and rewarding soundtrack of original hits.
CINEMABLEND NEWSLETTER
Your Daily Blend of Entertainment News
From our review:
Captain America: Civil War
You knew a superhero movie would have to make this list (and Deadpool came close to joining the ranks). This is the Golden Age of comic book adaptations, and Joe and Anthony Russo's Captain America: Civil War expertly continued to expand the tapestry that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe by: introducing new heroes; tearing apart existing heroes; bringing majestic Marvel storylines to life; and laying a strong foundation on which future MCU directors can build.
From our review:
High-Rise
Ben Wheatley makes odd, arresting and engrossing films, from Kill List (2011) to Sightseers (2012). With High-Rise, he pushes the envelope of what's expected from even a Wheatley movie, setting off a towering building where every floor promises something more bizarre than the next. Wheatley is an acquired taste, for sure, but those who dig him will no doubt be hungering for his next film, Free Fire, due in theaters in 2017.
From our review:
Zootopia
What a year for Walt Disney Animation. The studio behind Frozen and Wreck-It Ralph is ending very strong with Moana. But it also delivered a modern masterpiece with surprising cultural commentary in Zootopia, a story (on the surface) of a dedicated bunny doing everything she can to make it as a police officer on the streets of the title town. But dig down deep, and Zootopia talks at length about the labels that divide us, all in a colorful and exciting animated package that'll entertain the whole family.
From our review:
The Witch
For all the talk about 2016 being a disappointing year, the horror genre produced several winners. Only one, though, received a perfect 5-star grade from us, and that was Robert Eggers' New England folk tale, The Witch. Set in the 17th century, the story wonders if the responsible teenage daughter of a fractured family may or may not be possessed by an evil entity. There's also a gruff goat named Black Phillip, as if the central scares in the movie weren't terrifying enough. The end of The Witch will have you debating with friends for months.
From our review:
A Monster Calls
One of our most recent reviews, yet still, one of the best films of the year. We are huge fans of director J.A. Bayona on CinemaBlend, after he took us on incredible rides with The Orphanage and The Impossible. His new A Monster Calls is a total tear-jerker, with an astounding performance by young Lewis MacDougall as a boy losing his mom (Felicity Jones) to cancer. Bring tissues, but be prepared to love every frame of this masterpiece.
From our review:
Sean O’Connell is a journalist and CinemaBlend’s Managing Editor. Having been with the site since 2011, Sean interviewed myriad directors, actors and producers, and created ReelBlend, which he proudly cohosts with Jake Hamilton and Kevin McCarthy. And he's the author of RELEASE THE SNYDER CUT, the Spider-Man history book WITH GREAT POWER, and an upcoming book about Bruce Willis.