Top Films and Performances of 2016 | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

Top Films and Performances of 2016

2016: Year in Film

21
Top Films and Performances of 2016
flickr

10. The Jungle Book (Disney)


Directed by Jon Favreau
Starring Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Scarlett Johansson & Idris Elba

The live action version of the 1967 animated film follows Mowgli, a human boy raised by a pack of wolves in an Indian jungle. With the help of Baloo and Bagheera, Mowgli goes through a journey of self discovery as he fights against Shere Khan, the tiger looking to rid Mowgli from the jungle.

Runtime: 1 hr, 46 mins

9. Zootopia (Disney)


Directed by Byron Howard & Rich Moore
Starring Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman & Idris Elba

The city of Zootopia is a mammal metropolis where various animals live among each other, including rabbits, foxes, sheep, lion, sloths and elephants. Judy Hopps becomes the city's first rabbit to join the police force and looks to solve a mysterious ongoing investigation to prove herself.

Runtime: 1 hr, 48 mins

8. Elle (SBS Distribution)


Directed by Paul Verhoeven
Starring Isabelle Huppert

A french film based on the novel Oh... written by Phillippe Dijan, Elle tells the story of Michele Leblanc; the head of a successful video game company, who after being raped in her home by an unknown attacker, takes measures into her own hands to track him down.

Runtime: 2 hrs, 10 mins

7. Fences (Paramount)


Directed by Denzel Washington
Starring Denzel Washington & Viola Davis

The film adaptation of August Wilson's Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning play, which follows the life of Troy; an African-American man who had dreams of becoming a professional baseball player, but couldn't because of the race barriers at the time. Old and bitter, he now works as a garbage-man to make-ends-meet for his family.

Runtime: 2 hrs, 19 mins

6. Hacksaw Ridge (Summit Entertainment)


Directed by Mel Gibson
Starring Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington & Hugo Weaving

The true story of WWII American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, who didn't believe in killing due to past experiences as well as his religious upbringing. As a result, Doss received a great deal of flack from his comrades and commanding officers, but in doing so won the Medal of Honor for his work in the Battle of Okinawa.

Runtime: 2 hrs, 19 mins

5. Arrival (Paramount)


Directed by Denis Villeneuve
Starring Amy Adams & Jeremy Renner

Amy Adams shines as Louise, a linguistics professor who leads a team of scientists in investigating 12 mysterious, extraterrestrial spacecrafts that appear across the planet. Adams' character, Louise, is faced with the task to interpret the alien creatures language and figure out what it is they want and prevent them for starting war on Earth.

Runtime: 1 hr, 56 mins

4. Jackie (Fox Searchlight)


Directed by Pablo Larrain
Starring Natalie Portman

This biopic centers around the widow of President John F. Kennedy, Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis following the assassination of JFK. The first lady must come to terms with one the most tragic moments in American history in order to maintain her husband's legacy.

Runtime: 1 hr, 40 mins

3. Manchester by the Sea (Amazon)


Directed by Kenneth Lonergan
Starring Casey Affleck & Michelle Williams

Lee Chandler returns to his hometown to take care of his wise-cracking nephew Patrick after the death of his brother. Not knowing that he is Patrick's legal guardian, Lee is forced to face the skeletons from his past that made him leave in the first place.

Runtime: 2 hrs, 17 mins

2. Moonlight (A24)


Directed by Barry Jenkins
Starring Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris & Janelle Monae

Over the course of three time periods, Moonlight follows Chiron through childhood, adolescence and young adulthood. As a child, Chiron lives with his single, drug addicted mother in the a low-income Miami neighborhood. As he grows older, struggling to find his place in the world, he slowly but surely becomes the man he desperately tried to avoid.

Runtime: 1 hr, 51 mins

1. La La Land (Summit Entertainment)

Directed by Damien Chazelle
Starring Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone

The film's title references both Los Angeles and the state of being out of touch with reality and tells the story of a struggling jazz pianist who falls for an aspiring actress working as a barista in Hollywood. Both have dreams of making it big, but in doing so the pair is faced with many challenges that test their relationship.

Runtime: 2 hrs, 8 mins

Top 10 Acting Performances

1. Casey Affleck - Manchester by the Sea
2. Mahershala Ali - Moonlight
3. Viola Davis - Fences
4. Isabelle Huppert - Elle
5. Natalie Portman - Jackie
6. Michelle Williams - Manchester by the Sea
7. Emma Stone - La La Land
8. Jeff Bridges - Hell or High Water
9. Amy Adams - Arrival
10. Denzel Washington - Fences

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
girl with a hat

This is for the girls who have dealt with an emotionally, mentally, physically or verbally abusive father.

The ones who have grown up with a false lens of what love is and how relationships should be. The ones who have cried themselves to sleep wondering why he hurts you and your family so much. This is for all the girls who fall in love with broken boys that carry baggage bigger than their own, thinking it's their job to heal them because you watched your mother do the same.

Keep Reading...Show less
Blair Waldorf Quote
"DESTINY IS FOR LOSERS. IT'S JUST A STUPID EXCUSE TO WAIT FOR THINGS TO HAPPEN INSTEAD OF MAKING THEM HAPPEN." - BLAIR WALDORF.

The world stopped in 2012 when our beloved show "Gossip Girl" ended. For six straight years, we would all tune in every Monday at 9:00 p.m. to see Upper Eastside royalty in the form of a Burberry headband clad Blair Waldorf. Blair was the big sister that we all loved to hate. How could we ever forget the epic showdowns between her and her frenemy Serena Van Der Woodsen? Or the time she banished Georgina Sparks to a Christian summer camp? How about that time when she and her girls took down Bart Bass? Blair is life. She's taught us how to dress, how to be ambitious, and most importantly, how to throw the perfect shade.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

11 Moments Every College Freshman Has Experienced

Because we made it, and because high school seniors deserve to know what they're getting themselves into

480
too tired to care

We've all been there. From move-in day to the first finals week in college, your first term is an adventure from start to finish. In honor of college decisions coming out recently, I want to recap some of the most common experiences college freshmen experience.

1. The awkward hellos on move-in day.

You're moving your stuff onto your floor, and you will encounter people you don't know yet in the hallway. They live on your floor, so you'll awkwardly smile and maybe introduce yourself. As you walk away, you will wonder if they will ever speak to you again, but don't worry, there's a good chance that you will make some great friends on your floor!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

21 Things I've Learned About College Life

College is not what everyone expects it to be.

238
laptop
Unsplash

The college years are a time for personal growth and success. Everyone comes in with expectations about how their life is supposed to turn out and envision the future. We all freak out when things don't go exactly as planned or when our expectations are unmet. As time goes on, we realize that the uncertainty of college is what makes it great. Here are some helpful reminders about life in college.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Lessons I Learned My Freshman Year

The first year of college opens your eyes to so many new experiences.

100
johnson hall
Samantha Sigsworth

Recently I completed my freshman year of college, and boy, what an experience. It was a completely new learning environment and I can't believe how much I learned. In an effort to save time, here are the ten biggest lessons I learned from my first year of college.

1. Everyone is in the same boat

For me, the scariest part of starting school was that I was alone, that I wouldn't be able to make any friends and that I would stick out. Despite being told time and time again that everyone had these same feelings, it didn't really click until the first day when I saw all the other freshman looking as uneasy and uncomfortable as me. Therefore, I cannot stress this enough, everyone is feeling as nervous as you.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments