All the Movies I Saw in 2016

For the 5th straight year, I tweeted about All the Movies I Saw™ in the previous 365 days. I’ll tweet every five minutes from now until I’m done. I ended 2016 w/ a movie on December 30. I began the year w/ a movie on January 1. In between, I watched 90 others, for a total of 92 films. I saw 32 movies in a theater, 52 at home and 8 elsewhere (including 5 on planes & 1 in a Moroccan hotel). I’d seen previously 8 of my 92. The oldest movie I watched was from 1951. The newest, obviously, was from 2016—I saw 44 of those. Overall I saw movies from 20 diff. years.

• Best of Enemies (2015) … Doc informs us how Buckley/Vidal changed TV discourse, but the words from their own mouths really tell the story.

• The Big Short (2015) … Equal parts comedy, polemic & edutainment, this 4th-wall-breaking horror story really happened. Can we learn from it?

• Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) … Upon 2nd viewing, most of my quibbles washed away, as the wow-factor gave way to sheer appreciation.

• Danny Collins (2015) … Some of the story beats hit a little too hard on melodrama, but the entire cast charms, especially Bening & Pacino.

• Anomalisa (2015) … As with any Charlie Kaufman project, this puppeted allegory could be called bleak or optimistic, depending on your mood.

• The Revenant (2015) … The frontier is a brutal, unforgiving place—not necessarily because of nature, but because of the men who inhabit it.

• Groundhog Day (1993) … Bunan said it best: “Die while you’re alive & be absolutely dead. Then do you whatever you want: it’s all good.”

• Paper (1994) … The idea of a print deadline determining the news seems so quaint, but only because we rush to judgment even quicker w/o one.

• Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall (2016) … Worthy tribute to the still-great LP that set the table for MJ’s megastardom.

• Hail, Caesar! (2016) … The Coens are now like Spielberg in that even their weird, “lesser” detour films are entertaining & expertly crafted.

• Straight Outta Compton (2015) … Too long & too biopic-formulaic, yet vibrant & vital throughout, esp. Jason Mitchell as tragic hero Eazy-E.

• Miller’s Crossing (1990) … Almost too straightforward, at least per my expectations as a Coen fan for twenty years who hadn’t yet seen this.

• Steve Jobs (2015) … Sorkin’s take on the Jobs story cuts & pastes from fact to create fiction, yet the A+ acting makes it feel true anyway.

• The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) … Ritchie so fully commits to his style-over-substance M.O. that this guilty pleasure is mostly guilt-free.

• 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) … Mary Elizabeth Winstead does her best Sigourney Weaver in this anthology sidequel that kept me guessing.

• Barton Fink (1991) … Delightfully weird, as you would expect from the Coens. Also absurdist AND disturbing, which is a tricky line to toe.

• Adult Beginners (2015) … Likable, but a better “siblings struggling w/ adulthood after losing their parents” movie is You Can Count on Me.

• Midnight Special (2016) … A very ’80s/Spielbergian brand of sci-fi/family/road picture that maybe doesn’t quite add up, but is a fun ride.

• Sleeping With Other People (2015) … The ribald rom-com is a subgenre that’s pretty tapped out, but Brie & Sudeikis make up for deficiencies.

• American Graffiti (1973) … In every way this is the predecessor to Dazed & Confused, and if you love one, you’re going to love the other.

• Spectre (2015) … Incredible set pieces & a credible story yet still an overlong, possibly unnecessary 4th Craig/Raimi pic. Time for new 007?

• Captain America: Civil War (2016) … Not amazed, but the high degree of difficulty—servicing story, characters, intros—was met with aplomb.

• The Good Dinosaur (2015) … Muddled ideas, cliché story beats mar Pixar’s most lush animation yet, paired w/ some genuinely weird/funny bits.

• Keanu (2016) … I hate cats, so I wasn’t into the premise at all, but I love George Michael, so none of that mattered. Hilarious at times.

• Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979) … Who knew a silly trifle of a teen comedy featuring The Ramones could double as a strong ode to feminism?

• Café Society (2016) … Briefly delightful—when Kristen Stewart’s on screen— but mostly middling rom-com with the usual Woody Allen tropes.

• Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You (2016) … Fitting tribute to one of TV history’s titans, who is as intrepid now as he was then.

• Microbe & Gasoline (2016) … Michel Gondry tamps down his whimsy in this French coming-of-age dramedy, but thankfully doesn’t lose his wit.

• Contemporary Color (2016) … Vibrant concert doc focusing on the sport/art of color guard, anchored by the curatorial prowess of David Byrne.

• My Blind Brother (2016) … Rom-com love triangle is best when it diverts from the titular brothers to @jennyslate’s nuanced performance.

• A Song for You: The Austin City Limits Story (2016) … Not quite thorough—how can it be given 40 years of history?—but thoroughly enjoyable.

• Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016) … The jokes, which never stop being hilarious, hang on a predictable—if effective—story framework.

• Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) … Maybe something’s lost in decades-long translation, but I can’t believe this awful sequel spawned not 1 but 2 more.

• Don’t Think Twice (2016) … A tender coming-of-age comedy for our modern times, which is to say it’s about 30-somethings accepting adulthood.

• Fantastic Four (2015) … First half: wait, this isn’t THAT bad, maybe everyone’s just hating? Second half: oh, no, no no no… it’s TERRIBLE.

• Deadpool (2016) … 4th-wall-breaking anti-superhero flick contains plenty of laughs (and even more violence) but ultimately rings hollow.

• O.J. Made in America (2016) … With a low-key brilliance, the epic 7.5hr doc explores every American foible & “ism” thru the life of one man.

• Weiner (2016) … Watching the tumultuous life of Anthony Weiner as it happens reminds you of his humanity & failures—and ours as society.

• Experimenter (2015) … The blatant theatricality & showiness of the filmic experiments nicely underline those of biopic subject Milgram.

• Finding Dory (2016) … Good-but-not-great sequel to the good-but-not-great Nemo. That said, funny, occasionally touching & well-performed.

• The BFG (2016) … The whizzpopping magic of the book is missing—but maybe that’s just because I’m decades older? Good for the kiddos, though.

• Ghostbusters (2016) … Weak on story & light on fright but boy (girl?), is it full of laughs, especially any time Kate McKinnon is on screen.

• All the President’s Men (1976) … That this film existed just years after the events seems shocking now, when it feels just as vital as ever.

• Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) … Pleasantly quirky coming-of-age Kiwi dramedy with a gruff Sam Neill & a funny, affecting young star.

• The Hateful Eight (2015) … Just when it begins to drag, Tarantino wisely pivots to keep the viewer entertained for a bloody/funny back half.

• El Topo (1970) … Full of artful, arresting images, yet mostly unwatchable due to Jodorowsky’s dreamlike editing & loose adherence to plot.

• The Lobster (2016) … Like the makers of Black Mirror decided to do a rom-com, which is to say it’s funny, true & dispiriting, all at once.

• Star Trek Beyond (2016) … Somehow the most Trek-y of the reboot series while also being the fastest & furious-est, it’s an ok-but-fun ride.

• Everybody Wants Some (2016) … Found it hard to relate to so much of this, yet I also felt it to be honest & true, so… it was maybe great?

• A League of Their Own (1992) … There’s a level of truthiness here even if the story of the AAGPBL deserves a movie based on actual facts.

• Hello, My Name Is Doris (2016) … Proof that coming-of-age stories work at any age & that Sally Field remains likable after all these years.

• The Apartment (1960) … So very topical in story yet so very daring in terms of what was shown on film at the time—a bold, deep black comedy.

• The Natural (1984) … There’s not much going on here, but what does happen is so magical (in all the ways) that it’s irresistible in the end.

• Gremlins (1984) … Don’t think I’d seen this since the mid-80s. After re-watching it, I don’t think I ever need to see it again. Just awful.

• Green Room (2016) … Totally horrific, but I don’t think you can call it a horror movie. It’s so real that it’s a different kind of scary.

• Frozen (2013) … Finally let it go & watched this thin-iced story that has just the one memorable song & few great scenes. Why is it huge?

• The Nice Guys (2016) … Gosling is utterly charming & Crowe is appropriately gruff, but it’s Shane Black is who’s really on his game here.

• The Beatles: Eight Days a Week (2016) … From the eye of the Beatlemania storm we see how unnatural worldwide fame is, even in back in ’65.

• Love & Mercy (2015) … Told in a call-and-response w/ past & future Brian Wilsons, it hits the typical biopic beats, but in unusual places.

• Zootopia (2016) … The film’s motto purports to be “Be anything you want” but in 2016, plays best as an allegory for racial harmony & trust.

• Swiss Army Man (2016) … If you ever wanted to be simultaneously grossed out, moved, laughing and confused, this peculiarity is your chance.

• X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) … Half-baked story is designed merely to introduce a host of new characters, most of which barely get their due.

• It’s Kind of a Funny Story (2010) … It’s kind of funny that I decided to watch this meh Galifianakis dramedy on TV from my hotel in Rabat.

• Now You See Me 2 (2016) … Even more ludicrous than 1, if that’s possible, but Lizzy Caplan adds a much-needed “Are you seeing this?” vibe.

• Love & Friendship (2016) … I may have slept through the middle of this Austen/Stillman rom-com, but the parts I did see were quite funny.

• Sing Street (2016) … Proof that predictable and intentionally crowd-pleasing can win over cynics like me. A rousing ode to music & brothers.

• The Peanuts Movie (2015) … Amiable—maybe even admirable?—yet wholly superfluous foray into digital animation for Snoopy & the Peanuts gang.

• Ace in the Hole (1951) … Darkly cynical about the media & the public’s appetite for goading, sensationalized news… all 60+ years ago—eep. 

• Moonlight (2016) … I don’t know these people, I don’t know their life. Or at least I didn’t before now. Measured, quiet, stirring and true.

• The Manchurian Candidate (1962) … Twisty thriller strains credulity, but the puppetry of American elections does suddenly feel quite real. 

• Young Frankenstein (1974) … I’d never seen this, which is obviously a shame, since it’s a funny, weird, delightfully silly & perfect spoof.

• Doctor Strange (2016) … If you love Escher, fractals, kaleidoscopes and other visual trickery, you should probably see this, MCU fan or not.

• Arrival (2016) … Reductive to call it Contact + Close Encounters + Interstellar, but: I loved all those movies and therefore this one, too.

• Real Life (1979) … Comically presages the reality TV era—and producers’ needs to goose said “reality“—a full 15 years pre-MTV’s Real World.

• The Fundamentals of Caring (2016) … Script has first- and third-act problems, emotional climax has bad vfx, but at least it’s got Paul Rudd?

• 45 Years (2015) … A fine example of the kind of waves one pebble can make in a tiny pond—aka what most people’s married lives are like.

• The Edge of Seventeen (2016) … Achingly realistic, funny story of a teenage girl coming to find the rest of the world is as lost as she is.

• Hell or High Water (2016) … Tight story, lovely cinematography, strong acting & sneaky social commentary = clearly too good for movie-goers.

• Lemonade (2016) … Take it from this lifetime Beyoncé meh-er: this “visual album” is a stunning piece of work & career-defining achievement.

• Manchester By the Sea (2016) … A movie about grief that is, at times, searingly funny, yet in a naturalistic, laugh-because-you-have-to way.

• The Jungle Book (2016) … Mostly okay, mostly needless; exemplary of an uncanny valley between cynical IP exploitation & cutting edge CGI.

• Moana (2016) … Easily the best from @DisneyAnimation since Wreck-It Ralph & the studio’s best musical since the similar (but weaker) Mulan.

• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) … At times too conservative, but neatly injects a gritty, tense & bleak heroism into war amongst stars.

• The Night Before (2015) … Funny-ish, but it would be entirely forgettable w/o its Christmas setting, Franco-as-Franco, and Michael Shannon.

• National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) … Its blatant “series of set pieces” structure is deftly buttressed by an undercurrent of plot.

• Happy Christmas (2014) … This Swanberg film sits in an uncanny valley in which unscripted dialogue feels more fake & forced than if written.

• Die Hard (1988) … For me, the “Is Die Hard a Xmas movie?” debate was settled back when I watched it at @JOBrienSF’s house on Xmas Eve ’92.

• A Christmas Story (1983) … Watched it late Xmas Eve while falling asleep, “pranging ducks on the wing & getting off spectacular hip shots.”

• La La Land (2016) … Uses realism to subvert filmic expectations even as it joyously sings/dances an ode to happy-ending Hollywood musicals.

• Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) … Lusciously animated fable reminding us the mess made by our humanity is overcome by our capacity to love.

• Pete’s Dragon (2016) … Rousing, family-friendly fantasy tale, but left me wondering if I’ll remember it better than the forgotten original.

• Sisters (2015) … Fey & Poehler trade barbs in an amusing, often hilarious, definitely bawdy comedy in the Step Brothers vein. But funnier?