Best of 2016

2016 has come to a close and, as with every year, there were plenty of great movies and disappointments to hit theaters.
 I originally thought about doing a sort of every-man version of the Oscars and pick my favorite actor, director, supporting actor, film score, etc. from this year, but I ended up with just too many categories. So, I decided to break it down into three categories that stood out to me after all my trips to the theater this year.

Best Comic Book Movie:

Captain America: Civil War

Comic Book movies get their own category because now more than ever before there is no shortage of action-packed hero flicks hitting the big screen every year. There was a lot to be excited about going into 2016, but i would say there were more negatives in this category than positives. Civil War was pretty awesome and Dr. Strange was good but, for me, movies like X-men: Apocalypse, Deadpool, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, and Suicide Squad either didn't live up to the hype or were flat-out disappointments. Some of these movies would have a good action scene or a fun character but Captain America: Civil War was thoroughly enjoyable and, as a result, was the one that really stood out from the rest of the pack.

Best Animated Movie:

Moana

Much like the Comic Book category this wasn't a close call for me. It had been a while since an animated film came around that I absolutely loved, and then Disney's Moana came out. I wasn't the biggest Finding Nemo fan so I didn't expect Finding Dory to thrill me,and it didn't. I found Trolls hard to sit through, Storks was funny, I didn't even get through all of Secret Life of Pets, Zootopia didn't really move the needle for me, I skipped out on yet another Ice Age sequel... Moana was the only one that really had me entertained, and I even went back to see it a second time.

Best Thing I wasn't Expecting:

Hacksaw Ridge

There were a quite a few movies I really enjoyed this year that caught me off guard. I was surprised how much I liked The Jungle Book remake, but the toss up was really between Hacksaw Ridge and In a Valley of Violence. Both were films that weren't even on my radar until right before they came out, and I thought both were really entertaining. In this category, I give the edge to Hacksaw Ridge because I think it's a bit of a better all-around film but I do recommend checking out both of them if you have the opportunity. (Here are links to both reviews Hacksaw Ridge, In a Valley of Violence)
As a bit of a side note: One movie that wasn't quite as good as I was expecting was Rob Zombie's 31. I liked it but it didn't blow me away.

  A big thanks to everyone who has been reading my reviews this year.

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Today's Movie: Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

I wasn't 100% sure what to expect going into this one. I had seen some trailers but didn't look into the movie much ahead of time. In fact, if you would've asked me a few months ago to gauge my excitement for this movie, I probably would have said something to the effect of "It looks like a typical WWII movie, but I'll probably check it out". It's safe to say that I was pleasantly surprised.

The film is based on the true story of a 'conscientious objector' named Desmond Doss (played by Andrew Garfield) who enlists in the Army because he sees it as his duty to serve despite not only refusing to kill, but to even carry a weapon. He instead becomes a medic and, armed with only courage, determination, and his faith in God, he bravely saves the lives of 75 injured soldiers. All the acting, from Andrew Garfield, to Vince Vaughn, to Sam Worthington, to Teresa Palmer is solid throughout and I found the story really compelling.

Overall, if you want to see something that is well acted, well written, well directed, inspirational, with intense battlefield scenes, and really good cinematography then you need to see Hacksaw Ridge. Unfortunately, because it's directed by Mel Gibson this one probably won't get the award recognition it deserves, but it really is a fantastic movie. Once we get to the end of the year I plan to write a "10 Best Film of 2016" list, and this one is likely to make that list.

I give this one a 5 out of 5.
Go check it out, you won't be disappointed.


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