Although the year isn’t out yet, film critics – who have seen most of the “big” award contenders by now – are weighing in on the best films of 2016. This is a years that has been, in many regards, hotly contested. Many considered the summer of 2016 to be an overall disappointing season; despite big box office numbers on many summer releases, there was more than a handful of critically panned and fan-derided action fare. Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice turned the world of fanboys into a heated battleground of name-calling. Others, meanwhile, have sifted through the chaff to find golden nuggets of wheat therein. Many upcoming December releases are coming paired with much acclaim, and the winner of the New York Film Critics Circle Awards has already given its top honor to a film due out in theaters in just one week, December 9th.
As the Circle announced on their Twitter account, the best film of 2016 is Damian Chazelle’s La La Land, a musical starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling as modern-day Los Angeles dreamers who pursue their respective goals of being an actress and a jazz pianist. The film is an accurate depiction of the promise of L.A., especially its tantalizing lure of fame and wish fulfillment. Anyone who works even tangentially within the film or music industries will be able to relate. It’s no wonder critics are drawn to it. It also has energetic musical numbers – presented unironically – in an era where live-action musicals seem to be pretty much dead.
Also: ‘Manchester By The Sea’ Wins Best Picture from National Board of Review
Three awards were given to Manchester By the Sea, a tale of a man coping with the loss of his brother, and the sudden responsibility of looking after his teen nephew. Casey Affleck won best actor, Michelle Williams won best featured actress, and writer/director Kenneth Lonergan won best screenplay.
Moonlight was also a big winner with Mahershala winning best supporting actor, Barry Jenkins winning best director, and James Laxton winning for his cinematography. Moonlight has been one of the best-reviewed films of the year.
Other honors include Isabelle Huppert – one of the best of her generation – winning best actress for her dual performances in Elle and Things to Come. Zootopia won best animated feature, while the 8-hour documentary film O.J.: Made in America won best documentary. The New York Film Critics Circle also gives awards for best first film, an honor that was shared by Kelly Fremon Criag for her excellent stubbornly-coming-of-age comedy The Edge of Seventeen, and Trey Edward Shults for Krisha.
Keep an eye on these winners, as the critics awards – usually announced this weekend every year – are the most notable predictors. And even if you’re not into the Oscars, one can easily use this list as a way to catch up one what people are talking about.
Top Image: Summit Entertainment
Witney Seibold is a longtime contributor to the CraveOnline Film Channel, and the co-host of The B-Movies Podcast and Canceled Too Soon. He also contributes to Legion of Leia and to Blumhouse. You can follow him on “The Twitter” at @WitneySeibold, where he is slowly losing his mind.
