Preface:
For those who love movies, there’s nothing so valuable or as anticipated as a year’s Top 10 Best Movies list. Even cinephiles who find list-making to be arbitrary or problematic can’t help but take notice of the flurry of Best Of submissions that flood the Internet in December and January.
At the end of each year, Movie Podcast Weekly (and separately, Horror Movie Podcast) assembles a Top 10 Best Movies of the Year list, where each host reveals his selections for the very best cinema of the past 12 months.
But something we love to do is to incorporate another Top 10 list that’s a collective consensus of our listenership’s favorite films of the year!
Here’s how we do it: When you e-mail your Top 10 list to MoviePodcastWeekly@gmail.com, we will assign a point value to weight each spot on your Top 10 list. It looks like this:
1 spot = 12 points (gets extra because it’s No. 1)
2 spot = 10 points
3 spot = 9 points
4 spot = 8 points
5 spot = 7 points
6 spot = 6 points
7 spot = 5 points
8 spot = 4 points
9 spot = 3 points
10 spot = 2 points
And you get five Honorable Mention spots. Each is worth 1 point.
We collect and tally all your votes, according to this point system, in order to arrive at the collective listenership’s actual Top 10.
(Again, please e-mail your list to Jason at MoviePodcastWeekly@gmail.com. Please don’t share your Top 10 picks publicly in our comments just yet, because we’d like the results to be a surprise on the show.) Naturally, after the episode is published, we hope you will post your Top 10 lists in the comments for that particular episode!
What We Would Like You to E-mail to Us:
1.) Your Top 10 Best Movies of 2016 list, in order, with No. 1 being your first favorite and 10 being your 10th favorite.
**Optional but preferred: We would love for you to e-mail some brief comments with each of your Top 10 selections, ***50 words or fewer per movie, please.*** Why? This is how you listeners get your voices on the show! Each MPW host briefly discusses why he picked each movie, so these descriptions give us some of your feedback to possibly read on the show. Here is an example of a 2014 film with the exact format we’d like for you to please follow. (It would make the preparations much faster for Jason.) Write whatever you’d like, of course. This example just shows you the components and the length of write-ups that we’re looking for:
(12 points) = 1. Blue Ruin (2014) – Jeremy Saulnier’s common man, revenge / crime drama shows us, with troubling realism, what it might look like if an average person like you or me attempted to execute a violent revenge plot. Bloody, messy, brilliant! 10 out of 10. A must-see and the best movie of 2014! -Jason Pyles
Note that I included:
– the point value
– the rank number
– some comments that were fewer than 50 words
– my name (If you could do this for each one, it would be very helpful!)
Here are the other End-of-the-Year categories we’d like for you to include:
2.) Honorable Mentions of 2016 – Please also include only the titles of your “Honorable Mentions,” which are essentially your 11 through 15 ranked movies.
3.) Biggest Disappointments / Heartbreaks of 2016 – These are the movies that you had high hopes for, but they let you down and broke your heart.
4.) Four Dishonorable Mentions (bad movies) and the Very Worst Movie of 2016 – Think of this list as the opposite of your Top 5 picks.
5.) Guilty Pleasure of the Year Award – Your pick of a movie that’s not necessarily “good,” per se, but it sure is a wonderful mess of a guilty pleasure…
6.) Most Overrated (You didn’t understand all the love it got) Movie of 2016 – These are the movies you just didn’t “get” (even though everyone else seemed to love it).
**You can also include a list of your “Most Anticipated in 2017,” but we won’t be discussing these until the following episode, No. 221.
FAQ: Obviously, we’re discussing the movie releases of 2016. But what is our criteria for determining a film’s year of release? In simplest terms, Jason defines it this way: The year of release is determined by the first date that a film becomes *widely available* to a U.S. audience.
CONTEST: What and How Those Who Participate Could Win:
Prizes:
Grand Prize = $50 Amazon gift card that we hope you’ll use for buying movies.
Second Prize = $25 Amazon gift card that, again, we hope will be used for movies.
Third Prize = You win a copy of Ryan’s No. 1 favorite movie of 2016.
The more listeners who participate, the more accurate our Listener Top 10 list will be. Therefore, we’re bribing you to participate. Depending on your level of participation, your name will be entered into the prize raffle. Obviously, the more your name is entered, then the better your chances of being selected.
5 entries = If you do everything asked above, we’ll enter your name 5 times in the raffle.
3 entries = If you only do Top 10, descriptions and honorable mentions…
2 entries = If you only do Top 10 and honorable mentions (no descriptions)…
1 entry = If you only send a Top 10 list of movie titles.
When?
We’re recording this episode on Monday, December 26, 2016. (So, yes, much to Jason’s chagrin, 2016’s December 30th releases will not be considered during the recording of this episode…)
***DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: Your deadline for submission is no later than 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, December 24, 2016.
When will this episode release? Jason’s goal (seriously) is Friday, Dec. 30 or Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016.
How to Submit Your Entry:
1. E-mail MoviePodcastWeekly@gmail.com
2. Please use this phrase for your e-mail subject line: “Top 10 Movies of 2016”
Winners will be announced in MPW Ep. 220 (our Top 10 episode).
One last request:
In the comments for this blog post, please feel free to post the titles only of any movies you’ve heard some buzz about for 2016. To be clear, don’t tell us what that buzz is or any commentary of your own, please… Just post the title of the movies, so people can add them to their watchlist before making their end-of-the-year submissions. I will include an example in the comments below. Thanks!
Geez, Jason. Sounds like a lot of work. For us.
😉
Ha! True. It’s a little work for you all, though it could pay off with a prize!
But you should try tallying all the listener data… I believe last year it took me a solid 8 hours to compile all the feedback and convert it into the collective listeners’ Top 10 list.
Good luck!
J
This is what I have been looking forward to doing all year!!! Thank you Jason for the home work….
Mario, you make me happy… Can’t wait to get your list!
Thanks!
J
Hello Jason,
Can you recommend some 2016 horror movies to see…
Thank you
Mario
Mario,
Jay of the Dead at your service…
You may have seen many of these, but off the top of my head, in no particular order:
Lights Out
Don’t Breathe
Green Room
The Shallows
The Witch
Clown
What We Become
The Boy
The Monster
10 Cloverfield Lane
The Conjuring 2
Hush
Viral
And if that’s not enough, be sure to watch for our January 7, 2017 release of Horror Movie Podcast’s Top 10 Horror Movies of 2016 episode for our very best picks of the year!
Thanks,
JOTD
Jason, are you counting The Blackcoat’s Daughter as a 2016 release? I know you reviewed it and loved it… I still haven’t been able to track it down, though.
Dino,
I haven’t seen “The Blackcoat’s Daughter,” but it appears to be a 2017 film. I would consider it for 2017, at this point, at least.
J
Really? I could have sworn you reviewed The Blackcoat’s Daughter either here or on HMP at some point this year. That’s how I heard of it in the first place!
Maybe you just referenced seeing a trailer for it?
Mario, if you’ll allow me to add to Jason’s solid starter list, I would also recommend:
The Wailing
Train to Busan
Under the Shadow
In my opinion, those are the three best horror films of the year so far. Word of warning, though: they are all sub-titled foreign films (the first two are Korean, and the third is Persian), so if you struggle with sub-titled films then that might hamper your enjoyment of them. If you’re cool with sub-titles, though, then those would be my top three horror recommendations. (followed closely by The Monster – don’t let Jason’s baffling lukewarm review on the latest episode of MPW deter you; it’s excellent)
Thank you Dino,
Will check them out and no I don’t mind subtitles at all.
Mario
Here’s the example of the “last request” I was referring to above, where you just list any movie titles that are still coming that we all should be aware of:
Jackie
Incarnate
The Eyes of My Mother
Things to Come
La La Land
Office Christmas Party
Carefree
Friend Request
Harry Benson: Shoot First
The Space Between Us
Collateral Beauty
A Kind of Murder
Neruda
Solace
Sing
A Monster Calls
Silence
Julieta
Live by Night
Hidden Figures
Fences
Gold
20th Century Women
Paterson
Toni Erdmann
….. More:
The Handmaiden
Loving
Channel Zero
Black Mirror
Christine
Tickled
With the exception of The Handmaiden, I have yet to see the rest of the films below (so this is based purely on buzz).
The Handmaiden
Moonlight
Tower
Cameraperson
Only Yesterday
Embrace of the Serpent
Things to Come
Little Men
Manchester by the Sea
Cemetery of Splendor
Don’t forget The Art of the Fall.
?
New to the podcast, look forward to doing it
Welcome, Con. It’s actually way more fun than it sounds in the snoozefest I wrote above…
J
Hello MPW and fellow movie goers,
I am compiling my list for the top 10, so far I only have 8 it has been a bad year for movies. In saying that is there any movies that you guys can recommend that will make my list that came out earlier this year and may have missed. Unlike Andy I like to have my list made of movies I have seen!!! LOL 🙂 In saying that I think the one movie that I am looking forward to the most does not come out until 12/23 and I am going to rush to see it that day is the highly anticipated “Silence” by Martin Scorese I am hoping that will make my list. Please share with me what movies I have to see before the end of the year….. I will make every effort to see it before I email my list to MPW. Thank you
Mario
Mario, that would be tricky without knowing what you’ve seen. A few of my faves that weren’t widely released or discussed much or at all on MPW include Sing Street, Genius, Captain Fantastic and Hunt for the Wilderpeople. And though they are more avant-garde and probably won’t quite make my list, Swiss Army Man and The Lobster are worth checking out. Coming up, I hope to see La La Land and Manchester by the Sea, before finalizing my list.
If you enjoy Korean cinema then seek out The Handmaiden. It was released about a month ago as a limited run, mostly in art house theaters. It’s worth the effort of finding it.
Thanks Eric will check those movies out and and add them to my list. The only two that you mentioned that I saw is Sing street and Swiss army man. So I have some watching to do.
Guys,
Week after week, I keep trying to squeeze in reviews of “Hunt for the Wilderpeople” and “Captain Fantastic.” I know I always say it on the show, but I will get to them (probably next week)!
Say, Josh is joining us on MPW Ep. 216! : )
J
Did you see Hell or High Water? If not you should check it out.
Yes, Sir! We loved it! We Feature Reviewed it back on MPW Ep. 203, and coincidentally, tonight in our recording for Ep. 216.
Thanks,
J
I can’t wait to do my top ten list. I have been thinking about it for a few weeks now. I am still trying to cram some more movies in before I decide though.
ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh. I get so excited. I love the end of the year episode!
(Dino, you so funny.)
Jenifer — yes! Me, too!
Thanks for being excited about this, too. “Sandy” will be joining us for our Top 10 episode, as well.
J
OK, Everybody. Since we’ve invited the MPW listenership to truly participate in assembling the Top 10 lists of 2016, I figured I’d really let you in on the madness! This post and the following one will be obnoxiously long “comment-killers,” but I’m posting it here in hopes that this may help you compile your lists so you can e-mail them to us at MoviePodcastWeekly@gmail.com. (The next list beneath this one will be much more extensive.)
*** Remember, some films may be considered 2015 releases by The Academy and by you, but I’m going with my own determination (linked above) for deciding year of release.
Here are MPW’s Feature Reviews of 2016:
Ep. 220
La La Land
Passengers
Collateral Beauty
Ep. 219
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Ep. 218
Manchester by the Sea
Miss Sloane
Office Christmas Party
Nocturnal Animals
Ep. 217
Man Down
The Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Captain Fantastic
The Handmaiden
Ep. 216
Allied
Moana
Moonlight
Pencils Down! The 100 Days of the Writers Guild Strike
Ep. 215
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
The Edge of Seventeen
Bleed for This
Shut In
The Monster
Ep. 214
Arrival
Ep. 213
Doctor Strange
Hacksaw Ridge
Ep. 212
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
Inferno
Keeping Up With the Joneses
Ouija: Origin of Evil
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Ep. 211
The Accountant
Ep. 210
The Girl on the Train
Masterminds
Ep. 209
Deepwater Horizon
Ep. 208
The Magnificent Seven
The Last Descent
Ep. 207
Blair Witch
Snowden
Bridget Jones’s Baby
Ep. 206
Sully
Imperium
Downriver
Ep. 205
Morgan
Krisha
In Order of Disappearance
Skiptrace
A Monster With a Thousand Heads
Ep. 204
Don’t Breathe
Mechanic: Resurrection
Ep. 203
Hell or High Water
Kubo and the Two Strings
Ben-Hur
War Dogs
Ep. 202
Blood Father
Anthropoid
Pete’s Dragon
Florence Foster Jenkins
Batman: The Killing Joke
Edge of Winter
Ep. 201
Jason Bourne
Bad Moms
Suicide Squad
Into the Forest
Ep. 200
Star Trek Beyond
Lights Out
Ep. 199
Ghostbusters
The Infiltrator
Ep. 198
The Secret Life of Pets
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
Swiss Army Man
Carnage Park
Ep. 197
The Legend of Tarzan
The Purge: Election Year
The BFG
Ep. 196
Independence Day: Resurgence
Free State of Jones
The Shallows
Ep. 195
Finding Dory
Central Intelligence
Ep. 194
Warcraft
Now You See Me 2
The Conjuring 2
Love & Friendship
Ep. 193
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
The Finest Hours
Ep. 192
X-Men: Apocalypse
The Ones Below
Ep. 191
The Nice Guys
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising
The Angry Birds Movie
Ep. 190
Money Monster
The Darkness
Sing Street
Ep. 189
Captain America: Civil War
Ep. 188
Green Room
Keanu
Ep. 187
Elvis & Nixon
Miles Ahead
Colonia (aka The Colony)
Ep. 186
The Jungle Book
Criminal
The Boss
Mr. Right
Ep. 185
Midnight Special
Hardcore Henry
Ep. 184
Eye in the Sky
I Saw the Light
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2
Against the Wild: Survive the Serengeti
Ep. 183
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
The Invitation
10 Cloverfield Lane (Spoilers version)
Ep. 182
The Divergent Series: Allegiant – Part 1
The Bronze
Yosemite
Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday
The Wave
Ep. 181
10 Cloverfield Lane
The Brothers Grimsby
The Young Messiah
Gods of Egypt
The 2 Dollar Bill Documentary
Ep. 180
London Has Fallen
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
Zootopia
The Assassin
Ep. 179
Triple 9
Eddie the Eagle
Ep. 178
The Witch
Race
Risen
Ep. 177
Deadpool
How to Be Single
Ep. 176
Hail, Caesar!
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Ep. 175
Kung Fu Panda 3
Ep. 174
Room
The Boy
The 5th Wave
400 Days
Ep. 173
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
Anesthesia
Diablo
Ep. 172
The Revenant
Ep. 171
The Hateful Eight (2015)
So are you counting The Revenant and The Hateful Eight as 2016 movies?
It looks like he is (they’re both on his long list below), but he really shouldn’t since they were both released in 2015. In particular, The Hateful Eight was widely released in the US on December 30, 2015, according to Jason’s “official reference source” – IMDb. I think that’s just his cheat to get them on his list because he didn’t get a chance to see them last year.
Personally, I think his official reference for year of release should be the year they are “Oscar eligible.” Seems odd to me to include films like The Hateful Eight and The Revenant on a best of list the year after they were nominated for and/or won an Oscar.
Note to Jason: I really hope you aren’t including those two films on your 2016 list. That would be like including No Escape on a top horror list – it just doesn’t belong.
Dino,
In all seriousness, please explain this to me. I know you’re very smart. If you can give me a satisfactory answer to this dilemma, then I will change my ways (and celebrate your wisdom).
Here’s my problem:
Let’s use “The Revenant” for this illustration… “The Revenant” was not available for exhibition anywhere near me in Utah (that I know of) until January 8, 2016. To be clear, let’s assume it is a FACT that I could not see “The Revenant” in 2015, which is to say, before deciding my Top 10 of 2015 list…
Having said that, now let’s assume I decided to go with The Academy’s classification of 2015, and I consider “The Revenant” a 2015 film. Period.
What this means (and herein lies my problem) is, if I wanted to include “The Revenant” as a favorite film… I could not include it on my 2015 list, because I had no possible way to see it yet. And, according to you, I could not include it on my 2016 list, either! It would fall between the cracks in some nether-region oblivion…
Therefore, because of this limbo (that I wouldn’t be the only one in America facing, by the way), it would be IMPOSSIBLE for me to include “The Revenant” on any of my Top 10 Movies of the Year list!
How is that acceptable to you, Dino?
Am I supposed to disregard truly great films like “The Revenant,” “The Hateful Eight” and “Room” just because they can’t “fit” on either list? That’s crazy!
This is why my solution is the best approach I know of, because if I use the criterion of “a movie’s release year is when it was first WIDELY available in the United States,” then I can legitimately prevent great films from falling through the cracks as described above. My way enables me to potentially consider every film release, not just most of them…
Dino, if you can think of a better way, Sir. By all means, I’m all ears… Thanks!
Much love,
J
Under the circumstances I’m with J. It does make things screwy, though.
A better solution, IMO, would be to not do any “best of 2016” lists until late January of 2017, to allow time for everyone to see things they missed and to see those “released officially in 2016 but not widely available until early 2017” films.
@Eric,
The only problem I have with your solution, Eric, is it’s kind of like celebrating Christmas in July… There’s something timely about the “end of the year” lists…
And one other general point… just to be clear to everyone: If I wanted to see “Free State of Jones,” but I still haven’t yet (which is true), given its wide release and availability, I just have to accept that I did not get around to it in time to consider it for my list. But indeed, it is still a 2016 film, even though I didn’t see it, obviously. But the important distinction is, I *could have* seen it. It wasn’t completely unavailable or impossible for me to see.
J
P.S. for Andrew: Of course I completely respect that you’re with Dino on this one, Andrew. But I’m just curious if you have any thoughts about my dilemma posed above? (I’d genuinely love for someone to figure out a better solution than mine.) Andrew, does this mean that you have films that fall into this impossible-to-include limbo, or are you one of these lucky New Yorkers who get to see anything and everything in a given calendar year? (I could understand a New Yorker or perhaps a prolific film festival-goer to oppose me.) Thanks, Buddy. — J
Jason, I get the dilemma. And on the surface, your criteria seems like a good solution. However, it becomes problematic when you’re looking at your list historically, and when compared to other such lists because you wouldn’t be comparing apples to apples. If the rest of the world is considering The Revenant a 2015 film because that’s when it was submitted to The Academy for Oscar consideration, but then you put it up on your 2016 list, that just seems “off.”
The problem with your system really is highlighted this year by The Revenant for that very reason. And I’m still unsure why The Hateful Eight is in this discussion because that was “widely available” on December 30, 2015, according to IMDb.
I really do think the best solution is to go by a film’s “Oscar year” because that is (I assume) the industry standard. My suggestion on how to follow this standard while still solving your dilemma of availability would be to continue doing your end-of-year top 10 list shows as you normally do, but then have another show a month or two later where you update your lists after all the movies have become widely available. You wouldn’t need to devote an entire show to revisiting your top 10 list; probably just a 30-minute (or less) discussion as part of one of your February episodes, for example. You could even have it as part of your pre-Oscar primer/coverage.
Benefits:
– You have films listed in their “Oscar year” of release, which I assume is the industry standard, as opposed to your own very specific set of rules (i.e. the film being available in a theater near you)
– You get to revisit your top 10 list
– You no longer have to worry about defending your dogmatic approach to determining year-of-release 😉
– Facilitates conversation because we’re dealing with apples to apples comparisons (e.g. I would not include The Hateful Eight for 2016 because I saw it in 2015, and I suspect many others did as well)
Drawbacks:
…
As a follow-up to my suggestion above^, you could come up with a small list to go through at the end of your end-of-year top 10 list show with all the 2016 movies you have not gotten to yet, but want to prior to your top 10 list revisit.
So, for last year’s top 10 list show, you could have included The Revenant and The Hateful Eight as films that were not available near you in time for that show, but you will get to before your top 10 list revisit. That way, you still get to mention those films on the end-of-year show and, if they ultimately make your top 10 list, then they’ll be listed as such on your top 10 list revisit segment (and for posterity’s sake).
Ok Jay you have won me over. That is fair because you didn’t get a chance to see them in 2015.
Sorry to cause a fuss but this is my first year to do a list and I wanted to get it right.
P.s I am definitely not a New Yorker. I live in Australia so I am sure we get an even smaller selection of movies to see than you guys in America. They are probably released later here too.
I’m with you Dino. I will not be including them in my lists.
@Andrew:
Regarding your comment from 2:45 p.m. today, since you’re in Australia, Brother, I wouldn’t fault you at all for only considering films that you’ve been able to see this year (or whatever year) once they make it to Australia.
And honestly, as “dogmatic” as I seem about this (good word, Dino), I respect ANYBODY who simply takes his or her Top 10 list seriously, which you’re obviously doing. (This is why I don’t respect Andy because he doesn’t take it seriously. ha ha)
And in fact, to that end, whatever films the listeners send to me, I will surely tally them (regardless of which year I would assign them to). In other words, I honor everybody’s own system for reckoning their top 10.
I have actually e-mailed Dino behind the scenes this afternoon, after being impressed by his comments above. He gave me a very interesting idea… but he’s keeping me in suspense and giving me nothin’ but crickets as of yet! (E-mail me back, Dino!) ha ha. But we may have something interesting (for Top 10 list sticklers like us) cooked up once Dino gets back to me… Stay tuned!
By the way, I love Australians. Seriously, I do. I’m very excited to read your Top 10 list, Andrew. Thanks for joining the fray today.
Your pal,
Jay
That is why I have only just seen The Godfather, it was only released in Australia last week ha ha ha.
Haha, nice callback.
I’m so excited for the Revolution! Bring it on! Jay, you are so smart to get Dino on this problem that’s been dogging us for 4 years now. Rise Up!
Haha
Yes, Andrew. I am. Please see my response / question to Dino (and let me know if you think of a better solution). Thanks,
J
Ok now I don’t know what to do. You make some great points Jay. I think I am going to have to re-evaluate my list. I like Eric’s idea of doing it in January. But you also can’t see everything either. What if you see the best movie of the year 2 or 3 years later? (Unlikely, I know, but maybe it’s something that not many other people liked and it just connects with you in some way). Maybe some just have to fall through the cracks? I will have to think about it some more.
OK. Now, if you’re ready to get nuts! I have compiled a massive list of 2016 movie releases here below. (I collect these titles all year long.) Some of these may not adhere to my personal release guidelines: For instance, some may not actually release until 2017. I didn’t have time to “check” them all. In fact, some may have never released at all. Still, I’m pretty proud of this compilation. May it help and guide you with your feverish watchlist in the coming days, and help you to remember what you’ve seen this year.
Much love through this Labor of Love…
Jason
2016:
10 Cloverfield Lane
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
20th Century Women
31
400 Days
4th Man Out
A Beautiful Planet
A Bigger Splash
A Country Called Home
A Cure for Wellness
A Date With Miss Fortune
A Kind of Murder
A Man in the Dark
A Meyers Christmas
A Monster Calls
A Perfect Day
A Street Cat Named Bob
A War (Krigen)
About Scout
Absolutely Famous: The Movie
Admiral
Aferim!
Against the Wild: Survive the Serengeti
Alice Through the Looking Glass
All Mistakes Buried
All Roads Lead to Rome
All We Had
Allegiant (The Divergent Series)
Almost Christmas
American Honey
American Pastoral
Amityville: The Awakening
Anesthesia
Anomalisa
Anthropoid
Ants on Shrimp
Army of One
Arrival
As I AM: The Life and Times of DJ AM
Assassin’s Creed
Audrie & Daisy
Author The JT LeRoy Story
Ava’s Possessions
Backgammon
Backtrack
Bad Moms
Band of Robbers
Barbershop: The Next Cut
Barney Thomson
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Bazodee
Be Somebody
Beauty and the Beast
Befikre
Being Charlie
Ben-Hur
Better Off Single
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
Black Mirror
Black Songbird
Blackly
Blair Witch
Bleed for This
Blinky Bill: The Movie
Blood Father
Blood in the Water
Blue Jay
Boom Bust Boom
Born to Be Blue
Bridget Jones’s Baby
Brother Nature
Burn Country
CRD
Cafe Society
Camino
Can We Take a Joke?
Captain America: Civil War
Captain Fantastic
Cardboard Boxer
Carefree
Carnage Park
Cemetery of Splendor
Central Intelligence
Certain Women
Channel Zero
Chevalier
Chicken Soup for the Soul
Christine
City of Gold
City of Women
Closet Monster
Clown
Clowntown
Collateral Beauty
Colliding Dreams
Colonia (aka The Colony)
Come What May
Compadres
Complete Unknown
Conner4Real
Contract to Kill
Crazy About Tiffany’s
Creative Control
Criminal
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny
Dairy of a Chambermaid
Dancer
Danny Says
Dark Horse
Daughters of the Dust
De Palma
Deadpool
Deepwater Horizon
Demolition
Demon
Denial
Desierto
Detective Chinatown
Dheepan
Diablo
Dirty 30
Dirty Grandpa
Disorder
Do Not Resist
Doctor Strange
Dog Eat Dog
Don’t Breathe
Don’t Look Down
Don’t Think Twice
Doctor Strange
Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
Eddie the Eagle
Eisenstein in Guanajuato
Elle
Elstree 1976
Elvis & Nixon
Embrace of the Serpent
End of a Gun
Equals
Equity
Everybody Wants Some
Exposed
Eye in the Sky
Fan
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Fathers and Daughters
Fences
Fifty Shades of Black
Finding Altamira
Finding Dory
Fitoor
Five Nights in Maine
Florence Foster Jenkins
For the Love of Spock
Forsaken
Frank & Lola
Free State of Jones
Free to Run
Friend Request
Front Cover
Gambit
Generation Startup
Genius
Ghost Team
Ghostbusters
Gimme Danger
Girl Asleep
Gleason
Goat
Gods of Egypt
Gold
Green Room
Hacksaw Ridge
Hail, Caesar!
Hands of Stone
Happy Birthday
Hardcore Henry
Harry & Snowman
Harry Benson: Shoot First
Havana Motor Club
Hell or High Water
Hello My Name Is Doris
Hidden Figures
High Strung
High-Rise
Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party
Hillsong – Let Hope Rise
Holidays
Holy Hell
How He Fell in Love
How to Be Single
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Hush
Hyena Road
I Am Not a Serial Killer
I Saw the Light
I, Daniel Blake
I.T.
Ice Age: Collision Course
Imperium
In a Valley of Violence
In the Hell of Dixie
Incarnate
Independence Day: Resurgence
Indignation
Inferno
Into the Forest
Intruder
Intruders
Ip Man 3
Is That a Gun in Your Pocket?
Ithaca
It’s So Easy and Other Lies
I’m Not Ashamed
Jack Goes Home
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
Jackie
Jane Got a Gun
Jason Bourne
JeruZalem
Joshy
Julieta
Jumanji
Keanu
Keeping Up With the Joneses
Kevin Hart: What Now?
Kickbocker: Vengeance
Kicks
Kidnap
Kill Ratio
Kill Zone 2
King Cobra
King Georges
Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV
Klown Forever
Knight of Cups
Knights of the Round Table: King Arthur
Krisha
Kubo and the Two Strings
Kung Fu Panda 3
L.O.R.D.
La La Land
La Leyenda del Chupacabras
Lamb
Land of Mine
Last Days in the Desert
Lazer Team
Let It Snow
Let’s Be Evil
Life on the Line
Life, Animated
Lights Out
Little Men
Live Another Day
Live by Night
Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World
Lolo
London Has Fallen
London Road
London Town
Louder Than Bombs
Love and Friendship
Loving
Ma ma
Maggie’s Plan
Manchester by the Sea
Man Down
Marauders
Marguerite
Marguerite & Julien
Martyrs
Mascots
Masterminds
Max Rose
Max Steel
Maximum Ride
Me Before You
Me Him Her
Mechanic: Resurrection
Mia Madre
Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life
Midnight Special
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
Milton’s Secret
Miracles From Heaven
Misconduct
Miss Hokusai
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Miss Sharon Jones
Miss Sloane
Miss Stevens
Moana
Mojave
Money Monster
Monkey Up
Monster High
Monster Hunt
Monster Trucks
Moonlight
Moonwalkers
Morgan
Morris From America
Mother’s Day
Mountain Men
Mr. Church
Mr. Right
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2
My Blind Brother
My Dead Boyfriend
My Golden Days
National Bird
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising
Neruda
Nerve
Nina
Nine Lives
No Manches Frida
No Stranger Than Love
Nocturnal Animals
Norm of the North
Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You
Now You See Me 2
Of Mind and Music
Office Christmas Party
Officer Downe
Old Stone
Only Yesterday
Operation Avalanche
Ordinary World
Other People
Ouija: Origin of Evil
Our Kind of Traitor
Our Last Tango
Our Little Sister
Papa Hemingway in Cuba
Passengers
Paterson
Patient Zero
Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday
Pele: Birth of a Legend
Peter and the Farm
Pete’s Dragon
Phantasm: Ravager
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
Portrait of a Serial Monogamist
Precious Cargo
Prescription Thugs
Presenting Princess Shaw
Priceless
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Providence
Puerto Ricans in Paris
Queen of Katwe
Rabid Dogs
Rabin, the Last Day
Race
Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever
Ratchet & Clank
Regression
Remember
Remember the Goal
Ride Along 2
Rio, I Love You
Rise of the Legend
Risen
River of Grass
Road Games
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Rolling Papers
Room
Roseanne For President
Same Kind of Different as Me
Sausage Party
Search Party
Seasons
Shut In
Silence
Silicon Cowboys
Sing
Sing Street
Skiptrace
Snowden
Snowtime!
Solace
Southbound
Southside With You
Space Dogs: Adventure to the Moon
Spectral
Stagecoach: The Texas Jack Story
Standoff
Star Trek Beyond
Storks
Stranger Things (Season 1)
Suicide Squad
Sully
Sun Choke
Sunset Song
Swiss Army Man
Sworn Virgin
Synchronicity
Talent Has Hunger
Tallulah
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
Term Life
Terminus
The 13th
The 5th Wave
The 9th Life of Louis Drax
The Abandoned
The Accountant
The Alchemist Cookbook
The Angry Birds Movie
The Automatic Hate
The BFG
The Bad Kids
The Beat Beneath My Feet
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years
The Benefactor
The Best Man Wedding
The Birth of a Nation
The Blackcoat’s Daughter
The Boss
The Bounce Back
The Boy
The Boy and the Beast
The Bronze
The Brothers Grimsby
The Choice
The Clan
The Club
The Conjuring 2
The Darkness
The Devil’s Dolls
The Disappointments Room
The Dog Lover
The Dressmaker
The Duel
The Duelist
The Edge of Seventeen
The Eyes of My Mother
The Family Fang
The Final Project
The Finest Hours
The Fits
The Forest
The Founder
The Free World
The Fundamentals of Caring
The Girl on the Train
The Greasy Strangler
The Great Gilly Hopkins
The Great Wall
The Handmaiden
The Hateful Eight
The Hollars
The Huntsman: Winter’s War
The Idol
The Infiltrator
The Intervention
The Invitation
The Ivory Game
The Jungle Book
The Lady in the Van
The Lake
The Land
The Last Heist
The Last King
The Last Man on the Moon
The Late Bloomer
The Legend of Tarzan
The Lennon Report
The Light Between Oceans
The Little Prince
The Lobster
The Love Witch
The Lovers and the Despot
The Magnificent Seven
The Man Who Knew Infinity
The Masked Saint
The Meddler
The Mind’s Eye
The Monster
The Music of Strangers
The Neon Demon
The Nice Guys
The Ones Below
The Other Side of the Door
The Pack
The Pastor
The People vs. Fritz Bauer
The Perfect Match
The Phenom
The Pickle Recipe
The Program
The Purge: Election Year
The Revenant
The Salesman
The Sea of Trees
The Secret Life of Pets
The Shallows
The Space Between Us
The Take
The Tenth Man
The Treasure
The True Memoirs of an International Assassin
The Unspoken
The Vessel
The Wailing
The Wait
The Wave
The Whole Truth
The Wild Life
The Windmill
The Witch
The Witness
The Young Messiah
They Will Have to Kill Us First
They’re Watching
Things to Come
Tickled
Time to Choose
Toni Erdmann
Total Frat Movie
Touched With Fire
Transpecos
Trapped
Triple 9
Trolls
Troublemakers: The Story of Land Art
Tyler Perry’s Boo! A Madea Halloween
USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage
Under the Shadow
Valencia
Viktoria
Viral
Viva
Voyage of Time
War Dogs
Warcraft
Wazir
We Are X
Wedding Doll
Weiner
Welcome to Happiness
Westworld (TV series)
What We Become
When the Bough Breaks
Where to Invade Next
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
White Girl
Why Him?
Wiener-Dog
Wild Oats
X-Men: Apocalypse
Yoga Hosers
Yosemite
Zero Days
Zoolander 2
Zoom
Zootopia
Holy haystack, Batman!
Thanks for sharing “the list” with us, Jason. I assume this is the ridiculously long list you always share with the other co-hosts that we’ve occasionally heard about on the show.
Are you on Letterboxd? I know you have a certain aversion to social media, but this is a social platform I think you could get behind. A few of us in the community are connected on there, and it’s really helpful for gathering information like this (and making lists). Anyway, in the future, you could keep a running list of each year’s releases and share the link to the list.
Just a thought. If nothing else, I think you should check it out if you haven’t already. It’s right up your alley.
Thanks, Dino. I know of it. I keep this list weekly throughout the year, anyway. It’s part of my obsession with movies.
J
P.S. for Dino: I actually like some social media. For instance, I LOVE Twitter… I just have zero time for any of it… : (
I hear you. But I think you would make time for Letterboxd.
You should have snuck in a few of Ryan’s fake movies to see if anyone noticed.
Yes, I had to take those out… But don’t worry: I have plans for those, too! ; )
I like the way you think, Andrew!
J
Wait … what?!
RED ALERT! Jay, does putting “Stranger Things” and “Westworld” on this list mean that you are considering them as movies for purposes of Top 10 list-making? Or did you just not realize that they were on here when you posted the list?
This should be clarified ASAP. I realize that the explosion in popularity of longform serials muddies the waters. They seem like movies because a) they tell a single story, and b) they can be viewed without commercial interruption. And the two examples you have on this list do have a more cinematic feel to them than, say, “Game of Thrones” or “The Walking Dead.” Still, to consider them as movies for the purposes of year-end cinema Top 10 lists feels like it opens a ginormous can of worms.
Cody,
I can always (and indeed do) count on you for your intelligence and attentiveness.
Side note: Even though many of these comments for this blog post lovingly come after me, what truly makes me ELATED in these comments is how obviously seriously you all are taking this Top 10 list…
If I had a genie that granted me one wish… that one wish wouldn’t be that everyone just agree with me… ha ha. Nope. My one wish is that everyone would take this as seriously as I do. And I’m so pleased to observe that you all obviously do! No damn genie needed!
Cody asks a fair question… This was a preemptive strike, on my part. I know people will try to include such things, anyway, which is kind of a bummer, because with the existence of “Stranger Things” and “Westworld,” we’ll get eight picks for people, instead of 10. I think on many lists, these series will be “givens.”
I knew a kid named Nathan Givens once…
Anyway, even so, I took the liberty of including them because they are truly cinematic productions — much like a very long-form film. The aforementioned series, as well as “Making a Murderer” (which I should add) are cinematic in nature, and really, nothing more than a gigantically long film with story arcs and such, just punctuated and segmented by releasing / format restrictions…
Would you not consider “Roots” (1977) a film (even though it’s a mini series)? Or “Jesus of Nazareth” or “Shogun” or “Storm of the Century” or “Lonesome Dove”? (Let me put it this way, Cody Clark: If it were the year 1985, you’d better believe I’d have “Lonesome Dove” on my Top 10 list for that year!)
So, I’m saying let’s count ’em!
Having said that, I won’t be including them in my Top 10 list this year, because I’m sticking to the more conventional / traditional understanding of Feature Films and their typical, 80- to 120-minute runtimes… [I couldn’t actually find any rules that gave a *maximum* length for a feature film; I just found minimums of 40 minutes (and in some cases 80 min.)].
Anyway, great question! Let the arguments begin! If people send those in for Top 10’s, then we might get an audience pick of “Westworld” as the No. 1 “film” of 2016… Deserving? Maybe. Kind of weird? Definitely. This is why I’m not including it.
J
Fair points, Jay. And I certainly love me some “Stranger Things.” I haven’t seen “Westworld,” but I’d probably flip for that one, too. (I love Westerns. I love sci-fi. I love southern Utah. I love [mostly] Ed Harris and [frequently] Anthony Hopkins. They had me at “howdy,” really.) I understand and relate to the impulse to include great television in the discussion.
And yet this just feels … wrong. To riff on Churchill’s famous “riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma” turn of phrase, I feel like we’re staring at a quandary wrapped in a dilemma inside of a dilly of pickle, here. It sounds like such a snobby things to say, but movies are movies, dammit. Television, even really great television, is something else.
As arbitrary a distinction as it seems, running time is probably an element of my objection. It’s part of what defines cinema as an art form. If forces the artist to make choices and grapple with limitations. And it forces audiences to settle in a bit more deeply and maybe pay attention a little more closely.
And while going to the theater is certainly dying as a means of cinematic consumption, seeing a really good movie at least once on a big screen in a darkened auditorium feels like it counts for something extra. Maybe a little like the difference between an listening to classical music on an iPod and going to a concert hall to hear it performed by an orchestra. I realize that it sounds silly and (again) arbitrary, but theatrical release feels like it ought to count for something here as well.
Impressive.
Thank you for sharing your labor of love with so many.
Working on my list as I type.
Greg. Thanks for workin’ on that list, Brother! I know you’ll do us proud!
J
New comment strictly directed at Andy, Karl, Ryan (my co-hosts):
I’d just like to apologize ahead time that my Top 10 list will be *superior to all of yours. —Jason
*Superior is not a subjective word; it is actually a substantially factual word in this case… Here’s how I will be able to prove it: Each film that the listeners vote for will have a sum total of points derived from their voting and placement. (This is how we will determine their collective Top 10 and highest five honorable mentions, 11-15.)
Therefore, we will be able to SUM the “listener point value” (LPV) of each movie that we selected, in order to determine whose list is most in line with the tastes of our listenership, thereby being “superior” to our co-hosts’ lists…
And I’m making this bold claim, even while dealing with the three handicaps of:
1. being at odds with many listeners for year of release
2. including lesser-known, under-the-radar picks for my list (in order to try to help champion deserving cinema)
3. having a trick heart.
J
You’re assuming Andy, Karl and Ryan read the comments?…
Ok ok, I know Ryan does. But Andy and Karl?!
They don’t read them, which is why I talk smack about them here so freely.
Hell, they probably don’t even realize we’re having a Top 10 show yet, to be honest…
J
ATTN: Awesome people who are reading these comments:
You will have noticed the debate raging about “Determining a Film’s Year of Release…” Obviously, this is of crucial importance to me (and the community), because it directly affects the way we build our Top 10 lists.
Dino and others have been engaging with me, and they have made some pretty good points…
Therefore, instead of continuing the debate here in the comments, where only 0.001% of our listenership will even be aware of it, I have invited Dino to join us in Episode 217 of MPW for a regular episode.
And then immediately thereafter, just Dino and I will have what I’m calling an “MPW Summit” to discuss and debate the finer points of determining year of release in an attempt to decide this matter once and for all. (Feel free to include your suggestions in the comments here, and we’ll try to address them!)
Don’t miss it!
J
Can’t wait to hear the debate.
Good. You are both level-headed representatives whom we trust with this important task.
I do like Dino’s reasoning and his ideas for solutions. An end-of year list which we could get excited about with opportunity for revision to finalize our lists before the Oscars and have them jiving with all the other lists forevermore.
Last year was just so weird with all those great movies coming out right at the end… or was it? Is is always like that?
The Producer; I know you go to a LOT of work with the stats and the numbers and the listeners and the contests.. There’s a lot of moving parts there and you are so brave to even take it on. But it’s JUST so fun!
Update for those who care:
It’s 1:30 a.m., and 30 minutes ago Dino and I just finished our MPW Summit, where we discussed solutions for determining year of release. (This will be at the end of MPW Ep. 217.)
Dino is brilliant, as always, and he made many good points. In the 30 minutes following our discussion, I’ve thought it over, and Dino! — I think I have as close to perfect a solution as is possible, satisfying both “ends of the law.” ha ha.
I’ll keep everybody in suspense a little longer, but honestly, I think it will please just about everyone! I’ll reveal it soon (when it’s not 1:30 in the morning)…
Thanks again for your help, Dino! Couldn’t have done it without ya!
Jay
I can’t wait to hear what you came up with.
I hope you can make it to the end! Haha.
I feel bad that our discussion was largely focused on U.S. release dates… well, exclusively focused on U.S. release dates. But I guess you gotta crawl before you can run.
While the rest of the world sleeps it is nice to know that Jay and Dino are tackling world problems can’t wait to hear all about it!!!
Haha! #firstworldproblems
Glad to hear you’ll be listening, Mario. Between you and Andrew, I think that fills our expected quota of people we hoped would listen!
It was 3 a.m. for me, Jason. I can’t remember the last time I was awake at 3 a.m. by choice.
I’m glad you came up with something because I felt like we circled back to the start by the end, if that makes any sense. That might not make any sense; my body is awake, but my brain is still asleep.
It was definitely a good time, though, and I am by no means complaining – I’m fully aware that my struggle with brevity is largely responsible for our 4-hour recording session (yikes!).
Have fun editing down that beast, buddy!
p.s. Sorry
Dino,
It was a pleasure. Now if I can get Ep. 216 posted and out of the way, I’ll get started on Ep. 217 (featuring Dino!) right away. With your blessing, at the very end of our recording, I’m going to put the all-inclusive solution I came up with over some Cocoa Krispies this morning. Honestly, I think it appeases everyone… And if people can’t get to the end of our very esoteric discussion, then I’ll also write up a brief comment about it in the show notes or something. Thanks again, Dino. It was a pleasure!
J
P.S. I can’t even imagine tackling rules for foreign cinema releases! ha ha
Hey, your show, your rules. I think that works… looking forward to hearing your conclusion.
Jay here. Just wanted to rouse some more rabble real quick…
I recently bought two tickets to see “Rogue One” for my son and me. (Seats are filling up fast.) I showed him the trailer last night, and I have a prediction that I’d like to put out there in advance:
Judging from its trailers, unless they’re playing all its good cards close to the vest, “Rogue One” will be underwhelming and ultimately disappointing. That much seems obvious.
But here’s the prediction: Despite this, I’m predicting that the MPW audience (whom I love) will still be coerced by Nostalgia, insomuch that “Rogue One” will still end up among their collective Top 10 of 2016 list! … ha ha ha Don’t be slaves to your Nostalgia, Friends. If it’s a spade, then let’s call a spade a spade.
If I see the film and I’m wrong, I will happily redact this whole comment.
But let me tell you one more thing…
There’s a fuzzy piece of foam that’s designed to protect the onboard mics on my digital audio recorder (which I use for podcasting). *IF* “Rogue One” ends up on my Top 10 Best Movies of 2016 list, then I will eat that foam and film it for y’all to see.
Much love,
J
Jason, why do you hate the cinema?
Dino,
Why do you (and Geek Cast Ryan) love Death Star plots, ad nauseam?
J ; )
Because they’re awesome, Jason. AWESOME!
I hope you’re right, Dino.
You know, I’ve been thinking about this… The only thing that would make this Death Star plot awesome (and I hope Sal Roma is reading this, too), is if they:
1. Leave the Death Star and travel far away from it.
2. Then they decide to turn around and go straight back to it again.
Now, there’s a great movie idea for ya!
#RogueOneFuryRoad #MadMaxAStarWarsStory
: )
J
Haha.
Could be, Jason. Could be.
He’s even *pre*-hating the cinema now.
?
This is one of the funniest things I’ve ever read.
Touché, Eric. Well done, Sir.
J
BMOTY alert! LA LA LAND is really, really good. Strong BMOTY potential. Also, Karl and Andy will die and go to heaven when they get a load of Emma Stone in this thing. 10/10
Can’t wait to see it! Hopefully somewhere near me before the end of the year.
Might J actually like it (though it’s a musical)?
“La La Land” doesn’t *look like* my cup of tea; however, I have been making an effort to try to see it ASAP. I’m open to its famed magic.
Unfortunately, “La La Land” doesn’t open anywhere (that I know of) in SLC until Dec. 16, when it will be screening at The Broadway. I hope I can find a way to get to it.
Thanks for the recommendation, Cody!
J
Be sure to make time for this one, Jay. Even if you don’t LOVE it (and I’d say there’s an excellent chance that you might), I think you’ll be glad you saw it. Also, getting Karl and Sandy to shut up about Emma Stone after *they’ve* seen the movie will probably be impossible if you can’t tell them you’ve seen it yourself.
As a bonus, this is one that you need have no hesitation about seeing with Nat. The PG-13 rating is for one flipping of the bird and about three total swears (one of which is a mostly comical and largely inoffensive utterance of the F-word [Because, as we all know, you get one freebie with every PG-13 and, hey, free F-word!]) and nothing else at all. There are a handful of smooches, mixed in with a lot of longing looks and some hand-holding, but nothing else even remotely sexual. Zero violent content (almost goes without saying).
Given Jason’s well-documented hatred of the cinema, it’s tough to say. The musical element is both delightful and (mostly) ingenious, though, and Jason *is* a musician, so I think he’ll be respectful at the very least, and possibly respond much more strongly. It’s not a straight musical (not through-sung), and the stretches of dramatic material between musical numbers are just as compelling as the rest of it. Also, I suspect that almost all creative/artistic types will strongly relate to both the Stone and Gosling characters, even if they seem superficial at first.
Ah man, I’m drooling. I got chills during the trailer for it I saw yesterday. Could be a 1-2 of musical films for me this year, between this and Sing Street. I need to temper my expectations, though, but damn, it looks great.
… Wait a second … How did you see it already, Cody?
You’re so exclusive…
J
Standard-issue preview screening last night at the AMC 12 in West Jordan. A friend got some free passes by listening to a telemarketer and shared.
Hi Friends,
Don’t forget to e-mail your Top 10 lists BEFORE Christmas Day (Dec. 25). This upcoming Saturday, Dec. 24, is the deadline.
Also: If you’re feeling thin on your horror movies for 2016, in Ep. 106 of Horror Movie Podcast (a 4-hour, 10-minute episode), we essentially “Feature Review” 20 horror films from 2016. We’ll tell you what NOT to miss! Check it out when you have 4 hours!
http://horrormoviepodcast.com/horror-movie-podcast-ep-106-considering-20-new-release-horror-films-of-2016/
Thanks!
J