If one thing stands out in the movies that came out in 2016, it is that many of my favorite filmmakers released a significant work within their respective filmographies. Richard Linklater, Joel and Ethan Coen, Martin Scorsese, and Barry Jenkins are just a few of the noteworthy directors that had big releases in 2016, highlighting a thirst for auteur work heading into the second half of the 2010s.

Animated movies and franchise fare also had a stranglehold on the box office, continuing the trend of the decade where revitalizing and reimagining previous material became a safe bet for studios. Some of their efforts were bad, but some of them were good – even to the point where they made this ranking. It wasn’t the deepest year for quality releases, but there were 25 that stood out. These are the 25 best movies of 2016:
25. A Quiet Passion

24. Train to Busan

Yeon Sang-ho’s Train to Busan is a visual feast as survivors band together on a speeding bullet train. It delivers the right amount of thrills and action set pieces. Although the dramatic elements and character development may seem underbaked, the film rarely faulters and crashes off course.
Read Cinephile Corner’s review of Train to Busan
23. La La Land

22. Finding Dory

21. Hail, Caesar!

20. Free Fire

19. American Honey

18. 10 Cloverfield Lane

17. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

16. Swiss Army Man

15. Deadpool

14. Kubo and the Two Strings

13. The Handmaiden

12. Manchester by the Sea

11. The Edge of Seventeen

10. Certain Women

9. Paterson

8. Hell or High Water

7. Personal Shopper

6. 20th Century Women

5. The Lost City of Z

4. Moonlight

3. Arrival

Arrival is a beautifully presented, excellently edited piece of work that stands as a testament to Denis Villeneuve’s directorial ability and taste. Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner costar in one of the 2010s best science fiction movies.
Read Cinephile Corner’s review of Arrival
2. Silence

1. Everybody Wants Some!!

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