Awards season is here and we are diving in headfirst, but not without being properly prepared. 2016 was full of so many incredible films, it was tough to keep up (no matter how many Friday movie-and-popcorn nights we had). If you haven’t had as many nights at the cinema, allow us to give you the breakdown of the seven movies that took the top spots in 2016.
1. Nocturnal Animals
Rotten Tomatoes Says: 72%
If you told us you had yet to hear about Tom Ford’s latest R-rated romantic thriller, we probably wouldn’t believe you. In the movie, which is described as a “story within a story,” Amy Adams is sent a copy of ex-husband Jake Gyllenhaal’s novel, which tells a twisted, violent, and unforgiving tale about a husband having his wife and children taken from him while on an overnight road trip. This film will have you on the edge of your seat (with your eyes covered at times) for the entire 115 minutes.
2. La La Land
Rotten Tomatoes Says: 93%
La La Land, as in the movie that won the most Golden Globes ever. Emma Stone (Mia) and Ryan Gosling (Sebastian) are reunited in this musical, and their chemistry? Unbelievable. Mia is an aspiring actress, while Sebastian is a jazz musician. Both are living in L.A., struggling to make ends meet, when Sebastian makes a life and career decision that Mia a) knows is not in his heart and b) doesn’t agree with.
3. Moonlight
Rotten Tomatoes Says: 98%
Warning: It’s a tearjerker. Rated R, this film tells the story of a struggling young man’s path of self-discovery. The film follows the main, Chiron (played by Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, and Trevante Rhodes), as he grows up in the Miami projects with his drug-addicted mother (played flawlessly by Naomie Harris), who is neglectful and abusive. Life advice comes from the neighborhood drug dealer, and you watch as Chiron struggles to grow up all the while falling in love and battling with his sexuality. This has been called the best film of the year by many critics, and is especially important viewing right now.
4. Fences
Rotten Tomatoes Says: 95%
Denzel, Denzel, Denzel – oh how we love you. Set in the 1950s, Fences has Denzel Washington playing the role (he also directed the film!) of a working-class sanitation worker and father (Troy Maxson) who missed his chance of becoming a major league baseball player because of his skin color. As his son gets older he is given the chance to meet with a college football recruiter, but things don’t go as you’d hope. One hundred percent a must-see.
