| Title |
Year |
Rating |
Rank |
Review |
| La La Land | 2016 | 100 | 1 | (full review) - Chazelle ultimately creates his own anachronistic world that will suck in just about any moviegoer with its unrelenting charm — his own "la la land" of sorts that showcases several seasons of life. |
| Fences | 2016 | 97 | 2 | (full review) - Delivering an intimate affair that feels like a stage production on the big screen that captures the challenges husbands and wives face and the struggles fathers and sons create, Fences is an engrossing motion picture that winds the clock back and showcases what America really was for people of color when it was supposedly great. |
| Hell or High Water | 2016 | 97 | 2 | (full review) - More than just a heist thriller set in the middle of nowhere in the Lone Star state, this compelling film layers in the decimation of small town America, the financial turmoil belying predatory lending practices, and the overt racial bias that has become a way of life for some. Under the direction of Mackenzie, Hell or High Water accomplishes all of this and so much more. |
| Manchester by the Sea | 2016 | 97 | 2 | (full review) - A gut punch that really taps into the human element of cinema in a way that most recent films have failed to do, Kenneth Lonergan's Manchester by the Sea is an emotional rollercoaster that feels pretty familiar to anyone who has simply lived. The human element here cannot be overstated. |
| Hidden Figures | 2016 | 93 | 5 | (full review) - I've got nothing but love for Hidden Figures. Director Theodore Melfi's historical comedy-drama does what the best films do. It teaches moviegoers something they probably never knew before the theater darkened and the film began. |
| Arrival | 2016 | 88 | 6 | (full review) - Grandly envisioned, subtly executed, and beautifully acted, Arrival is by far the most thought-provoking science fiction film to grace the big screen this year. |
| Hacksaw Ridge | 2016 | 88 | 6 | (full review) - Emotionally resonant, morally poignant, and historically relevant, Hacksaw Ridge is undoubtedly the best war movie to grace theaters in years. |
| Moonlight | 2016 | 80 | 8 | |
