25) 10 Cloverfield Lane
*Taken From My Best Of 2016 Horror Article*
No cameo by the Cloverfield monster? No problem. John Goodman takes over the villainous arc of 10 Cloverfield Lane, even though his status of a “villain” is highly suspect. Dan Trachtenberg’s bunker spinoff tells of a woman who might or might not be a conspiracy theorist’s prisoner, after her car was overturned before some kind of disaster. Goodman’s character finds the girl, brings her into his bomb shelter and swears he saved her life by doing so – it’s a brooding, militant performance by the actor that’s Oscar worthy in my opinion.
Winstead herself delivers one of the top genre performances as Goodman’s guest/victim, in line with Zoe Kazan (The Monster) and Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch). She’s cunning, resourceful and independently strong, posing a real, believable threat to Goodman’s domineering host. It’s been a badass year for female characters throughout the genre, but Winstead is up there with most badass-iest – if not standing atop, looking down at the competition. There might have been more questions posed in the Cloverfield universe than answered, but the performances end up being too damn good to ignore.
24) Moana
This spot was a three-way fight between Moana, Finding Dory and Zootopia, but how can I deny Dwayne Johnson some end-of-year love? Disney finds the proper island rhythm for its native tale and gives power to a princess story that’s anything but. Johnson boasts his confident charms while singing “You’re Welcome,” but young Auli’i Cravalho steals the show as Moana herself.
There’s a singing Bowie crab (Jemaine Clement), Mad Max coconut people and ample musical entertainment, but most importantly, little girls have a hero they can relate to. Moana released at just the right time, because at this point in history, we need to spread gender messages like this one as far as possible – sound the conch and let them come flocking.
23) Hardcore Henry
Screw off. This is my Top 25, so I get to do what I want. If I already said that Hardcore Henry redefined the action genre landscape, then I’m saying it again here. I’m an avid gamer and lover of FPS (First Person Shooter) titles, and was able to enjoy this explosive thrill-ride without a single second of motion sickness.
Surprisingly, the gimmick of living one man’s video-game-like reality is never lost – nor is Sharlto Copley’s continued redefinition as your NPC sidekick. Why does Copley play multiple personas that include stoner, peace-loving vet, coked-up gun nut, and ghillie-suit Brit? Don’t worry about the details – just strap yourself in and get ready for a scenery-smashing, henchman-pulverizing, BLOODY good time.
Hardcore Henry is for the thrill seekers and action junkies out there begging for something next-level. Well psychos, here it is.
