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Now that we’re nearing the end of the year, and I’m getting impatient to write this, it’s time for a look back at the best and the worst, on and off the big screen, of 2016. Granted, there was the odd disappointment, but some sterling efforts were also on show, even if they weren’t all brand spanking-new and can’t all be mentioned here.
It only seems like five minutes since Leonardo Di Caprio finally got the monkey of all monkeys off his back and picked up the Best Actor Oscar. Back in January, we were watching The Revenant, a bleak tale of betrayal and survival in the harsh American wilderness, which also earned Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu a second best director gong. The month’s other big talking point, The Hateful Eight, was not dissimilar in terms of subject matter and marked a welcome, if belated, return for Quentin Tarantino. Another notable ‘original’ came later on in August, in the form of The Nice Guys, a 1970s-set crimes thriller, starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Reynolds.
Speaking of which, it’s been a decent year for the man from the BT ads. He was also the star of Deadpool, the surprise comic book package of 2016, which was certainly far better than the Joker, Harley Quinn and company in Suicide Squad. Doctor Strange and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice fared somewhat better, but it was Deadpool that took the honours. Two stars for which it’s been a year to forget, on the other hand, were both in the sank-without-a-trace Alice Through the Looking Glass. Johnny Depp‘s career continues to stall, compounded by being voted Forbes‘ most overpaid actor for the second consecutive year, whilst Sacha Baron Cohen had the audacity to bring us the God-awful Grimsby.
If there’s anything movie-goers love more than DC/Marvel fare, it’s an adaptation of a classic literary work. two genuine heavyweights, CGI’d to the max, have been in contention this year, namely The Jungle Book and The BFG. The former is possibly the film of the year, with the latter giving a good account of itself but just missing out on the knockout blow. Still, both will be worthy stocking-fillers.
With 2016 going down in history for heralding the loss of many of our heroes, it was inevitable that cinema would have to take its turn to mourn. Alan Rickman, Gene Wilder and, at a tragically young age, Anton Yelchin all left gaping holes. Between them though, they have left a body of work that will continue to enthral for countless generations to come. Someone who’s still very much with us is the evergreen Kirk Douglas, who celebrated his 100th birthday just recently.
So what about the inevitable sequels and reboots? The one that people couldn’t stop talking about, but unfortunately for the wrong reasons, was Ghostbusters. So it’s an all-female cast! Just let them get on with it and see what happens! We did and it flopped. After a promising trailer, the best it had to offer was a nod to the original here and there. Creed hit the spot though, and who would’ve thought that not only could the Rocky franchise have new life breathed into it, but that a sequel to this latest venture would now be on the cards?
Some would argue that the last twelve months have saved the best for last, especially with the school holidays underway. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Rogue One are both currently riding high. Continuing to look on the brightside, at least we didn’t have to endure a disappointment on the scale of Terminator: Genisys for a second year running, and who’s to say that 2017 won’t be a blockbuster year with Mr. Depp re-discovering his golden touch? Anything else that you feel deserves a mention, good or bad, or something her that you agree/disagree with, please let us know below.
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