La La Land – Do Not Resist – Moonlight – Manchester by the Sea – Love & Friendship – Zootopia – The Birth of a Nation

2016: World Premieres
2016: U.S. Releases
2016: Still Left to See
2016: Cannes Festival
2016: Venice Festival
2016: Chicago Festival

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The Movies of 2016: U.S. Releases
 By Title // By Grade // By VOR Rating  (what's this?)

Full Listing of Films Screened

⑤ Indispensable to film fans, even if it's flawed
13th Dir. Ava DuVernay. Documentary about the racial history of U.S. incarceration B
20th Century Women Dir. Mike Mills. Annette Bening, Lucas Jade Zumann A
American Honey Dir. Andrea Arnold. Sasha Lane, Shia LaBeouf, Riley Keough B+
Aquarius Dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho. Sonia Braga, Humberto Carrão, Zoraide Coleto A–
Cameraperson Dir. Kirsten Johnson. Collaged footage from cinematographer's career B+
Cemetery of Splendor Dir. Apichatpong Weerasethakul. Jenjira Pongpas B
The Club Dir. Pablo Larraín. Alfredo Castro, Marcelo Alonso, Antonia Zegers B+
Do Not Resist Dir. Craig Atkinson. Documentary about the militarizing of U.S. police A–
Elle Dir. Paul Verhoeven. Isabelle Huppert, Laurent Lafitte, Anne Consigny A–
Fire at Sea Dir. Gianfranco Rosi. Documentary about kids and refugees in Lampedusa A–
The Fits Dir. Anna Rose Holmer. Royalty Hightower, Alexis Neblett, Makyla Burnam B+
Francofonia Dir. Aleksandr Sokurov. Benjamin Utzerath, Louis-Do de Lencquesaing A
The Lobster Dir. Yorgos Lanthimos. Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Léa Seydoux A–
Moonlight Dir. Barry Jenkins. Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, Trevante Rhodes A–
Mountains May Depart Dir. Jia Zhangke. Zhao Tao, Zhang Yi, Liang Jing Dong B–
No Home Movie Dir. Chantal Akerman. Documentary about the filmmaker's mother B+
The Other Side Dir. Roberto Minervini. Mark Kelley, Lisa Allen, James Lee Miller B+
The President Dir. Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Misha Gomiashvili, Dachi Orvelashvili B+
Right Now, Wrong Then Dir. Hong Sang-soo. Jeong Jae-yeong, Kim Min-hee A–
Silence Dir. Martin Scorsese. Andrew Garfield, Yôsuke Kubozuka, Adam Driver B+
Toni Erdmann Dir. Maren Ade. Sandra Hüller, Peter Simonischek, Thomas Loibl B+
Trapped Dir. Dawn Porter. Documentary about abortion providers in the U.S. South B
Weiner Dirs. Josh Kriegman, Elyse Steinberg. Documentary about political campaign B
Zootopia Dirs. Byron Howard, Rich Moore. Voices of Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman B

④ Good or bad, this is risky and original work
Abortion: Stories Women Tell Dir. Tracy Droz Tragos. Clinic-based documentary B
Arrival Dir. Denis Villeneuve. Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker B
As I Open My Eyes Dir. Leyla Bouzid. Baya Medhaffar, Ghalia Benali, Montassar Ayari B+
A Bigger Splash Dir. Luca Guadagnino. Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes B–
The Birth of a Nation Dir. Nate Parker. Nate Parker, Armie Hammer, Aja Naomi King B
Certain Women Dir. Kelly Reichardt. Laura Dern, Michelle Williams, Lily Gladstone B
Chevalier Dir. Athina Rachel Tsangari. Panos Koronis, Sakis Rouvas, Makis Papadimitriou B
Crosscurrent Dir. Yang Chao. Qin Hao, Xin Zhilei, Tan Kai, Wang Hongwei, Wu Lipeng B+
Dheepan Dir. Jacques Audiard. Jesuthasan Antonythasan, Kalieaswari Srinivasan A–
Embrace of the Serpent Dir. Ciro Guerra. Nilbio Torres, Antonio Bolivar, Jan Bijvoet B
Everybody Wants Some!! Dir. Richard Linklater. Blake Jenner, Glen Powell C–
Hail, Caesar! Dirs. Joel and Ethan Coen. Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Ralph Fiennes B
The Handmaiden Dir. Park Chan-wook. Kim Tae-ri, Kim Min-hee, Ha Jung-woo B–
Henry Gamble's Birthday Party Dir. Stephen Cone. Cole Doman, Elizabeth Laidlaw B+
I Am Not Your Negro Dir. Raoul Peck. Nonfiction collage drawn from James Baldwin B+
Ixcanul Dir. Jayro Bustamante. María Mercedes Coroy, María Telón, Manuel Manuel Antún A
Jackie Dir. Pablo Larraín. Natalie Portman, Billy Crudup, Peter Sarsgaard, Greta Gerwig C
Julieta Dir. Pedro Almodóvar. Adriana Ugarte, Emma Suárez, Daniel Grao B+
Kubo and the Two Strings Dir. Travis Knight. Animated. Voice of Art Parkinson B–
La La Land Dir. Damien Chazelle. Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, John Legend B–
Lace Crater Dir. Harrison Atkins. Lindsay Burdge, Andrew Ryder, Jennifer Kim B+
Life, Animated Dir. Roger Ross Williams. Documentary about autistic animation fan B
Little Men Dir. Ira Sachs. Theo Taplitz, Michael Barbieri, Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Ehle B
Love & Friendship Dir. Whit Stillman. Kate Beckinsale, Xavier Samuel, Emma Greenwell B
The Love Witch Dir. Anna Biller. Samantha Robinson, Laura Waddell, Gian Keys C
Midnight Special Dir. Jeff Nichols. Jaeden Lieberher, Michael Shannon, Kirsten Dunst B
Moana Dirs. Ron Clements, John Musker. Animated. Voice of Auli'i Cravalho B+
Neon Bull Dir. Gabriel Mascaro. Juliano Cazzaré, Maeve Jinkings, Carlos Pessoa A–
Neruda Dir. Pablo Larraín. Luis Gnecco, Gael García Bernal, Mercedes Morán B+
O.J.: Made in America Dir. Ezra Edelman. Documentary about the fallen athlete B
Pervert Park Dirs. Frida and Lasse Barkfors. Documentary about sex offenders B+
Queen of Katwe Dir. Mira Nair. Madina Nalwanga, David Oyelowo, Lupita Nyong'o B
Southside with You Dir. Richard Tanne. Tika Sumpter, Parker Sawyers B+
Spa Night Dir. Andrew Ahn. Joe Seo, Cho Youn Ho, Haerry Kim, Song Tae B+
Sully Dir. Clint Eastwood. Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney, Mike O'Malley B
Things to Come Dir. Mia Hansen-Løve. Isabelle Huppert, Roman Kolinka, André Marcon A
Tikkun Dir. Avishai Sivan. Aharon Traitel, Khalifa Natour, Gur Sheinberg, Riki Blich B+
Til Madness Do Us Part Dir. Wang Bing. Documentary about Chinese insane asylum B

③ Try to make time, but don't cry if you miss it
10 Cloverfield Lane Dir. Dan Trachtenberg. Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman C
Bang Gang (A Modern Love Story) Dir. Eva Husson. Marilyn Lima, Daisy Broom B+
Being 17 Dir. André Téchiné. Kacey Mottet Klein, Corentin Fila, Sandrine Kiberlain B
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk Dir. Ang Lee. Joe Alwyn, Garrett Hedlund, Vin Diesel C
Café Society Dir. Woody Allen. Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Steve Carell C
Captain Fantastic Dir. Matt Ross. Viggo Mortensen, George MacKay, Samantha Isler B
Christine Dir. Antonio Campos. Rebecca Hall, Tracy Letts, Michael C. Hall, Maria Dizzia B–
Deadpool Dir. Tim Miller. Ryan Reynolds, Ed Skrein, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller C
Demon Dir. Marcin Wrona. Itay Tiran, Agnieszka Zulewska, Andrzej Grabowski B+
The Edge of Seventeen Dir. Kelly Fremon Craig. Hailee Steinfeld, Haley Lu Richardson B+
Eisenstein in Guanajuato Dir. Peter Greenaway. Elmer Bäck, Luis Alberti, Lisa Owen B
Evolution Dir. Lucile Hadžihalilović. Max Brebant, Julie-Marie Parmentier, Roxane Duran B
The Eyes of My Mother Dir. Nicolas Pesce. Kika Magalhães, Diana Agostini, Paul Nazak B
Fences Dir. Denzel Washington. Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Jovan Adepo B
Fourth Man Out Dir. Andrew Nackman. Evan Todd, Parker Young, Jon Gabrus B
From Afar Dir. Lorenzo Vigas. Alfredo Castro, Luis Silva, Jericó Montilla B–
Green Room Dir. Jeremy Saulnier. Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat F
Hell or High Water Dir. David Mackenzie. Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Jeff Bridges B
Hidden Figures Dir. Theodore Melfi. Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe B
High-Rise Dir. Ben Wheatley. Tom Hiddleston, Sienna Miller, Jeremy Irons B–
I, Daniel Blake Dir. Ken Loach. Dave Johns, Hayley Squires, Briana Shann B
In the Shadow of Women Dir. Philippe Garrel. Clotilde Courau, Stanislas Merhar B+
Indignation Dir. James Schamus. Logan Lerman, Sarah Gadon, Danny Burstein C
Knight of Cups Dir. Terrence Malick. Christian Bale, Wes Bentley, Brian Dennehy D+
Krisha Dir. Trey Edward Shults. Krisha Fairchild, Trey Edward Shults, Robyn Fairchild C+
Loving Dir. Jeff Nichols. Joel Edgerton, Ruth Negga, Terri Abney, Marton Csokas B–
Manchester by the Sea Dir. Kenneth Lonergan. Casey Affleck, Lucas Hedges B
The Measure of a Man Dir. Stéphane Brizé. Vincent Lindon, Karine de Mirbeck B
The Meddler Dir. Lorene Scafaria. Susan Sarandon, Rose Byrne, J.K. Simmons B+
Mekong Hotel Dir. Apichatpong Weerasethakul. Sakda Kaewbuadee B
Mia Madre Dir. Nanni Moretti. Margherita Buy, Giulia Lazzarini, John Turturro C–
Miles Ahead Dir. Don Cheadle. Don Cheadle, Ewan McGregory, Emayatzy Corinealdi C+
Mirzya Dir. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. Harshvardhan Kapoor, Saiyami Kher B
My Golden Days Dir. Arnaud Desplechin. Quentin Dolmaire, Lou Roy-Lecollinet B
Naz & Maalik Dir. Jay Dockendorf. Kerwin Johnson Jr., Curtiss Cook Jr., Annie Grier B–
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising Dir. Nicholas Stoller. Seth Rogen, Zac Efron C
The Neon Demon Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn. Elle Fanning, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee C
Paterson Dir. Jim Jarmusch. Adam Driver, Golshifteh Farahani, Barry Shabaka Henley B
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Dir. Gareth Edwards. Felicity Jones, Diego Luna B–
Sing Street Dir. John Carney. Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Lucy Boynton, Ben Carolan B+
Sunset Song Dir. Terence Davies. Agyness Deyn, Kevin Guthrie, Peter Mullan, Ian Pirie C–
Swiss Army Man Dirs. Daniel Scheinert, Daniel Kwan. Paul Dano, Daniel Radcliffe C
Tale of Tales Dir. Matteo Garrone. Salma Hayek, Christian Lees, Jonah Lees C
Tanna Dirs. Bentley Dean, Martin Butler. Marie Wawa, Mungau Dain, Marceline Rofit B
Tickled Dirs. David Farrier, Dylan Reeve. Documentary about online tickling network D+
The Treasure Dir. Corneliu Porumboiu. Toma Cuzin, Adrian Purcarescu A–
Under the Shadow Dir. Babak Anvari. Narges Rashidi, Avin Manshadi, Bobby Naderi B
White Girl Dir. Elizabeth Wood. Morgan Saylor, Brian Marc, India Mendez, Justin Bartha B
The Witch Dir. Robert Eggers. Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Harvey Scrimshaw C

② Even if it's good, it's hardly groundbreaking
Beautiful Something Dir. Joseph Graham. Zack Ryan, Brian Sheppard C+
Bridget Jones's Baby Dir. Sharon Maguire. Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth B–
Closet Monster Dir. Stephen Dunn. Connor Jessup, voice of Isabella Rossellini B
The Conjuring 2 Dir. James Wan. Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Madison Wolfe C+
Deepwater Horizon Dir. Peter Berg. Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, Gina Rodriguez C
Denial Dir. Mick Jackson. Rachel Weisz, Tom Wilkinson, Timothy Spall, Andrew Scott C
Don't Breathe Dir. Fede Alvarez. Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Stephen Lang D–
Florence Foster Jenkins Dir. Stephen Frears. Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant, Simon Helberg B–
Front Cover Dir. Ray Leung. Jake Choi, James Chen, Elizabeth Sung, Ming Lee C+
Ghostbusters Dir. Paul Feig. Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon D+
Goat Dir. Andrew Neel. Ben Schnetzer, Nick Jonas, Danny Flaherty, Gus Halper B–
Hacksaw Ridge Dir. Mel Gibson. Andrew Garfield, Teresa Palmer, Sam Worthington C–
Hello, My Name Is Doris Dir. Michael Showalter. Sally Field, Max Greenfield B–
The Intervention Dir. Clea DuVall. Melanie Lynskey, Cobie Smulders, Vincent Piazza B
The Jungle Book Dir. Jon Favreau. Neel Sethi, voices of Ben Kingsley, Lupita Nyong'o C+
Lazy Eye Dir. Tim Kirkman. Lucas Near-Verbrugghe, Aaron Costa Ganis B–
The Light Between Oceans Dir. Derek Cianfrance. Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander C+
Lights Out Dir. David F. Sandberg. Teresa Palmer, Gabriel Bateman, Maria Bello D
Lion Dir. Garth Davis. Dev Patel, Sunny Pawar, Rooney Mara, Nicole Kidman B–
The Nice Guys Dir. Shane Black. Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice C+
Nocturnal Animals Dir. Tom Ford. Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon D
Other People Dir. Chris Kelly. Jesse Plemons, Molly Shannon, Bradley Whitford B
The Secret Life of Pets Dir. Chris Renaud. Voices of Louis CK, Eric Stonestreet C+
The Shallows Dir. Jaume Collet-Serra. Blake Lively, Óscar Jaenada, Sedona Legge B–
Snowden Dir. Oliver Stone. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Rhys Ifans C+
Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four Dir. Deborah S. Esquenazi B–
Star Trek: Beyond Dir. Justin Lin. Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Idris Elba B

① Low ambition, little originality, easy to forget
Almost Christmas Dir. David E. Talbert. Danny Glover, Kimberly Elise, Gabrielle Union C–
Blair Witch Dir. Adam Wingard. James Allen McCune, Callie Hernandez, Brandon Scott C
Genius Dir. Michael Grandage. Colin Firth, Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Laura Linney F
Jason Bourne Dir. Paul Greengrass. Matt Damon, Alicia Vikander, Tommy Lee Jones C–
A Man Called Ove Dir. Hannes Holm. Rolf Lassgård, Filip Berg, Bahar Pars C
Money Monster Dir. Jodie Foster. George Clooney, Jack O'Connell, Julia Roberts C–