The Foxy Film Fan

As 2016 rolls to a close it's time to review the movies which have come out this year and conclude what the top five are. Please bear in mind that I was not privileged enough to see every release of the year, so there may be some phenomenal films from 2016 which I haven't been able to see quite yet that probably belong on this last. That being said, I humbly present my five favorite films from this year. 5. Swiss Army Man Swiss Army Man  is a compelling yet strange film which is built around the concept of a man on a deserted island who befriends a strange corpse which helps him escape his isolation (both literally and psychologically). The film centers heavily around crude humor and the main premise behind its trailer alone was that of fart jokes, so I cannot recommend this film for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. However, those who are capable of enduring some humor which borders on that of a high school student's jokes will find themselves in the compan

Man of Steel (2013) Zack Snyder, The first film I saw of yours was 300 , and I feel as though I'm stating the obvious when I say it was decent; of course it was, it was the film which launched a thousand memes, and the visual style which accompanied it was unlike anything ever attempted before. It certainly wasn't one of my favorite movies, but I enjoyed it enough to consider it warranting a second or third viewing. Next, I saw Watchmen . I now understand that my opinion is exceedingly unpopular among the majority of film and comic book fans, but I absolutely adored Watchmen . For years it was my favorite movie based off of a comic book (since then Guardians of the Galaxy  has taken that space in my heart), I adored the darkness of it, the stunning gritty visuals (back when being gritty and dark was actually an original concept and hadn't been used in absolutely every other superhero movie ever), the choice of music, and the way that it so beautifully translated a

"Zootopia" (2016) Disney has always been the reigning champion of animated movies. Ever since the release of Snow White  their films have captured the hearts and minds of children and adults alike. Recently, however, there had been a decline in the adoration toward their animated features; Big Hero 6 , Wreck-It Ralph , Brave , and Inside Out  have all been viewed as good releases without the sort of memorable adoration the likes of Toy Story  and Finding Nemo  achieved. Zootopia  came along to change that, utilizing the brilliance of tracing back to the history of the same animation style as classic Disney releases The Fox and the Hound  and Robin Hood  rather than opting for realism or attempting to copy the cartoonish appearance of films such as Madagascar . The return to Disney's old visual style combined with the beauty of modern animation makes for an absolutely stunning visual feast, filled with bright colors, unique and endearing characters, and an astonishing

Nightcrawler (2014) I've always held true to the belief that Jake Gyllenhaal is one of the best actors of our generation, and after witnessing his performance in Nightcrawler  I knew that I was right to think so. The heartthrob thinned back his hair, bugged out his eyes, and took on some unsettling yet subtle twitchy mannerisms in his portrayal of Louis Bloom, a freelance cameraman who speeds through Los Angeles in search of grisly footage to capture and sell to news stations for a price. This film is perhaps the most realistic portrayal of a sociopath I have ever seen, and it is absolutely phenomenal in its pacing, tone, bizarrely upbeat soundtrack, and the performances delivered by every actor in its cast. Sociopaths in films, particularly in darker genres such as this, have the tendency to be depicted as serial killers or outright monsters. Nightcrawler  opts for something more realistic, instead deciding to show the sort of sociopaths who you might live right next door t

The Purge: Election Year (2016) It's been said that the worst thing a book can be is boring. Every word, every sentence, and every paragraph of a novel must serve some sort of purpose and never leave the reader bored. I believe that this theory applies to film as well, and unfortunately, The Purge: Election Year  is mind-numbingly boring from start to finish. Despite the fact that it rarely lapses into scenes where nothing happens it's difficult to feel anything for any of the characters on screen or to care when the fourth action sequence rolls around. The novelty of the idea from the first film, which introduces the concept of one day where all crime is legal, has worn off by now and is instead muddled by an attempt at introducing politics to the Purge  universe. Our hero is a politician who is determined to put an end to the purge after witnessing the murder of her family when she was young one purge night, for some reason the notion of a politician putting an end to a

The Jungle Book (2016) This article will delve into the ending of both Disney's animated Jungle Book  and the new live-action adaptation, so if you have not seen either of these films yet and would like to avoid spoilers I advise that you don't read this article. If you recall, the original Jungle Book  ended with protagonist Mowgli finally resolving his dilemma of searching for his true identity by joining the village of men. Initially he resists, longing to stay with his animal friends because he's convinced that this is where he belongs and loathes the idea of essentially growing up and finding his rightful place as a man. He's persuaded, however, when he sees a young girl who he longs to meet and speak with, someone who he can't be with if he's opts to continue playing and hiding in the woods rather than taking a leap of faith and finally embracing adulthood. The original Jungle Book 's ending is inspirational, it's a story to children about

10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) In case you've forgotten, or like me have the habit of purposefully neglecting any and all films in the found-footage genre, in 2008 there was a film called Cloverfield . Cloverfield  was a mediocre found-footage film which focused on a party in New York city that is interrupted by an enormous monster destroying the city. It wasn't anything special, though it wasn't particularly bad either. Naturally, it fell victim to the traditional flaws that are inherent in the found-footage genre: shaky camera bad enough to cause nausea, sounds obviously added in post-production, awkward acting, and the implied spoiler that every character within the movie is probably going to die because that's why the footage was found  and not willingly released by the imagined filmmaker. It's been quite some time since I watched Cloverfield , because it isn't really the sort of movie that warrants a second watch due to the fact that its popularity stemm

The Witch (2016) From the trailer alone I knew that The Witch  (sometimes written as The VVitch  for the sake of style) would be an absolutely horrifying experience, and I was not wrong. First and foremost, allow me to ramble momentarily about how phenomenal this film is and the fact that it is not only a fantastic horror film but a wonderful historical movie as well. It centers around a small family living out in the woods where they attempt to start a farm of their own after fleeing their colony due to the father's unorthodox religious beliefs (which, admittedly, must have been pretty horrifying and legalistic if they were severe enough to frighten pilgrims). The film's score is haunting, atmospheric, experimental, and composed using nothing but instruments available in the time period the story takes place in, creating a strange and surreal sort of immersive experience for the audience. All outdoor scenes were filmed with only natural lighting (not unlike another fantas

Rogue One (2016) In previous releases in the Star Wars  franchise the audience has been subjected to witnessing the drama unfold within the Skywalker family, which was an entertaining (phenomenally so) experience, but felt distant and turned the audience into a sort of third party. Rogue One , however, transforms the audience into a part of the film through its fantastic and sometimes horrifying or grotesque cinematography. Rather than being given passing shots of city streets and the aliens which occupy the Star Wars universe, the camera weaves through crowded streets as though the audience is stumbling past these creatures first-hand when it isn't panning upwards to reveal intimidating shots of the massive spaceships soaring up above. This intimacy within Rogue One's  cinematography is closely tied to its plot as well, which focuses on the common people rather than the Skywalker family as previous releases did. While Star Wars  took audience members through a family

Suicide Squad (2016) Immediately after the release of Suicide Squad  reviews poured in, each one dragging the movie through the mud with reports of how absolutely terrible it was from beginning to end, of how Jared Leto's performance of the Joker was the worst performance of the Joker in the history of Batman, and of how the film was a confusing and jumbled mess. Perhaps it is for this reason that my hopes were low enough to the ground for me to be pleasantly surprised after my first viewing of the infamous dreaded Suicide Squad . Suicide Squad almost immediately gained notoriety when press photos of Jared Leto as the Joker sporting terrible tattoos (such as "damaged" scrawled across his forehead as if he's the protagonist of an angsty sixteen year old girl's fanfiction) and a grill, and with people both dreading and eager to see his performance if only for the hope that it would fall into the "so bad it's good" category of filmmaking, the ma

Blair Witch (2016) I've never been a particularly big fan of the original Blair Witch Project  and have always held the belief that the only reason the film is so notorious and well-known is because it was the first of the now-overdone found-footage horror subgenre. The original film was sluggishly paced, visually dizzying to watch, and plenty of footage of nothing in particular ever really happening. However, I'm still willing to give credit where credit is due and applaud The Blair Witch Project  for having the courage to try something which had never been done before. Unfortunately, the same credit cannot be given to the new release, Blair Witch , a film which is absolutely nothing but horror tropes. Blair Witch  at least makes an effort at giving itself ties to the original film through providing the premise that one of the protagonists is the brother of the protagonist from the first movie, though this notion is where all originality comes to an end. Admittedly, the

The Conjuring 2 (2016) While horror is a fantastically deep genre, it seems as though recent horror releases of 2016 haven't been living up to the possibilities of the genre. Instead, these new movies have been opting for laziness, crafting plots around cliches, jump scares, gore, and cheap scares which offer nothing new or exciting to dwell on after the first viewing. The Conjuring 2 , however, goes directly against these old tropes and stereotypes and instead opts to be something deeper, it decides to build a unique and extraordinarily scary plot while carefully dodging the usual cliches that so many other horror movies continue to fall victim to. Its success and fantastic production value is particularly surprising when you consider the fact that it is not only a horror movie, but also a sequel, a combination which seems to doom the majority of films under the same umbrella for failure or a straight to DVD release. The phenomenal nature of The Conjuring 2  is hardly sur

Brimming with sixties nostalgia and catchy fantastically composed music, La La Land is a dreamy and colorful depiction of the struggle of starving artists. Starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling as a complicated and endearing actress and pianist, the film captures the struggle faced by creative minded people who long for success (not even necessarily fame, just the ability to make it in the world by doing what they love). Expertly crafted in a fashion reminiscent of Mary Poppins, Singing in the Rain, and The Sound of Music, La La Land opts to depict itself as something mesmerizing in its cheer and optimism rather than the dark and gritty feeling of most recent musicals. The beauty of La La Land comes from how unashamed it is of being something bright and colorful, while the plot and subject matter within could have easily been used in a much darker and more dismal environment, the film instead takes a leap of faith in a direction rarely taken in the film industry these days, an indu

Ouija (2014) For many years jump scares have been used as a tactic in horror, and when well executed a perfectly used jump scare can be the most memorable and effective scene in a wonderfully frightening film. However, this is not usually the case. Rather than carefully executing jump scares with precision and intense scares, they're wasted on useless instances meant to make the audience flinch or feel momentarily startled rather than deeply frightened. For example, how many horror movies have you seen where a character looks at something ominous, only to be violently startled by a friend jumping up from behind them yelling "hello" as a sound added in post production rings in loudly to make the audience flinch? It's a tactic which wastes the audience's tension on release rather than providing further tension, and it's a tactic which makes for cheap horror movies which end up being more irritating than they are truly frightening. Take, for example, hor

As a film reviewer I believe that it is only fair that I provide a concise list of my top five favorite movies, so that you might better understand what sort of standard I'm holding the movies I review to and so that you can also see how similar your tastes are to mine. That being said, in order from my fifth favorite to my first, here are my five favorite films of all time. 5. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) Once upon a time, I was fascinated with forensic psychology and romanticized the notion of working in forensics for a living, until I discovered the amount of heartache and emotional toil which goes into working in such a dark field. It was performances such as Jodie Foster's in The Silence of the Lambs  which inspired me in the first place, I idolized her heroism and complete unflinching demeanor in the face of evil, and her ability to work alongside a monster as horrific as Dr. Hannibal Lecter without fear. The Silence of the Lambs  is a phenomenal film whic

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) Prior to watching Mad Max  I always assumed the series was just another 80's action franchise lost in the sea of muscular action heroes backed by blaring synthesizers and massive explosions. Instead, I was proven wrong and found myself absolutely enthralled with this series of fantastic and bizarre films unlike any other action series I've ever seen. The first of the series is a slow burn, setting the stage for the apocalyptic wasteland which occupies the rest of the following films, but the slow and dragging pace of the first film is the equivalent to a rollercoaster ramping upwards before plummeting down into absolute insanity. The beauty of the Mad Max  series is the fact that there are no rules, only absolute madness, much like the madness which plagues the protagonist. Rather than being an outright hero or expert killer, Max is used as the story's vehicle to help the audience travel through the wasteland of post-apocalyptic Au

Captain America: Civil War (2016) Film is a beautiful medium of story telling which opens paths to communicating ideas and tales in ways that other forms of art could never accomplish, through the blending of sights and sounds and the addition of new computer generated effects film is able to tell stories which have never been told before. So, why is it that this beautiful and fascinating form of art is being used to tell the same stories time after time? Over and over again we see the same stories, borrowed from books, comics, or even older films being updated in the name of adding special effects or somehow bettering something which was already made the way the artist originally envisioned it. Is this use of film truly the best we can accomplish? Please don't misinterpret this article as a call for putting a stop to the films in the marvel franchise, or the next installment in Star Wars  (believe me, I'm as excited for Rogue One  as you are), but as a plea to filmmak

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016) Tim Burton is a director who has the tendency to stir up controversy, whether it's from the dark subject matter of his films which sometimes tend to blend together in one bizarre neon green and black mess of gothic imagery with frail androgynous protagonists, his more recent mediocre releases ( Dark Shadows  and Frankenweenie ), or some controversial remarks he made regarding representation of other races in his films, but it's important that we do not let the artist's personal beliefs and actions interfere with how fantastic his art is. That's right, to my surprise, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children  is a fairly good movie. Admittedly, I would probably refrain from using a word as strong as 'fantastic' to describe it, because it's certainly a flawed film with some awkward moments guided by the expected faltering performances which sometimes accompany films that rely on child actor

A Christmas Story (1983) The majority of films centered around the holiday season also effectively work to draw forth feelings of nostalgia. Traditionally this nostalgia is related to the holiday season and the imagery which one typically can expect to see during Christmas time. However, in the case of A Christmas Story  the nostalgia is not relating to Christmas, but rather to a much more broad and relatable occurrence which even those who dod not celebrate traditional American Christmases will relate to - growing up. Despite its title and the fact that the events in the films plot all take place around the holiday season, it is the occurrences and instances of familiar childhood events that brings this film its charm. Take for example the terror of accidentally swearing in front of a parent, but amplify it to the point where the parent begins shrieking in absolute terror and disbelief when they hear the word you uttered. A Christmas Story  is more of a series of childhood vign

Green Room (2015) Starring the late great Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, and Patrick Stewart, Green Room  is a thriller which puts a unique spin on the genre and twists it into something which will surely keep audience members on the edge of their seats from beginning to end. The film is set around the premise of a punk rock band playing a show at a venue occupied by neo-Nazi skinheads where, after a cover of Dead Kennedy's "Nazi Punks F*** Off" as protest to their audience member's racist beliefs and the unintentional witness of something they weren't meant to see, the band finds themselves locked in the green room of the venue with a group of angry skinheads doing whatever they can to kill them - all with Patrick Stewart leading them. Admittedly, as someone with a deep love for punk music and the subculture as a whole, I am a bit biased and probably being a bit too easy on this film. It is deeply flawed, it has instances where characters make decisions whi

50 First Dates (2004) Like so many other women before me, I too have fallen victim to swooning over the occasional movie which falls under the blanket term of 'romantic comedy'. I've sighed as the two unlikely love interests find passion and some strange mutilated version of true love based mostly on the fact that the script said these two characters must fall in love with one another, so that's exactly what they're going to end up doing. While there are exceptions to the rule, these films have the tendency to all follow the same exact formula time and time again, and on top of being lazy filmmaking it also depicts a rather unhealthy foundation for any sort of relationship (be it platonic or romantic). For some reason, the two protagonists must always begin their story hating one another. Their distaste for each other could range from one-sided affection (varying from a light crush to obsessive pining which the other ignores) to absolute loathing (as seen i