Best Movies of 2016 So Far
So I've been thinking it's about time I do a review of a bunch of movies I've seen so far this year. I will epicly fangirl over 5 of them and give brief overviews of a few honorable mentions, then list off the movies that I would REALLY REALLY REALLY like to see before the end of the summer.
This will be great and you will enjoy this. And you had better watch some of these movies if you haven't yet because they are wonderful.
So, here we go. Faith's Top Rated Movies This Year.
Arrival
Linguistics professor Louise Banks (Amy Adams) leads an elite team of investigators when gigantic spaceships touch down in 12 locations around the world. As nations teeter on the verge of global war, Banks and her crew must race against time to find a way to communicate with the extraterrestrial visitors. Hoping to unravel the mystery, she takes a chance that could threaten her life and quite possibly all of mankind.…
This movie was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. It totally deserves it, too. I haven't seen any of the other Oscar nominees (but I want to!), however, Arrival is entirely worthy of the place in the Academy.
This is a lovely, thought-provoking. With nothing to merit a PG-13 rating besides two completely unnecessary cuss words (yes, I counted. And that's all there is.), it's very appropriate and makes you wonder: If you could see your whole life and know what would happen and the pain that things would cause you, would you change things?
Priceless
Desperately in need of money and in hopes of regaining custody of his daughter, James (Joel Smallbone) embarks on a cross-country delivery for cash -- no questions asked. When he discovers that he is delivering two young women, the questions in his mind begin haunting him mercilessly. When James finds himself falling for one of the women, he becomes an unlikely hero and must fight to save the innocence and lives of both of the girls.
You may have heard of this movie if you like the band for KING & COUNTRY. One of the band members, Joel, plays the lead, as mentioned above. It's all about trafficking, which is a heavy, mature topic - but I would definitely recommend it. Every Christian needs to know about this issue, which enslaves millions of girls (and boys) every year. How far would you be willing to go to right a massive wrong and save innocent lives?
I'm Not Ashamed
Columbine High School student Rachel Joy Scott grew up knowing the love of God but wasn't always ready to receive it. At times her faith is strong, but at other times, she finds that it's at odds with her daily life. After a difficult breakup with her non-believing boyfriend, Rachel finds inspiration from a formerly homeless teen, and her renewed commitment to Christ plays out powerfully at her high school and around the world. Based on a true story.
I only just watched this movie last night after receiving it for my birthday. It's a controversial movie, of course, as most Christian ones are, but it's SO GOOD. All about a teenage girl who decides to live her life for God at her public high school, but finds it difficult when her friends are the parting type and she still wants to fit in. The story has a tragic end, of course - I mean, it's about Columbine - but Columbine is not the whole point of the story. It's more about a teenager who decides to get serious about her faith in a very difficult environment. And every Christian today can understand the struggle involved in that.
Cinderella (2015)
After her father unexpectedly dies, young Ella (Lily James) finds herself at the mercy of her cruel stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and stepsisters, who reduce her to scullery maid. Despite her circumstances, she refuses to despair. An invitation to a palace ball gives Ella hope that she might reunite with the dashing stranger (Richard Madden) she met in the woods, but her stepmother prevents her from going. Help arrives in the form of a kindly beggar woman who has a magic touch for ordinary things.
Everyone knows the story of Cinderella, but this version is so beautiful. In a world of "strong female protagonists" (which I'm not condemning at all, just a little tired of) Ella's quiet beauty and inner strength is encouraging and beautiful. All Christians can benefit from the message/motto of the story: "Have courage and be kind."
And, I mean, just look at her DRESS. ALL OF HER DRESSES. She and Kit are the sweetest couple and I love the King and all of it and this is just such a beautiful movie. *will fangirl for about ten more years if you let me*
Brooklyn
Young Irish immigrant Eilis Lace (Saoirse Ronan) navigates her way through 1950s Brooklyn. Lured by the promise of America, Eilis departs Ireland and the comfort of her mother's home for the shores of New York City. The initial shackles of homesickness quickly diminish as a fresh romance sweeps Eilis into the intoxicating charm of love. But soon, her past disrupts her new vivacity, and Eilis must choose between two countries and the lives that exist withi
This was one of last year's Oscar Nominees, and it deserves its spot there as much as the next movie. There's only one inappropriate scene (which is very easy to fastforward and not at all necessary to the movie) and the quiet beauty and humor of the whole thing are just wonderful. This is my dad's favorite movie, and he's that "Star-Wars-Star-Trek-Nutty-sci-fi-movies" kind of guy. The story is set in the fifties, and their costumes are gorgeous. Eilis and her boyfriend, Tony, have the sweetest romance ever. It's a very emotional movie, but it's got a 95% perfection rating on my rating.
And Domnhall Gleeson is in it, and he's always awesome.
Honorable Mentions
The Jungle Book (2016): The effects on this one are so pretty. I don't know that the story was all that great, but it's visual eye candy and I loved it. So totally deserved the visual effects Oscar.
The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982): I won't tell you anything about this one because of spoilers, just that if you look it up on YouTube you can find the whole thing for free. And you must watch it. It is SO GOOD.
The Lego Batman Movie: A laugh a minute. Not as good as the original Lego Movie, which will always be one of my favorite big girl movies, but it's still amazing.
Thor: This one was hysterical compared to the darker/more violent Captain America movies, but I really liked it. I'm not much of a violence girl.
Rogue One: I know, I know, this one came out last year, but I've seen it twice this year already and it's still the best SW since Empire.
Movies I Want to See
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So have you seen any of these movies? Do you want to see them? What's your favorite movie so far this year? If you knew what would happen in your future, would you change things now? Chat with me in the comments!
32 comments
I saw Cinderella in theaters with some of my girl friends and it was on the of the best experiences of my life. I have it now on DVD and it is my favorite version of the Cinderella story.
ReplyDeleteSCARLET PIMPERNEL 1982!!! I wanna find that movie on DVD so bad....
and ROGUE ONE...that is my favorite Star Wars movie. Ever. Saw that one in theaters too, it was AWESOME.
It's such a beautiful movie, isn't it?
DeleteYeah, I loved the SP '82. Anthony Andrews is perfection.
And I actually got to see Rogue One twice in theaters. Once in 3D. It was one of the coolest things I've ever gotten to do.
I'm ashamed at how few of these I've seen! I really, REALLY want to see Arrival! I've only heard good things about it. I MUST WATCH IT ONE DAY.
ReplyDeleteCINDERELLA. CINDERELLAAAAA!!!!!! That is one of my top, top, TOP favorite movies of ever. Ugh. It's so gorgeous it literally makes me cry just LOOKING at it. That movie is perfection on top of perfection. <333
The Jungle Book was also fantastic! And you can't go wrong with ANY of the Marvel movies. #Obsessed.
I didn't get to see The Lego Batman Movie in theaters and I'm still mourning over it. I WANT TO SEE IT SO BADLY. The Lego Movie is the BEST, so I've gotta see this one sometime!
You've never seen The Hunger Games??? :O AAAAHHHHH!!! I LOVE THAT MOVIE SO VERY MUCH. Although, I may be biased because the books is one of my most favoritest series ever (I've read them all 5 times... *cough*). But the movies actually followed the books and were AMAZING.
Hidden Figures was really good! I was surprised at the amount of language though, because otherwise it was pretty clean. The first half of the movie especially has a bit of language, but it kind of tapers off after a while. Still, thought I'd warn you. But it was a great movie!
I loved this post! I could fangirl about movies all day. (Which is probably obvious from this long comment... Ahem.)
Yes, you must. It's so good. AND, I MEAN, IT STARS HAWKEYE. HAWKEYE ASJKDSJFKD;. (And Lois Lane, too, but Amy Adams was surprisingly great.)
DeleteThank you for putting that into words. Because Cinderella is so perfect. I could not fangirl about it enough. And isn't the Jungle Book great? (I'll admit I didn't love Civil War, but that's entirely for personal reasons and I'm perfectly fine with everyone else liking it.)
It was so good. There were a couple of rude jokes but other than that it was great. I loved it. And the ending was predictable but hilarious.
I only just read the books this month :O I know, I know, horrible, right? But my mom only just decided I was ready for it, and I honestly agree with her. As I said above, I'm not really a violence kind of girl XD I want to see all 4 movies (although I'm not excited about the 4th one... I didn't love the end of Mockingjay :( ))
Wow, that's weird. It only has a PG rating I think. As long as they're not hurling around F-bombs the whole time I'm usually okay with it though. Thanks for letting me know!
I KNOW SO COULD I. GO ON FOREVER. XDDDD
I, personally, am not usually bothered by violence (since I'm a Christian, my conscience has had some fun chewing me up for that), but I'm always looking for clean, inspiring movies to watch! On that note, if you ever want to check out a movie's content before you sit down to watch, I would recommend Plugged In. It is a Christian site that reviews all kinds of media and provides a warning on any type of objectionable content so viewers can decide for themselves if a movie is worth watching. It does give away some things, but I think it's really helpful. Anyway, great post, Florid Sword! I'll definitely have to watch some of your top picks.
DeletePlugged In is great. Yeah, thanks! They're really good.
DeleteAwesome picks! I LOVED Arrival - I thought it was excellent. And I'm also dying to see La La Land, Hidden Figures, and Fences :) Hope you get to watch them soon!
ReplyDeleteI'm just hoping my parents will let me. They like dramas but they don't seem excited about these ones XD
DeleteCinderella (2015) is one of my favorite movies ever. IT IS GORGEOUS, and it just feels like a fairytale. I adore it. :)
ReplyDeleteI know. So beautiful. It's amazing. :)
DeleteOkay, GREAT movies. I loved Brooklyn!! It was such a good movie and they didn't overdo the romance (as much as I like a good romance).
ReplyDeleteNow I need to check out the couple I haven't seen yet off your "To Watch" list...
It was so good. I would love to see it again at some point but first I have to watch the other movies in my TBW list XD
DeleteI want to see all of those as soon as possible. :)
DUDE. Hidden Figures is AMAZING. The Hunger Games are great, too. But Hidden Figures just stirred so many emotions!!
ReplyDeleteCool! I really can't wait to see it. :)
DeleteI'm super curious about Arrival!! I didn't know how appropriate it was, so I wasn't sure I wanted to see it. But I might give it a try now! :)
ReplyDeleteIt was so good. Other than a couple of cuss words, like I said, it's completely clean (although there are some pretty heavy thematic scenes and you may cry.) I loved it.
DeleteI've seen the Scarlet Pimpernel. None of the rest. Not even Cinderella. *hides*
ReplyDeleteBut I have a few more additions to my list, now! The first Thor movie was already on there, as was the Lego Batman Movie; but my library has Arrival and I'm going to watch it Right. Away. (almost clean, + aliens, + study of language, + 'Hawkeye' is on the cover??) ;)
But that's okay! The Scarlet Pimpernel is so good! Don't be ashamed by that at all.
DeleteYou must watch arrival. It's so good. Honestly, all of these are so good.
You should do a review for The Case for Christ. It is such a wonderful movie.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm Not Ashamed was such a deep movie. It made me really think about life, and how you can really change someone by just telling them that Jesus loves them.
I love how you write movie reviews! :D
It's like God put a bad-movie-blocker in my body. I feel so convicted if I see a bad one. That's really nice. :)
I see you everywhere. Welcome to my blog!
DeleteI haven't seen the Case for Christ yet, but I think I might. It looks really compelling.
That is nice. My parents review most movies before I'm allowed to see them, so I have a filter on... but hopefully I'll keep it up when I'm living on my own someday! ;)
I'm a little late! Lol Thank you!
DeleteIt is such a great movie. I dunno, but I think it might be a book too.
Mine too., so that helps a lot too. Yes, I'll make sure to keep my guard up when I move on my own. :)
I think I saw it on Goodreads, so it probably is a book. ;)
DeleteYes! My goldfish brain hasn't taken over. Lol
DeleteThe Case For Christ was SO GOOD.
DeleteI've watched I'm Not Ashamed and Cinderella (I loved them), but I DESPERATELY want to watch Arrival. I luv alien movies. xD That's AWESOME that it doesn't have much cussing, 'cause I might actually be able to watch it! *skips about happily* *stops* It doesn't have anything weird in it, right? You know, inappropriate or.... that stuff? *nervous laugh*
ReplyDeleteHidden Figures was GREAT. You should watch it...
You haven't watched Hunger Games? *cries* I haven't read the book, and you haven't watched the movie. #coincidence xP
No! Nothing weird at all :) It honestly could have gotten a PG rating if they hadn't had those two or three cuss words. There are some thematic elements and you may cry, but..... SO GOOD.
DeleteYAY!!!!! *jumps around ecstatically*
Delete*calms down*
We've watched several movies with cussing (I'm not really proud of that), so my parents probably wouldn't mind this. If it has anything bad, though, they're like, "NO WAY!"
Oh no. I cry a lot. But if it's that good.... *bites lip*
When I say "bad," I mean inappropriate or super gory or has some REALLY BAD language.
DeleteOh, no. None of that. One f-word, but you don't even notice it if you're not looking. I wouldn't watch something with a lot of bad stuff in it. :)
DeleteOh, good..... Why did it have to be teh wurst one!?!? *cries* My Mum will probably let me watch it, anyway, but STILL. *giggles* I don't even remember where I heard that.....
DeleteI didn't think you would... :D
:) It's still an excellent movie. You should definitely watch it anyway. Like I said, you may not even notice it- my dad has a hyper aware scanner and he didn't the first two times he saw it :)
DeleteI'm sure it is! Oh, lol! My parents do, too. For some reason, we usually watch movies with subtitles, so we probably shouldn't for this! lol
DeleteI looked it up, and the plot sounds amazing! :D
Hello, friends! Do make yourselves comfortable and stay for a while--I'd love to chat with you! I simply ask that you keep it clean. :)