Let me start out by saying that this year I have not been in a position to see several of the major films. Some of the best of the year I am happy to say are still in my future and not my past. But this list represents the best of what I have seen. You can take these as recommendations, and probably not a list of the best films of the year. Major films missing include MOONLIGHT and SILENCE, both of which have been recommended to me. In any case, this list is the best ten films I saw from January 1 to December 31, 2016. The films about Black-White race relations were many, just at a time when those relations seem to be breaking down. It was a continuing theme that obviously was on the minds of many filmmakers. I list two of them that make this list.

1. EYE IN THE SKY
The subject is spying in the very high-tech electronics age. American intelligence with advanced spying devices, (particularly drones), is following a situation involving terrorism in Nairobi. But serious moral decisions as to what action to take do crop up, and the ability to bring several people in different parts of the world into the decision making process only makes ethical decisions more difficult. There are legal, ethical, and political considerations in making decisions and having advanced technology only makes decisions harder. We get to see what the tech can and cannot do in a suspenseful situation. Rating: high +3 (-4 to +4) or 9/10

2. ARRIVAL
Twelve alien craft land at apparently random locations on the Earth's surface. This creates a dangerous situation that could lead to a third world war. A linguist and a physicist are more or less drafted to head up a team trying to find why these apparently alien craft are here. Amy Adams gives a compelling performance as a woman trying to break the most important and also one of the most difficult puzzles in human history. Denis Villeneuve directs a screenplay by Eroc Heisserer based on a story by respected science fiction author Ted Chiang. This is probably the best science fiction film of 2016. Rating: +3 (-4 to +4) or 9/10

3. HACKSAW RIDGE
Desmond Doss was brutally mis-treated in the WWII army because as a religious conscientious objector he refused to even touch a gun. He became a medic and then was the hero of a battle for a small piece of Okinawa. The film is full of pieces familiar from other films, but the realism and carnage possibly even go beyond that of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. HACKSAW RIDGE is based on a true story and directed by Mel Gibson. The film is of epic length, 140 minutes, and certainly parts are a harrowing experience to watch, not to say they are terrifying. Rating: +3 (-4 to +4) or 9/10

4. ADMIRAL
This is the epic biopic of the career of Dutch naval hero Michiel Ruyter who fought against the English and the French in the second and third Anglo-Dutch wars, 1665 to 1673. It features several exciting cannon battles between ships. The filmmakers frequently create spectacular visual effects using CGI like it was meant to be used. The historical accuracy is somewhat questionable since it covers his successes and skips his mistakes and failures. Still we have gone a long time since we had a good sword, sail, and cannon sea adventure. And when have we ever had one from the Dutch point of view? Rating: low +3 (-4 to +4) or 8/10

5. O.J.: MADE IN AMERICA
This is an epic-length five-part documentary 467 minutes long. In that length it covers race relations in the 1960s, O.J. Simpson's sports career, his television and film career, his relationship with Nicole Brown, the capture of Simpson, the murder trial. Most of these it covers in detail. Even if you are not interested in his sports career (as I wasn't) you can skip over the sports section (as I did). The documentary was made for ESPN, but only a small proportion of the film is about sports. The best word to describe the film is "comprehensive." Peabody and Emmy winning director Ezra Edelman will cover tangential topics like the Rodney King riots that he then shows are germane to the Simpson story. Rating: low +3 (-4 to +4) or 8/10

6. KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS
This film is done in old-fashioned stopCmotion animation. It is an American fantasy adventure though it is set in a Japanese magical spirit world. Kubo, a street entertainer, is on a quest with a talking monkey to find the three pieces of an enchanted invincible suit of armor. Very detailed and beautiful images fill the screen. This fantasy is produced by the Laika Company, the stop-motion studio who previously made CORALINE, PARANORMAN, and THE BOXTROLLS. The film was directed by Travis Knight and was written by Chris Butler and Marc Haimes. It should appeal to all ages. Rating: low +3 (-4 to +4) or 8/10

7. THE FINEST HOURS
We have recently had three films about people fighting the awesome force of the sea. We have seen IN THE HEART OF THE SEA, THE FINEST HOURS, and DEEPWATER HORIZON, all released in the space of about ten months. This one nailed my attention to the screen. If the most important details were not true this would have been melodrama. But since most of what we see was authentic, there are scenes and situations that are real jaw-droppers. This is a story of a boat that was ripped in half during a storm that made it deadly just to be on the water, the men on that boat, and the coast guard rescue. The special effects did an excellent job of hiding in plain sight. Australian Craig Gillespie directs a script by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy sticking fairly close to the truth. Rating: high +2 (-4 to +4) or 8/10

8. THE BRAND NEW TESTAMENT
There are plenty of films about uneasy father-daughter relationships. What adds novelty to this one is that the father is God and the daughter is just as normal as her father's profession allows her to be. She is supposed to have a brother somewhere but the less said about that the better. He has been reduced to a statue. God's daughter decides as a prank to let everybody in the world know the day they will die. Those who enjoyed the theological discussion in BEDAZZLED have a similar vein of humor. This is a film chock-full of fun ideas. The film, in French, was directed by Belgian Jaco Van Dormael from a screenplay by him and Thomas Gunzig. Rating: high +2 (-4 to +4) or 8/10

9. I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO
In this documentary are the words of James Baldwin on top of archival film. It is an illustrated autobiography, which more involves the audience as seeing race relations in Baldwin's times. Samuel Jackson does the voiceovers. Particularly enjoyable (if that can be the right word) are the movie clips. Baldwin's manner of putting prose together, his presentation, his posture, and his rhetoric are magnetic and help to bring the film to eloquence. Rating: high +2 (-4 to +4) or 8/10

10. THE NICE GUYS
Shane Black, the director and co-writer of THE NICE GUYS, has slipped in under my radar. As far back as 1987 he was scripting action films like the "Lethal Weapons" series. He can write a crime thriller with some very funny comedy in it and it still remains a thriller. Somehow he never made much of an impression on me until he wrote and directed KISS KISS BANG BANG. That is one of the rare films that get me laughing out loud. THE NICE GUYS is just as funny as well as being a crackerjack murder mystery. Rating: high +2 (-4 to +4) or 8/10

					Mark R. Leeper
					Copyright 2017 Mark R. Leeper