Corey's Top 10 Movies of 2016

10. Swiss Army Man

An uplifting tale of a suicidal man and the farting corpse that saved his life. This first cinematic blast of absurdity from the Daniels team is literally unlike anything you've ever seen. Completely polarizing and uncompromisingly original, it's also lucky enough to have a career-best perf from Daniel Radcliffe. He really sells those farts.

9. Weiner

An equal parts delicious and horrific look behind the curtain of the dumpster fire that was ex-congressman Anthony Weiner's 2013 NYC mayoral run. Filmmakers Josh Kriegman (once an aid to Weiner in D.C) and Elyse Steinberg were given spectacular and abnormal access to Weiner's home life and campaign backroom, putting together an essential document of political failure. We live in an era where ego, spin and lies are facts on the ground before the truth can get out of bed.

8. I Am Not Your Negro

Raoul Peck's essay on the state of racism in America as told through the words of the great James Baldwin is an urgent call to arms; the most pressing documentary of the year. Using an unfinished manuscript of Baldwin's for narration (through the powerful voice of Samuel L. Jackson) and unearthed archival footage of the author speaking to issues still deeply felt and experienced by many Americans, Peck fashions a cinematic argument that is as infuriating as it is inspiring.

7. The Witch

Though it divided mainstream audiences and horror heads alike, Robert Eggers' first feature creeped the hell out of me. A decidedly slow burning, but incredibly detailed and unnervingly tragic tale of a family's haunting in rural 17th Century New England, Eggers lays the dread on thick, leading up to a shockingly violent conclusion, after which you may never look at goats in the same way ever again.

6. Arrival

Quebecker Denis Villeneuve's streak of world-class genre exercises continues with Arrival, a refreshingly intelligent, surprisingly emotional and lovingly crafted sci-fi suspense odyssey. Amy Adams is in top form here as Dr. Louise Banks, a linguist tapped by the Pentagon to engage with extra-terrestrial beings who've mysteriously touched down on Earth. Grounded in real world geopolitical intrigue and unafraid to plumb the depths of the mind and the heart, Villeneuve again delivers a technical marvel that proves he's got the steadiest cinematic hand in Hollywood. Bring on Blade Runner 2049!

5. Green Room

But as far as genre exercises go, Jeremy Saulnier's gory neo-nazi punk rock thriller is as expertly calibrated as they come. By carefully ratcheting up the tension and letting the absolute shit hit the fan when you're not expecting it, Saulnier proves that he is the real deal, creating a stomach-churning but wholly satisfying escape-from-hell flick that should stand the test of time. Also has the last memorable leading turn from Anton Yelchin, one of 2016's most dearly departed casualties.

4. 13th

Ava DuVernay’s fiercely argued teardown of the racial prejudices in the American criminal justice system and the cyclical forces of establishment politics that threaten to repeat past injustices, is the best documentary of the year. With budgetary and editorial carte blanche (thanks to financier Netflix) and interviews from heavyweights on both sides of the ideological aisle, DuVernay constructs an incredibly engaging narrative of how the legal system has ravaged the bodies and minds of African-Americans since reconstruction.

3. The Red Turtle

Belgian director Michael Dudok De Wit, working with legendary Japanese animators at Studio Ghibli, create a wordless fable for the ages with The Red Turtle, a stunningly gorgeous and deeply felt experience that will leave you emotionally raw. A man washes up on a deserted island and forges a life-long relationship with the titular red turtle - that’s all you need to know. So truthful in its exploration of the human heart and real about the connections that sustain it that, for the first time in ages, I cried in a movie theatre.

2. The Lobster

Love and relationships are incredibly weird and, at times, push us to bouts of illogical, unexplainable behavior. Well, if that doesn’t make sense to you, then maybe you need to take on Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest descent into deranged banality, The Lobster. In a world where the failure to court a partner results in the forced transformation into an animal of one’s choice, Colin Farrell (sporting one of film’s best moustaches) and Rachel Weisz must navigate a choppy, evil society that reflects on the worst of ours. Delightfully twisted but meticulously composed, this is a truly great anti-romantic anti-comedy

1. Moonlight

Barry Jenkins’ second film, despite all the accolades and laurels that the critical community has heaped on it, is still an absolute treasure; a beautiful philosophical journey and reflection on class, race, sex and identity. Hidden behind the three tumultuous periods in Chiron’s life growing up black and gay in modern Miami - as played by three unknown, but enormously generous actors - is a masterclass in colour and composition, editorial patience and sumptuous sound design. At my screening of the film during TIFF 2016, a man stood up during the Q&A to tell Jenkins “we wouldn’t have sat down from that standing ovation if you didn’t tell us to.” That man was Jonathan Demme. Another couple notes on Moonlight: here’s hoping Mahershala Ali wins for this one; he’s got a towering and tough role, executed brilliantly. Also, any film that’s got The Supreme Jubilees on the soundtrack just...wins.

Review - The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2010) ****

A veteran scribe of the J.J Abrams cabal of forward thinking creatives, Drew Goddard's first feature film "The Cabin in the Woods", co-written and produced along with fantasy/sci-fi master Joss Whedon, is a roundhouse kick to the balls to the modern "horror" film. The word "horror" in this case deserves such puncutation because this is not a horror film. Well, on the surface, in terms of actual plot, style and thematic substance, this is a horror film, but on it's most base operating level, it is not. Rather, "The Cabin in the Woods" is one of the most subversive genre pictures ever made precisely because it is specifically about genre and the stigmatic pratfalls of falling into what one might call a "genre."

To give away any plot details of this film, other than to say that it is about five co-eds that have embarked on a weekend getaway to a cabin in a remote part of the woods, so remote that it does not even register on GPS, would be a crime. But I guess I can also tell you that what happens at this cabin will ultimately result in a frightening, gory mess since I revealed that this is a "horror" film. The five leads, of which the most noteworthy is Chris Hemsworth, whom we are familiar with from "Star Trek" and last summer's "Thor", are impressive in their portrayals of what some might call the typical "horror" film archetypes. Bradley Whitford and Richard Jenkins are also in this film and they're both perfect for their roles, but I cannot reveal more than that. What I can reveal is that Goddard has a knack for getting the right pitch and tone from his actors; this is a very funny, I would argue hilarious, "horror" film.

The comedy in this film is fascinating. It amused me the same way that other subversive horror films like Peter Jackson's "Braindead" and Edgar Wright's "Shaun of the Dead" did; those films ultimately sticking to their respective genres. But this is a film that breaks loose from genre, while actually creating its own metaphysical genre of comedic horror film, which is ironic. But it is this irony that propels the comedy and creates a substantial amount of mystery surrounding not just the actual plot of the movie, but the purpose for the movie even existing at all. Why make a "horror" film if all you want to do is shoot horror films in the face with a 12-gauge shotgun? Or stab them in the face with akimbo pick-axes? Or perhaps you might want to rip the hearts out of their chest cavities and then feed them to a pack of hungry mutant Zebras? You need to watch this film if you want to find out why the hell I just wrote all that.

I could spend pages unpacking the philosophical and even sociological implications of this film; it's that fresh and intelligent. This is a kitchen-sink style "horror" film that on one level isn't afraid to satiate your thirst for blood, humor, destruction and just a plain old fun-ass time at the movies. But on another, tougher level, if you're willing to look further (and it is really up to you if you want to go there), it will force you to question the popularity of horror films and why they quench the most transgressive of thoughts that go on in the back of our sick, depraved skulls. In the end, both thematically and philosophically, this is a film about sacrifice. What are we willing to give up for the greater good? What are we willing to suppress in order to function as civilized beings in an ultimately primitive world?

I could end this "review" of this "horror" film with a quote or some sort of pithy remark about the state of the modern horror film and how "The Cabin in the Woods" has irrevocably changed the way I define "genre." Oh wait, I just did.


"The Cabin in the Woods" has had an interesting distribution history. It was put on the shelf for two years after MGM, the studio that made the film, went bankrupt. In 2011, following legal deliberations, MGM decided to sell the distribution rights. After what director Goddard said was a heated bidding war, Lionsgate picked up the film and has slated it for release on Friday, April 13th. If you do not know why that is awesome, don't see this movie.