The Best Movies of 2016 (So Far)

BY ANDREW GRUTTADARO, KRISTEN YOONSOO KIM, KERENSA CADENAS, CATIE KECK, KHAL, IAN SERVANTES

For decades, Hollywood followed a very specific calendar: January and February were when studios dumped their garbage, March through May were for underachievers and surprise indie hits, the summer was strictly for blockbusters, and the remaining months were open for Oscar bait and Christmas movies starring Vince Vaughn. But with the expansion of the superhero genre and all of the universes that come with it, blockbuster season has edged into that March through May territory, bumping out the underdogs altogether.

And that’s all well and good: people clearly love superhero movies, so why keep their release dates contained to one three-month period? The problem is, when those early-season superhero movies (and other big franchise “blockbusters”) are very bad—Batman v Superman, you know what you did—we’re left with a dearth of quality, forced to either find a theater that supports indies or wait until October. In 2016, that’s exactly what has happened: Most of this year’s “big” releases so far have fallen flat, and the first six months of 2016 looks like a graveyard of Ls.

But obviously, we’re also here to tell you that there were some diamonds, though most of them were in the rough. Here are the top 10 movies of 2016 so far, and visit Complex for the full list of the 25 movies from 2016 that are actually worth checking out. And just know that things are only going to get better.

10. KNIGHT OF CUPS

Director: Terrence Malick
Starring: Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Natalie Portman, Freida Pinto, Isabel Lucas, Teresa Palmer, Imogen Poots

Does a Terrence Malick movie need to make any sense? Not really.

In typical Malick fashion, Knight of Cups isn’t about much on the surface—it’s philosophical or whatever. It follows Rick (Christian Bale), a depressed but decidedly #blessed LA screenwriter, who while flourishing professionally is missing something deeper that he can’t quite figure out. That self-exploration, in the case of so many L.A. men, comes in the form of women. Rick’s story is told in dreamy, gorgeous vignettes about the women in his life, from a former marriage (with Cate Blanchett no less!) to an affair with a married woman (Natalie Portman). There’s more to it than just women though, as it explores Rick’s clearly complex relationship with his addict brother (Wes Bentley) and his thoughts about Hollywood. More than anything, Knight of Cups is more about the experience of it. If you’ve ever lived or been in L.A., it captures the languid sprawl of the city, drenched in sunshine, capped by palm trees. It’s a specific corner of L.A., one exclusive to few, as shown in the outstandingly surreal mansion party scene, but you’ll more than want to go on this journey with Malick. —Kerensa Cadenas

9. THE NICE GUYS

Director: Shane Black
Starring: Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice

Before he went and wrote and directed the third Iron Man, Shane Black had an underrated movie called Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which was a weird, twistedly funny neo-noir depiction of Los Angeles.The Nice Guys is more of the same, teaming up a shabby private investigator (Gosling) with a gruff enforcer-type (Crowe) who unreel a conspiracy theory involving both the porn and auto industries in the ‘70s. The movie is impeccably styled, and the plot is amusingly winding, but not so much that it’d break your brain. But most of all, The Nice Guys hangs its hat on the chemistry and performances of Crowe and Gosling, an unlikely bro-pair who are a pleasure to watch. Crowe is great as a laconic, emotionally damaged tough guy, and as Holland March, Gosling proves that maybe he’s at his best when he’s talking A LOT, rather than when he’s barely muttering a word. —Andrew Gruttadaro

Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Starring: Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat

This insane idea that’s been swimming in director Jeremy Saulnier’s mind for years finally saw the light of day this year as the stylized Green Room, a single-location horror-thriller about a defenseless punk band trapped in the green room of a music venue run by bloodthirsty white supremacists. This is only Saulnier’s third feature, but he made indie buzz with 2014’s bloodbathBlue Ruin, finding a fan in Patrick Stewart, who then signed on to do the director’s latest project. The gentleman we’ve come to associate as Professor Xavier does a complete 180, playing a terrifying neo-Nazi leader, whose calm and collected manner is only a facade for the brutality he’s capable of. Anton Yelchin and Alia Shawkat star as scared shitless band members, and Imogen Poots plays fellow hostage, whose trust is constantly questioned. As if the premise couldn’t get any crazier, Green Room is partly inspired by the director’s own life, from his D.C. punk band days when he used to run into neo-Nazis himself. Of course, the violence in the film is taken to 11. Warning: This isn’t for the faint of heart. —Kristen Yoonsoo Kim

Director: Trey Edward Shults
Starring: Krisha Fairchild, Olivia Grace Applegate, Bryan Casserly

Krisha is a family movie, but not the heartwarming kind. It’s more like A Woman Under the Influence (oddly enough, the film won a John Cassavetes prize at the Independent Spirit Awards this year), about an estranged alcoholic woman coming home for the holidays to reunite with her family members, not all who are ready to welcome her back with open arms. The story itself is not that original, but it’s filtered through the lens of a filmmaker whose craft mirrors that of Terrence Malick (Knight of Cups, which is on this list). It’s no coincidence, then, that first-time feature director, the 27-year-old Trey Edward Shults, interned for Malick in his late teens. As with Malick’s films, the cinematography in Krisha is phenomenal, and paired with a minimal but ominous score, there’s a stylistic flourish that’s not usually distinguishable in a first-timer. (Tastemaker distributor A24 has already signed on for a multi-picture deal with him.) But this is more than just an imitation film. Krisha is also deeply personal. Not only is everyone in the film an actual family member of Shults (Krisha Fairchild, who plays the titular character, is his real aunt, and the director himself stars as her son), but the troubled main character is drawn from his family members. Knowing this, the tragic tone is made even more affecting. —Kristen Yoonsoo Kim

Director: Richard Linklater
Starring: Blake Jenner, Tyler Hoechlin, Glen Powell, Zoey Deutch

It’s super easy to be wary about Richard Linklater’s spiritual sequel to Dazed and Confused, his 1993 stoner bro comedy classic, a film rabidly beloved to many. How could anything live up to it?

Turns out something can! Everybody Wants Some follows Jake (Blake Jenner) to college a couple days before school is supposed to start. He’s a lowly freshman on the baseball team and has a lot to learn from his elders, who endlessly haze him and his fellow freshman. Much like Dazed, not much happens—Jake bonds with his fellow team members (including sage guide and standout Glen Powell as Finnegan), falls for a girl, and parties every minute possible. It’s deceptively deep, looking at the ways these bros connect through a beer-glazed weed haze, and how (even if it is cliche af) college really is the place in life to discover who you are gonna become. —Kerensa Cadenas

Directors: Joel and Ethan Coen
Starring: Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton

The Coen brothers have hardcore dramas and then they romps. Hail, Caesar! is the latter. A throwback to the “glory days” of 1950s Hollywood, the movie follows studio fixer Eddie Mannix as he weaves in and out of different movie sets—which serve as incredible vignettes, especially the ones featuring Scarlett Johansson and a tap-dancing Channing Tatum—while trying to solve a larger mystery, the disappearance of his biggest star, Baird Whitlock (George Clooney). It’s a perfect setup for the Coens to flex their love and knowledge of Old Hollywood, poke fun at Communism, and put together some amazing scenes about the “magic” of filmmaking. (I’m convinced that Alden Ehrenreich’s painful repeating of one stuffy line—”Would that it were so simple”—is what landed him the role of young Han Solo.) When I saw Hail, Caesar! in February, I liked it immensely, but figured it’d be eclipsed by other releases down the line. As it turns out, the movie is just that good. —Andrew Gruttadaro

Director: Tim Miller
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller, Ed Skrein

With a budget of about $58 million, it’s clear Fox didn’t realize the potential of Deadpool. I mean damn, just look at how long they let that amazing test footage (which essentially became the ultraviolent sequence in the beginning of the film) sit on someone’s hard drive. But no bother. What the folks behind the film did, budget be damned, was nail the voice of Marvel’s Merc With a Mouth perfectly, demolishing the fourth wall while cracking all of the pop culture references in the middle of a gun brawl. Deadpool was the role that Ryan Reynolds has been waiting for his entire life, and with the hard R in place, the movie not only turned the tropes that make the superhero genre on their ears, but showed that these comic book franchise films don’t have to be PG/PG-13 catfights. Deadpool catered to its bloodthirsty audience, and smashed a shitload of records while doing so. If Wade were here right now, he’d just say “you’re welcome; now give me my chimichanga.” —khal

Director: Robert Eggers
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie

A24 is making some of the best indie films in the game at present, and one of this year’s greatest cinematic offerings was Robert Eggers’ breakout horror flick, The Witch. A period film set in 17th-century New England, The Witch is a heavily researched suspense thriller that explores the very real mass hysteria that plagued New England’s earliest settlers. With roots in recorded folklore from the same period, Eggers tapped the darkest parts of satanic panic to set the tone for this terrifying feature.

Exiled from the safety of their settlement, a family is forced to fend for themselves against the elements and the unknown under the direction of the family’s patriarch, William (Ralph Ineson). When strange occurrences begin to affect the family and one of their own goes missing, their already strained relationships begin to fray. The family’s eldest, Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy), is the first to begin to question her god, but it’s not long after that the rest begin to follow suit.

It’s a brilliant, frightening watch. And if you haven’t seen it yet, let me ask you this: Wouldst thou like to live deliciously? —Catie Keck

Directors: Anthony and Joe Russo
Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Daniel Bruhl

Marvel had some high expectations going into Captain America: Civil War, the thirteenth film in their Cinematic Universe, and the kick-off of Phase Three, meant to set the tone for everything Marvel plans to release through 2019. With Batman v Superman trying (and kind of failing) the whole “when heroes collide” thing, Marvel upped the ante, piling on new characters to their Universe like Spider-Man and Black Panther, both of whom come off swimmingly. While the story was a solid culmination of all of the insanity that has happened on the Avengers’ watch, it also did a great job of showcasing just how far Cap will go for his day-one, Bucky Barnes. On a whole, it continued to establish the Captain America series as one of the most untouchable franchises under Marvel’s umbrella, and ended up being the epic that Avengers: Age of Ultronshould have been. Maybe we can retcon the titles; we’d all be OK with Iron Man: Age of Ultron andAvengers: Civil War, right? —khal

For the full list of the 25 Best Movies of 2016 (So Far) head over to Complex.com