I watched 125 movies in 2016. As has become my ritual, I kept a list of each and every film I watched. Typical for me - some of the movies I saw were repeats, some new releases, some new-to-me.

Here's my favourite film from each month of 2016 - 


January - The Danish Girl

Alicia Vikander is what makes this movie so phenomenal in my opinion. Eddie Redmayne is fantastic of course, but for me the heart of the story was Gerda and how she dealt with her husband transitioning to a woman. Alicia's acting was so spot on that I felt each and every one of her emotions. A sad, but beautiful film.   


February - Spotlight

A hard movie to watch given the subject matter, but an important story that needed to be told. Disturbing things happen in the world all the time and it's vital we bring them into the light, so we might someday rid the world of darkness. A well-written film and well-acted by all.


March - Inside Out

I absolutely adored this movie. It was such a great ride; a real adventure for my imagination. It was inventive, visually stunning, and very funny.


April - Captain America: Civil War

My favourite film of 2016. I'm a sucker for all things Marvel and I really thought this film was up there amongst the best in the MCU. It's a fun adventure. And unlike the 'similar', but very poor, Batman V Superman movie, where there seemed to be no valid reason for their fighting, I felt Civil War made sense. Especially the final fight between Cap and Tony. I could see how two friends might find themselves in a fight like that, given the circumstances.


May - X:Men - Apocalypse

I don't understand why this movie got so many bad reviews. I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was fun to watch and I thought Oscar Isaac did a great job as Apocalypse. I was happy to see my favourite mutants together again onscreen. It entertained me.


June - Sisters

You can't fault a movie where Tina Fey and Amy Poehler get up to all kinds of shenanigans while hosting a blow-out party in their childhood home. This film is very, very funny.


July - Deadpool

Speaking of funny, Deadpool is outrageously so. The humour is in your face, it's morbid, and it's very, very clever. I loved that this wasn't your standard-issue superhero film, that it made fun of those films while at the same time hitting every mark that is expecting of such a movie. Ryan Reynolds is superb. I haven't laughed that hard at a film in a long time. Brilliant!


August - The Fundamentals of Caring

I'd never heard of this film, but seeing as I adore Paul Rudd I was keen to give it a go. I'm glad I did. It's a touching story and it surprised me - it wasn't too predictable, which I found refreshing. It's funny while being very heartwarming, and the acting was fantastic by all involved. A great film. 


September - The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years

I loved this documentary for a number of reasons - the boys' humour stood out, as did their talent of course, but it was also incredibly fascinating to see the thousands of screaming girls and the sheer magnitude of 'Beatlemania'. A highlight for me, and something that made the viewing of this doco much more than my normal cinematic experience, was the 30 minutes of concert played at the end. I was alone in the theatre for this, so it was almost as if the Beatles were playing just for me. I thoroughly enjoyed singing along. :-)


October - Brooklyn

What a beautiful film this is, with a phenomenal performance by Saoirse Ronan. It's sad yet heartwarming, full of both hope and despair. It's really only a simple story of a young girl awakening into adulthood, but it's wonderfully told and very well-acted. I loved it.


November - The Gift

This thriller was intense and at times scary to watch. I love Jason Bateman so I wanted to see this film, but he isn't his usual comedic self here - there's a darkness to his character. Written and directed by Joel Edgerton, who also gives a great performance, this movie left me feeling creeped out and a little horrified - just what a good suspense movie is supposed to do. 


December - The Rewrite

This movie was a pleasant surprise as I'd never heard of it before. I figured it would be the usual Hugh Grant romcom fare, but in fact it was a lot better than that. It's a more mature Hugh, and a more mature story. Yes it's funny and sweet, like any romcom should be, but there was something more to it. It was realistic and touching. I loved this story.