8th VAMPIBOTS ANNUAL LIST — Best Films of 2016

Another year, another list. Tidak terasa 2016 sudah terlewati. It went by really fast, mungkin karena saya banyak menganggur juga kali ya. Walaupun menganggur ternyata tetap tidak bisa menaikkan gairah untuk menulis haha. Sebenarnya pun saya sudah punya rumah baru untuk menulis ulasan film, tapi saya akan mem-properly introduce-nya di post lain. Sekarang tentu saja adalah waktu dimana saya (akhirnya) membeberkan film-film terbaik versi saya yang saya tonton 12 bulan terakhir. And by the way, sebenarnya dari tahun-tahun sebelumnya ingin memberikan tema untuk tiap Best Films list, tapi karena memang selera saya yang macam-macam jadi tidak pernah ketemu satu common theme untuk tiap tahunnya haha. Well enough babbling, let's get on with it.

Sampai deadline tulisan ini dibuat (kayak ada deadline aja), tentunya masih banyak judul yang tidak sempat saya tonton dengan berbagai alasan. These are just some of them: AMERICAN HONEY, 13TH, A MAN CALLED OVE, I DANIEL BLAKE, I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO, CAMERAPERSON, CEMETERY OF SPLENDOR, PATERSON, OJ: MADE IN AMERICA, 20TH CENTURY WOMEN, AFTER THE STORM, SUICIDE SQUAD lol jk, THE SALESMAN, FIRE AT SEA and I'm sure many many more.

Tidak afdhal juga rasanya kalau tidak mencantumkan film-film yang nyaris masuk ke 20 besar. Terdapat 15 judul film yang 'beruntung' bisa masuk ke dalam Honorable Mentions. In no particular order: Had really great times on cinema watching HACKSAW RIDGE (Mel Gibson), FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM (David Yates), 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE (Dan Trachtenberg), MIDNIGHT SPECIAL (Jeff Nichols) hingga EYE IN THE SKY (Gavin Hood). Tidak menyangka jika THE SHALLOWS (Jaume Collet-Serra) dan THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE (André Øvredal) ternyata tontonan-tontonan yang super seru. Film asing (non-English maksudnya) yang saya tonton tidak begitu banyak, tapi yang cukup mencuri perhatian adalah THINGS TO COME (Mia Hansen-Løve), THE CLUB (Pablo Larrain) hingga SON OF SAUL (László Nemes). Suka dengan sentuhan drama dan humor dalam CAPTAIN FANTASTIC (Matt Ross) dan HIDDEN FIGURES (Theodore Melfi). Sempat dibuat gila (in a good way) juga saat menyaksikan SWISS ARMY MAN (Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert), terkesima dengan efek artistik dalam KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS (Travis Knight) dan last but not least saya mungkin hanya satu dari sedikit orang yang benar-benar menikmati X-MEN: APOCALYPSE (Bryan Singer).

So, without further ado, here's my own list of Best Films of 2016 *drumroll*.....

20 — ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY

Directed by Gareth Edwards

First, the film put the 'war' in 'star wars'. Second, it delivered hope; both to Rebellion troops and to the future Star Wars franchise.

19 — DON'T BREATHE

Directed by Fede Alvarez

Claustrophobic atmosphere with twists and turns, turned out to be a perfect recipe for audience to go breathless. Speaking of recipe, do we need a turkey baster for that?

18 — THE JUNGLE BOOK

Directed by Jon Favreau

Jika semua hasil proyek live-action remake Disney seimpresif ini, I wouldn't complain no more. Friskier yet darker, more grandeur but with the right amount of its bare necessites. And damn, the CGI is almost flawless.

17 — WHERE TO INVADE NEXT

Directed by Michael Moore

Nobody loves America more than Moore, tapi lewat film ini Moore (with his hilariously straight-forward way) menegaskan bahwa sebenarnya rumpat tetangga jauh lebih hijau dibandingkan rumput Amerika.

16 — ZOOTOPIA

Directed by Byron Howard and Rich Moore

Masih tidak percaya bahwa film animasi dipenuhi dengan binatang yang berbicara mampu membawa pesan yang sangat dewasa. And its prejudice theme cannot be more relevant in today's state of the world. Pixar, hati-hati.

15 — JACKIE

Directed by Pablo Larraín

Film ini tak hanya bergantung pada performa (a very brilliant one) dari Natalie Portman, tapi direksi yang singular serta musik yang di-set layaknya sebuah film horror, menjadikan film ini sebagai sebuah film biopic yang unconventional, considering its iconic and popular subject matter. A breath of fresh air to the genre.

14 — DOCTOR STRANGE

Directed by Scott Derrickson

Film MCU pertama yang benar-benar saya suka. Rich in visual but not lacking in substance either. Exhilarating, intense and witty when it needs to be. Mind-bending yet still have its Marvel charms.

13 — MOONLIGHT

Directed by Barry Jenkins

Cut me some slack if I don't think it's a *masterpiece*, but I can't deny how it was really, really well-made. Krisis maskulinitas yang berbaur dengan isu ras dan bullying bukan barang baru, tetapi Jenkins membalutnya dengan begitu elegan. And beyond the race and sexuality, this film is actually a universal story about finding one's identity and coming to terms with it.

12 — THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN

Directed by Kelly Fremon Craig

A poignant and edgier take on teenage angst. Apa yang paling saya kagumi dari film ini adalah bahkan ketika kita menyaksikan sang protagonis berada dalam momen paling unlikeable sekalipun, film ini memiliki alasan yang kuat untuk memakluminya.

11 — ELLE

Directed by Paul Verhoeven

Dari adegan pembukanya saja, film ini tidak lagi berkompromi. Tapi film ini tak menjual eksploitasi atau simpati. This one's about a woman, who stands up for herself, knows what she wants and wants to take matter into her own hands. It might be unapologetic and uncomfortable to watch at times, but still captivating nonetheless. Oh, and Isabelle Huppert was phenomenal.

10 — YOUR NAME (Kimi no na wa)

Directed by Makoto Shinkai

This is the kind of thing only Japanese anime could pull off. This film has equal parts of love story, teen comedy, supernatural slash sci-fi aspect with a big twist revelation towards the end. The gorgeous animation and the music are just the icing on this delicious cake.

09 — DON'T THINK TWICE

Directed by Mike Birbiglia

Sebuah film dramedi yang begitu jujur dalam menampilkan realita; what if we're not destined to reach our dreams? This film's revelation is not about giving up, it's about finding other opened doors when we finally realized that all this time we were only just peeking through the closed one.

08 — THE NICE GUYS

Directed by Shane Black

Sebagai sebuah retro throwback untuk film-film buddy cop era 70-an, film ini berhasil memadukan narasi yang rapi, karakter jenaka hingga adegan aksi yang menegangkan. A very classic Shane Black film. Ryan Gosling should play more comedic roles, stat.

07 — HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE

Directed by Taika Waititi

Suatu potret sentimental tentang hubungan keluarga yang muncul dari perpaduan dua karakter yang bertolak belakang, dipicu oleh petualangan yang tidak terduga. Hilariously offbeat but still endearing and heartfelt. This is the funniest film of the year.

06 — TOWER

Directed by Keith Maitland

Akibat tidak dapat mengambil gambar di tempat kejadiannya, dokumenter tentang mass shooting di tahun '66 ini beralih kepada animasi yang minimalistik untuk dipadukan dengan footage asli serta first-hand interview dari para korban dan saksi. The result is a moving and mesmerizing tribute to the fallen ones and the unexpected heroes from a tragedy, in which until 50 years later, USA have never learned from.

05 — SING STREET

Directed by John Carney

Film ini menangkap kecanggungan dalam proses pendewasaan dengan tepat. Cerita film ini tergolong sederhana, namun kekuatannya berada pada keahlian Carney mengkapitalisasi kesederhanaan tersebut dengan dinamika karakter yang relatable serta penggunaan musik yang terjalin dengan baik. Aspek musiknya tidak hanya menjadi latar belakang pengiring, tetapi juga karakter tersendiri. It's one of those feel-good coming of age films that both deep and bursting with charms.

04 — THE HANDMAIDEN (Ah-ga-ssi)

Directed by Park Chan-wook

The little you know about this film, the better (though I have to warn you this film has lots of really explicit sex scenes).This film has so many layers, it would turn into another kind of spectacle when each of the layer is peeled of.  Tidak perlu pusing menebak-nebak arah film ini, dinikmati saja. And if the story and the performances are not enough for you, this film is a sight for sore eyes. Beautifully shot and carefully edited. Wonderfully twisted from beginning to end.

03 — ARRIVAL

Directed by Denis Villeneuve

An ambitious concept with sophisticated execution. Film tentang kedatangan makhluk asing, yang sebenarnya bercerita tentang manusia dan kebutuhannya untuk saling berkomunikasi. Kejutan yang tersembunyi di belakang (actually on plain sight throughout the film) menjadi salah satu konklusi yang sangat indah dan anehnya, as heartbreaking as it was, begitu memuaskan. Masih sakit hati ketika Amy Adams tidak kebagian nominasi Oscar. But that's another subject for another post.

02 — MANCHESTER BY THE SEA

Directed by Kenneth Lonergan

A film that treats grief with tenderness and a little touch of humor. Tidak perlu letupan emosi yang berlebihan, hanya dilapisi oleh performa yang begitu halus dan meyakinkan dari jajaran cast-nya. It's hauntingly painful but not over sentimental, even the humor felt honest and appropriate. Film tentang duka dan kehilangan yang begitu melekat, baik pada karakter di dalamnya, maupun para penonton sesudahnya. 

01 — LA LA LAND

Directed by Damian Chazelle

Well, I can already hear the backlash for my number 1 pick (lol siapa gue?). But for real though, this one's a no-brainer. A feel-good musical with all original music, a universal story with an exceptional filmmaking, led by charismatic performances with an enticing chemistry. A film that full of joyous spirit and abundance of hearts. Who can resist that? I don't really care if it's an homage, an ode, or a tribute to whatever suits your liking. This is first and foremost, Chazelle's love letter to all the struggling dreamers; foolish as we may seem.

Recap:

1. LA LA LAND

2. MANCHESTER BY THE SEA

3. ARRIVAL

4. THE HANDMAIDEN

5. SING STREET

6. TOWER

7. HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE

8. THE NICE GUYS

9. DON'T THINK TWICE

10. YOUR NAME

11. ELLE

12. THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN

13. MOONLIGHT

14. DOCTOR STRANGE

15. JACKIE

16. ZOOTOPIA

17. WHERE TO INVADE NEXT

18. THE JUNGLE BOOK

19. DON'T BREATHE

20. ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY

Stay tuned for upcoming lists!