Best Movies of 2016

As 2016 winds down, I feel the need to assess the movies released (theatrically, not at festivals) this year and assemble a list of those that impressed me the most. I know the year isn't over yet, so I might yet find another gem to add. There are at least a few key films that I missed and will try to view soon, so that I can perhaps update this list. I know I'm a little premature doing this list, but here are my favourites, ranked pretty much in order:

The Witch - excellent, intelligent, and subdued horror in a very authentic historical setting

Sing Street - feel-good film of the year... bursting with fun and musical energy
Arrival - smart sci-fi that'll leave your brain humming for days

PeeWee's Big Holiday - silly and entertaining beyond belief. After all these years, a winner!
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years - what can I say? It's The Beatles!!!

Zootopia - this hilarious and terrific-looking animated comedy took me by surprise
Neon Demon - bold and stylish, not Drive quality, but certainly hard to forget
The BFG - a fun fantasy about a lovable old giant, thanks to film-meister Spielberg
Don't Breathe - a breath-taking thriller about punks robbing an old man blind
The Jungle Book - a fun adventure with Mowgli and his jungle animal pals - visually amazing
10 Cloverfield Lane - a bit of a hidden gem... unsettling and fun with fine performances

Everybody Wants Some - director Linklater hits one out of the park with this college baseball day-in-the-life
Hail, Caesar! - the Coehn brothers at their lightest and most fun... not their best, but still....

Honourable Mentions, in no particular order:

The Invitation - creepy and horrific, a lean and effective thriller

Weiner-Dog - an oddball film about a sweet Dachshund who links together quirky short stories
The Lobster - strange and wonderful, thoughtful and absurd... hard to describe, but riveting

Midnight Special - suspenseful and tense, building to a climax that doesn't exactly underwhelm, but leaves you with a sense of something hopeful and unfulfilled

Albums That Changed My Life

I have listened to a lot of albums over the years. And as you know, as a listener, one passes through many phases in his or her life-long musical journey. The simple pop tunes that capture your heart as a child may be of no interest as you find more exciting and challenging music as a teenager (but that doesn't mean you'll never come back to them when you grow older and more nostalgic). And even as a teen, what's cool one year may not be the next. Trends and fads can influence your likes and dislikes. Or not. Some people know what they like and are very single-minded about their musical tastes, listening to nothing but dance-pop or country music their whole lives. That's fine, too, but that's not me.

Even early on, I found something to like in all sorts of genres. Hell, for a while there as a kid, I was even hooked on a weird old Jerry Lewis record ( he sang!) I found in my mom's collection. Once I'd graduated from kids' records, (story albums adapted from Disney films, stuff like that) and I was buying pop and rock for myself, there were no rules. Some Stevie Wonder here, some Pink Floyd there, a little BeeGee's, the movie soundtrack from Star Wars. You see?

But when I think long and hard about truly important albums, ones that I later realized defined me as a person, I am now able to spot the sign-posts in my development as a music fan and as a human being. So what albums really changed me, gave me new direction, and contributed to who I was, and who I am today?


Here are The Albums That Changed My Life, in chronological order:

More of the Monkees... the first record album I ever bought, this began my appreciation for pop and rock, not to mention it made me a Monkees fan for life. I loved the TV show as a kid, maybe not so much now, but the music was timeless perfection. Light and fun and expertly composed by professional songwriters early in the Monkees' career... after a few albums, they insisted on writing and playing on their own songs. I admire the boys for wanting more than a few bucks for miming onstage. 

The Beatles' Second Album... the second long-playing record I ever bought, this North American release began my personal Beatlemania and interest in guitar. I've still got the Great Songs of Lennon & McCartney songbook I used to learn my first tunes (like the Daytripper riff) on guitar. It took me years to finally get all of their original albums, but along the way, I snapped up tapes of the odd release. My mainstays were the two double-album compilations, the first of their early years, the second of their later years. Today, I am Beatles complete, though there are loads of outtakes and alternate recordings that I'm missing. I'm happy with the studio albums and the smattering of rarities on my shelves.

Kiss... their self-titled first album was my introduction to heavy rock. My love of hard rock and metal endures to this day. Even though their later disc, Destroyer, would become my fave Kiss album, I give credit to the first one for instilling in me an appreciation for earth-shaking music, shouting out loud, pumping my fist, and considering wearing Kiss make-up... but never doing it. Oh, well. I never saw 'em in concert but I did catch an "official", Kiss-endorsed tribute band one time... pretty impressive, and nearly as good - if not as good - as the real thing. 

Rocky, movie soundtrack... a frequent reminder of the powerful boxing film that I loved when I saw it in the theatre at the age of twelve, and inspired me to start and continue to keep fit and healthy for the rest of my life. I never boxed, but I "tried" some jump rope, and did stick with a weight program and cardio (running and cycling) for many years. Also, as my first soundtrack, this introduced me to music other than guitar-oriented pop/rock. Hey, I was a blank slate and open to anything.

2112, by Rush... this heavy, epic concept album quickly became my favourite in my collection. 2112 kicked off my Rush fandom and love of progressive rock and metal. My obsession bled into all areas of my life... I did artwork of the band members, saw them in concert several times, assembled massive "scrapbook" binders loaded with photos and articles and all manner of collectibles, I amassed a whole wack of Rush posters - over forty of them (only a few actually made it onto my walls), hunted down scads of memorabilia, and wore a "concert jacket" covered with dozens of Rush pins, buttons, badges, and patches to shows. And more. Thankfully, the mania has subsided and I now carry on a relatively normal life. Hmm, or do I?

Fragile, by Yes... this opened up a wider world of prog rock to me, which included more varied instrumentation than even Rush offered. I grew to recognize the genius in this band, from Howe's stellar guitar work to White's intricate percussion to Squire's complex yet melodic bass, and Wakeman's god-like virtuosity on keyboard. As any self-respecting Yes fan would know, I was well aware that the band had many personnel changes, yet even the substitutions of Kaye, Bruford, Horn, and Downs were successful. I saw Yes in concert a few times... with different line-ups each time.... but the music was masterful and spellbinding. My love of Yes led me to check out other UK proggers of their era, like King Crimson, Camel, and Caravan.

Beethoven's 9th Symphony... this was the first classical recording I ever owned. I bought the Deutsche Grammophon (Von Karajan conducting) cassette tape back in the early 80's. It was the film A Clockwork Orange that first acquainted me with the music of Ludwig Van Beethoven, and it was the 9th Symphony that played a prominent role in the movie. I fell in love with the piece, so it was only logical that the 9th would be my first classical purchase. And of course, that led to me buy all of the symphonies... plus some collections of concertos, sonatas, and so forth. Then about a decade later, I upgraded to CD, and found even more Ludwig tunes to enjoy for the rest of my life. My interest in classical expanded from there; I built a modest collection of the works of most of the greatest composers of all time (Bach, Dvorak, Mussorgsky, and Stravinsky among them).

Time Out, by Dave Brubeck... the first jazz album I ever owned, captured on tape from a family member's record. I kept and played that tape for years, eventually buying a proper CD version, which led to my broader love of jazz, which included the legendary Miles, Rollins, Blakey, Coltrane, Guaraldi, and Monk. I got into the habit of attending the local jazz festival each summer, and even saw the 89-year-old Brubeck in concert back in 2010. Amazing, even at that age!

All For You, by Diana Krall... this was just a random CD I borrowed from the library, but I immediately adored Krall's smoky vocals and plucky piano renditions of Nat King Cole standards, so I quickly bought my own copy. This was the second jazz album I ever owned, after Brubeck's Time Out. All For You sparked my love for Krall's music and marked the start of my serious jazz album collecting. I saw Krall in concert back in 1999, just before she skyrocketed to international fame. Good timing, for my tickets were easy to get, affordable, and the seats were great.

Tranced Out and Dreaming... I can't recall how I came upon this... it must have been an arbitrary choice at the CD store back in the mid-90's. Anyway, I tried it out at a listening station, bought it, and loved it so much that I would conduct weekly test-runs of unknown-to-me electronic music CDs, discovering a lot of strange and beautiful stuff. Early on, I stuck mostly with compilations, so I could get a taste of the many sub-genres and decide what I liked most and wanted to investigate further. I built myself a tidy little library of great experimental and progressive electro... which included faves like The Grid, Leftfield, BT, 808 State, FSOL, Fluke, and Empirion. Funny how that exotic-sounding trance album led to a long-time affection for electronic music and even some modern dance-pop. I also find myself listening closely to movie music, which often features amazing electronic artists worth checking out. 

Movies That Changed My Life

We all have favourite movies. I have many, including Lost in Translation, The Double Life of Veronique, The Thing ('82), The Wolf Man ('41), From Russia With Love, and Alien. But those aren't necessarily "important" movies to me, meaning they did not necessarily change me or my life. I'm talking about pivotal films, ones that truly affected me, changed me, made their mark... an impression... on me, and influenced my choices in movies... and maybe even in life... for years to come. 

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.... I remember seeing this in the movie theater when I was a kid. It must have been a re-release or something. I remember being freaked out as Snow White ran through the spooky forest. But beautifully painted backgrounds, terrific classical animation, thrilling music... everything... cemented this as my favourite Disney feature of all. And I've been an animation fan ever since. I even worked in a studio for a time.

The Wizard of Oz.... a love/hate relationship here. This amazing adaptation from book to silver screen was magical. I have always loved the flying monkeys best, and those "realistic" (to my young eyes) tornado shots gave me nightmares and a life-long fascination and fear of twisters. Wonderful acting, direction, music, and visual effects... such a timeless classic! All I have to do is think about The Wizard of Oz and I smile fondly as I recall seeing it as a child. Twisters and all.

Frankenstein (1931).... the first horror film I ever saw, I believe... it made a huge impression, leaving me with a taste for fright films, especially the oldies, for the rest of my life. Today, I prefer Universal delights like The Wolf Man and Creature From the Black Lagoon over this - but ol' Frank was an important movie for me.

The Nutty Professor... the original, starring Jerry Lewis. I'm pretty sure this was the first Lewis solo picture I ever saw, and I do know that I wanted to be just like that goofy clown when I was a youngster. I mimicked Jerry's walk and talk and mannerisms for friends, but they just gave me puzzled looks in return. Bah, what did they know? But I recognized comic genius when I saw it. And I still crack up when I watch one of these oldies... and not necessarily this one, for I now consider The Bellboy and The Delicate Delinquent more durable comedies. 

A Hard Day's Night, and Help!... determined my life-long love of Beatles music. After seeing these two movies on TV, I was obsessed for several years as a young lad and teen, collecting their records and books about the band. Since I discovered the Mop Tops well after their break-up, I made a point of seeing the Beatlemania stage show when it hit Toronto in 1981. That was as close as I ever got to seeing the real thing. Pretty close. 

Jason and the Argonauts (1963)... the sea god Triton scene scared the daylights out of me when I first saw this as a child, and for months I had recurring nightmares of simply watching that scene on TV. Crazy... and crazy good. Still among my favourite movies of all time, and this, along with the Sinbad movies of that era, fostered a love of fantasy in films and literature (from The Hobbit to Pan's Labyrinth). 

Star Wars (episode IV - A New Hope)... Long-awaited and life-affirming. stunning and timeless, my favourite sci-fi/fantasy movie of all time. I read the fan magazines for months leading up to its release, and it far exceeded my hopes and dreams. Even today, after all those sequels and prequels and spin-offs, the very first Star Wars film remains both my favourite and the most influential in my life. 

A Clockwork Orange.... an ultra-violent "art" film with scope and vision by auteur director Stanley Kubrick, with memorable performances, a story brilliantly adapted from the novel, inventive camera-work, and powerful music (which led to my love of all things Beethoven). And an appreciation for the high-falutin' talents of the meticulous and wacky old Stanley. An important movie in my life, even if it does not make my Top Ten. 

Music Collection Oddities

Ever since I was a dumb kid I enjoyed the odd musical deviation... something weird and not always in the mainstream, at least at the time I discovered it. I wasn't one of those people who simply gravitated to - or intentionally chose - the oddball stuff just to rebel against everything and everyone else. 

As a young lad, I liked 70's novelty tunes like Convoy and Disco Duck almost to a fault - I played those quirky ditties endlessly on 45 rpm singles. As a teen and 20-something, I enjoyed a smattering of the Weird Al Yankovic songs that littered the radio airwaves for a couple of decades... from his early tracks My Bologna and Another One Rides the Bus to Eat It, Like a Surgeon, Fat, and I Want a New Duck. 

Never too cool for school - Devo, just too weird for the sub-humans

My current CD collection includes some strange albums, or at least ones that probably aren't on many other folks' music shelves. Sometimes I hear something bizarre and find it unbelievably beautiful... maybe in a funny way, or perhaps it simply speaks to me and it gropes at my brain stem or plucks at my heartstrings. The originality of oddities can jump right out at me.... like I cannot believe how uncool and yet wonderful that is! Sure, I could name Devo as one of those types of bands, but hey, after all these years, I think we all now agree that they are definitely cool. Fave tunes are Working in a Coal Mine and Through Being Cool. 

I suppose the most unusual thing on my shelves right now would be the Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass collection, featuring his brilliantly melodic and fun Lonely Bull, Spanish Flea, Love Potion No. 9, Whipped Cream and more. These 60's "hits" have found their way into popular culture in one way or another, either in movies or TV commercials or even re-mixed into other artists' songs. Spanish Flea must be the best known of Alpert's tunes.

There was a fellow name Scott Walker who made vital yet mostly unknown musical masterpieces from the 60's through the 70's. He sort of re-invented himself a few times, yet carried on an admirable career that spans until this day. Very different and unusual, his earlier material was amazingly approachable, but his later, very experimental music was quite challenging and even off-putting. I struggle with some of his later stuff, but I absolutely love his early solo work. I like his band work with the Walker Brothers, but it's his own personal music that really knocks me out. Very brave and adventurous forays into new realms of expression. I highly recommend his first four solo albums. 

Glammy, gothy, heavy, poppy... Gene Loves Jezebel

Then there are these Gene Loves Jezebel albums from the late 80's and early 90's on my shelf. I sort of missed this music (I must have seen their videos back then, but dismissed them) as I focused on heavy metal, but a little after the fact, I discovered I liked the band's work. GLJ sort of fell within the goth movement when they launched their career in 1980, and found some commercial success even with their dark alternative sound. Strong, emotive vocals and engaging songwriting backed by very able instrumentals gave the band a distinctive sound that I've long admired. Tasteful guitar solos fit nicely with the moody, heavy vibe. Heartache, Desire (Come and Get It), and Jealous are among their best tracks.

And now for something completely different: Ani Lorak is a Ukrainian pop singer who is idolized in her home country, yet has barely made a splash overseas. A friend introduced me to Lorak's music several years ago, and while I really like a few songs, I can't say I love it all. But I did invest in an import compilation that included Shady Lady, my favourite track by the stunning singer. 

And she sings! Ani Lorak, Ukrainian dance-pop star

Best of the Beat Generation contains a selection of tracks from a more comprehensive three-disc set and follows up that set with many additional notable pieces. The title says it all.... legendary Beat artists Jack Kerouac, Lenny Bruce, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs are among those who appear here. It's been a long time since I've given this a hard listen, but I do remember the wonderful ambiance here.... a smoky lounge, tinkling jazzy piano, and spoken word (which inspired rap, I'd say). Mind expanding without any risk.

I've got a CD by Alma Tadema and JPS Scorpio which I bought backstage after a show they played at the Ottawa International Jazz Festival back in the 90's. I was initially a bit jarred by the stripped-down and unusual use of electric bass with voice. But as the show progressed (and other audience members filtered out... dummies!), I found myself entranced by the mystical droning strings and unconventional vocals. The CD package describes its contents as "Neo Gothic Noise". Today, I can find virtually nothing on the internet about this highly experimental act; maybe the duo vanished into a creative vortex after I saw them perform. It's a good thing I went backstage, met them, and picked up this album. A rarity? 

The 30 Rock Original Television Soundtrack is one of my most prized possessions... a double-CD set loaded with original songs and incidental music from the Emmy Award-winning TV comedy series. The light and whimsical pieces make me smile and even feel a bit wistful at times. The music drifts deftly from silly to sad and back again. Jeff Richmond was the Modern Mozart responsible for the super-catchy theme song and for the creation of everything else that appeared on the show. Prominent wacky tracks are Muffintop and Werewolf Bar Mitzvah. I bought this as a special edition with a hardcover book about 30 Rock, which may rise in value in a future world ruled by Jewish werewolves.