2016 is over and 2017 is here. To remember the year and look forward to the next, I decided on creating 10 (or 11 depending on how you count) “Top 10” lists with some commentary. They are as follows:
- Top 10 2016 Movies I Saw
- Top 10 2016 Movies I Want to See
- Top 10 Non-2016 Movies I Saw for the First Time in 2016
- Top 10 Most Anticipated 2017 Movies
- Top 10 Books I Read
- Top 10 Assorted Other Media/Entertainment Experiences
- Top 10 Numbers to Quantify 2016
- Top 10 Foods
- Top 10 Most Popular Blog Posts I Wrote
- My Top 10 2016 Top 10 lists
Top 10 2016 Movies I Saw
- La La Land
- Moonlight
- Tickled
- Manchester by the Sea
- Hail, Caesar!
- Sing Street
- The Lobster
- Operation Avalanche
- Swiss Army Man
- The Beatles: Eight Days a Week—The Touring Years
Honorable Mentions:
Captain Fantastic, Arrival, Captain America: Civil War, Moana, Zootopia, The Nice Guys, 10 Cloverfield Lane, and Hell or High Water
There were a lot of good movies in 2016. Creating this Top 10 was tough and there are still loads of great films that I have yet to see. It was also hard to rank them because they quite a few of them provide incredibly unique viewing experiences that I’m not quite sure how to judge in comparison to other films, but I feel pretty good about where things are at. The Lobster is arguably a 2015 film, but since it’s included on loads of other Top Films of 2016 lists that I’ve seen, I saw it in 2016, and in the 2016 awards conversation I included it here. I also have two documentaries on here, which is rare and surprising (partially because I don’t watch a lot of them and because I don’t really like them as much as other films generally).
La La Land was the most joyful, glee-inducing, and closest to pure happiness experience I had at the cinema all year, which cemented its place in my top spot. Moonlight is phenomenal and moving and probably the most deeply human film I saw all year. Tickled is bizarre and hilarious and frightening and uncomfortable and incredible and difficult to describe. Manchester by the Sea is heavy and sits with you for days, the sense of grief it portrays weighs on you. Hail, Caesar! is hilarious and wonderful and for me, a very spiritually resonant film. Also, all about movies, which I love (shocking I know). Sing Street is great. A lovely, charming teen film with some awesome synthesizers. The Lobster is a shocking and twisted and touching and unique film. Operation Avalanche is daring and fun and an interesting medley of genres. Swiss Army Man is weird. Very very weird. But also really heartwarming. The Beatles is incredible. I adore The Beatles, which is definitely part of it, but this was probably the closest I will come to seeing The Beatles perform live and it was remarkable.
Top 10 2016 Movies I Want to See
- Silence
- Paterson
- Fences
- Loving
- J.: Made in America
- Midnight Special
- Jackie
- The Birth of a Nation
- Lion
- Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Some Others (in no particular order and that may fall under 2017 films depending on how you’re counting):
Hacksaw Ridge, Hidden Figures, Live by Night, Florence Foster Jenkins, 20th Century Women, Patriots Day, A Bigger Splash, The Handmaiden, Embrace of the Serpent, Green Room, Elle, Toni Erdmann, The Founder, Kubo and the Two Strings, Louder Than Bombs, Everybody Wants Some, The Fits, and American Honey
I’m conflicted about O.J.’s presence on this list because I don’t know whether to count it as a film or not, but besides that all of these I really want to see. I missed them for a variety of reasons, but hope to see them soon. If anything you loved isn’t here or in my seen list, let me know. Or if my priorities seem wrong, argue for a re-ordering of them.
Top 10 Non-2016 Movies I Saw for the First Time in 2016
- A Serious Man
- Schindler’s List
- Alien
- The Cabin in the Woods
- Love Actually
- Miller’s Crossing
- Her
- Monty Python’s Life of Brian
- Hot Fuzz
- The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
I watched a lot of movies in 2016. A lot. At the moment, these are my favorite films not from 2016 that I saw for the first time. There’s been some fluctuation in this list, but I feel pretty good about loving all these.
Top 10 Most Anticipated 2017 Movies
- Star Wars: Episode VIII
- Logan
- Valerian
- Blade Runner 2049
- Beauty and the Beast
- The Death of Stalin
- Baby Driver
- Untitled Darron Aronofsky Project
- Dunkirk
- Murder on the Orient Express
Honorable Mentions:
Spider-Man: Homecoming, Wonder Woman, Thor: Ragnarok, Kong: Skull Island, Free Fire, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, Justice League, and Alien: Covenant
There’s a lot coming out in 2017 that looks promising. I bumped most of the superhero sequels coming out to my honorable mention list because either I’m not confident that they are providing something new and innovative or they’re a DC film and WB has eroded close to all my faith in their ability to make a decent superhero film.
Star Wars tops my anticipation list because I love Star Wars and TFA is still really really good and I cannot wait to see where Rey, Finn, Poe, Kylo Ren, Luke, and now more than before Leia end up. Logan is next because Wolverine has been one of my favorite characters as long as I can remember, Hugh Jackman is perfection, Patrick Stewart is solid, and the trailer is AMAZING. The others I have interest in based on trailers, attached directors/actors/other people, or some other random intriguing piece of information I’ve read about them.
Top 10 Books I Read
- Bring Up the Bodies
- A Short Stay in Hell
- Nimona
- American Gods
- Jane Eyre
- Ready Player One
- Bleak House
- Murder on the Orient Express
- The Daughter of Time
- Navigating Mormon Faith Crisis: A Simple Developmental Map
All of these are solid books. Bring Up the Bodies is incredible and absolutely gorgeously written. A Short Stay in Hell is terrifying and still haunts me, but in a great, existential dread-inducing sort of way. Nimona is charming. Lovely and charming. American Gods is long and meandering, but fascinating and has some interesting thoughts on belief. Jane Eyre (which I’ve been meaning to read for years and finally did) is really really good. And I’m plagued with a little less guilt now about the missing classic, nineteenth century British novels from my library. Ready Player One is fun. 80s nostalgia fun. Bleak House is great. Murder on the Orient Express is close to perfection in a mystery novel. The Daughter of Time is fun and fascinating. And I couldn’t not have a Mormon book on the list, so I settled on Navigating Mormon Faith Crisis, which is short, profound, and perspective altering. Highly recommend it (well, all of these, really).
Top 10 Assorted Other Media/Entertainment Experiences
- Homecoming
- Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
- The Hamilton Mixtape
- Dollhouse
- Stranger Things
- Space Venture Coalition: A Space rock opera
- Mystery Show
- “First Vision” by Tyler Glenn, from Excommunication
- Surprisingly Awesome
- “Steer Your Way” by Leonard Cohen, from You Want it Darker
So, there’s a lot of stuff thrown on here. I probably could have a made a list of pure TV, but it wouldn’t be confined to 2016 and it would probably result in ranking the vast majority of shows I watched in their entirety. I haven’t listened to that much music released in 2016, so I couldn’t make a list just about that. My podcast listening is pretty limited, but I think I’ve finally been converted to its joys and wonder, so that didn’t make sense. Anyway, here’s a collection of TV, podcasts, albums, songs, and a fantastic live concert experience.
Homecoming is amazing. Wow. I believe in podcasts now. Like, this sort of narrative storytelling is remarkable and filled with talent and I can’t wait to find out what happens in Season 2. So so so good. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is hilarious and wonderful and subversive and filled with catchy songs. Watch it. I adore Hamilton and The Hamilton Mixtape is a delight—a fine complement to the musical. Dollhouse and Stranger Things are solid and enjoyable (those synths in Stranger Things…). Seeing the Space Venture Coalition was one of the most fun things I’ve done all year. Wow. That was a great time. If they perform again and you get a chance, go. Mystery Show is fascinating and what I would love to do with my life (or host something like Surprisingly Awesome). Glenn’s album is probably worthy of more discussion and the songs that have stuck out have shifted some since it first came out, but “First Vision” sticks with me as a catchy, great pop song and also a meaningful exploration of faith and relationships. I really like all of Cohen’s You Want it Darker, but “Steer Your Way” stands out.
Top 10 Numbers to Quantify 2016
- 14,337.
Pages I read.
2. 246.
Movies I watched this year.
3. 103.
Pages of final papers I wrote.
4. 100.
Student papers graded.
5. 53.
Blog posts I wrote for my own blog.
6. 48.
Books I read.
- 39.3.
Pages I read a day (on average).
8. 8.
The number of songs from Hamilton in my Top 10 most played songs in iTunes.
9. 5.
Funerals attended.
10. 1.
Degrees I earned.
Top 10 Foods
- Orville Redenbacher’s Movie Theater Butter popcorn
- BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger at CHOM
- Steak and Eggs breakfast special at Joe’s Cafe
- De La Rosa
- Virgil’s Bavarian Nutmeg Rootbeer
- Pizza from The Pie
- Virgil’s Black Cherry Cream Soda
- Onion rings at Café 300
- Chocolate shake at CHOM
- Doner with fries at Spitz
Obviously, I eat really healthily. I mean, pizza could have been a whole list in and of itself, but The Pie was somewhere I went for the first time in 2016 and it was great. This one is more snapshot-ty into where I’m at right now than necessarily reflective of my 2016, but could be fun.
Top 10 Most Popular Blog Posts I Wrote
- BYU, Rape, and the Honor Code: A Letter
- A Grief that can’t be Spoken
- One More Star in the Sky
- The Gift of Doubt
- Why Me?
- What If I’m Wrong?
- Live in Faith with Hope for the Future
- Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It…
- Why Does the Church Work for Me?
- My Five Core Beliefs
Grief seems to resonate with people more than other things (or perhaps I write better when grief-stricken). Also, my talks that I re-created as blog posts were popular. And weighing in at kairotic moments, like during the BYU sexual assault kerfuffle (the gist of what I, and many others, proposed was actually adopted by BYU, so hey, maybe what I wrote and sent them made a small difference?).
My Top 10 2016 Top 10 lists
- Digg’s Compilation of Top 10 Movies of 2016
- Davey’s 10 Top 10s
- Salon’s 10 Worst Movies of 2016
- Top 10 Highest Grossing Films of 2016
- Time’s Top 10 Novels of 2016
- Top 10 Movie Trailers of 2016
- GQ’s Analysis of YouTube’s Top 10 Viral Videos
- Pitchfork’s Top 10 Albums of 2016 (from their Top 50)
- Telegraph’s Top 10 TV Shows of 2016
- Amazon’s Best-Selling Toys and Games
I don’t agree with all these lists (especially 3), but sometimes a list that you can disagree with is way better than a list that represents what you think. Also, it was much harder to find these than I thought it was going to be. Most of the Top 10 lists I found were all about movies and I didn’t want 10 lists of other people’s top 10 movies, when I already gave you that (but I felt like I needed at least one). Also, I was limited somewhat by only choosing actual Top 10 lists and not Top __ lists. Anyway, this is what I ended up with.
So that’s my 2016. Ish. I’ll probably write a more reflective post next week, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, you can peruse the full (ish) lists of movies I watched and books I read:
MOVIES
The Big Short
Limitless
The Matrix
The Matrix Reloaded
The Revenant
Pulp Fiction
The Matrix Revolutions
Room
Bridge of Spies
Anomalisa
Mad Max: Fury Road
Carol
Hail, Caesar!
Bottle Rocket
Reservoir Dogs
Memento
Welcome to Me
New Frontier Shorts: Voyagers, Abendland (Hours, Years, Aeons), and Swimming in Your Skin Again
Other People
Operation Avalanche
The Free World
The Hollars
The Lovers and the Despot
Phoenix
Brooklyn
Rushmore
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Deadpool
The Royal Tenenbaums
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
The Darjeeling Limited
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Moonrise Kingdom
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Godfather
Hot Fuzz
10 Cloverfield Lane
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
The Tourist
The Sixth Sense
Zootopia
Training Day
Steve Jobs
Saturday’s Warrior
Argo
The Town
The Godfather Pt II
Hail, Caesar!
The Jungle Book
Atonement
Inside Man
Shawshank Redemption
Looper
He Named Me Malala
In Bruges
Eddie the Eagle
Jackie Brown
Chef
Alien
The Terminator
Gangs of New York
Captain America: Civil War
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Captain America: Civil War
Following
Ex Machina
Galaxy Quest
Risen
Se7en
Heat
Blood Simple
He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not
Macbeth
Donnie Darko
Clueless
Inglorious Basterds
The Babadook
Raising Arizona
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Apocalypse Now
Goodfellas
Schindler’s List
10 Things I Hate About You
Fight Club
Miller’s Crossing
Creed
Fruitvale Station
X-Men: Apocalypse
Insomnia
Saving Private Ryan
Taxi Driver
Barton Fink
The Mask You Live In
Shakespeare in Love
Django Unchained
The Nice Guys
Sunset Boulevard
Ali
The Hudsucker Proxy
Dear Jack
A Fistful of Dollars
Love Actually
American Beauty
Office Space
Trumbo
The Lobster
The Words
The English Patient
Philomena
The End of the Tour
The Cabin in the Woods
Now You See Me 2: The Second Act
Fargo
The Last Temptation of Christ
The World’s End
Genius (2016)
Hellboy
Suffragette
Les Miserables (1998)
The Big Lebowski
Ephraim’s Rescue
Independence Day
Knight and Day
The BFG
Saturday’s Warrior
The Three Musketeers (1981, animated)
Source Code
Interstellar
Unforgiven
The Musketeer
Die Hard
Serenity
Thelma and Louise + Tickled
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Noah
Trapped by the Mormons
Ghostbusters (2016)
Ghostbusters (1984)
The Bourne Identity
The Bourne Supremacy
The Man Who Wasn’t There + Star Trek Beyond
The Illusionist
The Robe
Underworld
The Bourne Ultimatum
The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble
Captain Fantastic
Batman the Movie (1966)
Stardust
We Bought a Zoo
Star Trek Beyond
The Trip
Edge of the City
A Shade of Blue
Suicide Squad
The Saratov Approach
Jason Bourne
Pinnochio
All the President’s Men
Adventures in Babysitting
A Most Wanted Man
Left Behind
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
Sixteen Candles
Jason Bourne
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
Emma (1996, A&E)
Highlander
The Legend of Tarzan
Trouble with the Curve
Million Dollar Arm
The Book Thief
Lockout
Pawn Sacrifice
The Little Prince
First Knight
The Other Guys
The Passion of the Christ
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Big Fat Liar
The History of the World Part 1
Monty Python’s Life of Brian
Intolerable Cruelty
Last Days in the Desert
Kafka
The Ladykillers (2004)
Hell or High Water
Warcraft
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week—The Touring Years
Godspell
No Country for Old Men
Son of God (2014)
The Magnificent Seven (2016)
King of Kings
You’ve Got Mail
Burn After Reading
Her
The Gospel According to St. Matthew
Masterminds
Jesus Christ Superstar
MacGruber
A Serious Man
True Grit (2010)
Cronos
Lost in La Mancha
Desierto
Inside Llewyn Davis
Swiss Army Man
The Cabin in the Woods
Flowers
Hail, Caesar!
Doctor Strange
V for Vendetta
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Arrival
American Hustle
Clue
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Moonlight
13th
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
Moana
Sing Street
Edge of Seventeen
Allied
It’s a Wonderful Life
Sully
Manchester by the Sea
Rogue One
Sicario
Love Actually
La La Land
Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars IV: A New Hope
Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens
Assassin’s Creed
Saturday’s Warrior
Ant-Man
BOOKS
The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Graveyard Book
The Magic Barrel
There Once Lived a Girl Who Seduced Her Sister’s Husband, And He Hanged Himself: Love Stories
My Name is Asher Lev
Coraline
Saturday
Arcadia
Grace is Not God’s Backup Plan: An Urgent Paraphrase of Paul’s Letter to the Romans
Fortunately, the Milk…
Manalive
Mormon Feminism: Essential Writings
Infinite Jest
Literary Advertising and the Shaping of British Romanticism
Bring Up the Bodies
Redgauntlet
Bleak House
Nothing New Under the Sun: A Blunt Paraphrase of Ecclesiastes
A Short Stay in Hell
“Harrison Bergeron”
Future Mormon: Essays in Mormon Theology
Neverwhere
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Mindful Writing (2nd Edition)
My Lady Jane
The Ghost of Eternal Polygamy
Nevermore: A Graphic Adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s Short Stories
Navigating Mormon Faith Crisis: A Simple Developmental Map
The Woman in White
The Sins of the Wolf
A Study in Scarlet
Murder on the Orient Express
Fairy Tales Transformed?: Twenty-First-Century Adaptation and the Politics of Wonder
The Nine Tailors
Let Your Hearts and Minds Expand: Reflections on Faith, Reason, Charity, and Beauty
An Unsuitable Job for a Woman
The Daughter of Time
One Hundred Birds Taught Me to Fly
Once Upon a Time: A Short History of the Fairy Tale
National Dreams: The Remaking of Fairy Tales in Nineteenth-Century England
Nimona
Jane Eyre
A Christmas Carol
Ready Player One
The Philosophy of Beards
When Mormons Doubt: A Way to Save Relationships and Seek a Quality Life
American Gods
“Story of Your Life”, Ted Chiang
Conor Hilton 
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