Meanwhile, writer and movie critic Rex Reed gives his Best Films list, starting with Casey Affleck's highly acclaimed Manchester By the Sea and ending begrudgingly with a half nod to the musical La La Land.
Rex Says of Manchester: This is haunting, life-affirming filmmaking you will not forget. The details, the observations, the nuances, the revelations—they all add up to a masterful narrative structure and a beautifully textured reality I cannot praise highly enough.
Reed pens: I had high hopes that 2016 at the movies would be like every other year—they’d save the best for last. Sadly, no miracles occurred and it went down in history as one of the sorriest years ever. Blame free internet streaming, pretentious critics who abhor anything with a plot, new kids on the block who don’t know how to make movies with flair, focus or narrative continuity, the death of style, the growth of alternate TV programming, or any of a number of other alarming factors. The fact remains, movies are no longer what they used to be and nobody cares. Some observers predict the cultural force that informs our development from the advent of childhood is already a thing of the past. The year that just passed is such convincing proof that I found it a challenge as daunting as a degree in aeronautical physics just to form a 10 Best List. You won’t find such critical favorites as the deadly Moonlight or the seriously overrated mediocrity Toni Erdmann on it, and my begrudgingly last-minute inclusion of the flawed, uninspired, unoriginal and creatively disappointing La La Land is merely a half-hearted attempt to support the rebirth of movie musicals. So it was a penurious year....
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