Top 10 Movies of 2016 from Quiver/Premire Digital

At the end of every year, the critics and blogs and cinema pundits begin to extol awards and begin numbering their favorite (and least favorite) movies, shows, albums, plays and virtually every form of creative expression meant to be enjoyed by the masses.

Over the past year, we at Quiver / Premiere Digital have delivered hundreds upon hundreds of films and TV series to the digital platforms. While we work on marketing and windowing strategies with the platforms and our clients, we are first and foremost, movie lovers. We do it because we love the medium.

To have a little fun, and get in on the awards season hype (Hi, SEO!), we asked a few of our team members what movies made them laugh, cry, and nerd out in 2016.

Sean Flanagan, Quiver Manager

  • La La Land – A film I wanted to go into ironically, within the opening LA freeway sequence, that all melted away into a story that was both related as an aspiring writer/filmmaker and provided levity in an otherwise depressing year cinematically and politically.
  • Deadpool – An X-men movie got to swear and break the 4th wall and do all the awesome comic book stuff that most of the other movies are too earnest to ever attempt. Somewhere 10-year old Sean’s dreams came true with this film.
  • Captain America: Civil War – A large-scale action ensemble that made a divisive source material into its own inspiration. This is probably the best (yet) version of why Marvel’s slow build of characters and interconnecting adventures cannot be duplicated with DC’s attempt at a rushed Justice League. Major props to the best Spiderman yet, accomplished in two scenes.
  • Live By Night – On New Year’s Eve 2004, I vowed to support Ben Affleck in all of his life decisions, because, frankly, Gigli was not THAT bad and the backlash was unjust. My support yielded Gone, Baby, Gone, The Town, Argo and now Live By Night. An ambitious crime drama with a great roster of character actors. So, you’re welcome, World.
  • Midnight Special – Jeff Nichols is a national treasure. Each film he crafts is more ambitious, while telling an engaging story that touches on. This one is E.T. meets Close Encounters in the story of a fractured family coming together for one great call to adventure. It’s Stranger Things for those that don’t have 8 hours to wonder what actually happened to Barb.
  • Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
  • Loving
  • The Little Prince
  • Nocturnal Animals
  • Green Room

Jacob Coburn, Account Manager

  1. Star Wars: Rogue One – Many will justifiably criticize the film for uncanny valley CGI renderings of deceased actors or forced continuity into the greater Star Wars Universe. Others will object to a sparsely-developed cast of characters. To me, though, this is the first film to truly recapture the magic of the original trilogy, and not because its set so close to its timeline. Gareth Edwards creates a galaxy full of grime, questionable characters, and unimaginable size that was so quintessential to the original trilogy, and so neglected in the movies since.
  2. Hail, Caesar! – My personal heroes Joel and Ethan Coen crafted this light caper set against the backdrop of Golden Age Hollywood, and in doing so perfectly captured what it is to work in “the industry.” It is a nasty business full of big egos and questionable intellect, and no sane person would be a part of it. And yet, every once in awhile, you can be a part of something magical, and you forget the rest.
  1. The Nice Guys – An exciting, hilarious, and totally engrossing film that seemed to totally fly under the radar. Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe’s surprisingly excellent rapport, plus a mystery way more interesting than one would expect, make for one of the most entertaining neo-noir films in recent memory.
  1. Deadpool
  1. Zootopia- Beautifully animated with a great cast and an insightful story, Zootopia is a really solid family film. It should be required viewing for your most politically terrible relative this holiday season, no matter which side of the aisle they’re on.
  1. Arrival
  2. Popstar: Never Stop Stopping
  3. Star Trek Beyond
  4. Doctor Strange
  1. Independence Day: Resurgence – I know, I know, I know. Listen I know it’s not objectively one of the 10-best movies this year. BUT, I didn’t get to the theater much, and this movie was extremely maligned despite actually being pretty good. Taking place many years after the original, Resurgence is a well-executed sci-fi thriller follow-up to the franchise that took over my my later elementary school years. After Roland Emmerich’s disastrous forays into the world of art-house cinema, it is nice to see him blowing up major landmarks again.

Movies I have high hopes for but haven’t yet seen: The Witch, Moonlight, Manchester by the Sea, Birth of a Nation, Loving, La La Land

Phil Garrison, Account Manager

  1. The Witch – An excellent drama film wrapped in a surefire horror shell. Great performances, excellent writing and production design, and for once, an “indie” horror film that isn’t afraid of what it is – the ending plunges straight into horror territory with an excellent and decisive exultation of fear.
  1. Kubo and the Two Strings – I have a soft spot in my heart for stop motion animation, and Kubo and the Two Strings is an exceptionally strong film. Emotional, beautiful in its creation of the world, steeped in lore and atmosphere, this film is an excellent entry for Laika. It’s beautifully shot, well acted, and worth the price of admission.
  1. Arrival – Perhaps more than any other movie I saw this year, Arrival came at the exact right time. A gorgeous movie with a poignant and timely message about communication and the nature of life, death and time – this film is a beautiful statement about humanity and its potential all wrapped in a thrilling science fiction fable.
  1. Star Trek Beyond – The best of the NuTrek movies, hands down. Better than most of the Next Generation films as well, this movie captures Star Trek in a way that hasn’t been done in a long, long time. The exploration, the world, the menace – all done right. Finally, the great cast gets a great story to match.
  1. Warcraft – My obligatory “bomb” on the list. Ignore all its faults (strange casting, awkward real-life production design, and a somewhat clumsy script) and you have an honest-to-god cult classic here. The orc storyline, acting, and CG are fantastic and moving, and Jones does an excellent job of condensing an encyclopedia of lore into a 2 hour runtime.
  1. Hail Caesar!
  2. Captain America: Civil War
  3. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
  4. The Nice Guys
  5. Doctor Strange

Golda Criddle, Digital Marketing Coordinator

  1. Arrival – This is my top favorite for the year so far. So many things about this movie are visually beautiful – the remote house Amy Adams lives in, the way the language of the aliens are depicted, and the memories(of the past or future?). I love the focus on the struggle to communicate (which is something we deal with everyday) rather than global war like so many other alien invasion films.
  2. 10 Cloverfield Lane – You never know what’s going to happen next in this thriller/horror film. Everything in the bunker with John Goodman and Mary Elizabeth Winstead is creepy and amazing at the same time. I also love how it turns quickly from a horror move to a science fiction movie in the last 10 minutes.
  3. Moana – This film is beautifully animated and the soundtrack is super catchy. I also like the focus on personal journey rather than a romantic interest for a female protagonist.
  4. Secret Life of Pets – I have always wondered what pets do when I’m gone. While it is crazy that this takes place over a short amount of time, it’s a fun story with great characterizations of pets.
  5. Doctor Strange – The mirror dimension is a cool concept and I liked the battles fought with non-physical powers. The addition of Doctor Strange brings a different element into the Marvel/Avengers universe that I look forward to seeing more of in future films.
  1. Kubo and the Two Strings
  2. La La Land
  3. Rogue One: Star Wars
  4. Deadpool
  5. Zootopia

Did you enjoy these films as much as we did? If you are looking for video on demand distribution for your independent film, check us out at QuiverDigital.com.

Here’s hoping 2017 brings many more wonderful stories to the screen!