Silver Screen Riot’s Top Ten Films of 2016

January 3, 2017 by Matt Oakes Posted in Lists, Most Popular Tagged 10 Cloverfield Lane, Arrival, Don’t Breathe, Green Room, La La Land, Moonlight, Sing Street, Swiss Army Man, The Lobster, The Witch, Top 10 Movies of 2016 3 Comments

2016. What a year. As rock ‘n’ roll gods and Princess Leia were smote from the surface of the earth, Trump and Suicide Squad and the Zika virus emerged. But through the muck and the mire emerged a slew of films that rocked socks and reminded us that the movie theater is more often than not a safer space than CNN. As always there were a huge number of films in contention for a limited number of spots and making room for some meant dashing the hopes of others. So before we get to the top ten, let’s run through some very laudable runner-ups. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘SWISS ARMY MAN’

June 29, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Best of 2016, Daniel Kwan, Daniel Radcliffe, Daniel Scheinert, Out in Theaters, Paul Dano, Reviews, Swiss Army Man, The Daniels 1 Comment

Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan‘s (A.K.A. The Daniels) flatulence-fueled, sea-stranded mind trip is a totally bonkers, emotionally decadent spirit quest to the weirdest corners of reality. A man and a corpse test the boundaries of friendship and filmmaking in this boundlessly creative, wildly original tramp sure to shock any lucky enough to cross its odd path. Rich thematic elements of self-discovery and questionable sexuality slam the rocky shoals of excessive farting, boners-that-think-for-themselves and general farcical bombast in this absolutely absurd sketch; one that could only come from the minds of former music video director gurus like The Daniels. Swiss Army Man is uncompromisingly weird and goddamn if I didn’t respect the hell out of that fact. Read More

The 25 Best Films of 2016 (So Far)

June 24, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Lists, Most Popular Tagged 10 Cloverfield Lane, Anomalisa, Demolition, Don’t Breathe, Don’t Think Twice, Everybody Wants Some, Green Room, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Indignation, Krisha, Love & Friendship, Manchester by the Sea, Midnight Special, Rams, Sing Street, Swiss Army Man, The Birth of a Nation, The Nice Guys, The Witch, Transpecos 1 Comment

The year is just about half way through and with three film festivals under the belt, it seems appropriate to recount what have been the best of the year to date. We know there’s six more months of cinema coming down the drain and a lot of late arrivals usually have significant dominion over our end of year Top Ten list but we want to take the time to acknowledge what has already come and gone, to celebrate 25 marvelous films which unfortunately most people probably haven’t seen. Some of these have only played festivals and will get a wide release later in the year so keep your eyes peeled while others are already ready and waiting on Blu-Ray or DVD for your viewing enjoyment. Do yourself a favor and look into a few of them, won’t you? Read More

Sundance ’16 Review: ‘SWISS ARMY MAN’

January 23, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews, Most Popular Tagged Daniel Kwan, Daniel Radcliffe, Daniel Scheinert, Paul Dano, Reviews, Sundance 2016, Sundance Reviews, Swiss Army Man 7 Comments

50 Most Anticipated Movies of 2016

January 8, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Lists, Most Popular Tagged A Monster Calls, Arms and the Dudes, Assassin’s Creed, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, Bourne 5, Caesar!, Christine, Comancheria, Demolition, Doctor Strange, Everyone Wants Some, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Finding Dory, Free Fire, Green Room, Hacksaw Ridge, Hail, High-Rise, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Julieta, Keanu, La La Land, Leatherface, Mascots, Midnight Special, Neon Demon, Salt and Fire, Sausage Party, Silence, Star Trek Beyond, Star Wars: Rogue One, Story of Your Life, Suicide Squad, Swiss Army Man, The Bad Batch, The BFG, The Circle, The Discovery, The Girl on The Train, The Handmaid, The Jungle Book, The Light Between Oceans, The Nice Guys, Triple 9, Valencia, War Machine, War on Everyone, X-Men: Apocalypse, Yoga Hosers 2 Comments

Last year, we compiled a list of our 50 Most Films of 2015 and though many proved disappointed, the top-tier resulted in a barrage of wins. This year, we return to do the same. Consider yourself in store for a massive compilation of films, including many were already featured on last year’s list for release change reasons. For those curious, you will not find too many big franchise tent-pole movies like the redone Ghostbusters because I’ve not liked Paul Feig‘s work in the past or superhero fare a la Captain America: Civil War because we pretty much know what’s in store there. Some smashing, some joking, then everything’s a-ok in the end.

We’re looking for something fresh. Something that’ll surprise us. That’s why you’ll find very few sequels here and even less junk that you’ve seen on some other anticipation lists. But let’s get down to business. This is an absolutely massive article so I’ll stop wasting time and let you get right to it. Here it is: the 50 Most Anticipated Movies of 2016. Read More