Flickering Myth’s Big, Fat Movie Checklist of 2016

Now that 2015 is over, there are plenty of ‘Best Of’ lists pronouncing the movies you should have seen already. Hell, even we did it at Flickering Myth. But by the end of the year, it’s too late. You suddenly have 50+ films you missed out on to catch up with. Where were the ‘Best Ofs’ as the year was in progress? That’s where Flickering Myth’s Big, Fat Movie Checklist of 2016 comes in.

While there are many retrospective lists online, there are very few resources updated regularly for the movies of the year.

Below are the movies worth watching in 2016, based on their current UK release dates (which these days is pretty similar to the US). Some of the releases have already come out, many upcoming ones will be pushed back or brought forward. We’ll update the list monthly to account for this – as well as adding new films in (those releases that suddenly burst from the festival circuit to the mainstream), and taking some out (for the ‘anticipated’ titles that end up being complete and utter duds). So keep checking back and tracking your progress throughout the year.

Ghostbusters (15th July, 2016) is getting a chance…(it’s since been removed)

The columns are simple – the movie title, the UK release date, a brief ‘Netflix sub-genre’ style summary, and a box to mark whether you’ve seen the film or not.

If you feel as though there are any films missing that deserve to be included, let us know in the comments and we’ll consider adding them in.

Movie	Release	Flickering Myth Sub-Genre	Seen?
The Hateful Eight	JAN	Gory Westerns
A War	JAN	Dramas in Afghanistan conflict from Danish perspective
Creed	JAN	Poignant boxing dramas
The Revenant	JAN	19th Century tales of revenge
Room	JAN	Very emotional dramas of abuse
The Assassin	JAN	Cahiers du Cinema poll topping , 7th Century China thrillers
The Big Short	JAN	Dramas about the financial crisis by Anchorman directors
Spotlight	JAN	Investigate journalism dramas about Catholic pedophiles
Youth	JAN	Philosophical comedy dramas where Michael Caine looks at boobs
Trumbo	FEB	Hollywood Communist Witch hunt comedy dramas starring Bryan Cranston
Goosebumps	FEB	Family comedy horrors with a revived Jack Black
Deadpool	FEB	Wise-cracking, fourth wall breaking superhero flicks
A Bigger Splash	FEB	Erotic thrillers starring Tilda Swinton and Ralph Fiennes
Grimbsy	FEB	Sacha Baron Cohen characters in action comedies
Hail, Caesar!	MAR	Coen Brother Classic Hollywood comedies
Hitchcock/Truffaut	MAR	Documentaries about great French directors interviewing great English directors
High-Rise	MAR	Psychological thrillers set in a block of flats
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice	MAR	Superhero movies that feature Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman on screen for the first time in cinema
Zootropolis	MAR	Pixar movies that replace the Monsters in Monsters Inc. with animals
Victoria	APR	Movies shot entirely in one take
Dheepan	APR	Dramas about relocated Sri Lankan Tamil warriors
Midnight Special	APR	Spielbergian homages about gifted children
Eye In The Sky	APR	Ethical questionings over drone warfare
The Jungle Book	APR	Live action adaptations of Disney classics where Bill Murray voices a bear
Captain America: Civil War	APR	Marvel movies that have everyone in but aren’t called ‘Avengers’
Demolition	APR	Dramas about strangely numb emotional breakdowns
Everybody Wants Some	MAY	Richard Linklater-directed comedies set in the 80s
Green Room	MAY	Horrors with Neo-Nazi Patrick Stewarts
X-Men: Apocalypse	MAY	Superhero films where Oscar Isaac conquers the world, rather than just cinema goers’ hearts
Sing Street	MAY	Heartwarming musicals
When Marnie Was There	JUN	Studio Ghibli fairytales
The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Case	JUN	James Wan nightmares
Independence Day: Resurgence	JUN	Science fiction sequels without Will Smith
Notes On Blindness	JUL	Fantastical existential documentaries
Weiner	JUL	Political documentaries about dick pics
Star Trek Beyond	JUL	Science fiction movies via Fast and Furious directors
Finding Dory	JUL	Pixar sequels about forgetful fish
Jason Bourne	JUL	Action movies that replace their lead actor and then go back to the original actor
Suicide Squad	AUG	Grown up versions of Guardians of the Galaxy
Lights Out	AUG	Dark horror
Tickled	AUG	Documentaries about the male tickling industry
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping	AUG	Mockumentaries about The Lonely Island
Sausage Party	AUG	Animated adult comedies where everyone is a sausage
The Magnificent Seven	SEP	Classic Western remakes starring Chris Pratt
Captain Fantastic	SEP	Films with a bearded Viggo Mortensen
Blair Witch	SEP	Found footage horror sequels
Hunt for the Wilderpeople	SEP	New Zealand comedies
The Greasy Strangler	OCT	Absolutely horrid horror comedies
My Scientology Movie	OCT	Documentaries with Louis Theroux
War On Everyone	OCT	Films with deeply unlikeable protagonists
American Honey	OCT	Films with Shia LaBeouf
I, Daniel Blake	OCT	Social activism films
Jack Reacher 2	OCT	Tom Cruise-starring sequels where he plays some kind of special agent
Doctor Strange	OCT	Marvel movies about magic
Train to Busan	OCT	Zombie films on a train
Nocturnal Beasts	NOV	Stylish thrillers with pretty people in
Arrival	NOV	Good sci-fi films with Amy Adams
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them	NOV	Harry Potter spin-offs about magical monsters
Your Name	NOV	Crazily successful Japanese animes
Sully	02.12.16	Clint Eastwood directed movies about airline captains landing planes on the Hudson River
Moana	02.12.16	Family Disney films starring Dwayne Johnson as an ancient Polynesian demi-God.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story	16.12.16	Star Wars spin-offs about stealing the Death Star plans
Passengers	23.12.16	Science fiction movies where Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence hook up in space
Assassin’s Creed	26.12.16	Video game adaptations that might finally be acceptable

 

Oli Davis is the Co-Editor of Flickering Myth, curator of its Super Newsletter, Lead Producer of Flickering Myth TV and host of the Flickering Myth Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @OliDavis.