4 EVERYBODY WANTS SOME!!
Whereas his Boyhood didn’t live up to the hype, Richard Linklater’s retro comedy exudes fun times and deep thoughts with a bunch of Texas college ballplayers who don’t even hit the field until halfway through the movie. Instead, one weekend in their lives is a study in cool music, great friends and the transition from boyhood to something resembling being a grown-up.
5 ZOOTOPIA
A seemingly straightforward Disney cartoon about a bunny cop (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) and a foxy con artist (Jason Bateman) who team for a buddycomedy caper winds up becoming a surprisingly deep exploration of tolerance, identity and prejudice. Come for the social commentary but stay for the gags with hamster businessmen and doughnut-loving cheetah cops.
6 10
CLOVERFIELD LANE Call it a quasi-sequel or spiritual successor, but the claustrophobic bunker thriller is a step up from the viral monster movie
Cloverfield in acting (seriously, John Goodman deserves a supporting-actor Oscar nomination), filmmaking (the opening is subtly masterful) and doling out real surprises. The third-act reveal isn’t an earth-shattering one but is impressively crafted. Even better, it keeps you riveted until the final shot.
7 EDDIE
THE EAGLE Taron Egerton is proving himself a chameleon early in his career, going from cool Kingsman superspy to dorky Olympic ski hopeful in this entertaining and joyful picture. Paired with Hugh Jackman as a hard-drinking coach with questionable teaching habits, Egerton captures a Rudy
esque vibe playing Eddie Edwards, the real-life Brit who didn’t need to win to succeed.
8 THE
LOBSTER Yes, one of the more romantic films of the year revolves around a bunch of people who need to find a mate in 45 days lest they get turned into an animal. At risk of becoming a crustacean if he fails, Colin Farrell is oddly lovable as a schlubby guy looking for love in a dystopia that puts an emphasis on social matching and literally leaves loners in the wild to survive.
9 HAIL,
CAESAR! Josh Brolin’s old-school Hollywood fixer is in for a day full of dealing with kooky actors and filmmakers from the golden age of movies. The Coen brothers inject their latest project with mirth, wackiness and an endless supply of over-the-top characters, most notably Channing Tatum’s music man, Scarlett Johansson’s pregnant swimming star and George Clooney’s exceedingly dim Alister.
10 THE NICE GUYS Before this throwback 1970s-set mystery comedy, Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe were perhaps a strange pairing you might see at the bar on Oscar night. What Nice Guys shows is how outstanding movies can be when they find the right odd couple — in this case, Crowe’s natural gravitas playing it straight next to Gosling ’s winning smarminess.