20 Best Movies Of 2016
17. La La Land
Damien Chazelle follows up his Oscar-winning Whiplash with an immensely charming musical that's sure to please even those who don't much care for the genre.
Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone give marvelous performances as a struggling musician and actress, but it's Chazelle's superlative direction, likely to win him the Best Director Oscar, that runs away with the movie.
Visually stunning, packed with toe-tapping tunes and an unexpected level of dramatic maturity, La La Land is a tribute to creativity in all its forms, and somehow manages to serve up a climax that's just as tense as the finale of Whiplash.
La La Land may not quite be the best film of the year, but it's the most likely Best Picture winner because it's a terrific crowd-pleaser that ticks just about every Academy box.