1 La La Land (12A)
(Damien Chazelle, 2016, US) 128 mins
Not quite a studio musical like they used to make, but this award-scooping retro-modern delight recalls the golden ages of Hollywood, jazz and youthful romance. It’s a classic boy-meets-girl story at heart: two handsome hopefuls (Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling) fall into synchronised step along the road to LA stardom, but, as well as song-and-dance numbers, they discover art and love require sacrifices.
2 Manchester By The Sea (15)
(Kenneth Lonergan, 2016, US) 137 mins
Casey Affleck plays a miserable man whose life gets even worse when he’s brought back to his quaint, coastal Massachusetts home town by the death of his brother, and assigned guardianship of his teen nephew. Lonergan orchestrates the emotional drama with such wisdom, wit and sense of place, it never feels like a formula.
3 Endless Poetry (15)
(Alejandro Jodorowsky, 2016, Fra/Chi/Jap/UK) 128 mins
No need for CGI or special effects when you have a bottomless imagination like Jodorowsky’s – still undimmed at 87 years old. Here, he renders his creative awakening in bohemian Chile as a beguiling piece of magical-surrealist performance art, taking in theatre, poetry, circus performance and even puppetry.
4 A Monster Calls (12A)
(Juan Antonio Bayona, 2016, Spa/US) 108 mins
A family fable with horror-movie imagery, this hits the right emotional notes thanks to fine special effects and sincere performances – from young newcomer Lewis MacDougall, Felicity Jones as his dying mother and Liam Neeson as the friendly tree giant who arrives at a time of need.
5 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (12A)
(Gareth Edwards, 2016, US) 134 mins
If you’ve been living on some distant galactic outpost, this Star Wars spin-off might have managed to pass you by. Suffice to say, you get your money’s worth: epic action, alien worlds and a likable cast signed up for the all-important mission.
