Ladies and gentlemen,

Once again, it is my sacred duty to hand out end-of-year honors to the most and least deserving movies and performers among us. I’ve changed the name of these awards to go along with all the rebranding I did at the beginning of the year – from now on, these are the One Year Awards!

The criteria for selection were as follows:

1. The film premiered in 2016.
2. I watched the film in full at some point, even if I didn’t review it.

Compared to last year, I’ve reduced the number of Worsts by one. I should also note that a number of deserving films from the last quarter of the year won’t appear here, as personal issues kept me away from the theater for a while. I apologize for any disappointment that might cause.

Enough talk, though. Let’s get on to the winners!

Best Actor
Given to the actor with the best performance in a major role.
Winner: Ryan Gosling, The Nice Guys
– He totally committed to a physical comedy routine, with hilarious results.

Best Actress
Given to the actress with the best performance in a major role.
Winner: Jane Levy, Don’t Breathe
– Her ability to draw sympathy in a challenging role secretly made the whole movie.

Best Music
Given to the film with the most memorable soundtrack or score.
Winner: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
– If I didn’t know better, I’d swear it was John Williams back there.

Best Cinematography
Given to the film with the most interesting or innovative camerawork.
Winner: The Conjuring 2
– The camera builds the scares by smartly manipulating the audience’s gaze.

Sleeper Hit of the Year
Given to the film that most exceeded my expectations upon viewing.
Winner: Deadpool
– Easy choice. Nobody saw this one coming, especially not me.

Best Picture
Given to the best overall film of the year.
Runners-Up: Captain America: Civil War, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Shin Godzilla, The Nice Guys
Winner: Star Trek Beyond
– The action movie that gave me everything I wanted, from a director in his prime.

Set phasers to WIN!

Worst Performance
Given to the actor or actress with the worst performance in a major role.
Winner? Jesse Eisenberg, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
– Bizarre and inappropriate on every level. Eisenberg has butchered Lex Luthor.

Disappointment of the Year
Given to the movie that fell shortest of my expectations upon viewing.
Winner? Ghostbusters (2016)
– I wanted to like this. I really did. But it was just so… average.

Worst Picture
Given to the worst overall film of the year.
Winner? Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
– A loud, sloppy, senseless film made worse by its open contempt for its own audience.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions for great films that I missed? Let me hear them! I hope to come back strong in 2017 and deliver even more Red Comet Reviews!