The Best Movies I Saw (for the First Time) in 2016: Part 1

I didn't get to the theater as much as I'd hoped to this year, meaning some movies that have been showing up on a lot of other Top Ten lists aren't going to make this one, simply because I haven't seen them yet. (That also explains why at least one of last year's best movies made my list this year.) I've also included at least one older film that I finally caught this year and, frankly, was blown away by (look for that one in Part 2). So, with that pointless and ponderous explanation out of the way, here's Part 1 my list, in the order I saw them:

The WitchOr, as the actual title goes, "The VVitch." Probably the best new movie I saw this year, a perfect combination of Kubrickian pacing, strong acting and genuine, balls-out terror. Anna Taylor-Joy is mesmerizing in the lead role, her little brother and sister are creepy as hell, Black Philip (the goat) deserves some sort of special Supporting Oscar, and I couldn't believe the dad was Ralph Ineson, aka Finchy from the British version of "The Office." Bonus points for an ending that goes much further than I expected it to. Much, much further.
The Big ShortMy favorite big, star-studded Hollywood movie of the year (that year being, for reasons explained above, 2015). I admire how director Adam McKay and co-writer Charles Randolph took Michael Lewis' epic tale of the mortgage crisis and turned it into a bizarre tragicomedy. (This is the sort of thing he talked about doing in his interview in Mike Sacks' highly recommended book "Poking a Dead Frog.") Everyone delivered solid performances, but top honors go to Christian Bale and Steve Carell, both playing guys very (very) close to the end of their ropes. Can't wait to watch it again, both to appreciate how it's all put together and to figure out what the hell it's about.

O.J.: Made in AmericaWas it a movie? Was it a TV show? Who cares? Either way, it was one of the best things I watched all year, revealing new information about a case I (and the rest of America) thought they knew everything about. Not only does it present footage so startling you can hardly believe it exists (the post-acquital party in his mansion, for instance), but it lays out the history of race relations in southern California so well that that acquittal, which once seemed unbelievable, now feels inevitable.

Hail, Caesar!For some reason, this Hollywood comedy from the Coen Brothers didn't strike me as that great the first time I saw it. But, as these movies tend to do, it fell into heavy rotation on HBO, and as I tend to do, I started seeing things I missed during my initial viewing. Now it feels like, if not top-drawer Coen, something solidly in the upper middle, and I look forward to watching the whole thing again. Big points to Josh Brolin, who ties the whole crazy movie together (and who just missed getting on this list again with his deadpan and unnerving performance in "Sicario.")

High-RiseI'm still not sure I quite comprehend everything that's happening in Ben Wheatley's adaptation of J.G. Ballard's architectural horror novel (and I've read the novel), but it's a wild ride while it lasts, full of ominous decadence, vintage '70s atmosphere and just the right amount of disturbing content. Though its mood is the polar opposite of David Cronenberg's icy Ballard adaptation, "Crash," together they'd make the perfect double feature.

Up next: A Western, a science fiction film, a biopic, a comedy and the most harrowing story about dating every filmed.