Ranking of 2016 Films (So Far)

(I should note that I exempt from the list any performances that have too small a role to either make any impact/are mere cameos that don't really bring any attention to their performance/are fine but don't have anything particularly notable about them)

Best Picture: fairly decent year so far. A recent re-watch of Hail, Caesar! has bumped it up; the rest of my top 8 are all pretty solid to very good films, Miles Ahead and Demolition are flawed efforts but with some very good aspects to them, Grimsby and Bastille Day are okay for what they are, Batman v.s. Superman and Triple 9 are downright terrible. (5th May, 2016)

1. Captain America: Civil War (5/5)
2. Hail, Caesar! (4.5/5)
3. Everybody Wants Some!! (4.5/5)
4. Midnight Special (4.5/5)
5. The Nice Guys (4.5/5)
6. Deadpool (4.5/5)
7. Eye in the Sky (4.5/5)
8. Sing Street (4/5)
9. The Jungle Book (4/5)
10. 10 Cloverfield Lane (4/5)
11. Eddie the Eagle (4/5)
12. X-Men: Apocalypse (4/5)
13. Miles Ahead (3.5/5)
14. Florence Foster Jenkins (3/5)
15. Demolition (3/5)
16. The Finest Hours (3/5)
17. Money Monster (3/5)
18. Bastille Day (3/5)
19. Grimsby (3/5)
20. High Rise (3/5)
21. Me Before You (2.5/5)
22. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2.5/5)
23. Batman v.s. Superman (1.5/5)
24. Jane Got a Gun (1.5/5)
25. London Has Fallen (1.5/5)
26. I Saw the Light (1.5/5)
27. Triple 9 (1.5/5)

Best Director: A battle of two brothers so far. The Coens take the cake currently, but the Russo brothers' sterling work on the latest Marvel installment isn't too far behind. Particular mention should go to Jon Favreau's excellent recration of the Disney classic with new variations, the subtle work of Jeff Nichols and Gavin Hood, and the innovative if somewhat flawed work of Don Cheadle and Dan Trachtenberg. The rest of the list range from fine (Miller, Fletcher) to problematic (the rest of the list up till Hillcoat and Snyder) and terrible (Hillcoat and Snyder). (5th May, 2016)

1. The Coen Brothers, Hail, Caesar!
2. The Russo Brothers, Captain America: Civil War
3. Jon Favreau, The Jungle Book
4. Richard Linklater, Everybody Wants Some!!
5. Jeff Nichols, Midnight Special
6. Shane Black, The Nice Guys
7. Gavin Hood, Eye in the Sky
8. John Carney, Sing Street
9. Dan Trachtenberg, 10 Cloverfield Lane
10. Bryan Singer, X-Men: Apocalypse
11. Don Cheadle, Miles Ahead
12. Tim Miller, Deadpool
13. Ben Wheatley, High Rise
14. Dexter Fletcher, Eddie the Eagle
15. Jodie Foster, Money Monster
16. Craig Gillespie, The Finest Hours
17. Stephen Freaks,  Florence Foster Jenkins
18. James Watkins, Bastille Day
19. Louis Leterrier, Grimsby
20. Michael Bay, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
21. Jean-Marc Vallée, Demolition
22. Thea Sharrock, Me Before You
23. Babak Najafi, London Has Fallen
24. Zack Snyder, Batman v.s. Superman 
25. John Hillcoat, Triple 9
26. Gavin O'Connor, Jane Got a Gun
27. Marc Abraham, I Saw the Light

Best Actor: Jake Gyllenhaal and Don Cheadle are toe-to-toe for the timebeing for two fantastic performances in two flawed films, I'll give the top spot to Cheadle for the timebeing but Gyllenhaal is just about equally great. Michael Shannon, Chris Evans and Taron Egerton also do great work in more understated, less showy roles, and Ryan Reynolds' performance as Deadpool is just a fantastic example of Reynolds Reynolding at his finest. Expecting even more from here as the year comes round. (5th May, 2016)

1. Don Cheadle, Miles Ahead
2. Jake Gyllenhaal, Demolition
3. Michael Shannon, Midnight Special
4. Russell Crowe, The Nice Guys
5. Ryan Gosling, The Nice Guys
6. Chris Evans, Captain America: Civil War
7. Taron Egerton, Eddie the Eagle
8. Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool
9. Josh Brolin, Hail, Caesar!
10. George Clooney, Money Monster
11. Ewan McGregor, Miles Ahead
12. Sam Claflin, Me Before You
13. Hugh Grant, Florence Foster Jenkins
14. Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Sing Street
15. Jaeden Lieberher, Midnight Special
16. Blake Jenner, Everbody Wants Some!!
17. Ben Affleck, Batman v.s. Superman
18. Casey Affleck, The Finest Hours
19. Tom Hiddleston, High Rise
20. Richard Madden, Bastille Day
21. Idris Elba, Bastille Day
22. Tom Hiddleston, I Saw the Light
23. Chris Pine, The Finest Hours
24. Neel Sethi, The Jungle Book
25. Aaron Eckhart, London Has Fallen
26. Mark Strong, Grimsby
27. Sacha Baron Cohen, Grimsby
28. Joel Edgerton, Jane Got a Gun
29. Henry Cavill, Batman v.s. Superman
30. Gerard Butler, London Has Fallen

Best Actress: Have only seen two lead female performances this year but it's great to see that they're both AMAZING. I'll give the win to Winstead for the timebeing though because her role is probably the bigger challenge. (5th May, 2016)

1. Mary Elizabeth Winstead, 10 Cloverfield Lane
2. Helen Mirren, Eye in the Sky
3. Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins
4. Julia Roberts, Money Monster
5. Natalie Portman, Jane Got a Gun
6. Emilia Clarke, Me Before You

Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr.'s fantastic reinvention of the Iron Man/Tony Stark character is by far the best of his recent performances. Not far behind him though are the relatively fresh-faced Alden Ehrenreich who was endearing and hilarious in Hail, Caesar!, and Chadwick Boseman who displayed such fine gravitas and emotional power as Black Panther (I can't wait for his solo film). Aaron Paul showed he can play more than just a junkie in Eye in the Sky. Veterans John Goodman and the late, great Alan Rickman aren't far behind either. (5th May, 2016)

1. Robert Downey Jr., Captain America: Civil War
2. Alden Ehrenreich, Hail, Caesar!
3. Chadwick Boseman, Captain America: Civil War
4. Aaron Paul, Eye in the Sky
5. Daniel Bruhl, Captain America: Civil War
6. Jack Reynor, Sing Street
7. John Goodman, 10 Cloverfield Lane
8. Alan Rickman, Eye in the Sky
9. James McAvoy, X-Men: Apocalypse
10. Sebastian Stan, Captain America: Civil War
11. Evan Peters, X Men: Apocalypse
12. Michael Fassbender, X-Men: Apocalypse
13. Luke Evans, High Rise
14. Glen Powell, Everybody Wants Some!!
15. Hugh Jackman, Eddie the Eagle
16. Joel Edgerton, Midnight Special
17. T.J. Miller, Deadpool
18. Temple Baker, Everybody Wants Some!!
19. Ralph Fiennes, Hail, Caesar!
20. Bill Murray, The Jungle Book
21. George Clooney, Hail, Caesar!
22. Tye Sheridan, X-Men: Apocalypse
23. Barkhad Abdi, Eye in the Sky
24. Adam Driver, Midnight Special
25. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Triple 9
26. Tom Holland, Captain America: Civil War
27. Anthony Mackie, Captain America: Civil War
28. Christopher Walken,  The Jungle Book
29. Jeremy Renner, Captain America: Civil War
30. Wyatt Russell, Everbody Wants Some!!
31. Austin Amelio, Everybody Wants Some!!
32. Channing Tatum, Hail, Caesar!
33. J. Quinton Johnson, Everbody Wants Some!!
34. Paul Rudd, Captain America: Civil War
35. Kodi Smitt-McPhee, X-Men: Apocalypse
36. Idris Elba, The Jungle Book
37. Juston Street, Everbody Wants Some!!
38. Tyler Hoechlin, Everybody Wants Some!!
39. Ben Kingsley, The Jungle Book
40. Stefan Kapičić, Deadpool
41. Karan Soni, Deadpool
42. Paul Bettany, Captain America: Civil War
43. Ben Foster, The Finest Hours
44. Tanner Kalina, Everybody Wants Some!!
45. Will Brittain, Everybody Wants Some!!
46. Woody Harrelson, Triple 9
47. Jack O'Connell, Money Monster
48. Matt Bomer, The Nice Guys
49. Casey Affleck, Triple 9
50. John Gallagher Jr., 10 Cloverfield Lane
51. Forest Vickery, Everybody Wants Some!!
52. Beau Knapp, The Nice Guys
53. Michael Gambon, Hail, Caesar!
54. Anthony Mackie, Triple 9
55. Ben Carolan, Sing Street
56. Simon Helberg, Florence Foster Jenkins
57. Mark McKenna, Sing Street
58. Ryan Guzman, Everybody Wants Some!!
59. Jeremy Irons, Batman v.s. Superman
60. Chris Cooper, Demolition
61. Sam Shepard, Midnight Special
62. Laurence Fishburne, Batman v.s. Superman
63. Ed Skrein, Deadpool
64. Brendan Coyle, Me Before You
65. Nicholas Hoult, X-Men: Apocalypse
66. Don Cheadle, Captain America: Civil War
67. Michael K. Williams, Triple 9
68. Iain Glen, Eye in the Sky
69. Scott McNairy, Batman v.s. Superman
70. Jonah Hill, Hail, Caesar!
71. Dominic West, Money Monster
72. Norman Reedus, Triple 9
73. The Communist 'study group' as a whole, Hail, Caesar!
74. Keith David, The Nice Guys
75. Christopher Lambert, Hail, Caesar!
76. Clifton Collins Jr., Triple 9
77. Charles Dance, Me Before You
78. Jeremy Irons, High Rise
79. Keith Stanfield, Miles Ahead
80. Michael Stuhlbarg, Miles Ahead
81. Aidan Gillen, Sing Street
82. Ewan McGregor, Jane Got a Gun
83. The Cast of 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
84. Josh Helman, X-Men: Apocalypse
85. Morgan Freeman, London Has Fallen
86. Jeremy Northam, Eye in the Sky
87. William Hurt, Captain America: Civil War
88. Oscar Isaac, X-Men: Apocalypse
89. Noah Emmerich, Jane Got a Gun
90. Aaron Paul, Triple 9
91. Robert Forster, London Has Fallen
92. Martin Freeman, Captain America: Civil War
93. Eric Bana, The Finest Hours
94. John Oritz, The Finest Hours
95. Don Wycherly, Sing Street
96. Jose Garcia, Bastille Day
97. Ben Hardy, X-Men: Apocalypse
98. Christopher Walken, Eddie the Eagle
99. Judah Lewis, Demolition
100. C.J. Lewis, Demolition
101. Jesse Eisenberg, Batman v.s. Superman (I retract whatever praise I made about him before, he really is terrible the more I think about it. Intentional or not, he definitely could've made the character work if he'd been more Mark Zuckerberg than whatever the hell he was doing. Still wouldn't have saved the film but wouldn't have sunk it even more, which he did)

Best Supporting Actress: Kirsten Dunst gives by far my favourite supporting female performance of the year so far with her emotionally charged, heartwarming work in Close Encounters of the Third Kind oops I meant, Midnight Special. Also good were Tilda Swinton's delightful if slightly brief work in Hail, Caesar, Scarlett Johnasson's best turn as Black Widow, Naomi Watts' endearing if slightly flawed work in Demolition and Gal Gadot managing to rise, rise, rise above her atrocity of a film to give a great, if brief, depiction of Wonder Woman who steals the film in every scene she's in. (5th May, 2016)

1. Angourie Rice, The Nice Guys
2. Kirsten Dunst, Midnight Special
3. Scarlett Johansson, Captain America: Civil War
4. Tilda Swinton, Hail, Caesar!
5. Elizabeth Olsen, Captain America: Civil War
6. Naomi Watts, Demolition
7. Gal Gadot, Batman v.s. Superman
8. Zoey Deutch, Everybody Wants Some!!
9. Sophie Turner, X-Men: Apocalypse
10. Lucy Boynton, Sing Street
11. Brianna Hildebrand, Deadpool
12. Phoebe Fox, Eye in the Sky
13. Lois Smith, The Nice Guys
14. Gabourey Sidibe, Grimsby
15. Yaya DaCosta, The Nice Guys
16. Morena Baccarin, Deadpool
17. Scarlett Johansson, Hail, Caesar!
18. Iris Berben, Eddie the Eagle
19. Janet McTeer, Me Before You
20. Leslie Uggams, Deadpool
21. Rebel Wilson, Grimsby
22. Isla Fisher, Grimsby
23. Lupita Nyong'o, The Jungle Book
24. Emayatzy Corinealdi, Miles Ahead
25. Angela Bassett, London Has Fallen
26. Charlotte Le Bon, Bastille Day
27. Jenna Coleman, Me Before You
28. Scarlett Johansson, The Jungle Book
29. Alexandra Shipp, X-Men: Apocalypse
30. Sienna Miller, High Rise
31. Holliday Grangier, The Finest Hours
32. Jennifer Lawrence, X-Men: Apocalypse
33. Diane Lane, Batman v.s. Superman
34. Rose Byrne, X-Men: Apocalypse
35. Elizabeth Moss, High Rise
36. Elizabeth Olsen, I Saw the Light
37. Rebecca Ferguson, Florence Foster Jenkins
38. Holly Hunter, Batman v.s. Superman
39. Radha Mitchell, London Has Fallen
40. Penelope Cruz, Grimsby
41. Melissa Leo, London Has Fallen
42. Kim Basinger, The Nice Guys
43. Amy Adams, Batman v.s. Superman
44. Olivia Munn, X-Men: Apocalypse
45. Kate Winslet, Triple 9