Hooray! 2017 is here! I must admit that 2016 was a crazy year. For film, blockbusters were pretty mediocre while the indies have been the best in years. I will list my top ten favorite films from 2016. I also need to mention some films I haven't seen that could've possibly made this list. Those films are:

Jackie

Fences

Hidden Figures

20th Century Women

American Honey

The Handmaiden

Paterson

Silence

The Founder

Patriots Day

A Monster Calls

Now that's out of the way, let's dive into my top ten list starting with...

10. Sing Street

If you have a Netflix account, I highly recommend that you check this one out ASAP! It's a cliched but well-executed story that you won't mind. Sing Street has a brilliant soundtrack that'll keep you singing and dancing with a smile on your face.

9. Manchester by the Sea

The one positive aspect you've probably heard the most about this movie is that Casey Affleck will most likely win an Academy Award for Best Lead Actor. I haven't seen Denzel Washington in "Fences," but I will say that Casey Affleck was phenomenal. Nothing seemed fake about his character. Actually, nothing from this movie seemed fake. I felt like I was watching real events happening. "Manchester by the Sea" made me laugh my socks off and cry within two hours. I never thought a movie so powerful could do that. If you plan on seeing the film, which I highly recommend, bring a tissue.

8. Moonlight

Similar to "Manchester by the Sea," everything about this film felt real. I was floored by the powerful screenplay written by Barry Jenkins. As I stated in my review, it's the most important film of the year. It deals with an issue that's relevant today. This will be nominated for many rewards and has a high chance of winning an Academy Award for Best Picture. Mahershala Ali will definitely be nominated for Best Supporting Actor and may end up winning it. Please check this one out if you can.

7. Hell or High Water

You may look at this poster and say, "Look! It's Chris Pine! I'm going to watch this movie now!" If that's all it takes for you to watch this movie, that's fine by me. After all, Chris Pine gives his best performance in this film and the same goes to Ben Foster. It may not be safe to say the same for Jeff Bridges because that man is one of a kind and he has so many great performances. But I think it's safe to say that he should definitely be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. All three actors deserve that kind of recognition. What I loved the most about the film is its development with the characters and the story. Sure, there may not be a lot of action. However, the rich screenplay is enough for you to lay your eyes on this artistic western crime drama. It's great to see that this film is receiving a lot of award recognition despite being released in August and not in Oscar season. It goes to show how much quality is in this beauty. This is a MUST SEE.

6. Swiss Army Man

This one's a little controversial. You probably heard a lot of negativity about this film and people walking out during the movie. I'll address the elephant in the room and say it's dumb but also hilarious. I've never laughed as hard from a 2016 film more than "Swiss Army Man." However, there is a deep message behind everything that made me forgive everything dumb thing I saw and actually appreciate it. Paul Dano is great as usual, but Daniel Radcliffe gives his best performance as a talking dead corpse. How are you supposed to play a talking dead guy?!?

It also has one of my favorite lines:

"If you don't know Jurassic Park, you don't know shit."

5. Eye in the Sky

The way Gavin Hood uses tension in this film is mind blowing. He makes your heart beat rapidly as if you're part of the mission. Helen Mirren was great as a colonel and Alan Rickman was great as a lieutenant general. Aaron Paul didn't have much, but he gave a strong performance. If you have an Amazon Prime account, you could watch this film on Prime Video for free. Do yourself a favor and check this one out.

Rest in peace, Alan Rickman

4. Green Room

It's sad that Anton Yelchin passed away at a young age. He gave his best performance in here and I thought his career would skyrocket thanks to "Green Room." He will be missed. This film is about a punk/metal band that will do anything to get noticed. So they get themselves a gig at a Neo-Nazi venue. As you guessed, it doesn't work out. It's horrifying and the suspense is over 9000. Patrick Stewart as a villain was chilling. It's one of the best movie-going experiences I had this year. "Green Room" is also on Amazon Prime Video, so check it out!

Rest in peace, Anton Yelchin

3. Nocturnal Animals

Who knew a fashion designer such as Tom Ford would excel as a director? For a second outing, I'm impressed. Tom gave the presented a movie-going experience that I'll never forget. When I saw it for the first time, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I spent days figuring out what I saw. A month later, I gave this movie another watch and my experience was even better. I can understand why this movie is pretty divisive. But man, I believe this movie's a diamond gem. All of the performances are stellar. Michael Shannon will earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. I highly recommend checking this out.

Also, the ending is perfect.

2. Arrival

Denis Villeneuve is a powerhouse director. He has presented a high-quality film every year since 2013 with 'Prisoners'. I honestly don't know how he does it. And he has another movie releasing this year known as 'Blade Runner 2049'. 'Arrival' made me feel sad in a beautiful way. It gave me another perspective on life that I haven't thought of before. I love it when films make us think. Don't expect an action movie because aliens are involved. Instead, expect a slow burner that will have a huge payoff in the end. Don't miss this one.

1. La La Land

At this point, you've probably heard of 'La La Land' by now, and that's not a bad thing AT ALL. It's great that this film is performing better at the box office in 750 theaters than trashed movies appearing in 3000 plus theaters such as "Assassin's Creed," "Why Him?," and "Passengers." Musicals aren't dead. This film is a simple love letter to classic Hollywood and the musicals. I had a huge smile on my face for the majority of the movie. The soundtrack made me want to sing and dance. And this is coming from a guy who never had much interest in musicals. I'm excited to see what Damien Chazelle has in store for us in the future. My favorite film in 2014 happens to be another Damien Chazelle film, "Whiplash." If Damien keeps up with this kind of quality in his future films, he may end up being my favorite director. This film is in the running to not only be nominated but win the Academy Award for Best Picture and I couldn't be happier. I ended my 2016 on a good note by watching this film. I haven't been this happy from a movie in a long time.