2016 was a really up and down year for movies. We had some surprise hits early, a terrible summer of blockbuster dud after blockbuster dud, and a pretty strong end to the year. I saw a lot of movies this year, and I saw a lot of good ones! I've compiled a list of 10 movies that I personally loved the most.

First, I have some honorable mentions: 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, Moana, Kubo and the Two Strings, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and 10 Cloverfield Lane. I had a hard time leaving all of those movies off my list, but I enjoyed these 10 films just a little bit better. Here's my Top 10:

10. La La Land

I need to preface this by saying that musicals are my least favorite genre of film. I haven't seen many because they're just not really my thing. But, I knew this was directed by Damien Chazelle, who directed Whiplash (one of the best movies of the past couple years), and it was starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. I personally think Ryan Gosling is one of the more underrated actors in Hollywood, and we all know how good Emma Stone is, so I gave it a shot, and I really liked this movie. The performances are solid across the board, and Emma Stone might just win an Oscar for her performance. The music was actually pretty catchy and fun, and it was a really well-directed movie. La La Land has firmly cemented Damien Chazelle as one of the best directors in Hollywood, and I can't wait to see what he does next.

9. Deepwater Horizon

Mark Whalberg starred in this story of the BP oil spill directed by Peter Berg. Mark Wahlberg also starred in Lone Survivor, which was also directed by Peter Berg, and I really loved that movie. Deepwater Horizon might be just as good, and maybe even better. I think the performances in this movie are pretty good across the board, and it's one of the more intense movies I saw all year. It also does a great job of telling the story in a respectful way. Anytime you have a story based on real events, you risk offending the people involved if you tell their story poorly, but this movie doesn't have that problem. Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg are coming together again for the movie Patriots Day, which will tell the story of the Boston marathon bombing incident and complete their unofficial real life events trilogy. It gets a nationwide release this January, and I'm pretty stoked to see it.

8. Zootopia

2016 was a pretty good year for animated movies, and this was definitely one of the best ones. I grew up watching classic Disney animated movies, so I've always had a fondness for them, and Zootopia will probably go down as a classic animated movie. It's pretty hilarious from start to finish, with Jason Bateman voicing Nick Wilde in maybe the standout animated role of the year. It's actually pretty clever too, touching on a lot of social issues. It's a movie that's enjoyable for kids and adults alike.

7. Arrival

Arrival is a science fiction movie that really surprised a lot of people late in the year. Alien spaceships come to Earth, and Amy Adams' character is sent to try and find a way to communicate with the Aliens (she plays a language expert). This movie is beautifully directed, with stellar shots and cinematography that really capture how crazy of a situation aliens coming to Earth would actually be, and I give Arrival a lot of credit for that. I'd say the first 3/4th's of this movie might be my favorite movie of the year. You spend a lot of time with the humans trying to somehow create a dialogue with the Aliens and try to decipher their language, and I thought that part of the movie was just fascinating, and I probably could have watched it all day. Then the movie takes a turn, and I didn't totally love where it went. It's not bad, it's actually pretty interesting, but it was a totally out of nowhere kind of thing that felt kind of out of place with the realism Arrival had established throughout the film. It was enough to keep the movie from being my favorite of the year, but I still definitely liked it enough to put it in my Top 10!

6. The Jungle Book

The Jungle Book is a live action remake of the original animated movie from the 60's. It's something most people have seen, and 'Bear Necessities' is a song that I remember all too well from my childhood. With Ben Kingsley, Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Idris Alba, and Christopher Walkan attached to the remake, I was really excited to see the end product. When all was said and done, I was blown away by the result. The use of CGI was perfect; it really felt like they were real animals that this kid was hunting with and talking with, and I can't give The Jungle Book enough credit for that. Idris Alba is pretty menacing as Shere Khan, and it's just a really well told and intense story. Disney has quite a few live action remakes of old classics coming up, and The Jungle Book was a great start.

5. The Nice Guys

The Nice Guys was one of the most underappreciated films of the year. It stars Ryan Gosling and Rusell Crowe, and it was directed by Shane Black, who is well known for his classic buddy cop movies. This movie definitely adds to that legacy; it's very funny, has a lot of fun action, and Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe play off of each other perfectly. As I mentioned earlier, I think Ryan Gosling is super underrated as an actor, and I think The Nice Guys just proves my point. He's hilarious in this movie! Russell Crowe is no slouch either, but I continue to be more and more impressed with Gosling every time I watch him. It's unfortunate that The Nice Guys didn't do better at the box office because everyone involved wants to do a sequel. I don't know if they'll get to do one, but I hope they do because The Nice Guys is definitely one of the best movies of the year.

4. Captain America: Civil War

Captain America: Civil War is the 3rd installment in the Captain America series, and I think it's possibly the best one. This movie was full of great action, and the Russo Brothers did a really great job directing this movie. There were A LOT of heroes fighting in this movie, and that could so easily become a cluttered mess, but they totally pulled it off. And, the introduction of Tom Holland as the new Spiderman in the MCU might be one of the most exciting moments of 2016. Captain America: Civil War movie was fun, intense, funny when appropriate, and an all around great movie. I think it was one of the few summer movies that truly lived up to the hype, and it was well deserving of the $1 Billion+ it received at the box office.

3. Hell or Highwater

Hell or Highwater was easily one of the biggest surprises of 2016. It wasn't a box office smash, but it was a summer release that was heralded critically (98% on Rotten Tomatoes). Chris Pine and Ben Foster play brothers who rob banks and then use the money they robbed to pay their mortgages to the very banks they stole from. It's a pretty genius concept for a movie, and the rest of the movie delivers on almost every level. Chris Pine and Ben Foster both deliver great performances that may be Oscar worthy, and Jeff Bridges is pretty great as well as the cop who is trying to track them down. It was engaging, subtle, intense, and one of the better movies of the year.

2. Manchester by the Sea

Manchester by the Sea has been getting Oscar hype ever since it premiered early in the year at the Sundance Film Festival, and I think all the hype was well warranted. Casey Affleck, who becomes the guardian of his nephew after his brother suddenly dies, delivers the best performance of the year. It's heartbreaking and subtle, and while I also think Michelle Williams and Lucas Hedges deliver incredibly strong performances, I never really thought anyone was as impressive as Affleck. With that being said, I DO think Lucas Hedges and Michelle Williams both have an outside shot of getting Oscar nominations. The story is told with little to no action, so for some people that might be a turn-off, but the movie is just so well rounded. The performances are phenomenal, it's an engaging story, and if anything has to chance to take Best Picture from La La Land, it's Manchester by the Sea.

1. Deadpool

I've gotta preface by saying that I know there are better quality films this year than Deadpool. Still, I saw it on opening night, and it was the most enjoyable experience I had in the theater all year. A couple of great trailers really boosted my hype for Deadpool, and it lived up to every expectation. I was laughing from start to finish, the action was pretty awesome despite the fact that it had a lower budget than most superhero movies, and Ryan Reynolds delivers one of the best comedic performances in years, playing a character he was born to play. The character of Deadpool was also so refreshing; he was self-referential and loved to break the fourth wall to make fun of himself or other superhero movies, which was timely given how many superhero movies we now get every year. It was just totally different in exactly the right ways, and it's one of my favorite comedies of the past decade, and my favorite movie of 2016.