Are you in the mood to watch a movie, but find yourself struggling to determine what films might be worth seeing? Luckily for you, this year was packed with great movie releases from beginning to end. With cinematic gems being released by studios like Disney, Marvel, and Paramount, 2016 definitely saw more box office success than failure. From comedies to action flicks, to horror, and animation, this year provided us moviegoers with an abundance of Grade A films. Here are my personal picks for the top 11 movies released in 2016 (in no particular order).

1. "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story"

Considered to be a prequel set right before "Star Wars: A New Hope," "Rogue One" gives the backstory on the creation of the Death Star. The movie features a wonderful cast led by Felicity Jones as the lead character, Jyn Erso, and offers many great action-packed moments that will give any viewer a fun experience at the movies. Even though the beginning of the movie starts off slow, the third act makes up for it, providing an overall thrilling experience to moviegoers. This film should be a definite watch for any "Star Wars" fan.

2. "Arrival"

Denis Villeneuve 's "Arrival" sees Amy Adams as a linguistics professor who must lead a team of investigators in discovering a way to communicate with extraterrestrials that have just landed on Earth. This psychological science fiction film is unique for effectively using linguistics to push the narrative of an alien movie. Even though there have been many sci-fi movies centered on aliens released in recent years, "Arrival" is definitely worth watching just for Amy Adam's performance alone.

3. "La La Land"

Damien Chazelle's "La La Land" sees Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling teaming up again in a contemporary revival of the Hollywood musical. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone star as struggling performers in Los Angeles who find love in the dog-eat-dog city. Everything feels natural when the characters ease into song and the continuous editing style (à la the technique used in "Birdman"), makes this a refreshingly modern take on the classical Hollywood musical genre. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling prove yet again that they are a dynamic duo onscreen, making this movie a must-see for any music-loving cinephile.

4. "Moonlight"

Barry Jenkin's captivating movie, "Moonlight," features the story of a boy's journey into adulthood amid the struggle of his own sexuality as well as his home life living with his abusive, crack addict mother. This movie offers phenomenal performances by the three actors (Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders, and Alex Hibbert) who play the main character, Chiron, in the three main stages of his life. With breathtakingly beautiful cinematography coupled with a touching story, "Moonlight" needs to be seen by those who appreciate the art of filmmaking.

5. "The Edge of Seventeen"

In Kelly Fremon Craig's "The Edge of Seventeen," Hailee Steinfeld stars as a misfit teenager, Nadine, who struggles with issues she faces at school and at home. From embarrassing herself in front of her crush to discovering her best friend's secret relationship with Nadine's older brother, she finds her teenage worries to be unbearable. Even though it seems like the situation keeps getting worse for Nadine, she is able to learn from all these events and ultimately discovers that she is not the only one to have problems in the world. This is definitely a must-see film for any teenager because it offers many life lessons that need to be learned.

6. "Captain America: Civil War"

Marvel's "Captain America: Civil War" is a spectacularly action-packed movie that features some of the most popular Marvel superheroes. After Tony Stark and Steve Rogers get into a dispute on how the Avengers should operate, the two face off with their respective teams in an iconic battle, which makes the film worth watching from this scene alone. During the ongoing battle of these superheroes, Marvel premieres two new superhumans in the mix: Black Panther and Spiderman, giving Marvel fans a taste of what's to come next in the franchise. Overall, the movie is worth the watch for any Marvel fan out there.

7. "Zootopia"

Disney's animated film, "Zootopia," portrays a society dominated by anthropomorphic animal characters. With a charming group of characters led by Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, "Zootopia" offers a creative take on what the world would be like if it was inhabited by animals who operate like humans. Underneath its surface, "Zootopia" offers a critique of our own society and the divisions between the citizens of Zootopia is in comparison to the divide we face in our world today. As always, the animation by Disney is gorgeous and the script is also outstanding. In the end, "Zootopia" is a creatively heartwarming story that should be watched by Disney fans everywhere.

8. "Finding Dory"

Pixar's "Finding Dory" is a sequel to the company's successful "Finding Nemo." This time, Dory is on a discovery to find her parents with Nemo and Marlon, despite her short-term memory struggles. Along the way, she meets and befriends a slew of colorful new characters who help her with her journey. Regardless of her disability, she is able to achieve her goals and, in doing so, offers a lesson of determination and perseverance to viewers. This beautifully animated film can be considered another one of Pixar's greats and should be seen by everyone.

9. "The Nice Guys"

Shane Black's "The Nice Guys" is a buddy cop comedy starring Ryan Gosling as a clumsy private detective and Russell Crowe as a hired enforcer who must team up to solve the murder of a well-known adult film star. The case leads them into a rabbit hole of over-the-top situations and comedic hi-jinks, easily making it one of the greatest comedies of 2016. Gosling is particularly a standout in the film, proving he is a great comedic performer through his slapstick humor, rivaling those of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. This film is definitely special and should be watched by those who love buddy cop movies like "Lethal Weapon" (also written by Shane Black) and "Rush Hour."

10. "10 Cloverfield Lane"

Dan Trachtenberg's "10 Cloverfield Lane" is perhaps one of the best thrillers that 2016 has to offer. With wonderful performances by John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and John Gallagher Jr., the movie gives a sense of dread and anticipation as two people are kept in a bunker by a strange man named Howard, who claims the world to be in an uninhabitable state. The genius of the film comes from its ability to make viewers feel just as trapped in the claustrophobic bunker with Howard as the two protagonists. Therefore, it is more nail-biting when we witness their fight for survival from their captor. Although the film is not at all like its predecessor, "Cloverfield," it is still a great movie for horror fans to watch.

11. "Swiss Army Man"

Advertised as "the farting corpse movie," the DANIELS's movie, "Swiss Army Man" is so much more than that. Starring Paul Dano as a man who becomes stranded on a deserted island and Daniel Radcliffe as the talking corpse he finds along the way, the movie offers an interesting commentary on life and its societal norms. The friendship developed by the two lead characters is absolutely touching and the ending will leave viewers wanting more. This is a definite must-see film for anyone who is a fan of independent features.

These eleven movies are my personal favorites to be released in 2016. Do you agree with my list or do you have some favorites of your own that you think I should have included? Let me know in the comments!