2016 was a rough year if you were a celebrity or a Democrat. It was a pretty great year, however, if you were a fan of quality movies. It’s time for our annual list of the top movies of the year!

This year saw a good mix of quality flicks at the box office, and many of them weren’t sequels! In fact, reading through my list surprised me with the high number of original stories being told. It’s very encouraging to see that in an era when many are claiming that Hollywood is creatively bereft.

In no particular order, here are my favorite films of the year. Once you’ve read through my list, hit the comments and tell us what your faves were. Here we go.

Arrival

Amy Adams owns this sci-fi movie from start to finish. I loved that it was not afraid to be slower and more cerebral compared to the usual “aliens arrive” shoot-em-ups. Also interesting that it almost immediately showed its alien protagonists to us instead of hiding them for the first two acts.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

The big question about whether a non-numbered Star Wars movie could stand on its own was answered with this flick. With a self-contained story and a much darker tone than the rest of the Star Wars canon, this spy movie in space worked on its own merits while still including just enough winks at the other Star Wars movies. Too bad about the uncanny valley-dwelling CGI people, though.

Moonlight

Gripping, sad, but very nuanced, this movie is more about the little pieces than the complete whole. Definitely going to be an Oscar contender in a few months.

Hell or High Water

Amid the slew of explosive blockbuster movies this year, Hell or High Water comes along as a small, Western heist movie that turned out to be one of the best flicks of the year. Look for Jeff Bridges to get some awards love for his role here.

Deadpool

I was totally prepared to dismiss and ignore this movie, and it completely surprised me. Foul and funny in equal measures, Deadpool had a charm all of its own. Ryan Reynolds’ commitment to the character showed right through his mask and made this on of the most fun movies of the year.

Manchester by the Sea

I’m calling it now–Casey Affleck WILL win the Best Actor Oscar for his role as a tortured uncle/father figure in this family drama. At times the movie seems to want to show you how Oscar-worthy it is just a little too much, but we’ll let that slide.

Jackie

Just like the previous entry, I’m willing to call the Best Actress Oscar right now in favor of Natalie Portman’s astonishing portrayal of Jackie Kennedy in the immediate aftermath of her husband’s assassination.

The Nice Guys

The guilty pleasure entry on this list. Shane Black’s buddy comedy/action movie hit all the right buttons for me. Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling are a perfect pairing in this grimy, 70s-set movie about a smoggy L.A. and its denizens. Bonus points for the best Omar Sharif joke of all time.

Zootopia

By far the best animated movie of the year, and one of the best of all time, Zootopia took a surprisingly adult look at important grown-up topics like tolerance and race relations. With one of the best voice casts of all time as well, this movie showed that Disney’s in-house animation studio is firing on all cylinders again and even out-shining struggling cousin Pixar.

La La Land

Is the singing or dancing the best ever? Nope, but darned if Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone don’t light up the screen in this old-fashioned Hollywood musical. A visually dazzling piece, look for this movie to take home lots of golden statues in February.