What a year for the movies. It seems like I’m always having to defend the integrity and the quality of what’s actually available out there to curious family members and friends, but make no mistake about it: 2016 was one for the books. I personally watched more than I ever have before – both at the theater and at home – and while there were definitely some duds (please, for the love of God, do not watch The Do-Over, Collateral Beauty, Mr. Church, or The Fundamentals of Caring), this year-end reader’s digest was incredibly difficult to narrow down and weed out. All of the blue fonts are linked to my reviews of the movies, but I highly encourage that you check out the rest of the titles and watch them if the synopsis interests you. From those worth seeing to those that just missed the cut, and finally to my personal Top 50, here is my completely subjective compendium of the best movies from last year. Enjoy.

Worth Seeing:

Netflix: Barry, Bridget Jones’s Baby, Chronic, Embers, Finding Dory, Ixcanul, Justin Timberlake + The Tennesse Kids, King Jack, The Levelling, The Little Prince, Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World, The Memory of Water, Miss Stevens, Rainbow Time, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Sing, Southside with You, Trolls, Two Lovers and a Bear, Under the Shadow, Valley of Love, The Wave

Amazon Prime: Allied, Cameraperson, De Palma, Denial, The Girl with All the Gifts, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Miss Sloane, Morris from America, Oasis: Supersonic, Star Trek Beyond, Swiss Army Man

Available to rent: 2 Nights Till Morning, The Birth of a Nation, Bleed for This, Central Intelligence, Complete Unknown, The Conjuring 2, Fences, The Light Between Oceans, The Mermaid, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, The Purge: Election Year, Tanna

Just Missed:

Netflix: 13th, Blue Jay, Captain America: Civil War, The Childhood of a Leader, The Eyes of My Mother, Girl Asleep, The Invitation, The Jungle Book, Little Men, Little Sister, Neruda, Semana Santa, Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang, Spa Night, Sunset Song, Things to Come, Train to Busan, T-Rex, Zootopia

Amazon Prime: 10 Cloverfield Lane, Captain Fantastic, Café Society, Equals, Gleason, Green Room, Hello My Name is Doris, Nerve, Nuts!, Midnight Special

Available to rent: Almost Christmas, Bad Moms, Before the Flood, Deadpool, Deepwater Horizon, Don’t Breathe, Elle, Goat, Lights Out, The Meddler, No Home Movie, The Shallows, Tickled

Hit the next page for #50-41