We present the Top 10 list of best movies for 2016:

Top 10: The Preppie Connection

Thomas Mann plays a scholarship student at a nearby posh Connecticut prep school, living at home, but trying to fit in with the trust fund snobs he secretly hates. He makes the fateful decision to become the campus coke connection, even traveling to Colombia, where a schoolmates’ family lives, scoring huge quantities of the deadly white powder, all to the delight of his classmates who he deludes himself into thinking they’re his friends. (Huffington Post)

Top 9: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Beyond this standard novelization fare, Freed takes advantage of the medium by matching the tone of James Luceno’s “Catalyst.” Director Orson Krennic — the main villain in both stories — isn’t nearly as prominent here as he was in the prequel novel, but his struggle to maintain control of the Death Star still has a nice urgency to it.

Even more than the movie, the novelization of “Rogue One” offers an intimate look at the suffering and moral compromises of those touched by this galactic war. (New York Daily)

Top 8: Love the Coopers

There’s no taste like ham for the holidays, and that’s the prevailing flavor in “Love the Coopers,” writer-director Jessie Nelson’s Christmas family reunion movie. It’s sort of a mashup of “Home for the Holidays,” “Love Actually,” and some minor Cameron Crowe movie that’s sprawling, awkward and contrived, yet brimming with goodwill toward men. (The Wrap Review)

Top 7: A Brilliant Young Mind

This is a film about a Math wizard and the international Math Olympiad competition. Before you will say that it is boring, it is NOT. First, it tells not the story of the competition itself but the struggles of a boy who is a nerd, an anti-social, or introvert, or whatever you want to call him. This is a love story, believe it or not, and the end is what makes this film special.

Top 6: Those People

This could be my favorite movie this year. This film is about the friendship of Charlie and Sebastian who tried to delve into the deeper meanings of friendships, love and abandonment. The friendship of the two here, as well as of their group, is something special it would make you feel envious. What I like about this film is that it features the music from the Pirates of Penzance. You don’t know it? I’ll just laugh and like Sebastian, will get some drinks.

Top 5: Hello, My Name is Doris

This is the heart-warming story of Doris as she tried to find love despite her age. The elements and the story hit home to me: the feeling of being lost after years of taking care of your parents, the day dreaming, the books, but thankfully not the hoarding. This film shows what is important in life and tells us that it is okay to day dream, but still you have to live your life and face reality.

Top 4: Eddie the Eagle

A biographical film about the British Olympian skier Eddie Edwards and his struggles to try to qualify in the 1988 Winter Olympics despite all odds. This film is funny and sad and uplifting all at the same time and Eddie’s determination to “fly” represents not only the spirit of Olympics, but also showcases the admirable human courage that could be found in not giving up. Just don’t try the 90-metre jump.

Top 3 (Bronze Award): Freier Fall

This is the second German film in my list this year. The film tells about the story of police officer, Marc Borgmann and how he develops a romance with his fellow police officer, Kay Engel. It portrays the conflict in a traditional society and meeting its expectations which could lead a person to lose sight of what really is important, until it’s too late. There are many films like this but there’s depth in the way the story was acted and told and the Deutsche here is very helpful for those like me who are studying the language.

Top 2 (Silver Award): Spotlight

The Oscar’s 2016 Best Picture is included in my list because it won an Oscar. Kidding. Let me see, this is a story of a bunch of Boston Globe writers and their struggles in exposing the sexual abuses of the Catholic Church in their city (then it became a worldwide issue). So there’s journalists in there, priests and exposes. That’s three reasons why this movie is a must watch.

Best Movie of 2016 (Gold Award): Good Bye Lenin

Guten Tag! This is the only German film that I will highly recommend. While I can watch this without subtitles and you can’t, (Scherzhaftgemeint, Ich spreche ein bischen Deutsch) this film is worth it. It tells the story of a teenager and his attempts to preserve the memory and the world of East Germany for his mother who had been in a coma and had unknowingly awaken into a different world after the fall of Berlin Wall. His various ways to shield her mother from the shattering truth until she died (ooops spoiler sorry haha) will leave you heartbroken but smiling.