As a lover of all types of movies, especially Will Ferrell comedies, I find myself on the couch at 6:00 every day trying to find a movie to watch. Of the probably 20 movies from this year I’ve watched, I can say that these were my personal favorites.

1. “Hacksaw Ridge”- The acting in this move is phenomenal. Andrew Garfield and Hugo Weaving deserve to be Academy-Award Nominated, while Vince Vaughn held his own in an unconventional, serious role. Weaving was unbelievable as a World War I soldier with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder trying to keep his son from war, while Garfield gave a very convincing and heart-felt performance, slowly making an unbelievable true story become believable. Mel Gibson makes a great comeback with this movie, too, creating some of the most realistic war scenes since Saving Private Ryan.
2. “Zootopia”- This movie, unlike many animated mysteries, was completely unpredictable and caught me incorrectly trying to predict plot time and time again. Jason Bateman was the perfect voice for a sly fox turned acquaintance. With perfect amounts of truly funny comedy, this is the best animated movie of the year, and I wouldn’t hesitate to put it ahead of “Inside Out” if I were comparing the two.
3. “Deadpool”- Boy, I had no idea what I was getting into with this movie, but it sure didn’t disappoint. The R-rated humor was just hysterical and the plot was just fine, too. Marvel took this movie in a completely different direction than its others, and every moment worked for me.
4. “Captain America Civil War”- The growing tension in this movie builds really well to the great fight of a plethora of Marvel characters. Bringing in characters like Black Panther, Antman, and even Spiderman to the battle brought it to impressive, epic proportions.
5. “Sausage Party”- When I first saw the movie, I was very intrigued by the idea that one of my favorite groups of actors, with Seth Rogen and James Franco, were coming together to make an animated flick. I wanted the movie to make me laugh, and it did just that with explicit dialogue coming out of the mouths of foods I eat regularly.
6. “Race”- This was an eye-opener in two ways. First, I learned the great magnitude of Jesse Owens’ accomplishments at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Second, I learned the nature of Nazi Germany and the way Owens and Jewish athletes alike were treated by host Adolf Hitler and his associates. I love movies about sports, and seeing the things he did forces you to truly appreciate them.
7. “War Dogs”- I love Jonah Hill. I really love fat Jonah Hill in his movies like Superbad and The Sitter. Hill as a spray tanned weapons smuggler is really great, as he really does not have any regard for human life whatsoever. Miles Teller is also good, and he shows the more realistic, difficult side of illegal business. The movie reminded me of the Wolf of Wall Street, but Teller made it more realistic.
8. “Finding Dory”- Although the characters were great, the word that always comes to my head when I try to describe it is cute. The movie has a similar plot to Finding Nemo, but the childhood bond I share with the predecessor will not be broken by this sequel.
9. “Suicide Squad”- Even though I didn’t love Jared Leto’s Joker (Heath Ledger was just too good), the movie kept me entertained and I walked out of the theatre having liked it. Will Smith is really good, and adds a relatable and funny character that makes the group seem less the bad guys.
10. “Eddie the Eagle”- I had no idea of this story before watching the movie, so I had no idea that this would be about an athlete that came in dead last in the Olympics – in two events. The character is an interesting one, but one that kept my attention nonetheless and reminded me of the importance of perseverance.