The best dramas of 2016

"Moonlight" is the rare movie that's as great as people say it is. It's an affecting story of love and all the beauty and messiness that the most treasured of things brings us. See it as soon as you can.

Two brothers set out on a crime spree with an ingenious plan, and a set-to-retire Texas ranger is on their trail? It doesn't get much better than this one, folks. You'll be thinking about "Hell or High Water" for a while.

This is a stunning portrait of grief with stellar performances from everyone in front of and behind the camera. If you didn't know Kenneth Lonergan before, you'll want to see everything he's ever done after seeing this one.

The best sci-fi film of the year is also one of the best movies around. Forgoing action, while remaining thrilling, "Arrival" is much more interested in the how and why of communication. If we ever do have contact with extraterrestrials, we hope the world's leaders remember this film.

This isn't your run-of-the-mill coming of age flick. The script's superb, and Hailee Steinfeld's outstanding in the lead role, too. If you liked "Juno," and even if you didn't, you'll love this one.

Tom Hanks and Clint Eastwood teamed up to make the story of the Miracle on the Hudson extremely gripping. Everyone knows the ending, but the movie still makes you sweat, somehow. Warning though, it might make you incredibly anxious.

Leave it to Chan-wook Park, director of "Old Boy" and "Stoker," to adapt a gothic mystery into a perverse, twisty tale of misdirection and betrayal. "The Handmaiden" is an artist at the top of his game.

Director Kelly Reichardt specializes in extraordinary stories told about ordinary people. These women are flawed but contain multitudes, and their attempts to accomplish the meagerest of dreams will floor you.

Indie cinema exists so we can have epic character studies like this. "American Honey" is primal, and its performances are beyond reproach. Andrea Arnold is one of the best filmmakers we have.

Just give Natalie Portman the Oscar now. "Jackie" may be narrow in its scope, but oh, what a scope. America's fascination with the Kennedys has a new keystone.

As far as chase movies that are incredibly endearing go, you can't do much better than this one. Before he takes over the "Thor" series, director Taika Waititi had to go and make this extremely affecting movie first. Show-off.

The boy-likes-girl-and-tries-to-impress-her-with-music trope is nothing new, but after "Once" and "Begin Again," it's clear that director John Carney stays in his lane, navigating expertly. "Sing Street" adds another W to his column with its heartwarming optimism and feel-good tunes. This movie truly rocks.

What happens when a friend achieves success? That's what Mike Birbiglia's new movie is interested in finding out. Luckily, this heartbreaker is about comedians and improvisers, so there are laughs to go along with the pathos.

One of the year's biggest treats in a big year for witch movies, this slow-burner is something else. It's not for everyone, but for those who stick with it, you'll be treated to a sumptuous feast of creeping dread, a truly gruff goat, and a star-making performance from Anya Taylor-Joy.

Building tension should be the first thing taught in screenwriting classes. "10 Cloverfield Lane" is a master class in tension. We don't want to spoil its surprises, but you'll never look at John Goodman the same way again.

Punks vs. Nazis sounds like the stuff of exploitation films past. Sure, "Green Room" is visceral as all get out, but it's also incisive and features one hell of a script. There are glimmers of humanity, but it'll get under your skin for days. This one will be studied like a discovered scroll in the future.

Making his English-language debut, Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos decided on a dystopian story about a near future where single people must couple up, lest they risk being turned into animals. Darkly funny (the number of visual gags is "Naked Gun"-ian) while romantic as hell, "The Lobster" is going to make 'em laugh, lovelorn and Casanova alike.

What would the world look like if this date never happened? That question's impossible to answer, but getting a historically relevant twist on Richard Linklater's "Before" series is something we should all be thankful for. Bravo, Richard Tanne!

We've gotten a lot of Civil Rights Era films the last few years, but "Loving" might well be the best. The landmark case provides the movie's impetus, but it's the performances and the relationship between the central couple that give it its heart.

Jeff Nichols also directed the moving "Loving" in 2016, but "Midnight Special" might have been even more affecting. Michael Shannon reins it in playing a, uh, loving father determined to keep his son safe. Jeff Nichols tries his hand at early John Carpenter/Steven Spielberg. "Midnight Special" is just flat-out good.