2016 Movies: Critic Sam Allard Shares His Top Picks

Sam Allard, movie critic from Scene Magazine, wasn't a big fan of “ Star Wars: Rogue One.”

"It was nowhere near as good as the 'Force Awakens,” Allard said. “It was a real bumpy finished product.”

“Arrival," starring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner, was his favorite film of the year.

“It is a sci-fi film without one single explosion,” Allard said.  “These enormous space ships descend kind of at once, but by all appearances they are benign… the goal of the humans is to figure out what it is they are doing there."

If you are hoping to head to the movie theaters in the coming weeks to prepare for the Oscars, Allard also has great things to say about " La La Land,” “ Moonlight” and “ Manchester by the Sea."

Allard discusses the year in movies Wednesday at 12:33 p.m. and 1:50 p.m. on Here and Now featuring the Sound of Applause on 90.3.