2017 was an amazing year for films, and probably my favourite yet. I watched close to 40 releases and thoroughly enjoyed over 30 of them. Picking a top ten was particularly difficult and I feel this is probably the strongest top ten of any year since I started watching far too many films back in 2015. Before I crack on with my list I'd like to mention a few films that only just missed out. There were many that came close, but Wind River, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Hidden Figures and Maudie are perhaps those that came the closest. Here's those splendid pieces of cinema that made it:

The story of a boy who bullies a deaf girl and then, a while later, tries to make amends. It's a wonderful film. It tackles its subject in unexpected and mature ways and goes some dark places. Some have called it slow, but I feel dealing with the delicate matter of a person transitioning from being someone who is essentially horrible, to someone who feels regret and struggles to make peace with his actions, deserves the more delicate touch. Which is exactly what it receives here.

Christopher Nolan's foray into the war films genre. An incredibly tense film from beginning to end. All the interwoven stories worked well although their timelines were a little confusing at points, something I think a second watch will help. The film is the definition of a visceral experience. The sound and cinematography is fantastic, putting you right in the middle of the action and making you feel for characters that you know very little about. The simple story works, however I feel that it's one of those films where you come out having loved it, but then it doesn't really stick with you. This is the main reason it hasn't ended up any higher on this list. A fantastic piece of cinema, but I'm not sure it'll have even close to the same effect on a smaller screen.

Barry Jenkins' Moonlight, the coming of age story of Chiron, made quite a stir when it arrived and ended up clinching 2017's Best Picture Oscar. I loved Moonlight, it was full of amazing performances, had a beautiful story at its heart, and was shot with some of the most beautiful cinematography ever seen on the big screen. Why is it not higher on my list? Well, for me, the fact it was shot in such a stunning fashion where every shot is a work of art, took me out of the hyper-realistic nature of the film a little, and I think that was the prime reason that it didn't end up resonating with me as much as some of the films higher up on this list. Nevertheless, Moonlight is a film that no one should miss and deserves all the accolades it has got.

I delayed watching this because all the talk around it made me hate it before I'd even seen it. When I finally did watch it, however, and I was completely ready to hate it for being Oscar-bait, I unexpectedly fell in love with it. It's beautifully shot, I like the slightly understated nature of the songs and dance performances and I thought the chemistry between Gosling and Stone was brilliant. Yes, the dancing isn't technically perfect, but I think that's kind of the point, it brings some much-needed realism to a genre usually entirely based in fairyland. Completely stuck the landing in terms of its ending too. A gem.

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I felt sure after I'd seen this that it would end up in my top five at the end of the year but it's been such a strong year that it has just missed out. The story of Conor O'Maley's struggle to cope with his mother's terminal cancer was one of the most affecting films of the year for me. So much darker than I was expecting and all the better for it. It handles depression and grief in a realistic way, despite its fantastical nature, and never feels manipulative. Fabulous performances across the board, particularly from Felicity Jones, who brings across a vulnerability and anger that glues the whole thing together.

Jordan Peele's Get Out is a strikingly intelligent horror film. It's one of the rare films where I truly had no idea what was going to happen next, and I was genuinely terrified on many an occasion. The film obviously has a strong message but even if you weren't to consider that, which would be foolish, you'd have a brilliantly paced thriller that keeps you completely absorbed in its crazy, dark world throughout. Not only an amazing film, but also a razor sharp social commentary of our times. Uncomfortable and yet essential viewing.

The dialogue-free story of a man's survival on an island after a shipwreck. A beautiful film that is ripe for discussion of its themes and meaning. It's a quiet, meditative and contemplative study of life and its meaning. A heavy subject, tackled in a way that gives no answers, but makes you think about it in ways you never have before. The muted colour palette and basic animation style is stunning and suits the film perfectly, combining with an amazing soundtrack to provide one of 2017's most quietly moving cinema experiences.

Yet another animation! My Life as a Courgette is highly stylised with its brightly coloured claymation tinged with a deep sense of melancholy, but beneath the beautifully animated exterior lies a very real and raw film about love, friendship and the lack of family. A film that dared to be 65 minutes long, and is all the better for it. This one kept bouncing around my head for a long time after I'd seen it. A film that is in essence very sad, but also has a message of hope without a hint of cheese.

I fought tirelessly on our top five films of 2017 podcast to have this one included in our top five. My feelings about this amazing film are made more clear there than they ever could be in a small paragraph but here goes. Sean Baker, director of one of my 2016 favourites Tangerine, has graced us with an absolutely stunning tale of deprived childhood close to one of capitalism's biggest symbols, Disneyland in Florida. The child acting is quite probably the best I've ever seen, it's completely natural, and the way Baker always has the camera at a child's level is a genius touch that adds to the hyper-realistic nature of the film. Dafoe and Vinaite give unforgettable performances as the film's leading adults too. The film has an empathy for its subjects without forcing you to think one way or another, it shows you something that is happening, and lets you make up your own mind about it. It's a snapshot of a time, a sight into lives of the variety we probably have little exposure to, an eye opening tale of raising a child when everyone has already made up their mind about you.

Absolutely stunning. One that you really need to see in the cinema, so it's a shame it hasn't done very well at the box office. A film that is hugely stylised and creates a dystopian world that seems to have become more desolate since the original Blade Runner. Ryan Gosling is fantastic in the leading role and perfectly conveys the inner turmoil of his character in a way that isn't overwrought at all. The central story is gripping but everything around it is such a sensory overload that I doubt I'll ever forget watching this for the first time in a practically empty cinema late at night. The soundtrack drones and thumps, often focusing more on noises than any sort of melody, perfectly complementing this swamp of a world. The colours go from bright radioactive orange to a kind of dark, grey, muted metallic seamlessly and you feel like you're in some sort of strange dream, sat there wondering how on Earth something could be so gorgeous and yet so bleak at the same time. I came out of this one knowing I'd seen something special, and I firmly believe this is one of those films that will be looked back on as a classic many years from now.

What a year for film! Let's hope 2018 is as strong.

Thanks for reading,

Clive :)