Steve Davis’ Top 10 Films of 2017

1) The Shape of Water

Guillermo del Toro's fantastic creature feature is an interspecies romance in which the monster is the leading man.

2) Dunkirk

War by land, sea, and air: Christopher Nolan's time-tripping historical drama is a logistical feat bordering on genius.

3) Your Name

This astonishing Japanese anime about romantic destiny defies time and space. The ending? Prepare your heart to skip a beat.

4) Truman

The bonds of lifelong friendship fray under delicate circum- stances in this bittersweet Spanish-Argentine film featuring two unforgettably simpatico performances.

5) Baby Driver

From its clutch-popping opening, this action film choreographed to an eclectic playlist is unlike anything you've seen before.

6) Lady Bird

This sweet-natured movie about a Catholic high schooler with dreams of life beyond Sacramento is a pure delight.

7) Call Me by Your Name

This sensual movie about a precocious young man's sexual exploration delicately navigates the agony and ecstasy of first heartbreak.

8) Get Out

This horror comedy about modern-day enslavement of African-Americans marks the year's most auspicious debut by Keyless Jordan Peele.

9) Coco

Viva la muerte! Pixar's touching animated film brings the afterlife to vivid life in the year's best family film.

10) Kedi

This documentary about the stray felines of Istanbul and their devoted human caretakers celebrates the healing power of animals.

Near Misses

The Florida Project, The LEGO Batman Movie, Colossal, The Beguiled, It Comes at Night

Most Overrated

The Post, War for the Planet of the Apes, Logan Lucky

Most Underrated

Landline, Patti Cake$, The Lovers

Wild Card

Biblical allegory? Ecological metaphor? Sound and fury signifying nothing? Whatever your interpretation, Darren Aronofsky's Mother! is deservedly the year's most talked-about film.

Acting Kudos (Male)

Timothée Chalamet (Call Me by Your Name), Robert Pattinson (Good Time), Javier Cámara (Truman), Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Barry Keoghan (The Killing of a Sacred Deer)

Acting Kudos (Female)

Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water), Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird), Salma Hayek (Beatriz at Dinner), Holly Hunter (The Big Sick), Tiffany Haddish (Girls Trip)

Best Director

Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk), Sofia Coppola (The Beguiled), Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water)

Best Original Screenplay

Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird), Jordan Peele (Get Out), Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou (The Killing of a Sacred Deer)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber (The Disaster Artist), Aaron Sorkin (Molly's Game), James Ivory (Call Me by Your Name)

TV series/event:

Binge-watching Game of Thrones from start to finish. Now, I can finally say "Winter is coming" and know what that means.

Worst Film

Per the title, Tyler Perry's Boo 2! A Madea Halloween is one big boo-boo. The scariest thing about it? The prospect of Boo cubed.