Richard Whittaker’s Top 10 Films of 2017

1) Dunkirk

Put aside that it's a pure classic: In the year of Brexit, Christopher Nolan got a major studio to finance a picture about the value of Britain in Europe.

2) I, Tonya

The rise and fall of America's skating underdog, with mesmerizing performances from Margot Robbie and Allison Janney.

3) Blade Runner 2049

Denis Villeneuve probes deep yet again into what it really means to be human. And just give Roger Deakins his Oscar, OK?

4) Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Martin McDonagh's searing and ultimately redemptive tale of what happens when we embrace or reject violence.

5) Logan

How can a series that started one of the worst superhero movies become one of the genre's greats? By James Mangold and Hugh Jackman staying loyal to the tragic end of a warrior.

6) Personal Shopper

Kristen Stewart and Olivier Assayas throw ghost tropes out the window, and question what sanity is in a supernatural world.

7) The Big Sick

Kumail Nanjiani's tender, funny, terrifying and deeply personal story about love, culture clash, and illness in New York is a true romance.

8) Brigsby Bear

SNL's Kyle Mooney's overlooked gem is a feel-good fantasy that is unapologetic in its heartwarming insanity.

9) Good Time

The Safdie brothers and Robert Pattinson scour the mean streets of modern New York with verve and passion in this character-driven crime drama. Lively, grimy, timely.

10) A Dark Song

A supernatural twin to Three Billboards, this Anglo-Irish horror burns as it grieves.

Near Misses

Shot Caller, Brawl in Cell Block 99, Super Dark Times, The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Most Overrated

Thor: Ragnarok, Alien: Covenant, Split

Most Underrated

Life, Last Flag Flying, Catfight

Wild Card

Other Worlds Austin has provided an amazing launching pad for sci-fi creatives, both through the festival and throughout the year.

Acting Kudos (Male)

Toby Jones (Kaleidoscope), Mark Hamill (Star Wars: The Last Jedi), Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Woody Harrelson (LBJ; Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)

Acting Kudos (Female)

Kristen Stewart (Personal Shopper), Rebecca Hall (Professor Marston and the Wonder Women), Frances McDormand (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Allison Janney (I, Tonya)

Best Director

Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk), Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049)

Best Original Screenplay

Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk), Liam Gavin (A Dark Song)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Sofia Coppola (The Beguiled), James Mangold, Scott Frank, and Michael Green (Logan), Dee Rees and Virgil Williams (Mudbound)

TV series/event:

Stranger Things season 2

Worst Film

The Bad Batch