THERE was an inordinate amount of high-calibre films released this year, addressing hot topics such as racism, female empowerment, mad monarchs and a whole range of social and political issues.

Whittling down such a bumper crop is well-nigh impossible but in my top 10 is Peter Farrelly's stunning Oscar-winning Green Book. It's inspired by the real-life story and friendship of a working-class Italian American bouncer (Viggo Mortensen), hired to drive an African-American classical pianist (Mahershala Ali) on a tour of venues through the 1960s US South.

Yorgos Lanthimos's The Favourite is a totally surreal but stylish period drama set in 18th-century England about the ailing and unpredictable Queen Anne — the magnificent and Academy Award-winning Olivia Colman — and the two women (Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone) competing for her affections.

Steve Coogan and John C Reilly give tour-de-force performances  as legendary comedy giants Laurel & Hardy in Stan and Ollie, who embark on a farewell tour of Britain in 1953 towards the end of their careers.

Lebanese director Nadine Labaki's Oscar-nominated Capernaum is an extraordinary piece of thought-provoking cinema about a 12-year-old boy (a captivating Zain al-Rafeea) who, while serving a five-year sentence for a violent crime, sues his parents for neglect.

Equally through-provoking was Ken Loach's Sorry We Missed You, a powerful and heart-wrenching drama examining the reality of  exploitative working practices today. It follows the misfortunes of a hard-working but hard-up northern family who, thinking it can solve their financial woes, fall victim to the gig economy.

Driven by powerhouse performances from Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver, Noah Baumbach's incisive and compassionate Marriage Story is a moving love story about a couple undergoing a divorce while desperately trying to keep their family together.

A wonderfully refreshing celebration of middle age and living life on your own terms, Gloria Bell follows the story of the free-spirited Bell (Julianne Moore), a divorcee in her 50s who loves going clubbing and unexpectedly finds love on the dance floor.

Border takes Scandi-noir fantasy to a whole new bizarre level in a surreal tale about a Swedish customs guard (Eva Melander, extraordinary), who can literally sniff out fear and guilt on those crossing the border. That is, until she meets a strange traveller who she can't fathom and who upends her world.

Stephen Merchant's Fighting with My Family, which he produced with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, is a remarkable yet heartwarming underdog tale based on the incredible true story of WWE star Paige (Florence Pugh) and her wrestling family from Norwich.

The emotional roller-coaster ride that was Avengers: End Game brought the MCU's mammoth trailblazing 22-film story arc to a fitting close after more than decade. Fans cheered, laughed and cried throughout its three-hour duration.

Twin turkeys Under the Silver Lake and Ad Astra tied for top spot – or should that be bottom? — for me this year.