Favorite films of 2018.
This officially marks my first published story on this website. I’ve been stating my top ten lists for my favorite films of each year dating back to 2010 but now I feel like I owe it to people to give little mini-reviews on WHY exactly each film is my personal favorite of the year.
I will say before diving into the top ten, that these films are simply the films I found the most entertaining and compelling. Films that I could find myself watching more than once or even twice. Not exactly the most “important” films of the year or the most pretentious Oscar-baiting motion pictures, though you can argue there’s one or two in here. I purely go off my initial instincts and these are my opinions. Besides. Anything that can keep my attention from beginning to end these days is HUGE.
It’s also very important to note that I haven’t yet seen several of the more notable films like First Man, The Favourite, The Old Man And The Gun, Widows, and Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Ever since 2013’s release of Spring Breakers, I have been more and more impressed by the quality and boldness of the distribution/production company A24. They for my money are the new Miramax. Telling stories with one foot in the art-house classic / experimental pool and the other foot in the commercial pool. A perfect blend that they almost always succeed with. Hereditary is no exception. I’m an enormously harsh critic when it comes to horror and thriller films especially the ones that rely heavily on performance and Hereditary kept me on edge with a big smile on my face nearly the whole way through.
I understand a lot of audience members had problems with its dream logic and tonal dance that may or may not pay off for some but it did for me. I knew right from the opening frame what this film was trying to convey. The acting was flawless (and I’m normally not a big fan of Toni Collette), the tension was relentless and the craftsmanship was beautifully chilling. If this is the future for classy horror reinvention, I’m all on board. The only problem I had with the film was the final five minutes in the treehouse (if you’ve seen the film, you know what I’m referring to). I felt it was overkill and overly explanatory in an otherwise perfectly satisfying experience.
I’ve now seen every version of the classic Star is Born cautionary tale dating all the way back to William Wellman and Jack Conway’s 1937 mini gem starring Janet Gaynor and Fredric March (unfortunately the version that no one seems to remember). However, this 2018 retelling is clearly a direct remake of the 1976 version with Kris Kristofferson and Barbara Streisand. A fading rock star mentoring and falling in love with an up-and-coming singer as appose to the originals which dealt with Hollywood and movie stars.
The newest version directed by debut director Bradley Cooper is by far my favorite telling of this story. Not because it’s the most modern and certainly not because Bradley Cooper is easily my current favorite movie star at the moment (not a joke), but because it just broke me on so many levels the others couldn’t. Bradley Cooper is on fire behind and in front of the camera. His music is also incredible. Lady Gaga gives a terrific and raw performance as well, showing people that she’s clearly not just some sort of walking showcase of a design appearing in ridiculous fare like Machete Kills (which I despise), but a real actress who’s willing to go to the deepest parts of her soul.
I just love the stories Bradley Cooper chooses to be involved with. He seems to have this pattern of choosing mostly wonderfully old fashioned and simple stories that are the ones I find the most compelling. He’s just the kind of movie star we don’t get anymore. This film is a true triumphant debut for Cooper and something tells me he’s not some one-trick pony. The man knows what he’s doing and has the potential to be the next Clint Eastwood as far as a directing filmography is concerned.
P.S.: If the final 15 minutes doesn’t crush you emotionally… you officially have no soul.
If there ever was an unexpected psychological thriller that sneaks up on you in the best possible way, this film is totally it. At least it was for me. Soderbergh (who’s been threatening to retire for how long now? A decade?) impresses once more, showing us that a sleazy exploitation mental patient thriller shot on an iPhone in 2018 can blow your head off. I usually am not a fan of the iPhone filmed aesthetically as it’s just not the kind of film I want to watch but after Tangerine and especially after this, that’s becoming less and less of an issue for me as long as it’s right for the story. Unsane being shot on an iPhone makes so much sense while watching it. It just makes it feel like a grimy grindhouse movie from the mid-late 70s that you just shouldn’t be watching. It didn’t even feel like a movie half the time (I mean that as a compliment).
Claire Foy, Joshua Leonard, Juno Temple… They all crush it and just go ALL THE WAY WITH THEIR PERFORMANCES which with a story like this… If you don’t commit 1000 percent, just go home. Soderbergh continues to prove that he’s a force to be reckoned with and the very rare auteur who progresses with technology as it moves along at a breakneck speed. He’s always trying something new, something bold. Whether it always works, that’s debatable. However, the work ethic and prolific nature of this man is truly admirable so he’s bound to knock it out of the park every couple of films and this one is a true home run.
P.S.: Magic Mike was in my top ten for 2012 and I’m not embarrassed to admit it. Magic Mike XXL on the other hand was NOT… for 2015.
Alex Garland is a cinematic genius. Pure and simple. His outlook on the world's future and present is just spellbinding to me. I FEEL his world not only through the two films he’s directed but also his literary work. The Beach is one of my favorite novels of all time. A few years ago a little-seen 3D science-fiction adventure called Dredd 3D came out which Alex wrote and Pete Travis “supposedly” directed but after seeing Ex-Machina and Annihilation… yeah. That was Alex’s vision all over Dredd 3D (which I adore by the way).
What’s so chilling about Annihilation is just how ruthless it is towards its lead female characters. In what seemed like the height of the Me Too Movement of which this was coming out (back in February), you would think Garland would take the easy way out and just treat his female scientists as superheroes dominating everything but nope. He’s just as cut and dry as he would with anyone regardless of gender. He goes to pretty extreme places with these women and they go through hell and back several times over. They give flawless performances as well. Tessa Thompson and Natalie Portman specifically.
I understand that this film was very polarizing and rightfully so. It’s not a plot-driven story and it’s morally ambiguous on every level. It’s a harsh brutal hyper-reality which some people just can’t stomach. I for one was absolutely hypnotized by this film through and through and to be honest people… 10 years after you see a film… Do you really care too much about what the plot was? Films are all about moods and feelings as well as scenes and characters in them that resonate with you which this film succeeds in with flying colors.
What I found so impressively refreshing about this film and perhaps something that turned a lot of people off was how unrelentingly cold the characters and tone felt through and through along with nothing really big happening. Even the final climax takes place mostly off-screen. I wish we had more films like that coming out. In a generation of young first-time filmmakers trying so hard to be overly flashy with visuals and style (I, unfortunately, have been very guilty of that), it’s nice to see a director who because he is classically trained in theatre, which is the purest art form out there, he has no need to get all overly flashy, oozing with “look at me” camera tricks.
The acting as you’d imagine is flawless across the board considering the indie darlings who inhabit the story. Anya-Taylor Joy, with a face that you can stare at for hours, and Olivia Cooke who makes one of the coldest female characters on screen absolutely enthralling, both have terrific chemistry. Paul Sparks reminds audiences once again that he’s one of the most underrated character actors working today (watch the first season of The Girlfriend Experience RIGHT NOW). As well as Anton Yelchin playing a lovable loser you can’t help but empathize with especially since this was his final film to be shot before his death back in June 2016.
General audience members have found this film to be too cold, too emotionless, not “fun” enough, not exciting enough. I find none of those comments to be at all valid since that is the whole point of the story. It’s taking us inside these characters’ psyche and exploring them. People just don’t like how the film makes them feel but no offense. That’s YOUR problem, not the films. Stop judging the film on what you thought it was going to be. Judge it for what it is.
I love when directors take gambles on unlikable and flawed characters to lead a film because if you don’t get on that train, you’ll hate this film… However, if you choose to climb aboard, you’re in for a very rewarding experience.
P.S.: A Tribe Called Red? Where have you been all my life?
If you’re looking at this poster puzzled as to why on earth this film is listed on my top ten for 2018 then rest assured. I‘m equally puzzled. When I first saw the trailer for this film, I wanted to rip my eyes out. I can’t stand the majority of the actors in the film, I thought the story looked dumb, everything felt off and overall very forced. The more and more I watched the trailer (this was during my 57 movie marathon via Movie Pass earlier this year), the I wanted to literally break the projector. However a friend of mine asked me to come to see this with him one day and considering I had my Movie Pass during this time (RI.P.), I said “Why not?” This experience was very close to my experience with 2006’s Tenacious D: In the Pick of Destiny where I hated the trailers but was off the wall laughing my head off from beginning to end with the actual film. This is why I have to stop watching trailers. Especially for comedies and horrors.
The entire ensemble for this film works so well with their chemistry and the pacing is unstoppable. What really worked for me in this film is just how over the top the comedy was. Everyone just goes all the way with the humor. The premise (though inspired by a true story) is still just so absurd that for the film to take itself too seriously and not fully commit to the absurdity would be a mistake. However, oddly enough that dips into my only gripe with the film which is the ending. It was a very abrupt tonal shift into the heavy drama that felt forced onto the film without much softening up for the emotional gut punch. Aside from that, this film restored my faith in studio comedies just a little bit.
P.S.: Game Night would’ve taken this film’s place if it wasn’t for its never-ending series of endings. It was the Return of the King of studio comedies (not meant as a compliment).
Tarantino for the Millennial generation. Sam Levinson’s (Barry’s son) sophomore feature which was one of the few of the “Sundance Midnight” favorites earlier this year felt like Spring Breakers on steroids. A kinetic and fractured narrative that moves at the pace of a stick of dynamite covered in paint that’s exploded all over the walls.
There’s certainly several modern statements and ham-fisted messages scattered throughout under the guise of teens and social media which can be a bit annoying at times as well as a muddy overabundance of kinetic style throughout that will cause an epileptic to meet a fatality. However the film is so abrasively entertaining and demands your attention through and through that, I surrendered to it pretty quickly.
The film feels like an 80’s cult movie directed by someone on cocaine and just sort of moving moment to moment with the storyline which for me that was refreshing. It perhaps had too much plodding but I admired the boldness of the material, the “No fucks given” cinematography, and the raw performances from practically everyone.
Will this film blow your mind? Most likely not. Will it stand the test of time? Perhaps on a cult level. However, I can tell you something for certain that it WILL do is question your morals more than twice.
Considering I wasn’t a huge fan of Insidious Chapter 3 nor am I a big fan of the entire Insidious OR Saw franchise plus Blumhouse being hit or miss over the years, I went into this film with moderate if not no expectations at all. It took me a little bit to get fully invested in it however when I did, I was enthralled until the final credits. I feel those are the best most memorable films though. The ones that start off solid but not great and just build and build to greatness over time. This film accomplishes that beautifully and then some. I heard this was supposed to be inspired by a hybrid crossover of The Matrix and Death Wish. I can 100 percent see that.
It’s very evident that Leigh had grown up on a steady diet of 80’s exploitation action and science fiction films and it shows in his sophomore attempt through and through. The action sequences are vicious, gory, and uniquely stylized. The score is classic retro without feeling cheesy or on the nose. The photography is lovely. Everything pretty much excels in this film and delivers with full force on what its audience wants but is also a bit a cut above the rest. Reminded me a bit of Dredd 3D and Drive with its tone which I loved.
Upgrade can be added to my list of most recent Blumhouse films that I’ve really liked in the last five years. Others being Unfriended, Halloween, Split and Happy Death Day. Nice to see they’re focusing a bit more on quality and not JUST quantity. If you love genre films, WATCH THIS. If you don’t… STILL, WATCH IT CAUSE IT’S FUCKING AWESOME.
Searching marks the latest edition in a string of recent alternative found footage computer POV stories. Considering I was incredibly excited for Unfriended: Dark Web which ended up completely disappointing me, this film already head an advantage. While watching the film I was thinking to myself almost 3/4 into it… “What is this film doing that I haven’t seen before?” Until the third act twist. The third act twist did something to me. It made me feel something I wasn’t expecting to feel. The emotions that resonated in the resolution to this story made it all worthwhile. Felt like when I first watched Signs and the entire time it just felt run of the mill and then by the end, you’ve realized all of that was building to something truly special. Searching did that for me tenfold.
John Cho manages to do something I never in a million years would’ve thought he was capable of doing. Carry a dramatic thriller. Being a huge fan of the Harold and Kumar trilogy and then seeing Kal Penn back in 2007 try to carry a little melodrama entitled The Namesake and for my money not quite getting there… I was very skeptical. However, John Cho crushed it so I hope Hollywood will start abusing his dramatic skills more often now.
Overall I was quite taken aback at how engaging I found this little thriller to be. These kinds of technology POV stories are very difficult to pull off for an audience because from the opening frame letting people know that it’s not a typical movie-going experience, you’re already running into some trouble… However, this one works. Also what’s even more shocking is that it led us to believe Debra Messing as a convincing police detective. No easy feat.
Seeing this film by myself during a weekend matinee was a very strange experience for me. Mainly considering I was surrounded by laughing hysterical children and their parents. However, I surrendered to it with open emotions just like everyone else which I found weird because I never even saw the original back in 2004. Yes. This was a 14-year gap between the first one and the second one. I understand these type of films take quite a while to piece together but 14 years?!? That’s even longer than Toy Story 2 and 3 which was 11 years. Though if you’re a hardcore fan of these characters which I obviously was not… then I’m sure you’ll love this film cause I HUGELY DID. I was smiling ear to ear all the way through it.
After Tomorrowland (which was very hit and miss for me), it was nice to see Brad Bird get back to what he does best. Telling great stories within an animation format. I’m not saying the man can only crush it with animation though because his Mission: Impossible installment was one of my favorites of 2011. Brad Bird clearly has a strong control of this material especially if I hadn’t seen the original Incredibles going in, and still managed to love this film. That’s a big accomplishment so bravo Mr. Bird. BRAVO.
P.S.: I want Baby Jack-Jack’s autograph.
THE MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM OF ALL YEAR GOES TO
I cannot begin to describe to you how heartbreaking this is for me to say. In that, this film absolutely crushed me (and not in a good way). When I saw Clint’s previous film The 15:17 to Paris back in February 2018 I thought it was a fascinating experimental mess of a film. I certainly did not review it cynically like everyone else willy nilly did. I understood its problems and moved on. However, when I first saw the trailer for The Mule a couple of months before it was released, it almost brought tears to my eyes. It felt like some sort of send-off personal story for Clint Eastwood the person and not the character. Art reflecting life and vice versa. Maybe that’s reading too much into it but that’s how it felt. I personally thought it was one of the finest trailers I had seen in a long time. I basically had it on repeat. When I finally watched the film, it was so tonally off and so clumsily directed and pieced together that I couldn’t believe what I was watching. This was the same film in which that amazing trailer promoted? I thought this was going to be Clint’s redemption after getting panned for his previous film but unfortunately not. It wasn’t thrilling, it was never intense, it was repetitive, it was boring.
I had been going on an Eastwood marathon leading up to this film watching Mystic River, American Sniper, Sudden Impact, A Perfect World, Blood Work… And my God he’s made some great and very underrated films. However, we forget that the guy is 88 years old and he had not one but TWO films come out in 2018. So I’m willing to cut him some slack on this but maybe it’s time he throws in the towel cause when directors are just directing because they’re bored… That’s never a good thing. In my opinion, he should have retired after 2016’s Sully. God bless you, Clint. You’re brilliant and have an incredible work ethic but 2018 was not your year.
