Josh Martin's Top 25 Films of 2018

We're in the final days of 2018, which means it's finally time to wrap things up with my Top 25 list. In previous years, I've had to wait until mid-January to publish my list because of the slow roll-out for limited releases in Charlotte and Chapel Hill; with Call Me By Your Name and I, Tonya, 2017 was a particularly brutal year in this regard. But for the very first time, I've been receiving screeners thanks to my membership in the North Carolina Film Critics Association- no waiting around to see If Beale Street Could Talk this year.

Admittance to the NCFCA wasn't my only major professional development in 2018. I also began writing for the fine folks over at Film Inquiry, where my reviews were published on a regular basis starting back in June. This opportunity was a godsend, and I look forward to writing many more articles for the site in the near future. In addition, all of my coverage for FI ended up over at Rotten Tomatoes, where I've contributed 42 reviews to the Tomatometer. No, I haven't been individually approved yet- but I have to save a few goals for next year, right? 


Image: Paramount/IMDb

And then there was Film Fest 919, one of the most wonderful instances of sheer luck I've experienced in a very, very long time. A major international film festival launched right in my backyard in Chapel Hill, and I had the privilege of covering it for five days in early October. I saw a plethora of great movies, met a ton of terrific people, and witnessed the birth of what I hope is a cultural institution in North Carolina for years to come- I look forward to doing it all over again next year. 

When all is said and done, taking into account both my academic and popular writing, this was the breakthrough year I'd been waiting for. My work is out there more than ever, and I couldn't be more thrilled. With the added pressure of being a "professional" film critic, I saw a total of 173 2018 titles, by far the most I've watched in a single year. Of course, I couldn't get to everything- if I had to point to some of my biggest blind spots, I'd note The Hate U GiveZamaCapernaumMadeline's Madeline, and Bumblebee (the end of year screener blitz caused me to miss a number of December movies). But I've assembled a strong lineup, and I'm frankly too exhausted to push my limits any further. 

So here we go. This is my recap of 2018, which was, naturally, an incredible year for film. In another significant change from last year, I'm not doing separate lists for the worst, most overrated, and most underrated movies of the year- I guess Film Twitter convinced me that I was wasting my time all along. Instead, I'm just going to list the 15 films this year that I thought were significantly worse than the rest of the pack, as well as movies I feel I liked more or less than many other viewers. Let's break these down real quick. 

The Worst Movies of 2018

1. Gotti
2. The 15:17 to Paris
3. Life of the Party
4. Blood Fest
5. Mile 22
6. The Happytime Murders
7. Kin
8. The Meg
9. How it Ends
10. I Feel Pretty
11. How to Talk to Girls at Parties
12. Hell Fest
13. Winchester
14. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
15. Sicario: Day of the Soldado

Ten Movies I Liked Less Than Most Viewers

-Bodied
-Colette
-22 July
-Let the Corpses Tan
-Hearts Beat Loud
-Green Book
-Happy as Lazzaro
-The Miseducation of Cameron Post
-Blindspotting
-Won't You Be My Neighbor

Ten Movies I Liked More Than Most Viewers

-The Predator
-Solo: A Star Wars Story
-A Futile and Stupid Gesture
-The Strangers: Prey at Night
-Outlaw King
-Red Sparrow
-Skyscraper
-Kodachrome
-Tomb Raider
-Like Father

Before we dive into the real list, there's a film I feel deserves a serious spotlight... 

Special Mention- PHANTOM THREAD


Image: Focus Features/IMDb

Phantom Thread was released in theaters in New York and Los Angeles on December 25, 2017. It arrived in Durham, North Carolina on January 19, 2018. My Best of 2017 list was published on January 14, 2018. So you can see the predicament. 

If I counted Phantom Thread as a 2018 movie, it would be, hands down, my favorite film of the year. Paul Thomas Anderson's serio-comic masterwork has continually improved in my estimation; it's a marvelous display of the talents of Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps, and Lesley Manville, an unbelievable work of filmmaking craftsmanship, and a shining example of musical composition by Jonny Greenwood, all in service of a profound and profoundly funny statement on malicious love. I've debated long and hard about this- after all, a number of U.K. critics have listed it among their best of the year, since the film didn't open until February across the pond. If anything, this just highlights how stupid these lists really are.

But since Phantom Thread had a serious presence at last year's Academy Awards, I've decided against listing it here. Tough choice, but PTA's thrilling comedy will endure in my brain long after I've forgotten what I wrote on this list.

In addition to my Top 25, here are ten films that I found to be particularly memorable in a great year for movies. 

Honorable Mentions (Alphabetical)

BURNING- A film that demands absolute patience, slowly crafting a hypnotic allure for its audience. Frightening in its ambiguity.

CRAZY RICH ASIANS- 2018's splashiest romantic comedy, operating at the cross-section of cinematic extravagance, astute cultural analysis, and sharply observed drama.

DEADPOOL 2- Vulgar and violent, yes, but also surprisingly heartfelt for the Merc with a Mouth. Plus, David Leitch's action sequences never fail.

GEMINI- A wickedly delicious neo-noir, highlighted by neon-drenched locales and a score to die for. Clever and appropriately self-aware in its de-construction of genre tropes.

HOLD THE DARK- Jeremy Saulnier can't match the blunt force efficiency of Green Room, but this is another stark, horrifying, and downright inexplicable thriller. Precision and brutality galore.

MINDING THE GAP- The documentary of the year; an intersectional study of identity, poverty, and skateboarding that oscillates from heartbreaking to uplifting with remarkable grace.

READY PLAYER ONE- Spielberg returns to his roots with a distinctly Spielbergian spectacle of digital excess, featuring a healthy dose of nostalgia, some of the best action scenes of the year, and groundbreaking effects. Game on.

SEARCHING- The screen-based thriller grows a heart in Aneesh Chaganty's film, an observant study of digital identities that perfectly applies cinematic language to the online world.

WIDOWS- Steve McQueen delivers an economical epic in this sprawling collaboration with Gillian Flynn; a heist movie, a political saga, and a carefully crafted character piece, all set in the gentrified prison of modern Chicago.

WILDLIFE- The dead suburban souls of the 1950s are portrayed with humanity and honesty in Paul Dano's directorial debut, culminating in an unconventionally powerful family melodrama.

Now, without further delay, here is my list of the best films of 2018. 

The Top 25

25. MARY POPPINS RETURNS


Images: Disney/IMDb

You'll find few people more cynical about Disney's constant recycling of intellectual property than me. Remakes of The Lion King and Dumbo? Who cares. An Aladdin movie with Will Smith as the Genie? Give me a break. So imagine my surprise when Rob Marshall's Mary Poppins Returns- a sequel that exists simply to capitalize off a popular existing property- emerged as one of the more delightful experiences I had in the theater this year. Here is a film that knows how to do nostalgia right; there are no cloying winks at the audience, no spoonfuls of sugar, no supercalifragilisticexpealidocious. In fact, the closest thing there is to a self-aware reference comes when Mary says "Practically perfect in every way." Instead, Marshall and stars Emily Blunt and Lin Manuel Miranda use a familiar template to blaze a new trail, equipped with fresh songs, show-stopping numbers, animated bliss, and a gloriously cheery atmosphere. It's old-school magic with a heart of gold (Matt Zoller Seitz comes closest to echoing my feelings with this tweet), and in the most surprising twist of all, it packs an emotional punch. Joy.


24. MANDY


Images: RLJE Films/IMDb

"Whatchu hunting?"
"Jesus freaks."
"Didn't know they were in season."

A thoroughly crazy and genuinely trippy experience (even when viewed on a small screen), Panos Cosmatos' Mandy is a visual phantasmagoria of staggering proportions. The first half is a feast of languid, dreamy pacing, set in the lush woods of the Pacific Northwest, only for an excruciating tragedy to set the film ablaze. Soon enough, Nicolas Cage wields a chainsaw and goes to war against the demons and cult leaders of the religious right, accompanied by a healthy serving of out-of-this-world narcotics. After the enigmatic pleasures of Cosmatos' first feature, the director goes full gonzo here, combining unexpected poignancy and shocking violence to awe-inspiring effect. Cage, co-star Andrea Riseborough, and Linus Roache form a terrific trio of anger, humanity, and indignation, helping the film cast a hypnotic, unbelievably original spell. In my original review, I claimed this was the closest I'll get to taking psychedelics. I stand by it.


23. CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?


Images courtesy of Fox Searchlight

With all due respect to the soon-to-be Oscar-winning stars of the next entry on this list, Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant are the on-screen duo of the year in Marielle Heller's Can You Ever Forgive Me?, an appealing and sympathetic dramedy with just the right amount of acid-laced cruelty. After starring in two of the worst films of the year, McCarthy earned enough goodwill to overshadow a dozen comedic flops with this portrait of Lee Israel, a struggling writer whose bitterness is matched only by her inability to connect with others. Grant's Jack, a fellow outsider in the hustle and bustle of New York City, is the only one who can sympathize with Lee; together, they make a warpath toward criminal forgery and destruction in this playfully dark tale. Directed by Heller with a keen attention to both the gloomy atmosphere and these long-suffering characters, Can You Ever Forgive Me? maintains a striking balance between charming frivolity and honest vulnerability. One of two great New York movies featured in my Top 25, and the perfect opportunity for two terrific actors to show their range.


22. A STAR IS BORN


Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Picutres

Bradley Cooper took Hollywood by storm with A Star is Born, his heart-pounding rock opera of a directorial debut. If it's not a total grand slam, Cooper and co-star Lady Gaga come pretty damn close with this new iteration of a Tinseltown classic, crafting a love story that is as heartbreaking as it is dazzling. Like many great recent epics, Cooper walks an impossibly thin line between intimacy and grandeur; the film is equally effective during its low-key moments of affection and its sweeping concert sequences. Injecting a spirit of raw improvisation to each of the frantic musical numbers, Cooper proves to be a talented filmmaker with an eye that ranges from powerful understatement to extraordinary showmanship. But even if his chops beyond the camera are the surprise, it's his performance as Jackson Maine and his chemistry with Lady Gaga that make the story soar. Whether they're hanging out or belting out tunes, they're an electric pairing, bringing authentic spirit and emotion to a familiar story.


21. THE DEATH OF STALIN


Images: IFC Films/IMDb

An extraordinarily dark satire about power grabs and cutthroat dealings in the Soviet Union, The Death of Stalin is a film of vicious acidity, so pitch-black that it's matched only by the latest Yorgos Lanthimos project. Yes, it's a twisted look at how Communism became a feeding ground for cynics who never believed in the true cause, but it's also a ruthless look at political machinations and corruption in any system. Veep maestro Armando Iannucci returned to the movies to show everyone else how satire is really done, aiming for the jugular in ruthless fashion. How many other filmmakers can make you laugh at the flippant and random murder of millions of citizens? With plenty of dark twists and an ending that suggests perpetual doom for modern Russia, The Death of Stalin is a film so absurd and so unbelievable that you just know it all has to be true.


20. THE FAVOURITE


Images courtesy of Fox Searchlight

Yorgos Lanthimos entered the mainstream this year with The Favourite, a prickly royal comedy featuring a trio of titanic performances from Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, and Olivia Colman. But if anyone thought a more palatable subject would somehow diminish Lanthimos' meaner sensibilities, they were sorely mistaken. The filmmaker behind The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer tells stories of extreme viciousness and borderline cruelty, and this one is no exception. With the Greek auteur's immaculate composition guiding each and every frame, Queen Anne's court becomes a playground for a struggle between Sarah and Abigail, the most competitive and powerful servants of the petulant queen. If you've ever seen a Lanthimos movie, you know where things go from here- bleak absurdity, unexpected violence, and extraordinary suffering. But in the most unexpected twist of all, the film is also deeply empathetic, viewing each character's actions as a result of years of accumulated trauma. Hilarious and gorgeous, yes, but The Favourite lingers because of its unshakable air of tragedy.


19. VOX LUX


Images: NEON/IMDb

Some challenging arthouse movies find a way to get audiences into the theater through clever marketing campaigns and elaborate trickery. Others don't even bother at all.

Brady Corbet's Vox Lux falls firmly into the latter category; when your movie hinges on a disturbing school shooting in the first act, it's hard to convince many people to give it a chance. But for those willing to take the plunge into this sinister realm, Vox Lux is filled with abundant rewards- it's provocative and icy without ever reaching the level of pretension it's accused of indulging. With a dark heart of gruesome carnage and a scope that feels both intergalactic and profoundly spiritual, there's something consistently unnerving and chilling about Vox Lux's emotional distance, the way its risky choices and audacious sleights of hand manifest in Corbet's web. Yet for all its beauty (Lol Crawley's cinematography is stunning) and horror, the film is still involving and compulsively watchable, carried by the performances from Raffey Cassidy and Natalie Portman, two sides of the same pop coin that find themselves split over the course of a bifurcated narrative. Violence consumes this satirical representation of American superstardom- or maybe it's not all that satirical at all.


18. REVENGE


Images: NEON/IMDb

I love movie theaters as much as the next cinephile, but every now and then, a movie comes along that makes me grateful I can watch the latest hits from my laptop- just so I can pause when things get dicey. One of those movies was Coralie Fargeat's Revenge, an ingenious thriller that also functions as one of the bloodiest, nastiest films to grace screens in 2018. With fearless star Matilda Lutz as her muse, Fargeat stages some bleak, horrifically disturbing sequences- a nauseating rape, followed by an impalement that will send several viewers fleeing to the exists- before revealing just how brilliant her lead character truly is. The film is stylish and visually innovative, displaying the objectification suffered by its heroine only to aim for an ambitious point-of-view swap. Once Lutz's Jen cauterizes her wounds and preps for battle, Revenge becomes a spectacle of satisfying carnage- bloody, vicious, and exhilarating. It deserves its label as something of a new grindhouse classic, the kind of pure genre entertainment that announces the arrival of a bold new voice. 


17. PRIVATE LIFE


Images courtesy of Netflix

I can only call so many movies "authentic" before the word starts to lose all value, but if any movie deserves kudos for its grounded, genuine humanity, it's Tamara Jenkins' Private Life. A chronicle of the fertility challenges of struggling New York artists Rachel and Richard (Kathryn Hahn and Paul Giamatti, delivering two of the best performances of the year), this is a film that defies easy classification; it's a dramedy, sure, but somehow that feels diminutive. With a masterful degree of control, Jenkins is skilled at switching from cringe comedy to heartbreak in a matter of seconds, often without warning. One minute you're laughing at an obscure film reference or biting quip (Jenkins' sharp, honest script is one of the finest of this year- or any year), and the next you're in shock as our protagonists recall a particularly painful chapter in their never-ending journey. 

Weird doctors, complex family dynamics, a wonderfully rich New York setting- Private Life has no shortage of pathos or dramatic heft. It might break your heart, but its frank hilarity is undeniable. 


16. THE NIGHT COMES FOR US


Images courtesy of Netflix

Look, when an action masterpiece like Mission: Impossible- Fallout hits theaters in any given year, it makes things pretty tough for any other filmmaker working in the genre. But I have to give props to Timo Tjahjanto and company for giving it their best shot- The Night Comes for Us is absolutely incredible. Gareth Evans put the Indonesian martial arts genre on the global map with the Raid movies, only for Tjahjanto to blow it all out of the water in this crime saga, which boasts some of the most certifiably jaw-dropping fight scenes in recent memory. Two months after my first viewing, I can barely tell you anything about the story- I'm pretty sure Iko Uwais is hunting down Joe Taslim for betraying a powerful syndicate or something like that. But I do remember my intense physical reaction to the stabbings and the snapped arms, to each and every brutal kill crafted with insane precision- this is a movie that had me screaming and jumping out of my seat on a regular basis. For pure visceral thrills, The Night Comes for Us is as good as it gets. 


15. FIRST REFORMED


Images courtesy of A24

One of the few films to successfully capture the all-encompassing despair of 2018 (even though it originally premiered in 2017), Paul Schrader's First Reformed is like watching a man's nervous breakdown in real time, as spiritual faith and confidence in institutions erode beyond recognition. The man in question is Reverend Ernst Toller, played brilliantly by Ethan Hawke; Toller is a gentle man of God with an uncontrollable darkness growing inside him, an ailment that is both physical and existential. Using the patience and steadfast intensity of the formal masters as his guide, Schrader captures a story of pollution in its many forms- environmental, spiritual, religious, and personal, summarized by a glass of whiskey with a splash of Pepto lurking inside like an oil spill. It's a film with no dearth of interpretations or symbolic moments, so consumed by pervasive anguish that it'll likely take most viewers down this pitch-black road as well. Right now, First Reformed feels like an ominous warning. Decades from now, I fear its importance will only be intensified. 


14. BLACKKKLANSMAN


Images courtesy of Focus Features

Can change be instituted from inside a racist system?

This is the question director Spike Lee is negotiating throughout BlacKkKlansman, a terrifying and hilarious true story that doubles as a rightly infuriated political firebrand. The question itself also has a double application- it's just as essential to the internal conflict of Colorado Springs cop Ron Stallworth (John David Washington), the city's first African-American officer, as it is to this particular film's relationship with the history of the medium. Lee begins with footage of Gone with the Wind and later incorporates a large segment of D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation, shining a pointed and painful spotlight on cinema's direct relationship to a very ugly history and questioning if that history can ever be fully vanquished. Inseparable from Klansman's political smarts is its sharply written script, which veers from comic lunacy to pure anger with unparalleled precision. Lee, Washington, and co-star Adam Driver stick it to the racists, only to remind us that this ugliness is a constant in American life.


13. GAME NIGHT


Images courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

In late February, I sat down for a double feature of John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein's Game Night and Alex Garland's Annihilation. If you asked me then which of these two films would end up on my Top 25 list at the end of the year, I certainly wouldn't have picked the comedy about a competitive couple who become entangled in a criminal conspiracy. And yet, here we are. Few movies delivered as much unadulterated pleasure as Game Night, which will likely go down as one of the finest studio comedies of the decade. Every little piece of the puzzle is perfectly in place- a wonderful ensemble (with a scene-stealing turn from Jesse Plemons), twists aplenty, a script that barrels forward like a freight train. Previously known for a critically maligned reboot of Vacation, Daley and Goldstein imbue each frame with kinetic energy and visual wit; who can forget that wicked tracking shot with the Faberge egg? Clever without devolving into immaturity and twisty without ever getting too convoluted, Game Night deserved so much more than the cool reception it received upon its release.


12. (TIE) AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR & BLACK PANTHER


Images: Marvel/IMDb

Yes, I'm cheating a bit this year. But it's difficult for me to separate the spectacular appeal of 2018's Marvel extravaganzas, both of which deserve to be counted among the best films the studio has ever made. In many ways, Joe and Anthony Russo's Avengers: Infinity War and Ryan Coogler's Black Panther couldn't be more different- the former is the blockbuster culmination of a decade of stories, the latter is a cultural celebration that could be appreciated by Marvel aficionados and average moviegoers alike. Yet both represent the pinnacle of what Marvel studio chief Kevin Feige has created over a decade, showcasing everything from complex characters to operatic narratives of mythic proportions. With its universe-decimating cliff-hanger and epic assortment of characters, Infinity War changed the Marvel Cinematic Universe forever, leaving fans breathlessly awaiting next year's climatic Endgame. But by presenting the ideological clash between King T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) and Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), Black Panther blazed a trail to change Hollywood for a generation.


11. SUSPIRIA


Images courtesy of Amazon Studios

Perhaps the only 2018 movie to provoke more split reactions than Vox Lux was Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria, a remake of the Dario Argento film that turned a classic of Italian horror into an audacious and frightening socio-political epic. Of course, bloodthirsty fans and gorehounds had no reason to be /concerned- Guadagnino's film is still a splatter fest, filled with snapped bones, exploding heads, and the physical embodiment of death itself. It's a film so shockingly intense that I could barely breathe by the end; I was completely and totally caught up in the sheer madness of it all. But once you get past the ritualistic bloodshed, it's abundantly clear that the Italian auteur has, in addition to expanding on his predilections for bodily ecstasy and tangible moods, built a classic reflection of the patriarchy's legacy of violence. It's the opposite of Call Me By Your Name in every way, yet it contains that same kind of palpable feeling, replacing all-pervasive sensuality for omnipresent dread. The themes are dense and challenging- even writing an academic paper hasn't led me any closer to a complete theory- but as a horrifying experience, Suspiria is unrivaled.


10. THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS


Images courtesy of Netflix

When Joel and Ethan Coen's The Ballad of Buster Scruggs premiered at this year's jam-packed Venice Film Festival, the response was fairly tepid. But when the duo's latest Western was revealed to audiences and critics in November, it was hard not to wonder what the early festival-goers had missed. With six stories of violence and greed in the Old West, the Coens have another classic on their hands- a wildly entertaining anthology story built on a foundation of existential and spiritual ambiguity. A difficult film to review and an even more difficult film to summarize in a few sentences, Buster Scruggs is a lush and wickedly funny piece of work; its six chapters span from musical pastiche to old-fashioned romanticism while consistently maintaining the tremendous craftsmanship. The supporting performances alone are deserving of a refined essay- Tim Blake Nelson, Zoe Kazan, Harry Melling, and Bill Heck are all beyond terrific. Everyone will take away something different from the film as a whole, but it's all working toward a fascinating ethos. Mortal futility plays out in different ways, but there's nothing to say- we're only watching. 


9. IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK


Images courtesy of Annapurna

When I sat down to watch my screener of Barry Jenkins' If Beale Street Could Talk, I felt a strange mix of emotions. This was absolutely one of my favorite movies of the year, but after watching Moonlight at its North American TIFF premiere, it somehow felt wrong to be watching the James Baldwin adaptation on a DVD in my living room. Yet during my first viewing, there was a moment where I covered my face, practically gasping for air as I stared forward in a sort of awestruck wonderment. After the emotional powerhouse of Moonlight (which I love more and more each day), Jenkins proves that no matter the venue, no matter the size of the screen, he can conjure pure emotion like no other filmmaker working today. The story of Tish (KiKi Layne) and Fonny (Stephan James), a beautiful couple separated by a cruel and heartless criminal justice system, is rendered with a nearly surreal attention to feeling, with the smallest gestures and the most exquisite close-ups building to something overwhelming. From Nicholas Britell's essential score to James Laxton's rich images and Caroline Estelin's flawless costume work, Jenkins' latest demonstrates a stunning unity of form and emotional sensation. The results are undeniably powerful.


8. YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE


Images: Amazon/IMDb

Even in a great year for horror movies, few movies provoke a feeling of absolute and total panic quite like Lynne Ramsay's You Were Never Really Here, an abstract nightmare disguised as a concise and harrowing thriller. Formally, this is one of the most daring movies of the year- relentless sonic close-ups to create an uncontrollable atmosphere of anxiety, an electrifying and jittery score by Jonny Greenwood, the outstanding emphasis on empty spaces and minor gestures, a straight-forward, no-frills approach to cinematic violence. But as a portrait of internalized pain and trauma- the culmination of childhood abuse and PTSD- You Were Never Really Here is a shocking, full-body whirlwind of terror and emotion, bolstered by Joaquin Phoenix's career-defining turn as Joe. This is a man who has seen hell and experiences it on a daily basis- there may be no going back to the normal world for him. It's sympathetic and economical, told with a level of sensory intensity that seemingly knows no bounds. You will be shaken to the core. 


7. ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE


Images courtesy of Orion Pictures

There may have been "better" movies in 2018 (whatever the hell that means), but I adore few 2018 movies more than John McPhail's Anna and the Apocalypse. While this delightfully weird zombie musical (it's also a Christmas movie!) was on my radar for months, I didn't expect to fall head over heels in love with everything about it- the endearing cast, the pitch-perfect songs, the outstanding and unexpected mix of tones and emotions. McPhail crafts a goofy balance of gory kills and show-stopping numbers, but this is a high school movie first and foremost, understanding the trials and tribulations of Ella Hunt's Anna and Malcolm Cumming's John from that Hughesian angle. But as the centerpiece number indicates, there's no such thing as a "Hollywood Ending" when the apocalypse hits. I laughed, I teared up a bit, and I've listened to the soundtrack for weeks now. I have very few perennial holiday favorites, but I'm destined to rewatch Anna and the Apocalypse for years.


6. COLD WAR


Images courtesy of Amazon Studios

When you're in love, time doesn't matter.

Pawel Pawlikowski's Cold War is not a silent film, but it might as well be; everything is communicated on such a passionate level of feeling that words somehow feel irrelevant. With each glance, Pawlikowski crafts a love story for the ages, chronicling over a decade of history through the eyes of two star-crossed lovers in mid-century Poland. The result is an experimental epic- the film runs just over 80 minutes but carries the emotional weight of a dozen masterpieces. Tomasz Kot and Joanna Kulig give astounding performances as Wiktor and Zula, bringing to life this relationship with an unbelievable level of expressive pain and passion. Bolstered and practically consumed by Lukasz Zal's rich, vibrant black-and-white cinematography, Cold War's raw power is virtually unmatched- a simple portrayal of a love affair that will break hearts around the world. In the end, all you can do is hope things get better on the other side.


5. EIGHTH GRADE


Images courtesy of A24 

No movie this year inspires a reaction of extreme awkwardness quite like Bo Burnham's Eighth Grade, a cinematic time capsule of the 2010s that somehow captures a feeling that defies any particular era. From the much-discussed pool scene to an encounter with a predatory high school kid in the back of a van to cringe-worthy teachers and sex ed lessons, this stunning portrait of perpetually nervous middle schooler Kayla Day (Elsie Fisher) is overflowing with pained, anxiety-inducing authenticity. It's an astute examination of how technology has made life a living hell for an entire generation of teenagers, but it's primarily a character study, one that would be impossible without Fisher's towering turn. In my mind, this is the performance of the year- she carries the tension of the story in every gesture and vocal intonation, making every audience member adore this outsider along the way. Burnham, making the transition from stand-up comedy to writing and directing, proves himself to be a natural, tethering his camera to Kayla's orbit and crafting an observational near-masterpiece.


4. FIRST MAN


Images: Universal/IMDb

Damien Chazelle became an Oscar darling and a directorial superstar with the dazzling one-two punch of Whiplash and La La Land, earning raves for his explorations of the opportunity cost of fantastical aspirations. In a radical change of pace, Chazelle, star Ryan Gosling, and composer Justin Hurwitz (his score here is one of the finest of the year) chose to go to the moon with First Man, while still finding a thematic connection to their previous collaborations in Neil Armstrong's history-defining journey. In depicting the grueling ruthlessness of space, Chazelle spares no expense- shades of Nolan and Kubrick's glorious odysseys dominate the frame, only for the clouds of death, human cost, and sheer terror to undermine the feeling of awe. But the palpable tension of Armstrong's adventure is usurped by the emotional weight of the endeavor, as Chazelle attempts to explain how grief and trauma can be channeled into an all-consuming accomplishment. Gosling, with his deeply internal interpretation, delivers the performance of the year, revealing cracks in the emotional armor before burying his pain deep inside. Despite the controversy, this is one of 2018's few epics- powerful and expansive, yet intimate beyond compare.


3. PADDINGTON 2


Images courtesy of Warner Bros. Picutres

I don't know why so many great children's movies make me cry, but looks like I can safely add another tear-jerking classic to the list. In something of a down year for animated films (lots of good ones, nothing great), younger audiences and families were blessed with the gift of Paul King's Paddington 2, a wonderfully pure and honest sequel that surpasses its predecessor and towers above other family entertainment without breaking a sweat. Yes, this was the very first 2018 movie I saw, but it has remained one of my favorites of the year since day one. In many ways, this is the best movie Wes Anderson never made, filled with whimsical spirit and quirky designs- there's even a prison escape that beautifully evokes The Grand Budapest Hotel. There's so much to love here that it's almost daunting- crisp action scenes, a playful score, Hugh Grant's perfect supporting turn, King and Simon Farnaby's tight, honest script. But the film's most essential element is the indefatigable Paddington Brown, a beacon of optimism and purity in a world where ugly politics seem to dominate the discourse. Voiced by Ben Whishaw (who also made me cry in Mary Poppins), Paddington is infinitely lovable and earnest- he makes the world a better place just by being his hopeful self. Try to stop waterworks when he's reunited with his Aunt Lucy. I guarantee you'll fail.


2. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE- FALLOUT


Images: Paramount/IMDb

The franchise that keeps making everyone ask "How did they possibly do that?" strikes again. Prior to the release of Mission: Impossible- Fallout, Tom Cruise had already climbed the tallest building in the world, held his breath underwater for several minutes, and embarked on a daring motorcycle chase. And of course, who could forget when he jumped onto the wing of an airplane at the start of Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation. The guy set a pretty high bar for himself.

Over the course of 147 heart-stopping, pulse-pounding minutes, Cruise found a way to surpass his previous achievements with an extravaganza of some of the craziest stunts ever committed to film. Fallout has it all- the HALO jump, the bathroom fight, a motorcycle sequence that makes Rogue Nation's chase look like CGI fluff, a foot race that broke Cruise's ankle, dueling helicopters, the list goes on. Not only does Cruise top his previous stunts, but each epic scene in the film somehow tops the last. When you put it together, Christopher McQuarrie's film emerges a masterpiece of propulsive magic, a gorgeously crafted spectacle that thrives on the revving of engines and the bursts of gunfire; it's raw, pure action, told on a mind-blowing scale.

Oh, you're wondering about the story? Honestly, who cares. After an opening burst of exposition, Fallout hits the gas and never stops. And the film world is all the better for it.


1. HEREDITARY


Images courtesy of A24

"So does that make it more tragic or less tragic than if he has a choice?"

On my third viewing of Ari Aster's Hereditary, I didn't expect for a brief and seemingly inconsequential scene in a high school classroom to provide new insight into what makes this horror masterpiece so effective- and so frightening. In discussing the story of Hericles, Peter's (Alex Wolff) high school English teach addresses the notion of control, specifically zeroing in on the intersection of tragedy and fate. The scene exists to establish Peter's weed-smoking laziness, but a response from another student ultimately comes to define Aster's film:

"If it's all just inevitable, then that means the characters have no hope. They never had hope."

Hereditary is the most hopeless film I saw in 2018, and it's also the best. It is one of the scariest- and most tragic- films I've seen in my life precisely because the characters have no hope, because they are bound by something elemental and horrifying, something that began well before they were born and will continue on well after they die. Peter, Annie (Toni Collette), Steve (Gabriel Byrne), Charlie (Milly Shaprio)- their fates were sealed well before this story began. The bonds of family reveal a sinister connection, secrets buried deep in the recesses of the subconscious and hidden within old photo albums and records. One of the defining images of the film is a model of a house, which in turn is stacked upon several more houses. Not every family belongs to King Paimon's cult of mischief, but there's something universal in Aster's approach that makes it all the more unnerving.

While the film is certainly short on levity, it is still very much a genre effort- and no amount of purported "elevation" can stop it from being a devilish kind of fun. Miraculously, this is a debut film, and yet Aster already seems to be in full command of his craft; his use of space and atmosphere, his evocation of dread, and the sheer force of the musical score culminate in what is simply an astounding effort. When it all comes crashing down in the finale, I always feel a nearly unparalleled kind of terror, mixed with a feeling of total bewilderment that this somehow works so well.

Even in the middle of a horror boom, Hereditary is one for the ages- a heart-pounding, skin-crawling work of horror that delivers incisive depth and stomach-churning cruelty in equal measure. I can't wait to see what Aster does next.


And just like that, 2018 is in the books. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who made this an incredible year. I look forward to doing it all over again in 2019.

Happy New Year!

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