My 50 Favorite Movies I Watched in 2018
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- DirectorAri AsterStarsToni ColletteMilly ShapiroGabriel ByrneA grieving family is haunted by tragic and disturbing occurrences.Coco could've easily had this #1, but this is easily one of the best horror movies of all time. Spirit-crushing in the bestest, bestest way.
- DirectorLee UnkrichAdrian MolinaStarsAnthony GonzalezGael García BernalBenjamin BrattAspiring musician Miguel, confronted with his family's ancestral ban on music, enters the Land of the Dead to find his great-great-grandfather, a legendary singer.Balling my eyes out in a Lviv Airbnb never felt so good. Between this and Inside Out, Pixar is just on another level right now.
- DirectorLuca GuadagninoStarsTimothée ChalametArmie HammerMichael StuhlbargIn 1980s Italy, romance blossoms between a seventeen-year-old student and the older man hired as his father's research assistant.Just absolutely devastating. Yo, I liked The Shape of Water but who in their right mind would choose that over this?
- DirectorNae CaranfilStarsMircea DiaconuGheorghe DinicaMara NicolescuOvidiu, a high-school teacher looking for an extra buck, finds an unexpected way to earn easy money.Ya know, just decided to watch some Romanian flick while I was in Romania, and oh my lord, so glad I did. This thing is perfect. Deserves 100,000 votes on here.
- DirectorKirby DickStarsBob FlanaganSheree RoseKathe BurkhartDiagnosed with cystic fibrosis from a young age, performance artist Bob Flanagan shared his life and pain in his art, usually through sadomasochistic practices.My favorite type of flick warms your heart, then beats it to a bloody pulp. This is the perfect example.
- DirectorDamián SzifronStarsDarío GrandinettiMaría MarullMónica VillaSix short stories that explore the extremities of human behavior involving people in distress.Thanks Odette for the rec, cuz I'd never even HEARD of this. Freakin' awesome, loved all the stories to death.
- DirectorShôgo FuruyaSatoshi KonStarsTôru EmoriYoshiaki UmegakiAya OkamotoOn Christmas Eve, three homeless people living on the streets of Tokyo discover a newborn baby among the trash and set out to find its parents.Different from Kon's other work in that it's not mind-blowing in the "WTF" sense, it is mind-blowing in how wonderful this here film is. Watched it with Lally and it was very nice.
- DirectorNa Hong-jinStarsJun KunimuraHwang Jung-minKwak Do-wonSoon after a stranger arrives in a little village, a mysterious sickness starts spreading. A policeman, drawn into the incident, is forced to solve the mystery in order to save his daughter.Just magnificent. Who knows where this will go next? Powerful Korean horror, idk if I was mature enough for something like I Saw the Devil in high school, but this rocks now.
- DirectorSean BakerStarsBrooklynn PrinceBria VinaiteWillem DafoeSet over one summer, the film follows precocious six-year-old Moonee as she courts mischief and adventure with her ragtag playmates and bonds with her rebellious but caring mother, all while living in the shadows of Walt Disney World.Almost made me cry! So well-done! Sad movies about kids, man, how do I say no to that?
- DirectorAlejandro AmenábarStarsAna TorrentFele MartínezEduardo NoriegaWhile doing a thesis about violence, Ángela finds a snuff video where a girl is tortured until death. Soon she discovers that the girl was a former student in her faculty...Another whirlwind of a thriller, a mystery/horror/thriller thing that's actually done right.
- DirectorMorgan NevilleStarsFred RogersMargaret WhitmerTom JunodAn exploration of the life, lessons, and legacy of iconic children's television host Fred Rogers.Man, get your heart so warmed. This is a perfect documentary of a perfect man.
- DirectorMartin McDonaghStarsFrances McDormandWoody HarrelsonSam RockwellA mother personally challenges the local authorities to solve her daughter's murder when they fail to catch the culprit.This is McDonagh clicking at his best, some wonderful plot devices that keep you guessing partnered with amazing performances.
- DirectorOlivier AssayasStarsKristen StewartLars EidingerSigrid BouazizA personal shopper in Paris refuses to leave the city until she makes contact with her twin brother who previously died there. Her life becomes more complicated when a mysterious person contacts her via text message.If A Ghost Story from last year was this concept done completely wrong, this is this concept done completely right. I love love love this film.
- DirectorOlivier NakacheÉric ToledanoStarsFrançois CluzetOmar SyAnne Le NyAfter he becomes a quadriplegic from a paragliding accident, an aristocrat hires a young man from the projects to be his caregiver.Yeahhh, bud! Put off watching this for so many years cuz I was convinced I would one day be good enough at French to watch it and understand it, but surprise I wasn't and it was still great.
- DirectorSatoshi KonStarsJunko IwaoRica MatsumotoShinpachi TsujiA pop singer gives up her career to become an actress, but she slowly goes insane when she starts being stalked by an obsessed fan and what seems to be a ghost of her past.Dammit, Satoshi Kon, why'd they have to take you away from us so soon?! This is an absolute mind trip, one-of-a-kind and wonderful.
- DirectorMikhail KalatozovStarsTatyana SamoylovaAleksey BatalovVasiliy MerkurevVeronica plans a rendezvous with her lover, Boris, at the bank of river, only for him to be drafted into World War II shortly thereafter.K, time for more Soviet cinema in 2019. Takes a familiar plot, but films it with so much gusto and emotion that you can't help but be swept up.
- DirectorClaude BarrasStarsGaspard SchlatterSixtine MuratPaulin JaccoudAfter losing his mother, a young boy is sent to an orphanage with other orphans his age where he begins to learn the meaning of trust and true love.I can't believe there's an Eisbar dance sequence in this flick. This whole thing is just wonderful.
- DirectorNicholas VersoStarsToby WallaceGulliver McGrathMitzi RuhlmannOn Halloween 1997, two estranged teen skaters embark on a surreal journey through their memories, dreams and fears.A delight! A strangely perfect Halloween watch, gets a strange mood down pat despite some rather obvious symbolism tricks.
- DirectorLouie PsihoyosStarsRichard O'BarryLouie PsihoyosHardy JonesUsing state-of-the-art equipment, a group of activists, led by renowned dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry, infiltrate a cove near Taijii, Japan to expose both a shocking instance of animal abuse and a serious threat to human health.To be honest, I often don't know how to compare documentary worth with narrative worth. What a great documentary though!
- DirectorBo BurnhamStarsElsie FisherJosh HamiltonEmily RobinsonAn introverted teenage girl tries to survive the last week of her disastrous eighth grade year before leaving to start high school.You did good, Bo. Just too unflinchingly realistic and awkward. Real good stuff.
- DirectorTim HetheringtonSebastian JungerStarsThe Men of Battle Company 2nd of the 503rd Infantry Regiment 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat TeamJuan 'Doc RestrepoDan KearneyA year with one platoon in the deadliest valley in Afghanistan.It takes a special kind of person to make a documentary like this. I'm glad those people exist.
- DirectorAva DuVernayStarsMelina AbdullahMichelle AlexanderCory BookerAn in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.Superb documentary; gave me lots to think about.
- DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsKen'ichi EndôShungiku UchidaKazushi WatanabeA troubled and perverted family find their lives intruded by a mysterious stranger who seems to help find a balance in their disturbing natures.Just a masterpiece of WTFery. Miike is a genius when he wants to be.
- DirectorMilos FormanStarsJim CarreyDanny DeVitoGerry BeckerThe life and career of legendary comedian Andy Kaufman.Comedic Jim Carrey is what we deserve; dramatic Jim Carrey is a taste at what we could be.
- DirectorAng LeeStarsChow Yun-FatMichelle YeohZiyi ZhangA young Chinese warrior steals a sword from a famed swordsman and then escapes into a world of romantic adventure with a mysterious man in the frontier of the nation.Y'know, wire-fu occasionally reaching the realm of art cinema is A-OK with me.
- DirectorSean ByrneStarsEthan EmbryShiri ApplebyPruitt Taylor VinceA struggling painter's possessed by dark forces after he and his young family move into their dream home in rural Texas, in this creepy haunted-house tale.Damn, this was good. Mom couldn't even take it. Kept me pretty riveted, thought it was better than The Loved Ones and I liked that quite a bit.
- DirectorJulius AveryStarsJovan AdepoWyatt RussellMathilde OllivierA small group of American soldiers find horror behind enemy lines on the eve of D-Day.I have literally no idea how this was a wide release film. Utterly bonkers and so, so much fun.
- DirectorJames PonsoldtStarsJason SegelJesse EisenbergAnna ChlumskyThe story of the five-day interview between Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky and acclaimed novelist David Foster Wallace, which took place right after the 1996 publication of Wallace's groundbreaking epic novel, 'Infinite Jest.'Linklaterian in the sense that it's just people talking to each other for 100 minutes, but I love me some Linklater. Makes me wanna read Infinite Jest.
- DirectorJohn KrasinskiStarsEmily BluntJohn KrasinskiMillicent SimmondsA family struggles for survival in a world where most humans have been killed by blind but noise-sensitive creatures. They are forced to communicate in sign language to keep the creatures at bay.Glad Ostrava was playing this while I was there. Dunno if I would've enjoyed it as much outside of a theater, but this was superbly well-done. We're in a horror renaissance, folks!
- DirectorJoe D'AmatoStarsKieran CanterCinzia MonrealeFranca StoppiA disturbed young taxidermist exhumes his recently deceased girlfriend, brings her body to his family villa and proceeds to embalm her corpse, with help from his strange housekeeper. But his bouts of insanity are just beginning.Wow, not very often one of these flicks actually disturbs me, but this is just pure scum. Only worthwhile D'Amato flick I've seen.
- DirectorGuillermo del ToroStarsSally HawkinsOctavia SpencerMichael ShannonAt a top secret research facility in the 1960s, a lonely janitor forms a unique relationship with an amphibious creature that is being held in captivity.Trailed Spotlight (#15) and Moonlight (#26) and there were better films in the Best Picture race (cough cough Get Out cough cough), but a fun little fantasy flick! More fish sex flicks plz!
- DirectorJames FrancoStarsJames FrancoDave FrancoAri GraynorWhen aspiring actor Greg Sestero meets the weird and mysterious Tommy Wiseau in an acting class, they form a unique friendship and travel to Hollywood to make their dreams come true.I like the book better! That doesn't mean this is the perfect story and that it is very, very well-done here. Thank God they didn't screw this up.
- DirectorMichael FischaStarsWilliam BumillerBrenda BakkeMerritt ButrickGruesome deaths begin to occur at a hip Los Angeles health club.This movie is perfect. I don't understand how both this and Killer Workout, the only two workout horrors of the '80s, can be two of the best horrors of the '80s.
- DirectorFrank CapraStarsJean ArthurJames StewartLionel BarrymoreThe son of a snobbish Wall Street banker becomes engaged to a woman from a good-natured but decidedly eccentric family not realizing that his father is trying to force her family from their home for a real estate development.Frank Capra can do no wrong. He never disappoints. Add Jimmy Stewart and I'M IN, buddy.
- DirectorMervyn LeRoyStarsNancy KellyPatty McCormackGage ClarkeRhoda Penmark seems like your average, sweet eight-year-old girl. After her rival at school dies in mysterious circumstances at the school picnic, her mother starts to suspect that Rhoda was responsible.Another great example of pre-60s horror being better than I expected it to be. Deserves its status as a minor classic.
- DirectorTim WardleStarsRobert ShafranMichael DomnitzHoward SchneiderIn 1980 New York, three young men who were all adopted meet each other and find out they're triplets who were separated at birth. But their quest to find out why turns into a bizarre and sinister mystery.Pretty unbelievable documentary that occasionally overplays its hand, but keeps you guessing throughout.
- DirectorLeigh WhannellStarsLogan Marshall-GreenMelanie VallejoSteve DanielsenSet in the near-future, technology controls nearly all aspects of life. But when the world of Grey, a self-labeled technophobe, is turned upside down, his only hope for revenge is an experimental computer chip implant.Goddamn, this was fun. Like, so much fun. Beginning to end fun. Should really only watch A24 & Blumhouse flicks anymore.
- DirectorJonathan GlazerStarsScarlett JohanssonJeremy McWilliamsLynsey Taylor MackayA mysterious young woman seduces lonely men in the evening hours in Scotland. However, events lead her to begin a process of self-discovery.Wonderful art-house horror/sci-fi/I-don't-even-know with an absurdly good score and a number of scenes that'll stick with you.
- DirectorJames WhaleStarsClaude RainsGloria StuartWilliam HarriganA scientist finds a way of becoming invisible, but in doing so, he becomes murderously insane.I generally don't like pre-1960s horror very much, but this is a glorious exception. Very, very well-done despite its generic 1930s trappings.
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsChris EvansJamie BellTilda SwintonIn a future where a failed climate change experiment has killed all life except for the survivors who boarded the Snowpiercer (a train that travels around the globe), a new class system emerges.New Year's Revolution: Watch more Korean-directed movies in 2019. They're onto something. Great fun sci-fi.
- DirectorBoots RileyStarsLaKeith StanfieldTessa ThompsonJermaine FowlerIn an alternate present-day version of Oakland, telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success, propelling him into a universe of greed.Huh, weird. Awesome this is a first-time director + he's mostly a musician. Had some problems with it, but sporadically genius.
- DirectorBenny SafdieJosh SafdieStarsRobert PattinsonBenny SafdieJennifer Jason LeighAfter a botched bank robbery lands his younger brother in prison, Connie Nikas embarks on a twisted odyssey through New York City's underworld to get his brother Nick out of jail.Took me to many places I was not expecting to go. Hell yeah, Rob. Kept me going real good.
- DirectorPedro AlmodóvarStarsCecilia RothMarisa ParedesCandela PeñaA comedy-drama about a bereaved mother, and overwrought actress, her jealous lover, and a pregnant nun.Second stab at Almodovar, and this one went way better than the first. Wacky plot, great characters, overall great time.
- DirectorDavid Gordon GreenStarsJamie Lee CurtisJudy GreerAndi MatichakLaurie Strode confronts her long-time foe, Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago.Just like the It remake last year, this was better than it had any right to be. Managed to be really funny without letting the laughs interrupt the scares.
- DirectorMizuho NishikuboMamoru OshiiStarsAtsuko TanakaIemasa KayumiAkio ÔtsukaA cyborg policewoman and her partner hunt a mysterious and powerful hacker called the Puppet Master.I'm gonna be completely honest and say I have no idea what happened in this, but occasionally mind-altering and great.
- DirectorTom DeSimoneStarsLinda BlairVincent Van PattenPeter BartonFour college pledges are forced to spend the night in a deserted old mansion, where they are stalked by the monstrous survivor of a family massacre years earlier.Hell Night does the unthinkable and manages to create slasher characters you actually care about. Who'da thunk it?!
- DirectorWes CravenStarsNeve CampbellCourteney CoxDavid ArquetteTwo years after the first series of murders, as Sidney acclimates to college life, someone donning the Ghostface costume begins a new string of killings.Can't say no to this one! Funny I've went all these years without seeing it, but Craven & Co. know what they're doing.
- DirectorÁlex de la IglesiaStarsÁlex AnguloArmando De RazzaSantiago SeguraBent on committing as many sins as possible to avert the birth of the beast, a Catholic priest teams up with a Black Metal aficionado and an Italian connoisseur of the occult. Now, he must become an unrelenting sinner. Is there still hope?Weird one. Thought I was going to like it more tbh, but cool to be in Madrid while watching. Some real fun scenes and great climax.
- DirectorBuddy CooperJohn DouglassStarsMatt MitlerRuth MartinezBill HitchcockA college student, who accidentally killed his mother as a child, decides to take his friends to his father's fishing cabin during fall break, not knowing that his crazed father is stalking the place.It was a pretty great year for slasher watching this year, and this is one of the better ones. Surprisingly gory and wonderfully fun.
- DirectorLuigi BazzoniMario FanelliStarsFlorinda BolkanPeter McEneryNicoletta ElmiAfter being tormented by dreams about astronauts on the moon, a translator visits a deserted seaside town whose inhabitants know her, although she does not know them.A delightfully strange Italian work, hallucinatory and one-of-a-kind.