My Favourite Films of 2018
The following list includes my personal favorite films released in the UK in 2018. Note that this is my personal informal list, and your views may differ, alongside the fact that there are many fantastic films released this year that I have not yet been able to see, partly due to limited releases or differing release dates between the UK and other countries.
Some films I was unable to catch include Widows, Dragged Across Concrete, Vox Lux, Leave No Trace, Green Book and The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.
My honorable mentions include:
You Were Never Really Here
If Beale Street Could Talk
The Other Side of the Wind
Avengers: Infinity War
Let the Sunshine In
Some films I was unable to catch include Widows, Dragged Across Concrete, Vox Lux, Leave No Trace, Green Book and The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.
My honorable mentions include:
You Were Never Really Here
If Beale Street Could Talk
The Other Side of the Wind
Avengers: Infinity War
Let the Sunshine In
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- DirectorCarlos López EstradaStarsDaveed DiggsRafael CasalJanina GavankarWhile on probation, a man begins to re-evaluate his relationship with his volatile best friend.BlacKkKlansman may be one of the best films of the year, but it's pitted to the post by Blindspotting. It tackles so many prevalent issues with respect, grace and comedy. Blindspotting is so many different things that shouldn't mesh together this perfectly. But they do. Just go watch it already.
- DirectorWes AndersonStarsBryan CranstonKoyu RankinEdward NortonSet in Japan, Isle of Dogs follows a boy's odyssey in search of his lost dog.Wes Anderson. Stop-motion. Bill Murray. Dogs. Japan. More please.
- DirectorDavid Robert MitchellStarsAndrew GarfieldRiley KeoughTopher GraceSam, a disenchanted young man, finds a mysterious woman swimming in his apartment's pool one night. The next morning, she disappears. Sam sets off across LA to find her, and along the way he uncovers a conspiracy far more bizarre.Under the Silver Lake has been floating around the festival circuit for what seems like an age. David Robert Mitchell's follow-up to It Follows is the paranoid birthchild of Mulholland Drive and Inherent Vice for the 21st century. It navigates genre, from fun mystery thriller, to stoner comedy, to horror, then melancholic romance. Under the Silver Lake is hard to describe, but trying and uncover its many mysteries is some of the most fun you'll have with a film.
- DirectorDavid LoweryStarsRobert RedfordCasey AffleckSissy SpacekBased on the true story of Forrest Tucker and his audacious escape from San Quentin at the age of 70 to an unprecedented string of heists that confounded authorities and enchanted the public.Robert Redford's swansong is nothing short of a curtain-call worth a standing ovation. Lowery once again proves his mettle as a master director of personal stories following his 2017 effort A Ghost Story. Redford is charming as ever, and its unconventional conclusion is mirrors the passion Redford has for his craft in a pitch perfect way.
- DirectorJonah HillStarsSunny SuljicKatherine WaterstonLucas HedgesFollows Stevie, a thirteen-year-old in 1990s-era Los Angeles who spends his summer navigating between his troubled home life and a group of new friends that he meets at a Motor Avenue skate shop.Jonah Hill's directorial debut is not so much about the mid-90s as it is about family, and how love, or absence of it, can drive people to their extremes. What initially appears a laddish, somewhat immature time capsule levels out into a touching account of a young boy's search for acceptance and a cautionary tale of the dangers of growing up too fast.
- DirectorKogonadaStarsJohn ChoHaley Lu RichardsonParker PoseyA Korean-born man finds himself stuck in Columbus, Indiana, where his architect father is in a coma. The man meets a young woman who wants to stay in Columbus with her mother, a recovering addict, instead of pursuing her own dreams.A meditative character study touching on the lasting influence of parenthood and the importance of ambition, Kogonada's debut feature is a quiet duologue that leaves lasting impact. The cinematography and shot structure is impeccable in its precision, elevating the central drama driven by John Cho's vulnerable performance the likes of which we haven't seen from him before.
- DirectorChristopher McQuarrieStarsTom CruiseHenry CavillVing RhamesEthan Hunt and his IMF team, along with some familiar allies, race against time after a mission gone wrong.There are action movies, and then there's Mission: Impossible - Fallout. The stunts are yet unmatched by its contemporaries (until the next instalment comes along). Cruise's dedication to creating entertainment of the highest order is painfully prevalent here, and his latest effort may well be his best.
- DirectorSpike LeeStarsJohn David WashingtonAdam DriverLaura HarrierRon Stallworth, an African American police officer from Colorado Springs, Colorado, successfully infiltrates the local Ku Klux Klan branch aided by a Jewish surrogate who eventually becomes its leader. Based on actual events.Spike Lee is a hot-and-cold director, some of his work proving remarkable, socially-conscious experiences, others simply fading into his bloated backlog. BlacKkKlansman is in the former camp, telling an otherwise horrific story with equal parts comedy and sensibility. In short, it's his best work in years.
- DirectorBradley CooperStarsLady GagaBradley CooperSam ElliottA musician helps a young singer find fame as age and alcoholism send his own career into a downward spiral.Enough has been said about Bradley Cooper's remake of this time-worn tale, but that doesn't mean it's anything short of spectacular. Lady Gaga charges the awards race with a surprisingly nuanced performance, holding her own against Cooper and Elliot. The way the live performance sequences are handled result in exhilarating nuggets of brilliance sprinkled across a stellar revival of a similar story. This is how remakes should be done.
- DirectorSam LevinsonStarsOdessa YoungAbraSuki WaterhouseAfter a malicious data hack exposes the secrets of the perpetually American town of Salem, chaos descends and four girls must fight to survive, while coping with the hack themselves.When I saw this at London Film Festival, it garnered gleeful reactions from audiences. Later, upon further release, I was unsurprised to find it received lukewarm reactions. It's a nasty film that doesn't dance around it's subject matter. It is blatant, unsubtle, almost ham-fisted with its socio-political agenda. If you can look past this, you'll go on to enjoy a modern retelling of the Salem Witch Trials, complete with frenetic editing, head-spinning camerawork and a cool-as-ice aesthetic, but for some, that's definitely going to be a big ask.