Top Ten of 2018 - Discussion Thread

You know I disagree with you on El Royale, but the others are tough to argue against.

First man might have been my least favorite movie of the year. Only one I actively considered walking out of multiple times. But had to see the moon payoff.

10. Suspiria


This is probably one of the more mixed movies on my list, but man, when it soars, it's really something. This thing has some of the best horror set-pieces in recent memory, particularly the dance/torture scene, and a wicked finale. Suspiria also has atmosphere to spare thanks to a haunting score by Thom Yorke and some really dreadful cinematography, which forgoes the vibrant colours of Argento's classic in favour of a much colder palette. Crucial to is the cast. Tilda Swinton has been rightfully praised for her trifecta of roles here, and Dakota Johnson is a fine anchor for everything. I'm not totally sure what the film is trying to say about German history or the nature of power, but as a purely cinematic experience, this thing is a hell of a ride.

9. Eighth Grade


For me, Eighth Grade is the surprise film of 2018. I don't really care for Bo Burnham's stand-up and as such paid little attention to his directorial debut as it was in development, but man, did the final film impress me a lot. Following young Kayla as she experiences the final months of eighth grade, the film offers a very authentic look at pre-teen angst and is told with a lot of empathy. Burnham does an amazing job capturing the tone and atmosphere of the age and the cast he's assembled do fine work. The key to everything is Elsie Fisher, who crafts a marvelous character in Kayla, well-defined and who we easily root for. So empathetic and invested that when Kayla finally stands up for herself against the cool kids at school, you just wanna cheer. And that self-satisfied smile? Great stuff.

8. BlacKkKlansman


America's racism has really risen to the forefront of public debate given the current President and the rise of open white supremacy, and perhaps unsurprisingly, Spike Lee has also risen to the occasion to deliver a blistering portrait of racial hatred. Well, sort of anyway. If I'm being totally honest, BlacKkKlansman isn't a masterpiece on the level of something like Do the Right Thing or Malcolm X. It has some plot contrivances and some subplots resolve themselves a bit awkwardly. So why is the film still here? Put simply, when BlacKkKlansman is on, it's really something special. In typical Spike Lee fashion, the film is both a probing and complex look into the problem of American racism, while also excelling as a really entertaining piece of filmmaking. The Stalworth Brothers, as Ron dubs them, really make for a compelling screen duo, with John David Washington and Adam Driver both giving really compelling turns. And at the moments when you start to settle in and really enjoy yourself, Spike Lee reminds you that this isn't just a movie. The film doesn't offer any easy answers to America's racism, but it does face the problem head on and bravely.

7. Roma





6. The House That Jack Built


The House That Jack Built is the inverse A Star is Born; the most hateable film of 2018. And I get it. It's cruel, sadistic, self-indulgent, misogynist, egotistical, and self-masturbatory. But it's also a scathing self-critique from Lars Von Trier that really dissects his own career and asks how much of an artist he really is. Matt Dillon's lead performance is excellent and he would have made for a compelling lead in an ordinary serial killer movie, while the presence of the recently departed Bruno Ganz also adds a lot. Also, and I might be going to hell for this, but for my money The House That Jack Built is easily the funniest film of the year. Sometimes it's the self-critique, sometimes it's the twisted irony, and sometimes it was simply that the violence on display was so fucked up that I couldn't help but laugh, but man, this thing had me in stitches. The House That Jack Built is definitely not a film I would recommend lightly, but for the right audience, this is excellent.

5. The Favourite


Who'd of thunk that Yorgos Lanthimos would drop a Best Picture nominee, and one of the most beloved of the line-up at that? Strange times. What's even stranger is that Lanthimos was able to do this without sacrificing is bizzaro sensibilities. Not really anyways. To be sure, The Favourite is a lot more accessible than something like The Killing of a Sacred Deer, but it's still a deviously twisted story of power dynamics between Queen Anne and her aids. Lanthimos brings his slightly off-key visual style and the film also benefits from an exquisitely witty (and very modern) screenplay. It's not just the plot machinations, but the dialogue itself sings. The real ace in the hole though are the characters, brought to life by a trio of excellent performances from Rachel Weisz, Emma Stone, and Olivia Coleman. These three are just awesome and watching them do battle is absolutely gripping. Kudos as well to Nicholas Hoult, who probably isn't getting the respect he deserves for his hilarious supporting turn. The film is no doubt ripe for analysis, but it's also more simply one of the most fun moviegoing experiences of the year.

4. Hereditary


We've seen a lot of great horror movies over the last few years, and while The Witch is still king, I can't think of any horror film from the last decade more emotionally devastating than Hereditary. Even if you remove the horror elements, your left with a brutal movie about a family dealing with tragedy upon tragedy as it rips them apart. The cast do a great job selling this emotional turmoil, but the showstopper is Toni Collette. Her performance is heartwrenchingly tragic and deeply unsettling. Ari Aster and his screenplay asks everything of her and she really delivers. And then there's the horror elements. The story weaves in some interesting and unexpected directions, and the film is also scary as hell.

3. First Reformed


I had basically assumed that Paul Schrader would never make a quality film again, but First Reformed proved me wrong. What starts as an unassuming character study about a modern priest becomes a deeply affecting psychological drama as we watch Toller become increasingly concerned with the state of the world. Schrader's direction creates a feeling of restrained dread and his screenplay also has some great dialogue, but the key element of the film is Ethan Hawke, who gives one of the best performances of his career. I wouldn't necessarily call Hawke's work transformative, but his portrait of a middle-aged man in crisis is a far cry from the carefree and affable characters he's become most famous for. The film is dark, slow, and introspective. Certainly not for everyone, but it's basically tailor-made for me.

2. If Beale Street Could Talk


Pound for pound, If Beale Street Could Talk is easily among the best films of 2018. Jenkins mines James Baldwin's source novel for all its dramatic worth and while the structure doesn't loan itself perfectly to cinema (some elements are given what feels like set-ups but have no pay-offs and that ending feels pretty abrupt) but these aren't really deal breakers. If anything it's kind of liberating to see a film not feel so constrained by typical screenplay conventions. Instead, we're simply allowed to observe a very real drama in the lives of these characters. Much of Baldwin's razor-sharp dialogue has been retained, as has some poignant observations on social relationships and racial discrepancy which come through in some brilliantly written internal monologues. For as vividly as Jenkins has rendered 1970s Harlem, If Beale Street Could Talk really does play to modern day issues quite profoundly, and without feeling obvious. That's important and worth acknowledging, but my thoughts of the film keep going back to its delicate portrait of two people in love and how real that feels. That's not something pulled off often, but it's worth celebrating when a filmmaker can.

1. Annihilation


I knew Annihilation was something special back in March, but I didn't necessarily think it would end up being my favourite film of the year. Months have gone by though and while I've seen a lot of great stuff, nothing shine quite like Alex Garland's ambitious sophmore science-fiction film. The plot on its face is highly engaging; a collection of scientists enter some sort of alien-anomaly and encounter various horrors as they venture deeper and deeper to the source. It's an engaging journey that's rendered vividly, with some amazing production design and a strange score that just gets better and better. The film also has a number of exciting set-pieces. Dracula rightfully awarded the excellent climax the Golden Stake for Best Set-Piece, but the film also has a showstopping "bear" attack and a disturbing bit of horror when our leads find an abandoned camera. Even more standard set-pieces like the early alligator attack are really exciting and well-crafted. But on a deeper level, the film is really quite introspective and small. The film is all about how pain and trauma shapes us, and the way Garland is able to weave that subtext so thoroughly in the literal details of the plot is fascinating. The film on the whole is basically catnip for me. It's a deep exploration of the human condition that also excels as an adventure/horror movie of sorts. It's also full of memorable scenes and I can see myself going back to Annihilation more than any other film from 2018.

Why?

Suspiria's trailer interested me...but I'm gonna wait till it pops up for free on Amazon Prime before I make up my mind.  It looks like one I have to check out either way, cause it looks bonkers.

But at the same time, there are so many worse movies from last year. Believe me, I saw them.

First Man? More like Last, Man!

Yes there are worse but very few were so blatantly Oscar bait and aimed so high, this was clearly made with awards in mind.

I mean I went and saw alpha in 3d no less, and that movie was awful. But it knew what it was and wasn't pretending (and honestly the first 20 minutes were actually quite remarkably filmed with 3d in mind).

And again King Arthur knew what it was. A perfect airplane movie.

But first man aimed so high and just Apollo 1'd all over the screen. But I haven't seen green book yet so the title of worst movie might still get taken.

None of you motherfuckers saw The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. None of you know real pain.