As I look back across the 2018 film year, I see one of the weirdest collections of cinema since I started seriously studying film. There are some really interesting films here, even if they didn’t all hit the mark. I mean, looking through the list of 113 films I watched (and an embarrassing 40 reviewed), most of these films at least hold some merit, even if the only ones I’d care to revisit under 70 are Venom and Gotti). Analyzing my choices and commentary, there are two unsung stories that I think need to be addressed. The first is that Special Citation for This Is America. That video came and went in a flash storm, as most things on the Internet often do, and yet it is still the greatest piece of content I viewed in all of 2018. No film matched its visual or analytical genius. The second is the impressive field of documentaries on the table. Minding the Gap is one of my favorite docs ever, Watergate is one of the best of the decade, and the rest all offer up some really impressive things. Even last place RBG is two-thirds of a phenomenal movie before trailing off in its final act. It’s still early to ask the question, “Would you change your Top Ten?” and I’m not sure that I would – the eleven films (with a tie for tenth) are easily the best films of 2018, but it gets challenging. What of the magical romance of If Beale Street Could Talk? Or the cynical irony of The Ballad of Buster Scruggs? And surely there’s something I could have done for the masterful Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. But at the end of the day, I have no regrets. Lynne Ramsey’sYou Were Never Really Here is one of my favorite films of the decade. My favorite director Spike Lee returned to form in BlacKkKlansman. Auteurs like Paul Schraderand Yorgos Lanthimos made some of legendary films (The Favourite is already one of my favorite scripts…ever). And 2018 will be remembered for its weird, artsy commentaries on what it means to be human, for better or worse.
Any colored bold name can be clicked on for a link to the original review
While I failed to complete my lists for 2018 in time, I did condense them into one article, which means you can read my Worst of 2018, my Top Eleven of 2018, and the results of the Sacred Wall Awards by clicking on this link right here
- You Were Never Really Here
- First Man
- Black Panther
- BlacKkKlansman
- Eighth Grade
- The Favourite
- A Quiet Place
- Roma
- First Reformed
- A Star Is Born *
- Can You Ever Forgive Me? *
- Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
- The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
- If Beale Street Could Talk
- The Old Man And The Gun
- Suspiria
- Burning
- Cold War
- Widows
- Paddington 2
- Shoplifters
- Ralph Breaks the Internet
- The Other Side of the Wind
- Blindspotting
- Mission: Impossible – Fallout
- Crazy Rich Asians
- Support the Girls
- Mary Poppins Returns
- Sorry To Bother You
- The Rider
- Hearts Beat Loud
- A Simple Favor
- Hereditary
- The Front Runner
- The Incredibles 2
- Tully
- Thoroughbreds
- Leave No Trace
- Isle of Dogs
- Blockers
- Wildlife
- Christopher Robin
- To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before
- Capernaum
- Stan and Ollie
- Bad Times At The El Royale
- Halloween
- Mandy
- Vox Lux
- Green Book
- Vice
- Unsane
- The Tale
- The Death of Stalin
- Deadpool 2
- Most Likely To Murder
- The Hate U Give
- A Futile and Stupid Gesture
- Ocean’s Eight
- Boy Erased
- The Sisters Brothers
- Solo: A Star Wars Story
- Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!
- Revenge
- Aquaman
- Avengers: Infinity War
- I Feel Pretty
- Border
- A Private War
- Bohemian Rhapsody
- The Wife
- Best Friends (Part 2, then Part 1)
- Paul, Apostle of Christ
- Ready Player One
- Annihilation
- Game Night
- Beautiful Boy
- The Miseducation of Cameron Post
- Second Act
- I Can Only Imagine
- Rampage
- How To Talk To Girls At Parties
- Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
- Love, Simon
- Life Of The Party
- Den of Thieves
- Book Club
- The Meg
- Tag
- A Wrinkle In Time
- Mary Queen of Scots
- The Strangers: Prey At Night
- When We First Met
- Venom
- The Cloverfield Paradox
- The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
- Truth or Dare
- The 15:17 To Paris
- Sicario: Day of the Soldado
- Proud Mary
- The Hurricane Heist
- At Eternity’s Gate
- Holmes and Watson
- Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
- Peter Rabbit
- Mortal Engines
- Mirai
- The Happytime Murders
- Mile 22
- Fifty Shades Freed
- Life Itself
- Fahrenheit 451
- Gotti
* denotes a tie for tenth-place
Special Citation:
- This Is America
DOCUMENTARIES
- Minding the Gap
- Watergate
- Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
- Three Identical Strangers
- Love, Gilda
- Free Solo
- RBG
