Top 10 Best & Top 5 Worst Films of 2018
1. You Were Never Really Here https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5742374/?ref_=nv_sr_1
An arty revenge film starring one of the worlds best actors as a troubled, stoic man for hire? I was always going to love this. Joaquin Phoenix has never been better. Check it out as soon as you can.
2. Journeyman https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5314118/?ref_=nv_sr_1
I knew nothing about this film going in, other than that it was Paddy Considine’s follow up to Tyrannosaur and that he plays an aging boxer. The rest was a complete surprise. And a very affecting and gut-wrenching surprise at that. Jodie Whittaker as Paddy’s dedicated wife deserves all the awards available for her powerhouse performance.
3. Beast https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5628302/?ref_=nv_sr_5
A naive young girl strikes up an illicit relationship with a local bad boy at the same time as there are a string of disappearances and murders on their small island. Is her new beau involved? Can she ever be sure? A fantastic British psychological drama that steadily ratchets up tension and keeps you guessing until the end.
4. Red Sparrow https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2873282/?ref_=nv_sr_2
Jennifer Lawrence stars as a ballerina recruited by Russian Intelligence during the height of the Cold War. Red Sparrow is a classic thriller, in the sense that it has no CGI, no explosions, no car chases. It’s a proper adult film for grown ups. And in the current environment, that’s something to be applauded. Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts and Jeremy Irons round off a quality cast.
5. Phantom Thread https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5776858/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Apparently Daniel Day-Lewis’s final film. And what an appropriate and elegantly crafted swan song. A wonderful comment on obsession, love, relationships and power. Both Day-Lewis’s and director P.T. Anderson’s best since There Will Be Blood over ten years ago.
6. I, Tonya https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5580036/?ref_=nv_sr_1
I was hesitant about I, Tonya as I wasn’t aware of the true story that underpins it and I have no interest in competitive ice skating or any of the cast particularly. However, the movie is put together in such a quirky and entertaining way, driven by a couple of thunderous performances by Margot Robbie and Allison Janey that I knew as soon as I’d finished it that it would have a place on my top ten of the year.
7. Calibre https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6218358/?ref_=nv_sr_1
A hunting trip goes very, very wrong for two twentysomethings in this neat little British thriller. Tense and relentless from the word go. Bringing to mind another underrated classic, Eden Lake. To say anymore would be to spoil it. It’s on Netflix, go watch.
8. The Guilty https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6742252/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Danish film that’s practically a one man show that takes place in only one location – an emergency services call centre, where a man tries to help a kidnapped woman on the other end of the line. A wonderful script, editing and direction keep you glued to the edge of your seat as the story unfolds while we have only our protagonists expressions and reactions to look at. Masterful filmmaking.
9. Searching https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7668870/?ref_=nv_sr_1
The whole film takes place through a computer screen as a father searches his missing daughters laptop for clues to her disappearance. Searching isn't the first film to use this device but it is one of the best. Just as you think you have a handle on what’s happened the film takes another twist. Gripping.
10. Upgrade https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6499752/?ref_=nv_sr_1
A very silly but highly enjoyable B-movie from the co-director of Saw. Following a brutal mugging that leaves him paralysed and his wife dead, Logan Marshall Green is implanted with a microchip that gives him extra special abilities and allows him to track down and exact revenge on the people responsible. A lot better than anyone could expect it to be and well worth your time.
Special mentions: The House That Jack Built, The Favourite, Mandy, Bird Box, Unsane.
And now, on to the stinkers...
1. Annihilation https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2798920/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
In 2014 Alex Garland wrote and directed one of my favourite films of that year, Ex Machina. Annihilation is his follow up to that film. I watched this hating every minute, entertained only by the fact that every time I thought it couldn’t get any worse, it kept getting worse. Everybody involved should be very embarrassed.
2. Between Worlds https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7295450/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Being a Nicolas Cage fan means hat I have sat through some pretty terrible films. But even the worst of them were bearable because of Cage’s crazy charisma and dedication to giving an entertaining performance. However, even I can’t defend Between Worlds.
3. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4881806/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Jurassic Park is my favourite film of all time. Every sequel since has brought with it diminishing returns. Fallen Kingdom is by a very long way the worst of the lot. I know that the series is about dinosaurs being brought back to life by ‘science’, but even for a series that has that as it’s central premise, this is the dumbest, most ridiculous and frustrating of them all.
4. Avengers: Infinity War https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154756/?ref_=nv_sr_2
Now, I’ve seen all of the films so far in the MCU. I really like some, most I think are way overrated. But what Infinity War is, is two and a half hours of CGI, explosions and very lazy performances. Most frustratingly, however, is that none of the events that take place hold any weight whatsoever as we can safely assume that everything will be right back on track in the next few films. Rendering Infinity War a complete waste of time.
5. Revenge https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6738136/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Supposedly a pro-feminist revenge film written and directed by a woman. However, what it really is, is one of the most trashy, hateful, offensive, misanthropic pieces of crap I’ve had the misfortune of seeing. Overstylised to the the point of nausea. Men, women, feminists; avoid.
