My Top Twenty One Films of 2018

Yes again it is that time of year again, you know, the beginning. I watched nearly 90 films from year 2018 (Full list of films I saw will be published below in case you are interested), within the calendar year itself; yes you are welcome for my great sacrifices of time. However, saying that, this year I found coming up with the list extremely hard to do. I could easily have come up with a list of 30 or more films. Maybe it’s because 2018 was a particular good year for films or maybe it is because I am becoming less discerning in my old age. Anyway I worked hard and have cut the list down to what in my opinion are the top 21 films from this year. Again you are most welcome. Beware this is a superhero/comic book film heavy list.

Also please be aware that this post will probably contain minor spoilers

The Top Twenty One

21) Mandy

A super bizarre film set in the 80’s and starring Nicholas Cage (more to come from him later), Andrea Riseborough and Linus Roach. Described (and aptly I should mention) as a psychedelic action horror film, the premise could be considered simple horror film fare, a cult leader takes a shine to the eponymous Mandy, upon her rejection he kills her, leading to her boyfriend to seek some very bloody vengeance. However the fact that the film seems to be shown through a hallucinogenic drug haze that incorporates great fantasy art and a dark synth soundtrack adds volumes to the film, not to mention an outstanding performance from Nicholas Cage, makes this film stand out even more.

20) A Simple Favor

This is something of an oddity, a comedy noir film. From the director of Bridesmaids, The Heat and Spy, this is another great female led comedy starring Anna Kendrick as single mother Stephanie who befriends the glamorous Emily (Blake Lively), who is the mother of her son’s friend. When Emily disappears, Stephanie starts to investigate and uncovers a tangled web of secrets and deceit. Deliciously dark, this was every enjoyable.

19) The Ballard of Buster Scruggs

A series of six short films from the ever inventive Coen brothers. Apart from the setting of the old west the stories have nothing to connect them. Some might even say that the stories have no point. However something about them drew me in. Gorgeously filmed with some truly epic backgrounds, wonderful characters and excellent performances from all the cast. Of the six my personal favourites would be, The Ballard of Buster Scruggs with Tim Blake Nelson as the eponymous Buster Scruggs an overly cheerful gunslinger, Near Algodones with James Franco as possibly the unluckiest outlaw ever and final possibly supernatural story The Mortal Remains. Though I would say that all of them are worth a watch

18) Ocean's 8

As some of you might know, I love a good heist movie, and I have been a fan of this series (in general). In my opinion (humble or otherwise), this series has always been best when the actors are having fun, but also inviting the audience to join them, (something that was sorely lacking in Ocean’s 12). This film I can happily say does just that. A soft reboot lead by a brilliant female cast, this films see Sandra Bullock’s Debbie Ocean (sister of Danny Ocean from the first 3 films), being released from prison, gathering a team together to pull off a huge heist and gain a measure revenge on her ex who ratted her out, as a sort of mirror to Ocean’s 11. Stand out performances from Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway and Awkwafina.

17) Tag

2018 was a really great year for comedy films, and this one loosely based on a true story, about a group of friends who have been playing the same game of tag once a month for nearly 30 years, was one of my favourites (I mean obviously, it made this list didn’t it). The over the top lengths that the friends (played by Hannibal Buress, Jon Hamm, Ed Helms, Jake Johnson and Jeremy Renner) will go to, to tag each other, especially the never tagged Jerry (Renner) is the hilarious. Also a special acknowledgement should go to Isla Fisher, who plays the super competitive wife of Hoagie (Helms), standing on the side-lines cheerleading him on, she is possibly the arguably best thing in film.

16) Incredibles 2

The original Incredibles is my favourite Pixar films of all time. So I have been waiting a very long time for this rumoured sequel. Fortunately this sequel did not disappoint at all. It retains all the fun and heart of the first film, but with the advancements in technology looks even better. Incredibles 2 picks up right where the first one finished, this time Elastigirl is hired to front a push to decriminalize superheroes, and while she does this Mr Incredible has to stay at home and look after the kids, something he is not qualified to do. He has to deal with homework, heartbreak and the emergence of Jack-Jacks multitude of powers. All while a new menacing villain the Screenslaver plans the demise of all Supers. superb performances from the entire original cast as well the new additions.

15) Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Having grown up in the UK, I didn’t really know anything about Fred Rogers, apart from the odd reference here and there. We had Sesame Street but not Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, and having seen this documentary, I feel a bit sad about that. Mr Rogers seems to have been a genuine good man who helped millions of children through some very tough time. Between 1968 and 2001 he dealt with a range of issues that were affecting children, that they might not have understood i.e. Racism, The Vietnam War, The assassination of Robert Kennedy, The challenger disaster and so on, and he did this by treating children with love and respect. Truly Mr Rogers was a gentleman the likes of which we really need at this time.

14) Bad Times at the El Royale

A great late 60’s set crime film, revolving around the few guests who have all arrived at the same run down hotel, all for their own reasons (mostly nefarious), at the same time. What follows is a stylish and bloody thriller all taking part over one night, where we discover what has bought these random strangers to the El Royale. There are excellent performances from the cast with Cynthia Erivo and Jeff Bridges standing out.

13) A Quiet Place
Like I might have mentioned last year (when discussing Get Out), I’m not what would be considered a fan of the horror genre, however I found A Quiet Place very compelling. Written and directed by John Krasinski, he also stars in it with his wife Emily Blunt; their real life relationship seems to give their on screen relationship in this almost silent film that something extra. A brilliantly thought out and shot film, with some absolutely heart in the mouth moments, as we follow a family who must live their lives in almost absolute silence to stop themselves being hunted by unknown creatures, who hunt by sound and have almost wiped out most of the human population of the planet.

12) Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

I was sure that I would not enjoy this film. I am a huge fan of the original and didn’t think this one could compare. Luckily this film didn’t try to replicate the first, and though a continuation of the original, it is very much its own animal. This time we get to explore inside the world of Jumanji through our heroes, (a Breakfast Club style group of teenager in detention), who get sucked into it via a console version of the game, and into the bodies of their game avatars. The adult cast perfectly play the characteristics of their younger selves, all playing against type. It is a hugely enjoyable film, and you should watch it just for Jack Black portrayal of a popular teenage girl.

11) The Shape of Water
It is not an exaggeration to say the Guillermo Del Toro is one of my favourite film makers, I have loved most of his work and this winner of this year’s Academy Award is no exception. A beautifully told dark fairy tale that sees the mute Elisa (the often overlooked Sally Hawkins), comes in contact with and then falls in love with a mysterious undersea creature (played by the often overlooked Doug Jones), all during the paranoid period of the cold war. Del Toro’s film asks us to question who the real monsters in this film are.  A very divisive film even amongst my own acquaintances, I truly think this film is a masterpiece, fish sex and all.

10) Black Panther
After 17 films in a series, you would think that the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where we have seen the far reaches of space, the inner recesses of the quantum realm and a whole host of alternative dimensions, that there would be nowhere new on earth that we would find fantastical. Well we were wrong; Ryan Coogler bought the hidden kingdom of Wakanda to life, and boy was it a marvel. The whole Afrofuturism (yes I’m using the word again, I like it) style, along with the lived in look was perfect, as was the culture of the different people of the country. However it wasn’t just the look of the film that was great, the Shakespearean story of the fight for the Wakandan crown, between two cousins was epic. It gave us more of the stoic performance from Chadwick Boseman as the titular Black Panther, as well as Michael B Jordans, compelling antagonist Killmonger, a man who see his cause as greater and as right,  and is willing to do anything to achieve it.

9) Teen Titans Go! To the Movies

This film is insanely good. Based on the Television series this animated film is a Meta look at the whole superhero film genre. With Robin obsessing over the fact that the Teen Titans (though mainly himself), do not have film in a world where Alfred is getting his own film, (luckily in the real world he is only getting a Television series). The Titans go to extreme lengths to get their film made (including some really heinous shit). The film includes superb performances all round, from the cast of the TV series as and from the likes of Nicholas Cage (told you there was more to come from him) finally getting to play Superman, and Will Arnett as the villain Slade. Also one of my favourite Stan Lee Cameo and my absolute favourite song of the year (watch the film and guess which one).

8) Game Night

This is another of the year’s praiseworthy comedies. Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams play Max and Annie, a super competitive couple that host a regular game night with their friends. When Max’s more successful and attractive brother, gets kidnapped whilst hosting his own, Max, Annie and their regular group of friends have to try and save him. Brilliant comedic performances from everyone, especially McAdams, this film is full of twist and turns, as well as some excellent set pieces, especially one involving trying to take out a bullet, using supplies from a convenience store and a YouTube instructional video.

7) The Death of Stalin

This is probably one of the least likely subjects for a comedy; however Armando Iannucci, the creative mind behind the brilliant The Thick of it and the equally brilliant Veep, was able to pull it off. This story of oddly enough the death of Joesph Stalin and the struggle to fill the power vacuum left by him pulls off the clever trick of both showing the horrifying  conditions in Russia at the time, and being hilarious at the same time. I also found the fact that everybody was using their natural accents, instead of trying to put on faux Russian ones surprisingly endearing.

6) Isle of Dogs

Wes Anderson is another one of my favourite directors working currently. I love his quirky offbeat style as well as his the unique way he works with visuals and colour palettes. In this stop motion animated film, a conspiracy lead by a cat loving mayor in a dystopian Japanese city, sees all dogs being banished to the island used for refuse. We then follow a young boy Atari (my favourite name of the year), as he literally crashing the island to look for his dog. There he teams up with a pack of banished dogs, voiced by Anderson regulars Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum and Bob Balaban, who still feel loyal to the humans, as they explore the island searching for Spot.

5) Ant-Man and the Wasp

After then ending of Infinity war (more to come of that later) this was a fantastic breather and reminder of how much fun Marvel Cinematic Universe is. The excellent Paul Rudd returns as Scott Lang, currently on the last couple of days of home arrest, after the events of Civil War (explaining his absence from the events of Infinity War). He gets pulled into a plot to try and rescue the Wasp’s (Evangeline Lilly) mother and the original Ant-Man’s (Michael Douglas) wife, Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) from the quantum realm. Their progress is hindered by both a new villain The Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) and ruthless yet inept crime boss Sonny Burch (Walton Goggins). A great sequel, everyone is on their A game and the film is super super funny. Lilly get a lot more to do in this one and shows that the Wasp is definitely a great addition to pantheon of Marvel’s cinematic superheroes.

4) Deadpool 2

I have no idea how Ryan Reynolds has pulled this off. After the shitstorm that was X-Men Origins: Wolverine, it looked like there was never going to be a Deadpool film, Fox definitely had no interest in making. However not only did Reynolds fight tooth and nail to get the first film made, which turned out not only to be excellent, but also super profitable. He then went and made a sequel which in my opinion is even better. Deadpool 2 has all the meta-comedy, wit and sarcasm of the original, but also added a lot more heart as well as. Reynolds is of course the star, but the main supporting cast are all given enough to do, that even without proper back stories we relate and root for Cable (Josh Brolin), Domino (Zazie Beetz) and Firefist (Julian Dennison). Definitely a classic and in any other year this would be my number one film (probably). Hopefully there will be more to come, and the Fox/Disney deal won’t end this brilliant series.

3) Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

One of the last films I watched in 2018, and it was well worth the wait. A loose adaption of the 2014 comic book crossover event, we finally get the cinematic debut of the very popular Miles Morales, the young man who would become Spider-Man in the Ultimates series after the death of the Peter Parker of that specific universe (Earth 1610 if you need to know). In this film we see Miles as young man confused about his place in the world, having started at a new boarding school away from his familiar neighbourhood, and then he has great powers thrust upon him. The events that lead to the death of the original Spider-Man (Chris Pine) open up a breach to the multiverse and bring the equivalent of Spider-Man to his Universe. They will need to team up and work together to stop the KingPin (Liev Schreiber) from destroying the multiverse, and to get everyone home. If this film just had its unique animation style and great soundtrack, it would probably be on this list, but this is fantastic story, about a hero rising up, with wonderful performances from all of the voice cast, special mentions for Jake Johnson as an older more worn down Spider-Man and Nicholas Cage (yes him again) as Spider-Man, a black and white Spider-Man in a 1930’s universe. This film is definitely worth a watching.

2) Avengers: Infinity War

This was almost my number one film. The Russo brothers were able to pull off a near impossible task, of amalgamating 23 heroes (I’m counting Loki, Heimdall and Wong) into one film and to make the previously lampooned Thanos a viable enough threat to keep the audience enthralled. They not only did so but also told a compelling story, where the heroes, being split up into smaller units, meant that the person we mainly follow is Thanos himself. It is his mission we follow as he overcomes adversity after adversity, so this is indeed his film. After seeing him portray the role twice, both times in cameos in Guardians of the Galaxy and in mid-credit scene in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Josh Brolin finally gets his teeth into the role, and he does Brilliantly. His portrayal is at the same time scary and sympatric, so much so you almost want to back him against the heroes we have been backing in the previous 18 films. Everyone is on top form in this film; it had the breath-taking action sequences and special effects we have come to expect from Marvel, but doesn’t skimp on the heartfelt moments or the comedy. There are too many superb performances to mention, and an almost perfect ending. I can’t wait for the follow up Endgame.

1) Coco

I thought I would like this film; however I was not expecting to love it so much. Coco is the story of a young boy in Mexico, from a family who hates musicians, and whose only desire is to be a musician. He gets sucked into the afterlife on the day of the dead, after attempting to steal a guitar to perform with. This film is truly wonderful. It is full of imaginative and truly stunning imagery of the afterlife and the music is utterly fantastic. It is the story and the performances that make this my favourite film of the year. The heart of this film is all about family and what we will do for our loved ones. Miguel in his journey encounters members of his family that have passed and learns how important they are and how important it is to remember and honour those who have come before, as well as to appreciate those who are around you now. There are some truly beautiful moments in the film and the final rendition of Remember Me is heart-rending, in fact if I was capable of human emotions I would have cried. I jest I cry every time I see it, and I don’t care who knows it. Do yourself a favour if you haven’t seen this film, go watch it, and if you have, then just go watch it again!

And my worst film of the year for 2018 is.........

Future World

This film was just rubbish. Set in post-apocalyptic world, after development of AI and robotics led to global war. The film follows a bunch of people attempting to gain control of a female android for a variety of reasons, (yes including sexual), while a young man attempts to get some medicine for his dying mother. Over the top acting and a loose plot that relies on violence and sex too much makes this a must skip film.

Complete list of Films watched in 2018

My Basic Ratings System

Excellent = Must watch

Good = Should watch

OK = Fine

Meh = Should be avoided

Bad = Avoid 

A Quiet Place - Excellent
A Simple Favor - Excellent
A Star Is Born - Good
A Wrinkle in Time - OK
Accident Man - OK
Adrift - OK
Alpha - Meh
An Actor Prepares - OK
An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn - OK
Annihilation - Excellent
Ant-Man and the Wasp - Excellent
Aquaman - Excellent
Avengers: Infinity War - Excellent
Bad Times at the El Royale - Excellent
Beirut - Good
Bird Box - OK
Black 47 - Good
Black Panther - Excellent
BlacKkKlansman - Excellent
Blockers - Good
Bohemian Rhapsody - Excellent
Christopher Robin - Good
Coco - Excellent
Crazy Rich Asians - OK
Creed II - Good
Deadpool 2 - Excellent
Death Wish - Bad
Den of Thieves - Bad
Destination Wedding - Good
Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot - OK
Early Man - OK
Fahrenheit 11/9 - OK
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - Meh
Final Score  - Bad
First Man - Good
First Reformed - OK
Future World - Bad
Game Night - Excellent
Halloween - OK
Hereditary - OK
Hostiles - OK
Hotel Artemis - Good
How to Talk to Girls at Parties - OK
Hunter Killer - OK
I Kill Giants - Good
Incredibles 2 - Excellent
Isle of Dogs - Excellent
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle - Excellent
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom - Meh
Love, Simon - Good
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again - Bad
Mandy - Excellent
Mary and the Witch's Flower - Good
Mission: Impossible – Fallout - Good
Mogli: Legend of the Jungle - OK
Ocean's 8 - Excellent
Overboard - Meh
Pacific Rim Uprising - Meh
Proud Mary - OK
Rampage - Bad
Ready Player One - OK
Red Sparrow - Meh
Sicario: Day of the Soldado - Good
Skyscraper - Bad
Slice - Meh
Solo: A Star Wars Story - OK
Sorry to Bother You - Good
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse - Excellent
Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay - Good
Tag - Excellent
Teen Titans Go! To the Movies - Excellent
The Ballard of Buster Scruggs - Excellent
The Death of Stalin - Excellent
The Death of Superman  - Good
The Equalizer 2 - OK
The Happytime Murders - Bad
The Hate U Give - Excellent
The Hurricane Heist - Bad
The Meg - Meh
The Nun - Meh
The Predator - OK
The Shape of Water - Excellent
The Sisters Brothers - Good
The Spy Who Dumped Me - Good
The Strangers: Prey at Night - OK
Tomb Raider - OK
Upgrade - OK
Venom - Meh
Won't You Be My Neighbor? - Excellent