Blankments' 118 Films of 2018: From the Worst To the Best

[Blankments]

64. Christopher Robin

 

 

Directed by Marc Forster.

Starring Ewan McGregor, Hayley Atwell, Bronte Carmichael, Mark Gatiss, Oliver Ford Davies, Ronke Adekouluejo, Adrian Scarborough, Jim Cummings and Brad Garrett.
Release date: August 3, 2018

Runtime: 104 minutes

 

 

This is a fun one to talk about because I actually did a huge Pooh binge-watch before seeing this film. Its biggest problems are making Christopher too much of a douchebag and weird divergences from canon that make it seem counter-intuitive to what makes Pooh the beloved property that it is. All this said, it’s nice to hear Jim Cummings back in the saddle again and when it finally becomes a fully Pooh movie (with the exception of the horrifically bad Piglet voice), it’s very delightful. However, it’s too little too late to truly save the movie.

[Blankments]

63. Vox Lux

 

 

Directed by Brady Corbet.

Starring Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Stacy Martin, Jennifer Ehle, Raffey Cassidy and Willem Dafoe.
Release date: December 7, 2018

Runtime: 110 minutes

 

 

Kinda pretentious but in a fun way. It’s got a ton on its mind and yet no idea how to say any of it. This was a movie I had fun watching but I think the director wanted more than that from me. As it is, it’s an edgelord version of A Star is Born which tries to say stuff about the commoditization of tragedy, but instead just has a marvelously bitchy Natalie Portman performance with other funny moments sprinkled in throughout.

[Blankments]

62. Teen Titans Go! To the Movies

 

 

Directed by Peter Rida Michail and Aaron Horvath.

Starring Greg Cipes, Scott Menville, Khary Payton, Tara Strong, Hynden Walch, Will Arnett and Kristen Bell.
Release date: July 27, 2018

Runtime: 88 minutes

 

 

A very fun adaptation of the cartoon that smartly keeps its runtime very short. The music is the best part here, as the animation receives no real bump from Cartoon Network quality. It’s funny, enjoyable, and feels very undiluted from the TV show, which is an odd relief. Sure, it’s a little forgettable but I was laughing pretty solidly for around 80-minutes so that’s all that really matters.

[Blankments]

61. The House with a Clock in Its Walls

 

 

Directed by Eli Roth.

Starring Jack Black, Cate Blanchett, Owen Vaccaro, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Sunny Suljic and Kyle MacLachlan.
Release date: September 21, 2018

Runtime: 105 minutes

 

 

This is probably scarier than most actual horror movies I saw in 2018. Jack Black and Cate Blanchett have surprisingly great chemistry, and honestly, the Jack Black live-action kids movie is becoming one of my favorite sub-genres. This is super charming in its spooky Halloween setting, and Eli Roth doesn’t really hold back the scares even for a younger audience. A weird studio film for certain, but most definitely a welcome one.

[The Panda]

On 1/30/2019 at 8:34 PM, Blankments said:

113. I Kill Giants

 

 

Directed by Anders Waller.

Starring Madison Wolfe, Imogen Poots, Sydney Wade, Rory Jackson and Zoe Saldana.
Release date: March 23, 2018

Runtime: 106 minutes

 

 

A Monster Calls did the same plot better and I didn’t even like A Monster Calls. This was slow and unnecessary. I watched this with a friend on her couch and she was totally into it despite saying she had already seen A Monster Calls. This had bad acting, mediocre direction and just felt so obnoxious to me. Worst of all, I definitely confused this with a movie with Brie Larson as she wasn’t in the final product at all. Even with her, I don’t think this could’ve been saved.

I actually liked this one, thought it was decent (although not all that original or inspired).

[Blankments]

60. Mary Poppins Returns

 

 

Directed by Ron Marshall.

Starring Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Dick Van Dyke, Angela Lansbury, Colin Firth and Meryl Streep.
Release date: December 18, 2018

Runtime: 130 minutes

 

 

A relatively fun musical that stills comes off as insanely derivative from the original film. Blunt’s performance is lovely and it’s cool to see Lin having fun in a big-budget musical. However, this is still a musical with boring songs and with a bizarre idea that big action scenes will spice it up. It’s at its best as an old school throwback; at its worst when it’s trying to appeal for modern audiences. A little disappointing but still worthwhile.

[Blankments]

59. BlacKkKlansman

 

 

Directed by Spike Lee.

Starring John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier and Topher Grace.
Release date: August 10, 2018

Runtime: 135 minutes

 

 

I wasn’t 100% into this for some reason. The history felt sanitized at points in a nefarious way and the film’s attitude towards the police force left a lot to be desired. Still, there’s some fine filmmaking here and the central story is fascinating enough to make up for the lapses in accuracy. Probably the weakest race-related Oscar contender this year (well, besides you-know-what) but still pretty good.

[Blankments]

58. A Wrinkle in Time

 

 

Directed by Ava DuVernay.

Starring Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michael Pena, Zach Galifanakis and Chris Pine.
Release date: March 9, 2018

Runtime: 109 minutes

 

 

This is fun, trippy, and a seriously personal blockbuster. I know it’s got a lot of haters and I can’t blame them but I legitimately really dug this movie. The effects are one-of-a-kind and you can tell it’s both written and directed by people who have never tried live-action spectacle before. It’s got a hokey charm to it with some cool performances and moments of nice child-friendly ham. Got me to tear up more than once too. I’d like more blockbusters like this one please.

[Blankments]

57. Ocean's 8

 

 

Directed by Gary Ross.

Starring Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, Rihanna and Helena Bonham Carter.
Release date: June 8, 2018

Runtime: 110 minutes

 

 

Lessened from me watching the original films by it, this still manages to be a solid heist movie. The ensemble is good, but one wishes they had more to do. The final twist also feels a bit cheap, but the vibe otherwise is nice, with great actors riffing off each other in a fun heist setting. Hathaway is ridiculously fun in it too and for counterprogramming this past summer, this was the best option (well, besides a certain other years-later sequel that will appear much later in this countdown…).

[Blankments]

56. Eighth Grade

 

 

Directed by Bo Burnham.

Starring Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton, Emily Robinson, Jake Ryan and Fred Hechinger.
Release date: July 13, 2018

Runtime: 94 minutes

 

 

This is gonna read more negative than a lot around this entry, but basically, this felt like misery porn. Of course eighth grade is an anxious time, but Burnham never really throws Kayla a bone, instead giving her the worst possible week of school imaginable. This negativity stated, it’s a well-made film and a pretty good debut. Hamilton and Fisher are both great and there are genuinely hilarious moments in it. I wish I had loved this more, but I guess it just wasn’t for me.

[Blankments]

55. Deadpool 2

 

 

Directed by David Leitch.

Starring Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Julian Dennison, Zazie Beetz, T. J. Miller, Brianna Hildebrand and Jack Kesy.
Release date: May 18, 2018

Runtime: 119 minutes

 

 

A genuine improvement on the first one to me. As I’ve said before, interesting how it removes the best part of the first movie and somehow feels more heartfelt with the additions. I look forward to Baccarin’s return in the third one for sure, but the dynamic in this one with a “brooding” Deadpool legitimately works for humor, and the setpieces are also baller. This is probably the most I would enjoy a Deadpool movie, but still, pretty pretty good.

[Blankments]

54. Ben is Back

 

 

Directed by Peter Hedges.

Starring Julia Roberts, Lucas Hedges, Courtney B. Vance and Kathryn Newton.
Release date: December 7, 2018

Runtime: 103 minutes

 

 

An average drama elevated by two very strong performances. The first half is miles better than the second, shifting from a slice-of-life to a slightly ridiculous searching plotline, but Roberts and Hedges remain strong throughout. The Christmas setting is also a good way to appeal to me, but really, this is a performance piece through and through. Honestly, surprised Roberts never got more awards talk for this.

[Blankments]

53. Ant-Man and the Wasp

 

 

Directed by Peyton Reed.

Starring Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Pena, Walton Goggins, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, Tip “T.I.” Harris, David Dastmalchian, Hannah John-Kamen, Abby Ryder Fortson, Randall Park, Michelle Pfeiffer, Laurence Fishburne and Michael Douglas.
Release date: July 6, 2018

Runtime: 118 minutes

 

 

A massive improvement from the previous installment, which is one of the MCU’s worst films. The lack of a central villain gives the film more a hangout vibe and allows setpieces to arise with much more intriguing complexity than usual. With great entries in nearly every superhero film this year, this has the best car chase in any of them, using the powers to great creative effect and keeping the banter in line. A genuinely super enjoyable superhero movie.

[Blankments]

52. Burning

 

 

Directed by Lee Chang-dong.

Starring Yoo Ah-in, Steven Yuen and Jeon Jong-seo.
Release date: October 26, 2018

Runtime: 148 minutes

 

 

Wasn’t as into this as most people were. I get the ideas behind the film but none of it really worked for me. It’s way too long and feels generally cold. All this said, it’s clearly a well-crafted film with great performances, cinematography and direction. It just really isn’t my type of film at all, and that’s okay. I can still recognize the massive quality here even if it isn’t for me.

[Blankments]

51. Adrift

 

 

Directed by Baltasar Kormakur.

Starring Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin.
Release date: June 1, 2018

Runtime: 96 minutes

 

 

A very nice surprise. The survival aspects are remarkably well done, and its tense despite the long gaps of nothing at sea. Both Woodley and Claflin are lovely, and it just generally feels like a throwback to the times when a summer blockbuster could just be two charismatic actors and a strong premise. The twist also works well, and in general, this is a very good thriller with some gorgeous technical aspects as well.

[Blankments]

50. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

 

 

Directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen.

Starring Tim Blake Nelson, Tyne Daly, James Franco, Brendan Gleeson, Zoe Kazan, Liam Neeson and Tom Waits.
Release date: November 9, 2018

Runtime: 133 minutes

 

 

A nice anthology that ultimately feels a bit hit-and-miss mostly due to weird pacing on a couple of them. I’m not gonna rank the segments because that’s overdone, but my two faves were the musical opener and Tom Waits’ old prospector. Both seemed to have more on their mind than the other ones and moreover, had a true sense of fun and knowing when to end that some of the others lacked. Still, overall, this is pretty nice.

[Blankments]

49. Unsane

 

 

Directed by Steven Soderbergh.

Starring Claire Foy, Joshua Leonard, Jay Pharoah, Juno Temple, Aimee Mullins and Amy Irving.
Release date: March 23, 2018

Runtime: 98 minutes

 

 

A cool little horror movie with some spectacular acting. Soderbergh’s use of the iPhone cinematography is a neat way to maintain perspective, and this is Claire Foy’s greatest performance this year, coming off as a good early Holly Hunter. The story is much more timely than one would expect and it’s very very tense. The ending is a bit of a disappointment, but ultimately, this is good genre filmmaking.

[Blankments]

48. Free Solo

 

 

Directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin.

Starring Alex Honnold, Sanni McCandless, Jimmy Chin and Tommy Caldwell.
Release date: September 28, 2018

Runtime: 96 minutes

 

 

Absolutely astounding in IMAX. Paints a very intriguing portrait of a man who puts himself at risk for an incredibly stupid reason, avoiding any deification and just letting the footage speak for itself. Impressive, seeing the director is an actual character in the documentary. The cinematography is breathtaking and it’s paced well. The only reason it isn’t higher is that the filmmaking sometimes comes off as TV special and that’s disappointing considering the landscapes and story being told here. I’m not looking forward to the eventual Zemeckis remake starring Adam Driver and Brie Larson though.

Edited February 14, 2019 by Blankments

[Blankments]

47. Overlord

 

 

Directed by Julius Avery.

Starring Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell, Mathilde Ollivier, John Magaro, Gianny Taufer, Pilous Asbæk and Bokeem Woodbine.
Release date: November 9, 2018

Runtime: 110 minutes

 

 

A truly bonkers movie. Some of the best body horror I’ve seen in years, this film works also very well as a war film. It’s pulpy as shit and never boring. I could see this being a great midnight grindhouse immediately after watching it, and sure enough, my local arthouse is having a second weekend of it at midnight after the first week was very successful. I don’t usually call movies badass, but if there’s one word to describe Overlord, it’s that. Fucking awesome.

[Blankments]

46. Alpha

 

 

Directed by Albert Hughes.

Starring Kodi Smit-McPhee and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson.
Release date: August 17, 2018

Runtime: 96 minutes

 

 

I still don’t understand how this movie exists. Like… it’s got no actual dialogue and it’s a legitimate caveman epic with no stars in it. The filmmaking on display is breathtaking as action sequences mount up in to a truly one-of-a-kind survival story. It makes a few concessions to convention here and there, but really, this is damn impressive. A true anomaly of the year.