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

[Blankments]

25. The Old Man and the Gun

 

 

Directed by David Lowery.

Starring Robert Redford, Casey Affleck, Danny Glober, Tika Sumpter, Tom Waits and Sissy Spacek.
Release date: September 28, 2018

Runtime: 93 minutes

 

 

David Lowery is one of the most interesting filmmakers working for me personally, and this added to that perception. A film that could’ve very easily just been a puff piece for Robert Redford becomes an intriguing mediation on time and star image. It’s also remarkably charming and works fantastically as send off for Redford, who is indeed a legend. Daniel Hart’s score is one of the year’s best and the movie in general is breezy in the best sense, with the retro vibe never feeling forced. It’s not Lowery’s best film but it’s a very worthy addition to his filmography.

[Blankments]

24. Bao

 

 

Directed by Domee Shi.

Starring Daniel Kailin and Sindy Lau.
Release date: June 15, 2018

Runtime: 8 minutes

 

 

The best short of the year*! A weird hook and solid emotion make this one of Pixar’s best shorts, although it’s greatly disserviced on being attached to Incredibles 2, as mainstream audience are rightfully extremely confused by it. For me though, this was a powerful metaphor and one that made me cry more than once. Hard to ask for more with this premise.

 

(*At the time I finalized this list. Since then I’ve seen a couple I liked more.)

[Blankments]

23. Set It Up

 

 

Directed by Claire Scanlon.

Starring Zoey Deutch, Glen Powell, Taye Diggs and Lucy Liu.
Release date: June 15, 2018

Runtime: 105 minutes

 

 

BRING BACK THE ROMCOM! This is such a great movie. Powell and Deutch have phenomenal chemistry and the jokes always bring a light smile to your face. It’s a throwback feature that feels completely modern; I wouldn’t mind five or six more romcoms with these lead actors. I saw it three times in a month and gave it my full attention every time. Of all the films this year, this was the best argument to bring back the romcom and remains one of the best Netflix films I’ve seen. Really, really great.

[Blankments]

22. Sorry to Bother You

 

 

Directed by Boots Riley.

Starring Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Jermaine Fowler, Omari Hardwick, Terry Crews, Patton Oswalt, David Cross, Danny Glober, Steven Yeun and Armie Hammer.
Release date: July 6, 2018

Runtime: 112 minutes

 

 

A balls-to-the-wall satire that doesn’t hit all the time, but the ambition is staggering that you can’t help but respect. Lakeith Stanfield is the perfect lead for this and Riley’s script is so on=point ideologically, you’ll forgive some of the leaps in internal logic. It’s a movie I saw in an alternative theater while drinking a cocktail on a couch, and I can’t imagine a better film to see in that environment. Seriously, a hard film to describe but one that I’m still thinking about over a half-year later.

[Blankments]

21. Isle of Dogs

 

 

Directed by Wes Anderson.

Starring Koyu Rankin, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Bob Balaban, Kunichi Nomura, Ken Watanabe, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, Fisher Stevens, Harvey Keitel, Liev Schreiber, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, F. Murray Abraham and Courtney B. Vance.
Release date: March 23, 2018

Runtime: 101 minutes

 

 

This is charming, magical and features gorgeous animation and winning voicework. There’s a major argument to be made about Greta Gerwig’s character – and don’t get me wrong, it’s by far the worst part of the film. Yet, everything else here is really nice and smart while never losing Wes’s signature quirk. It’s a film that completely utilizes the benefits of animation compared to live-action and I can’t help but massively value it for that. A special shoutout to Bryan Cranston’s voicework, which includes a monologue so good I’ve been tempted to try to use it for an audition. One of the year’s weirdly forgotten but excellent films from a true auteur.

[Blankments]

20. If Beale Street Could Talk

 

 

Directed by Barry Jenkins.

Starring KiKi Layne, Stephan James, Colman Domingo, Teyonah Parris, Michael Beach, Dave Franco, Diego Luna, Pedro Pascal, Ed Skrein, Brian Tyree Henry and Regina King.
Release date: December 14, 2018

Runtime: 117 minutes

 

 

A very well-done romantic drama, what stands out the most here to me was the technical aspects. Yes, Layne, James and King are marvelous, but look at how gorgeous this is. The cinematography is motivated and painterly. The score by Nicholas Britell  is the year’s best, paradoxically feeling completely slavish to the film but standing on its own as a remarkably complex work. Jenkins’ hand by the camera is felt throughout, and honestly, how much this feels like a novel is impressive. A step down from Moonlight for me but still very, very good.

[Blankments]

19. First Reformed

 

 

Directed by Paul Schrader.

Starring Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried and Cedric Kyles.
Release date: May 18, 2018

Runtime: 113 minutes

 

 

This movie most definitely is not for me, but I can recognize the craft involved. The cinematography is very pretty, and Hawke’s performance is absolutely phenomenal. It engages with a question I often try to forget because existential dread but does it with marvelous aplomb. It’s a truly memorable film even if I don’t know entirely how to engage with it. One thing’s for certain, it’s hard to imagine another film this year with as much fine-tuned craft and desire to complete its mission statement as First Reformed.

[Blankments]

18. Searching

 

 

Directed by Aneesh Chaganty.

Starring John Cho and Debra Messsing.
Release date: August 31, 2018

Runtime: 102 minutes

 

 

A truly unique thriller, this had me crying at the beginning and the end. A lot of it is due to John Cho’s excellent performance, which somehow shines brightly despite the filmmaking purposely distancing us from it. However, it’s really just a smart use of a gimmick. It’s hard to see any other film truly nailing the computer screen aspect as well as this does, as it routinely lets us get into the heads of characters in ways you could never really before this, along with just combining actual film craft with the simple landscape of a computer screen. The story is twisty and enthralling and overall, it’s just a damn good yarn. Loved it.

[Blankments]

17. The Other Side of the Wind

 

 

Directed by Orson Welles.

Starring John Huston, Oja Kodar, Peter Bogdanovich, Susan Strasberg, Norman Foster, Bob Random, Lilli Palmer, Edmond O’Brien, Mercedes McCambridge, Cameron Mitchell, Paul Stewart, Gregory Sierra, Tonio Selwart, Dan Tobin, Joseph McBride and Dennis Hopper.
Release date: November 2, 2018

Runtime: 122 minutes

 

 

Film history brought back to life. There’s a lot of complaints about the editing here showing its Frankenstein-monster nature… I don’t buy that. If you see F For Fake, you’d recognize Welles was already exploring the experimental editing to be found here; this just applies it to a more traditional narrative than the documentary status of that. What results is a truly maddening film, one that survives on the pulse of its editing. It’s hard to judge or even critique, especially among contemporary films. Welles was one of a kind and we’re blessed to have this finally finished. It’s truly fantastic.

[Blankments]

16. Can You Ever Forgive Me?

 

 

Directed by Marielle Heller.

Starring Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant.
Release date: October 19, 2018

Runtime: 107 minutes

 

 

This not being nominated everywhere at the Oscars baffles me. It’s exactly what they love with a biopic but this time, it’s a legitimately smart movie. Examining women in art and the cycle of loneliness with great subtlety, it’s a kettlepot of emotion, slowly boiling up and up until the final scene really makes you tear up. Heller’s direction is marvelous and McCarthy and Grant give career-best performances. It’s a truly one-of-a-kind movie and one I can only see growing on me with time. This blew me away.

[Blankments]

15. Blindspotting

 

 

Directed by Carlos López Estrada.

Starring Daveed Diggs, Rafael Casal, Janina Gavankar, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Ethan Embry, Tisha Campbell-Martin, Utkarsh Ambudkar and Wayne Knight.
Release date: July 20, 2018

Runtime: 95 minutes

 

 

A shocking surprise. Blindspotting is pure fire, anger told through a perfect mixture of comedy and drama that feels potent in every sense. Diggs is a star with this performance, being both performative and remarkably sincere. It keeps itself short and yet tackles so much, most of all gentrification. Really, this is a hard film to describe but an easy one to recommend. A spectacular debut in every sense with a marvelous script and an excellent ensemble. Yeah, it’s great.

[Blankments]

15. Won't You Be My Neighbor?

 

 

Directed by Morgan Neville.

Starring Fred Rogers, François Clemmons, Yo-Yo Ma, Joe Negri, David Newell, Tom Junod and Joanne Rogers.
Release date: June 8, 2018

Runtime: 93 minutes

 

 

A documentary that’s truly on-point with its subject. Holds the record for 2018 movie that made me cry the most. It’s a great look at a truly special human being, a good man who simply tried to make the world better in the realm of public television. Neville’s direction shows how well-versed he is in the typical documentary style and the editing here is truly impressive. Great!

[Blankments]

13. Paddington 2

 

 

Directed by Paul King.

Starring Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Brendan Gleeson, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw.
Release date: January 12, 2018

Runtime: 104 minutes

 

 

A bit overrated by the masses but this is still marvelously charming with some excellent direction. Whishaw’s voice work is delightful and Grant’s villain really steals the show. The modern idealism nature makes one want to love this even more, and honestly, who can blame them? Paddington is a good bear and this is a great movie for him (even though I still have problems with the very ending). I love bears!

[Blankments]

12. Widows

 

 

Directed by Steve McQueen.

Starring Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Colin Farrell, Brian Tyree Henry, Daniel Kaluuya, Jackie Weaver, Carrie Coon, Robert Duvall and Liam Neeson.
Release date: November 16, 2018

Runtime: 130 minutes

 

 

This is a messy ambitious movie that really is less than the sum of its parts. However, there are so many parts here that it still adds up to a pretty great movie. I wish it was longer and allowed more of the subplots to get the attention they deserve, but the ensemble is one of the best of the year with Debicki, Kaluuya and Rodriguez as clear standouts. McQueen knows how to direct something compelling and if Widows is anything, it’s compelling. Loved it!

[Blankments]

11. A Star is Born

 

 

Directed by Bradley Cooper.

Starring Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Andrew Dice Clay, Dave Chapelle and Sam Elliott.
Release date: October 5, 2018

Runtime: 136 minutes

 

 

Definitely felt like a debut but that’s okay. This reaches spectacular high heights at points; in particular, the concert scenes are phenomenal. Cooper has never been better and this is a gorgeous movie in every way. The first half is better than the second half, but the second half is still an well-done drama. It’s good! At this point you’re probably catching I liked all of these a ton! Yay!

[Blankments]

10. Shoplifters

 

 

Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda.

Starring Lily Franky, Sakura Ando, Mayu Matsuoka, Kairi Jo, Miyu Sasaki, and Kirin Kiki.
Release date: November 23, 2018

Runtime: 121 minutes

 

 

A remarkable drama about the families we find. It’s emotional and slow in the best sense. It truly feels like you’ve lived with this family by the time the climax arrives. It’s harrowing, spectacular, and definitely one of the best-directed films of the year. I usually can’t stand movies that have the lethargic pace this does, but this is really, really nicely done. Love it!

[Blankments]

9. Mission: Impossible - Fallout

 

 

Directed by Christopher McQuarrie.

Starring Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Sean Harris, Angela Bassett, Michelle Monaghan and Alec Baldwin.
Release date: July 27, 2018

Runtime: 147 minutes

 

 

Absolutely insane stuntwork and a damn good spy story make this easily one of the year’s best blockbusters. Cruise puts his life on the line multiple times to deliver the best one of these yet, filled with multiple memorable setpieces and a great supporting role by Henry Cavill of all people. There are still sequences in this film that I think about and totally boggle my mind. When you say summer blockbuster, I think immediately of Mission: Impossible and this proves why.

[Blankments]

8. Minding the Gap

 

 

Directed by Bing Liu.

Starring Keire Johnson, Zack Mulligan and Bing Liu.
Release date: August 17, 2018

Runtime: 93 minutes

 

 

Jaw-dropping in scope, what starts as a simple story of skateboarders becomes a mediation on abuse and whether we can escape our father’s shadows. Shocking in how intimate it feels, this is a one-of-a-kind documentary and easily the best one of those I’ve seen this year. Heck, it might be the best documentary I’ve ever seen. This is really special.

[Blankments]

7. Leave No Trace

 

 

Directed by Debra Granik.

Starring Ben Foster, Thomasin McKenize, Jeff Kober and Dale Dickey.
Release date: June 29, 2018

Runtime: 109 minutes

 

 

What can I say about this movie that hasn’t already been said? It has a breakout performance by McKenzie and Foster’s best performance yet. The direction is perfect, and the slow build to everything in it feels like an abrupt change of pace to everything else this year. It’s a truly great film in how unassuming it is and really, who could dislike a film like this?

[Blankments]

6. Black Panther

 

 

Directed by Ryan Coogler.

Starring Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker and Andy Serkis.
Release date: February 16, 2018

Runtime: 134 minutes

 

 

Melding the Marvel model with actual social commentary, I echo David Ehrlich with saying it’s fascinating to see a Marvel movie actually about something. For the most part, it escapes the trappings of the business model and delivers a phenomenon that was long overdue. It would’ve been so easy to make this just be another superhero movie, albeit one with a majority black cast. Instead, Coogler weaves together a story about Africans and African-Americans and takes a deep look at the fridge horror that it took this long for Wakanda to show up in the MCU. It’s good blockbuster entertainment, with a strong message behind it. Dope.