2018 was an exceptional year for movies. Possibly the best since I started keeping track on this blog. Narrowing this list down to my usual 25 was impossible; some of the movies that just missed could've made it on in another year, and some of the movies just outside the top ten could've moved higher with weaker competition.
Truly, this is a great problem to have. There were so many movies this year I could champion to anyone who would listen. There were so many hidden gems that deserved to be seen by wider audiences who would love them as much as I do. Here, then, is my attempt to round all of that love up into one simple list. Every movie on this list has something special to offer. Enjoy:
25. (tie) MANDY
& SUSPIRIA
I couldn't bear to cut one of these off the list so tied at #25 are two of the best horror films of the year, which used every frame and sound of their runtimes to create some of the most gruesome imagery of the year.
24. CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?
More than an outlet for two of the most charismatic performances of the year, Marielle Heller's sophomore feature is a rare opportunity to watch queer characters from the margins of history tell their own story.
23. WIDOWS
Audiences that don't flock to see movies like Widows get exactly what they deserve. That a movie this skillful and well-cast could also be so entertaining should lead it to the top of the box office, but regardless of that it still stands as the action film of the year.
22. TULLY
Jason Reitman, Diablo Cody and Charlize Theron have already given us one perfect film in 2011's Young Adult, the fact that they were able to nearly match it with this tale of motherhood shouldn't be possible. One more and we could have a perfect trilogy.
21. ISLE OF DOGS
After 2009's Fantastic Mr. Fox, still the best animated film of the last ten years, Wes Anderson has proven that his skills extend far past live action. No other animation this year exceeded the design of Isle of Dogs, and if he decided to stay in the realm of stop motion, who would object?
20. THE DEATH OF STALIN
Armando Iannucci's follow-up to In the Loop (and his many years on Veep) is more than just a vague allusion to America's current administration, it's a bleak dark comedy that also manages to be one of the most hilarious scripts of the year.
19. LEAVE NO TRACE
Debra Granik is one of multiple female filmmakers on this list (pay attention to how many of them land Oscar nominations!) and the fact this is the first narrative feature she's delivered since Winter's Bone is a real shame. Whether that fact was her choice or not, hopefully it won't take too long for another demonstration of her unmatched craft.
18. THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS
Anthology films are hard to do, especially ones originally envisioned for TV. But even though the quality of the vignettes in Buster Scruggs vary, the ones that stick (the last four and particularly the final two) are some of the most affecting storytelling of the Coen brothers' careers.
17. MINDING THE GAP
Every year is a standout year for documentary, 2018 included, and this year the nonfiction film that stuck with me most was Minding the Gap. A treatise on masculinity and the ways that generations carry on the trauma of their parents, the film unfolds in surprising ways that most narrative features would be wise to learn from.
16. COLD WAR
Pawel Pawlikowski's follow-up to Ida is just as gorgeous and crisply rendered, but this sweeping love story is something new and wholly moving. The stunning photography and sweeping music create a vivid atmosphere and Joanna Kulig's performance cuts deep.
RUNNERS-UP
15. WILDLIFE
Both a stunning acting showcase and a fantastic debut feature, Wildlife is one of the tragedies of this year's awards season. That a movie like this, and a performance as good as Carey Mulligan's, can't find more attention is baffling. But for those who do, the film is a gem that will outlast many of its fleeting competitors.
14. PRIVATE LIFE
Tamara Jenkins has only made one film a decade for the last three decades. That's a shame for many reasons, but primarily because her films, including Private Life, are so deeply felt and smartly written. And when they feature perfectly matched leads with the chemistry of Kathryn Hahn and Paul Giamatti, the film world could use her output more often.
13. THOROUGHBREDS
I hate declaring films a future cult classic, but if a film ever made sense as one it's Thoroughbreds. With predecessors like Heathers, it's the kind of dark teenage drama that should find new generations of fans as time goes on.
12. THE RIDER
Chloé Zhao should be running Hollywood. If The Rider isn't proof of her directing prowess, the film's deft blending of real life and fiction should prove she has a unique gift that few other filmmakers today have.
11. SHOPLIFTERS
This year was an amazing one for international cinema as evidenced by the four different foreign-language features on this list. Hirokazu Kore-eda's Shoplifters is a perfect example, with one of the best ensembles of the year, it's a tearjerker that neither manipulates nor rings false with its subtly ambitious storytelling.
THE TOP TEN
10. SUPPORT THE GIRLS
I didn't realize Support the Girls would make this top ten list. It's the kind of movie that seems too easy to work, but the irresistible cast and the film's smart script made it one of the easiest comedies to love all year. It's the kind of infectious story that leaves you no choice but to embrace it and thank God for that.
09. EIGHTH GRADE
"Relatable" is the easiest and most meaningless adjective to describe a story. But man, if Eighth Grade isn't extremely relatable. A story as specific as this one can resonate with anyone who remembers their adolescence even if the specifics are uniquely of its time. Eighth Grade is cringeworthy but also deeply authentic and never feels anything less than fully considered by its director and its lead star, both of whom should have long careers ahead of them.
08. FIRST REFORMED
First Reformed is impossible to pigeonhole. Even describing the plot doesn't do it justice. How can a movie tackle themes as devastating and challenging as this one and not fall victim to pretension and overwrought drama? But Paul Schrader's script is as ambitious as it is damning and Ethan Hawke's wrenching performance is one-of-a-kind. The ending is the gut punch of the year and one of the film moments I'll most remember.
07. IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK
Following up Moonlight, my favorite film of 2016, should be an impossible task. But with the level of talent writer-director Barry Jenkins possesses, even that task is doable. Beale Street is one the most stirring, emotional love stories of the last few years, with a swoon-worthy visual palate and one of the year's finest scores. The film whisks you away with its beauty and delivers a crushing blow that only an artist at the top of his game could pull off this well.
06. YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE
The highest compliment I can pay You Were Never Really Here is that it feels like a dream. The hallucinatory imagery, the smooth editing and Joaquin Phoenix's haunted lead performance guide you along gracefully even as that dream slowly turns into a nightmare. Lynne Ramsay is a master of mood and her fearless commitment to her vision puts her head and shoulders above her peers.
05. BURNING
Burning might be the hardest movie on this list for me to write about. Not for any lack of affection, it's an intoxicating mystery and one of the most purely gripping cinematic experiences I had in the theater this year. To watch Lee Chang-dong's blissful direction glide across the South Korean landscape would be enough to land this movie high on my list, but as the movie goes to surprising and unexpected places, you realize you are in the hands of a virtuoso filmmaker.
04. HEREDITARY
How can a movie as disturbing, difficult and frankly bleak as Hereditary make me feel so good inside? Maybe it's Toni Collette's lead performance, a career best in an already stunning filmography. Maybe it's the atmosphere, which feels as if you're slowly descending into Hell, even before the film dips into the paranormal. Maybe it's remembering the feeling of sitting in the theater and experiencing the shock for the first time as the film's narrative became clear. Whatever it is, Hereditary is a one-of-a-kind experience, and nothing makes me feel better than the fact that a film like this could exist and be as good as it is.
03. ANNIHILATION
Annihilation owes quite a bit to its source material, one of my favorite books of the last few years, but the film takes the tale and pushes it to the next level both aesthetically and emotionally. Targeting ambitious themes and creating a world that is fully realized but unrecognizable, Alex Garland's film is both beautiful and horrifying. With each new sight, you feel as if you're watching a team of artists try to make something you've never seen before, and the fact that they succeed is something to celebrate.
02. THE FAVOURITE
You don't have to wait too long to find a new costume drama each awards season. But as the genre seems to stay stagnant and borrow from the same tired cliches, here comes The Favourite to throw out the blueprints and shake up the staid formula. Wickedly funny, formally inventive and unabashedly queer, Yorgos Lanthimos brings a much needed jolt to the period and his three lead ladies form a perfect trifecta that makes for one of the most brilliant and provocative films of the year.
01. ROMA
Roma is the kind of masterpiece that feels like one from its opening moments. Everything is operating on another level; the stunning photography, the intricate sound design, the devastating lead performance. Alfonso Cuarón has made masterpieces before, at least two by my count, but each one feels as unique and different as if they had been made by a different filmmaker altogether. There are moments in Roma that feel like you have never seen anything like them before, and others that feel as familiar as a long-handed down family story. The fact that they align to make a film as masterful as this one feels impossible, but here it is.
As I mentioned, this year had so many great movies it was impossible to narrow it down to my regular 25. So the films that came close, and might've been on this list on another day, also include: Cam, Crime + Punishment, Disobedience, Early Man, The Endless, First Man, Free Solo, Game Night, Happy as Lazzaro, The Kindergarten Teacher, Lean on Pete, Madeline’s Madeline, Paddington 2, A Private War, Revenge, Shirkers, A Simple Favor, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Three Identical Strangers, Vox Lux, We the Animals, Where is Kyra?, and Zama.
And contrary to that level of quality, here's the other side of the coin, my Least of 2018:
01. Bohemian Rhapsody
02. Life Itself
03. Vice
04. Ready Player One
05. The Cloverfield Paradox
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