Well, It’s been a while but I want to give you my thoughts on what the best films of 2018 were. I leave it this long into the year to write my list because I always want to watch every possible film that I can get my hands on from said year before giving my thoughts.

I write these lists based on release dates in the UK, that’s why you may see some films that you might consider to be 2017 on here.

17. Roma

Ok, so I didn’t enjoy Roma as much as everyone else. Don’t get me wrong, it is a technically stunning film, it looks gorgeous and the acting is phenomenal. I just…wasn’t terribly excited about it. It bored me a little if I’m honest, but I still acknowledge its achievements and that’s why it’s here on my list. If this list was purely based on technical achievements alone (especially when it comes to cinematography) then it would be #2.

16. Isle Of Dogs

Isle of dogs is a great little animated film by Wes Anderson; one of my favourite directors working today, and stop motion is one of my favourite forms of animation, it just looks so charming. That’s what this film is, really, charming, and really funny. I also didn’t expect it to be as tonally dark as it was, there were small children in my screening and I just kept thinking to myself “This is just not suitable”. I always really appreciate the work that goes into stop motion films, and it really does pay off.

15. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Three Billboards is probably among some of the best acted films of the year. Sam Rockwell and Francis McDormand really shine in this, they really did deserve the academy awards. Woody Harrellson is also quite good in this, though I enjoy him in anything. The story is quite interesting and unique, but I would have put this higher up if I hadn’t felt that it was slightly tone-deaf.

14. Leave No Trace

Leave No Trace was another surprise for me, i was so immersed from start to finish in this gorgeous film; the beautiful landscape and the stunning cinematography really helped the very earth itself feel like an important character in this bittersweet story. Although the ending didn’t punch me as hard as it thought it would, the more i thought about it, the bleaker it seemed to me.

13. BlacKkKlansmen

Black Klansman was hard to watch, but extremely poignant, and I respect a film for that. The story is incredibly interesting and, honestly, bizarre to say that (most of) it was based on true events. It’s hilarious at times and downright disgusting in others. I’m not really into politically charged films which is why the last few minutes, although absolutely devastating, seemed a bit disjointed from, the rest of the film and that perhaps Spike Lee was trying to push some sort of agenda. Other than that though, really good film.

12. Widows

Widows is a perfectly executed heist movie. It’s one of Steve McQueen’s more accessible films and I think it’s really good for him to make a film like this as he has gotten his name out to a more main stream audience. It’s in no way his best film, but it’s a film that brings a higher standard to mainstream audiences. The villain played by Daniel Kaluuya is probably the most intimidating villain of the year and the chemistry between Viola Davis and Liam Neeson seems genuine and just adorable.

11. Mandy

You’ve probably all heard of Mandy by now; the really weird fever dream of a film starring Nicholas Cage as the main character…what more could you ask for, right? Well, turns out, it’s also a really good film and has “cult classic” written all over it. With a REALLY great opening scene and some cheesy as hell acting, Mandy as also one of the most memorable films of 2018.

10. Suspiria

Suspiria was one hell of a trippy film, it had THE most disgusting scene I think I’ve ever seen in a film. The directing was very well done and the acting particularly stood out to me too. I’ve never seen the original, but this film made me want to, just to compare. Tilda Swinton is especially good in this, even while playing multiple roles! Highly disturbing film, very uniquely presented.

9. Mission Impossible: Fallout

MI: Fallout is the best Mission Impossible film, hands down. It just works so much better than any of the others! The directing really stands out to me, there are some really fantastic looking shots and the halo jump scene is incredibly tense because of it. Lorne Balfe is a fantastic composer and Fallout has the best soundtrack of any of the Mission Impossible films, plus the stunt work is mind-blowing.

8.Spider-man: Into The Spider-verse

Into The Spider Verse was a very welcome surprise after a year of some very average superhero films. Spider verse has very quickly become one of my favourite animated films of all time, the visuals are really quite phenomenal, it’s really surprising coming from Sony pictures animation. The amount of love and affection that was clearly poured into this film is extremely admirable and I loved every second of it.

7. You Were Never Really Here

You were Never Really Here is a very thoughtful and beautiful character study of Joe; played by Joaquin Phoenix, who is probably my favourite movie character of 2018. Not only because Phoenix gives one of my favourite performances of the year, but also because of how he has transformed physically into this absolute boulder of a human being. I’m a huge fan of method acting and for me, this is probably among my top 10 method acted parts. YWNRH is really well directed and I look forward to watching more Lynne Ramsey films.

6. Hereditary

Hereditary has all the makings of a future classic, it’s a great horror film in a time where the horror genre has gone down the pooper, and I really appreciate that. Hereditary made me genuinely uneasy and it messed with my head a bit; you’ll notice that there are hidden things in the corner of your vision as you watch and that made me REALLY uncomfortable…in a good way, though. With a brilliant performance from Toni Collette, an interesting story, a really eerie soundtrack and some great cinematography that really boosts the themes of the film, I consider Hereditary one of my favourite horror films.

6. Blindspotting

Blindspotting is the most recent film I’ve seen from this list, it really surprised me and I found myself NEEDING to find a place for it on this list. Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal both turn in great performances and they really caught my attention, seeing as I had only ever seen Daveed Diggs in one thing prior to this and I had never even heard of Rafael Casal. Blindspotting includes some of the most tense scenes I’ve seen in 2018, and that’s a lot, coming from a year with films such as ‘Climax’ and ‘Hereditary’. Blindspotting plays with your expectations; you think it’s going to go one way but then ends up flipping that expectation and then presenting you with a different outcome, I loved the rap element to this film and I ADORE how creative the entire thing is; it was clearly a very personal project

5. First Reformed

First Reformed is a great film from the screenwriter of ‘Taxi Driver’, you can tell because it’s also very similar to Taxi Driver, though I prefer this. Ethan Hawke puts in a great performance, as does nearly everyone in this film. The sequence of events is very predictable, though the film knows that and is extremely tense because of this. The character arc of Reverend Ernst Toller and he is a great character…parttly because I still remember the guys name!

4. Bodied

Bodied is a film that has gone largely unnoticed this year due to it being released on YouTube Red of all places, it’s also the film that introduced me to an entirely new culture, and I thank it for that. I literally got a free trial of Youtube Premium just to watch this…and then I re-watched it again just a few days later.

I really enjoy satire, whether it’s smart, stupid, on the nose or incredibly subtle, doesn’t matter to me, I just enjoy people taking the piss out of something. Eminem’s involvement in this film quite contradicts the films satirical themes, I feel, but that definitely doesn’t affect the quality of this film. The directing is what stood out to me the most, being directed by a music video director, it definitely gave me that grimy, underground feeling. The creative ways this film presents itself are what make it one of the more memorable films of this year, it has some clever visual metaphors that I enjoyed and, of course…ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING PERSONAL INSULTS

3. Phantom Thread

I’m a huge fan of slow burners, and Phantom Thread is a REALLY slow burner. This relationship between the two lead characters just builds in such a way that you can almost tell what’s going to end up happening, but then it doesn’t and what happens instead is just so unpredictable that I couldn’t help but love it. Daniel-Day Lewis’s performance is excellent as always but it’s Vicky Krieps who really shines here, I think.

2. The Shape of Water

The Shape of Water is one of those very special kinds of film that is fantastical in its setting but also extremely realistic in its delivery. I adored pretty much everything about this film; the chemistry between Sally Hawkins and the creature, the acting of everyone involved (Richard Jenkins especially did a wonderful job), the aesthetics, the cinematography, the soundtrack and just the world in general. I left the screening feeling so emotionally satisfied, and it’s the sort of feeling that is extremely hard to replicate.

1.Climax

Climax is an absolute fucking nightmare, I cannot remember the last time I have felt so on edge and uncomfortable while watching a film…and it was absolutely BRILLIANT! As well as being a mind-boggling achievement in film making, Climax also manages to have an engaging story, great characters, a great script, an awesome soundtrack and best of all…that cinematography. Good LORD, the camera work and shot composition in this film is something to behold. Some of the shots in this film are upwards of probably 20 minutes long, and the camera sometimes isn’t even the right way around! I honestly would never have guessed that my favourite film of 2018 would be a piece of french extremism, but here we are. I will DEFINITELY be watching more of Gaspar Noe’s films.