2019 is already almost a month old and I’ve been delaying this for a good while now. I was waiting to see if I could watch as many films as possible, but of course that is never enough and many great entries get left out. Some of the movies I haven’t had the chance to see yet include: most of the Oscar fare, namely “A Star is Born” (Bradley Cooper), “Vice” (Adam McKay), “Green Book” (Peter Farrelly), “First Man” (Damian Chazelle), “If Beale Street Could Talk” (Barry Jenkins), then there’s foreign contenders “Capernaum” (Nadine Labaki) and “Never Look Away” (Florian von Donnersmarck), as well as “Mirai” (Mamoru Hosada), very sadly “Spider Man: Into the Siderverse” (Persichetti, Ramsay, Rothman), indie darlings such as “Leave no Trace” (Debra Granik) and “Eighth Grade” (Bo Burnham) and my biggest regret, I haven’t watched my own country’s “Pájaros de Verano” (Ciro Guerra and Cristina Gallego).

So yeah, with that out of the way, lets get into the honourable mentions: “Upgrade” (Leigh Whannell), “Bohemian Rhapsody” (Bryan Singer), “Thoroughbreds” (Cory Finey), “Everybody Knows” (Asghar Farhadi), “Under the Silver Lake” (John Robert Mitchell), “Mandy” (Panos Cosmatos), “Searching” (Aneesh Chaganty), “Ralph Breaks the Internet” (Moore, Johnston) and yeah, gotta mention it, “Avengers: Infinity War” (Russo brothers).

Ps.: given that the Oscar nominations were announced yesterday, I’ll be writing about that on the weekend, though I have something different in mind this time around, so that’s why I’m taking a little more time to put that together.

Anyway, without further ado, here are my 20 favourite films of 2018:

20. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Coen brothers)

Anthology films can be a hit or miss type of situation, but the Coens never disappoint. Six different tales set in the wild west, ranging from comically silly to action packed to actually quite profound. Maybe not every story is as good as the rest, in particular the fifth one, “The Girl who Got Rattled”, comes to mind as the anthology’s weakest link, but the other five are solid enough to earn this film a spot on this list. I found the title story to be very enjoyable, especially Tim Blake Nelson’s charismatic performance as the outlaw Buster Scruggs, but I’d say y favourite was probably Meal Ticket: perhaps very little happens, but its this character driven narratives that the brothers make shine, not to mention the excellent performances by Liam Neeson and Harry Melling. The film surprised a lot of people by earning three nominations yesterday, myself included, but I’m glad it didn’t get shut out.

19. Suspiria (Luca Guadagnino)

I might be in the minority here, but personally I didn’t really like Argento’s 1977 original. Its visually grandiose and the production design is really something, but the acting was pretty bad, the dialogues are cheesy and the climax is really underwhelming. Yet, I was still quite curious when they announced a remake to be helmed by Luca Guadagnino, and I’ve gotta say I enjoyed this one quite a lot. The colour palette may be watered down and it goes in a very different direction than the original, especially by the ending, but I thought this was a very well executed horror film. Dakota Johnson was much more engaging than Jessica Harper, and the elevation of Sara’s character, played by the great Mia Goth, made the story all the more compelling. Yet it was Tilda Swinton, as always, who really steals the show. Then again, I was kind of disappointed that her Madame Blanc dind’t have a more active role during the finale. Either way, the film’s creepy imagery and instances of body horror, topped off with great acting, some very assured camera work and a nicely unsettling score by Thom Yorke make this one a great entry.

18. The Death of Stalin (Armando Ianucci)

A historical and political satire about the state of the Soviet Union after the passing of leader Joseph Stalin. A pretty solid movie with a great cast, great production design and a very well written script. it might not be the most historically accurate film ever made, but that’s a usual story with historical dramas. Steve Buscemi is excellent in this film and definitely deserves more recognition than what he’s getting, as do Jeffrey Tambor and Simon Russell Beale as well. Armando Ianucci delivers his characteristic brand of political humour, this time aimed at a specific period in history, and the results were outrageous enough to cause bans in more than a few post-soviet countries. Perhaps they took it too personal there, I’d say this is a film that its at its best when it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

17. Bad Times at the El Royale (Drew Goddard)

“Bad Times at the El Royale” finds seven strangers crossing paths at the El Royale hotel exactly by the border between Nevada and California, and when a storm traps them all secrets will be revealed and all hell will break loose. The movie is framed and edited in an interesting way, jumping in and out of different characters’ perspectives and showing their sides of the story. And while this aspect of Goddard’s direction works for the most part, perhaps its biggest problem was that it was too convoluted, and therefore it didn’t land with audiences and critics that well. However, I found it a very well put together film that kept me invested til the end, with an excellent ensemble cast and some very cool twists. Yes, it has its flaws, particularly on the writing department, but that doesn’t detract from this one being one of the most fun experiences I had in a cinema last year. Click here to read my full review.

16. A Quiet Place (John Krasinski)

I talked about this film on my best of first half of 2018 list, and here we are, six months later. “A Quiet place” was definitely one of the stand outs of last year, a great monster film but first and foremost a great story about a family’s efforts for survival. Set in a post-apocalyptic world that has been ravaged by extremely sound-sensitive creatures, John Krasinski himself and Emily Blunt are excellent as we see their efforts to keep their family safe. The premise in itself is pretty interesting and the execution was vey well done, though there’s always a couple of small moments that make you question how tight the movie’s inner logic actually is. Regardless, the film is fantastic at capturing the human element of the apocalypse. I was really sad that Emily Blunt got snubbed at the Oscars, I really think she deserved a nomination for this one. Still, they got a deserved nod for Sound Editing, so they didn’t get complete shut out.

15. Hereditary (Ari Aster)

Probably the horror movie of last year, Ari Aster’s directorial debut definitely made an impact. The story follows Annie (Toni Colette) right after the passing of her mother. As she and her family try to come to terms with the situation, very strange and increasingly disturbing events begin to take place around them, as lots of dark secrets come to light. The plot takes some very unexpected and bleak twists, and by the end when everything falls into place there’s a lingering sensation of tragic inevitability. Colette delivers a power house performance, if someone deserves to be among the nominees for Best Actress it is her. Her co-stars, Ganriel Byrne and, most surprisingly, Alex Wolff, also deliver great, poignant performances. All in all, a greatly acted, extremely tense and positively disturbing horror film.

14. BlacKkKlansman (Spike Lee)

Spike Lee’s new take on the state of racism in America, both back in the 70s and today, is a great achievement that reivindicates Lee’s recent bad spell. It tells the real story of african american police officer Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) as he infiltrates the KuKluxKlan. Adam Driver stars as his white double. The film is very poignant in its criticism while never forgetting the fun of its premise, it shines a light at the omnipresence of racism while at the same time homaging blaxploitation. The characters are very well fleshed out and the actors do a terrific job bringing them to life, newcomer John David Washington doing a solid job and Adam Driver deservedly landing an Oscar nomination. I’ve gotta say that the final resolution felt too cheap for me, they had just raised the stakes and it all solves rather nicely in the next scene. Then there’s this montage that, while I understand its purpose, I think cements the film as a product of our era, something that will be decisive if the film is to pass the test of time or not. But beyond those two points, “BlacKkKlansman” is one of the best of the year.

13. Annihilation (Alex Garland)

A film that was released back in february still managed to stay with me until the end of the year (even if many people seem to have forgotten it). Bad returns at the box office (due to Paramount’s stupid decision to pull the film’s international release) and the public’s controversies aside, “Annihilation” was a very well shot film with lots of interesting ideas. It follows a group of five scientists as they investigate a phenomenon known as the shimmer, an area where a meteor fell and now he laws of physics are acting weird. The cast is great, particularly Natalie Portman and Jennifer Jason Leigh, who in my opinion both deserved to be at least in consideration for nominations. The film aptly mixes science fiction and horror, two of my favourite genres, and manages to deliver some of the most unforgettable scenes of the year. It might not have been extremely popular nor did it make big bucks, but it is still a better film than at least half of the Best Picture nominees this year. You can read my review for this film here.

12. Sorry to Bother You (Boots Riley)

A surreal dark comedy that critizices capitalism. Lakeith Stanfield stars as Cassius “Cash” Green, a down-on-his-luck type of character who starts working as a telemarketer and soon finds out a loophole that will take him to the top, what takes a toll on his relationships, until he finds out that the company he’s working for has got more than a few shady secrets. Boots Riley’s directorial debut is one for the ages, pointing poignant criticism at the system while it embraces its absurdist nature. Stanfield turns in a very solid performance worth lots of merit, and Tessa Thompson excels as his more radical girlfriend. The rest of the cast also do a very fine job, with Steven Yeun as a union organizer and Armie Hammer as the film’s capitalist villain. Yet, the films biggest strength lies in its writing, a truly original and compelling screenplay with sharp satire that gives lots to think about.

11. Climax (Gaspar Noe)

Gaspar Noe is back with his characteristically provocative narratives filled with sex, violence and neon lights. “Climax” tells of a group of dancers in a remote french school as they celebrate a completed tour. Little do they know someone has spiked their sangria with LSD, from which all have drunken from, and before they know it hey initiate a challenging descent into hell. The movie displays a technical prowess with regards to its cinematography, which shares an excellent simbiotic relationship with the dance on screen. The dance numbers are amazingly choreographed and the dancers are really talented. When all the madness begins there’s no stopping it. With all the great horror films of 2018, I think this might have been the most visceral. Noe really has a talent to challenge its audience, has been doing it time and time again, the difference with this one and his previous films being that here he’s packed all the insanity in a limited 96 minute run time, which in turn favours the film even more. A hard watch, but a very rewarding one nonetheless.

10. The House that Jack Built (Lars von Trier)

And we’re into the top 10 now, with another film that is hard to watch yet very rewarding. Lars von Trier is back with this story about a serial killer who regarded every one of his murders as art, framed in five different episodes and an epilogue that recontextualizes everything. You know what to expect from a Von Trier film and this didn’t disappoint, for better and for worse. Beyond all its graphic violence (though in all honesty I was expecting something worse), the film has lots to say about society and human nature. There are some very funny moments in there too, to my surprise. Also, Matt Dillon deserves a lot more credit than what he gets for his excellent performance as the derranged Jack. The film gets too pretentious at times (a moment where von Trier inserts clips from his previous three films as two main characters have a discussion about art’s importance to mankind come to mind), and I felt the epilogue dragged a little bit, but overall it is a masterfully crafted dark and yet utterly hilarious film.

9. Isle of Dogs (Wes Anderson)

Back in July I listed this one as my favourite movie of 2018, now its shows up in my top 10 once again. This one was my favourite animated film of the year (though I still have to watch “Into the Spiderverse”, and I’ve heard many people say they were expecting “Isle of Dogs” to be their top animated movie of the year, until Spider Man took its place). Set in a dystopian future where Japan makes all dogs illegal and sends them to a trash island, a young boy goes there trying to find his old dog. The movie is really sweet and funny, has an awesome story with awesome characters, and on the technica level it does everything right. Wes Anderson really shines with this one, maybe even making a case to why animation is the medium for him and his peculiar aesthetic. A talented voice cast and a great score by Alexander Desplat round up an excellent animated effort. You can read my full review here.

8. Cold War (Pawel Pawilkowski)

“Ida”‘s director Pawel Pawilkowski is back with this lyrical love story based on his parents’ marriage. It tells the story of aspiring singer Zula (Johanna Kulig) and Wiktor (Tomasz Kot), the musical director who discovers her, as the fall in and out of love over and over in Poland after WWII at first. To tell the truth, I wasn’t expecting to like this film as much as I did. “Ida” was great back in its day, but I didn’t think that a romance movie would keep me so interested and moved. Both leads give excellent performances, particularly Kulig, who also gets the chance to wow us with her singing abilities. The cinematography is simply gorgeous, capturing the tragic yet magical beauty of that perod of time aswe jump from one european country to another. The music, composed by Marcin Masecki, really elevates the beauty of what we see on screen. While before watching it I thought it might be on the cheesy side, the narrative really surprised me with its raw portrayal of a destructive relationship. It landed three Oscar nominations to everyone’s surprise, yet they are very well worthy.

7. First Reformed (Paul Schrader)

Writer-director Paul Schrader, screenwriter of masterpieces such as “Taxi Driver” (1976) and “Raging Bull” (1980) and helmer of others such as “American Gigolo” (1980), is back this year with a meditation on faith, the church and climate change. Ethank Hawke delivers a career best performance as he stars as Reverend Ernst Toller, pastor of a small church with fading attendance. He’s approached by Mary (Amanda Seyfried), who asks him to give her ambientalist husband some spiritual advice. A riveting drama about a priest struggling with his faith and the role of the church in today’s society, this film can be best described as Bergman’s “Winter Light” (1962) meets Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver”. Schrader’s screenplay might be one of the best of the year, and it very deservingly landed an Oscar nomination, though it hardly has a chance of winning. The ending was controversial, and why I can see the reasons behind people’s criticism and thought that that final shot lasted a little bit too long, I thought it was the best logical conclusion to what had transpired before.

6. Burning (Lee Chang Dong)

Lee Chang Dong’s arthouse character piece evolves into a mystery that is never resolved. The film follows Lee Jong-su (Yoo Ah-in), an aspiring writer, as he meets a girl with whom he went to school with named Shin Hai-mi (Jeon Jong-seo), and he quickly forms an obsession. She asks him to feed her cat while she’s in Africa as social aid, and when she comes back she’s with Ben (Steven Yeun), a confident well to-do guy who volunteered as well. Jong-su befriends Ben, but deep down he rescents him because he has the attention of Hai mi. “Burning” is one of those movies you have to see for yourself, because no summary will be able to describe what this movie is about. Based on a short story by Haruki Murakami, its story and character deconstruction are very well written and executed. If I had one complaint, there’s a certain subplot that gets hinted at the beginning, then arises in one scene, only to never be mentioned again afterwards, and for a movie with a 150 minutes runtime it does feel somewhat unneccesary. But other than that, “Burning” is yet another masterpiece of South Korean cinema.

5. The Other Side of the Wind (Orson Welles)

Most people seem to have forgotten that one of cinema history’s most respected filmmakers finally had his last film completed, which n turn was a densely packed meditation on the filmmaking craft and art in general. Presented as a documentary-fiction hybrid about the last day in the life of a director as he struggles to complete his latest film, it stars John Huston in a towering performance as director J.J. Hannaford, Peter Bogdanovich as his prodigy and Olga Kojar as the mysterious actress in the film within the film. This film exists in a temporal vacuum: it was released in 2018, but for all intents and purposes it is a 70s movie. Most people seem to be ignoring the film when listing their year’s best lists because it doesn’t align to today’s politics, but it isn’t fair to judge this one by today’s standards. Then again, it probably isn’t fair to judge it by 70s standards either. What one can do is judge it by Orson Welles standards, and in that regard it is a piece of cinema very worthy of belonging to one of history’s greatest filmmaker’s canon. Click here to read my full review.

4. Roma (Alfonso Cuarón)

The most beloved film of the year comes from the mind of Alfonso Cuarón, working in his native Mexico for the first time since 2001’s “Y tu mamá también”. “Roma” is set in Mexico City in 1970, a period of political turmoil for the country, and is told through the eyes of Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), a maid for a high society family. This film might just have the most beautiful cinematography of the year, executed by Cuarón himself, every single frame of the film is a marvel to look at, and several of its scenes count as some of the best we saw all year (the forrest fire and the climax at the beach in particular). The story of Cleo is told in a very tender and empathic way, and first time actress Aparicio fits naturally into the role. “Roma” jointly leads the Oscar nominations this year, something very rare for a foreign language film, and it has great chances of winning, something even rarer. Though not necessarily my choice, I would be very pleased if it does end up winning the big prize. Til then anything can happen, but let’s not forget “Roma” already won the Golden Lion at Venice.

3. Shoplifters (Hirokazu Kore-eda)

I debated for a long time which one I preferred between this one and “Roma”, but ultimately I decided for “Shoplifters”. Hirokazu Kore-eda’s very human drama tells the story of a poverty-stricken family that relies on shoplifting to survive, as they kidnap a little girl to take her away from her horrible family and welcome her as one of their own. The film can be best described as beautiful simplicity, with a style reminiscent to legendary filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu. The sense of closeness to this family the film achieves within the spectator is something very rare nowadays. The characters feel very much alive, their struggles become the audience’s struggles, and their joys become the audience’s joy. Its a very emotional movie, full of small nuances and subtle storytelling. It might not be as big as “Roma”, but if that were to win Best Picture then maybe “Shoplifters” got a shot in its own category (though there’s always “Cold War” that could run away with the award).

2. You Were Never Really Here (Lynne Ramsay)

Another film that seems to be completely forgotten by everybody. Back in June I placed this one as number 5 on my list, but the film has grown on me a lot since then, in fact every time I think about it the more am I convinced of its greatness. It tells the story of Joe (a tour de force by Joaquin Phoenix), a suicidal army veteran who works as a mercenary, mainly by tracking down paedophilia rings and rescuing little girls. He’s hired by a politician to rescue his daughter, but this job may be even more sinister than it first appears. This is a very brutal and violent movie, and I can see why many people got turned off by it, but the amount of prowess in directing, writing and acting on display is something to behold. Ramsay executes with chirurgical perfection a violent tale on top of a very deep character deconstruction, held together by Phoenix in what could be the role of his career. Got definitely snubbed in categories such as Best Picture, Director, Actor, Adapted Screenplay, Score (Jonny Greendwood once again composing one of my favourite scores of the year), perhaps even Editing and Cinematography. They’ll say the movie is too small for the Oscars, no money for marketing, I’ll say this one is above them.

And now, my favourite film of 2018 was of course…

1. The Favourite (Yorgos Lanthimos)

Recently I wrote a review where I explain more about why I loved this film so much, so go check that out. All I can say is that Lanthimos, a filmmaker I’ve been following for a while now, not only met the high expectations I had going into this movie, he surpassed them. Set in 1708 as Britain finds itself in war against France, the film focuses on Queen Anne (Olivia Colman), her confidante and advisor Sarah Churchill (Rachel Weisz) and Sarah’s cousin Abigail (Emma Stone). The film explores the power dynamics between these three ladies. The first that one has to talk about here is the acting: all three leading actresses deliver performances that rank among the best of the year, I really hope Colman gets Best Actress and one of Weisz or Stone for Best Supporting Actress (I’d go with Weisz tbh). The cinematography is very inventive and unconventional, the production design is a marvel to look at, as so are the costumes. Every single aspect of the film worked in perfect unison with each other. One might think that this being a period piece you’ve got everythign figured out, but trust me, Lanthimos knows how bring something radical to the table, and damn does he know how to craft an ending. Rooting for this one to win big on Oscar night, though somehow I doubt it’ll happen.

So that’s that, my top 20 films of 2018. Overall it was a great year for cinema with all sorts of movies coming from all sorts of directions. The year started strong and remained strong overall, these were the ones that I liked the most. There’s still lots of stuff to watch though, and the Academy Awards take place in a month from now. Like I said, I’ll be uploading my take on this year’s nominations later this week, but with a little twist, so keep an eye out for that. As always, thanks for reading and I hope you liked it. You can be of big help by sharing this with your friends and family, and don’t forget to follow to stay up to date with this blog’s contents. Until next time!