We are over halfway through 2018, so it’s time to reveal our list of Top 10 Movies of 2018 so far. As always, our audience gave input by making their own lists and the films below include a mix of comedies, dramas, dark comedies, comic book movies and more. Make sure, as always, to rate every movie you see in the links at the bottom of this post.

Jeff – ‘Love, Simon’ (89/100): What a delightful movie, with a great message to boot. I’ve seen people compare it to a John Hughes-like dramatic comedy and that’s pretty spot on. Coming-of-age movies have been dominating summer releases in recent years and this is up there with one of the better entries. A story on inclusion, it has great themes, narratives and is a light, but fantastic story.

KenJac – ‘Blockers’ (85/100): I had expected ‘Blockers’ to stink based off the trailers, but it’s probably the best general audience comedy of the year. Cena, Mann and Barinholtz did a solid job playing different kinds of parents and gave us some memorable, funny moments around a heartfelt storyline.

Audience – ‘A Quiet Place’ (88/100)

Jeff – ‘First Reformed’ (90/100): The only real, straight-up drama on this list, ‘First Reformed’ is the classic limited release from A24. Hype will undoubtedly grow for this movie once it is in more theaters, and it deserves it without question. Great performances carry this movie, especially from Ethan Hawke who plays a troubled pastor. The deep development and look into the past for Hawke’s character creates a gripping, intense and intricate story. Amanda Seyfried, per usual, is excellent in the film and Cedric the Entertainer, yes, you read that right, will surprise you in his role.

KenJac – ‘Deadpool 2’ (85/100): Successful movie sequels are pretty rare to find, especially when it comes to comedies. However, as per usual, Deadpool breaks the mold. Is ‘Deadpool 2? better than ‘Deadpool’? In certain areas, sure. There’s a more significant and meaningful story, the humor relies slightly less on sex jokes and they managed to keep breaking the fourth wall without it being stale. Is it an overall better movie than ‘Deadpool’? Probably not. But it is absolutely as great of a sequel as we could have hoped for.

Audience – ‘Upgrade’ (89/100)

Jeff – ‘Black Panther’ (90/100): This entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is really interesting to me, because I think it played a victim to the shittiness of Rotten Tomatoes. Yes, it has a 97% on the website, but that means nothing, it just means 97% of critics approved it, as its real rating is an 8.2/10. Regardless, I loved ‘Black Panther’, even though I don’t buy into it being a Top 5 MCU movie or deserving of Oscar hype. It’s easily the deepest and most complex story in the MCU and Ryan Coogler is a fantastic director. Not to brush Chadwick Boseman’s great portrayal of T’Challa aside, but the real standout in the movie is Michael B. Jordan, who puts most comic book villains to shame.

KenJac – ‘Love, Simon’ (86/100): Telling stories for people who are marginalized in society is really important, and a movie like ‘Love, Simon’ is a great example why. As a movie, it’s well measured, shot, and, most importantly, acted. Nick Robinson did a great job in what turned out to be a heartwarming love story.

Audience – ‘Love, Simon’ (89/100)

Jeff – ‘American Animals’ (91/100): Based on a true story revolving around four men trying to pull off an art heist, ‘American Animals’ has been one of the surprises of the year. This is also a MoviePass distributed movie, which is pretty cool and something the company should do more of to save their great-for-the-audience model. Yet another dark comedy with a thriller element mixed in, the story and narrative make this one of the most engaging movies of 2018. The cast plays a huge part in this film’s success with Evan Peters, Blake Jenner (from two great movies in ‘The Edge of Seventeen’ and ‘Everybody Wants Some!’), Barry Keoghan and Jared Abrahamson.

KenJac – Solo: A Star Wars Story (86/100): I will go to my grave saying that this was both more entertaining, and more of a Star Wars movie than ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’. It’s an absolute thrill, and I think Alden Ehrenreich blew away every expectation I had for him as Han, and Donald Glover even more so as Lando. It is well paced, has solid humor, and gives you some fanservice without being too heavy-handed.

Audience – ‘Thoroughbreds’ (90/100)

Jeff – ‘Thoroughbreds’ (91/100): This movie flew under the radar as it was released in March, a time of the year with a dense release of mostly mediocre products. Funny, yet dark, ‘Thoroughbreds’ will have you on the edge of your seat in a crazy third act. The dynamic and chemistry between Olivia Cooke, a rising star, and Anya Taylor-Joy helps carry the movie to another level. I can’t go without mentioning Anton Yelchin (Rest in Peace), who gave a great performance in his final movie. ‘Thoroughbreds’ is already out on DVD, Blu-Ray and streaming services, so I highly suggest everyone gives it a watch.

KenJac – ‘Ant-Man and The Wasp’ (87/100): The one sequel this year that I found better than the original, ‘Ant-Man & The Wasp’ took everything that made the first one solid and ran with it. What you end up with is one of the funniest MCU movies, with yet another three-dimensional villain. Could we get a Luis standalone movie?

Audience – ‘First Reformed’ (90/100)

Jeff – ‘The Incredibles 2’ (91/100): Pixar, man, they did it again! The studio has an “okay” track record with sequels, so I was a little worried going into ‘The Incredibles 2’. My worries were thrown out the window because the movie is outstanding. While it may not be the juggernaut that the first one was, the sequel finds a way to still capture the magic and deliver a feel good and fun story. The environment Brad Bird and the Pixar team created, a futuristic take on the 1960’s, is what helps hammer home why I love this movie.

KenJac – ‘Upgrade’ (88/100): One of my favorite Blumhouse movies, ‘Upgrade’ was almost like a full-length episode of ‘Black Mirror’ in the best possible way. A revenge plotline driven by future tech, it has some of the best fight scenes I’ve seen this year. The camerawork alone makes this worth the watch, but Logan Marshall-Green’s emotional performance makes it even better.

Audience – ‘The Incredibles 2’ (91/100)

Jeff – ‘Sorry to Bother You’ (91/100): I recently wrote a review of this movie, which you can check out here, and detailed why this is such a creative force. In terms of satire on class and race, it isn’t quite as concise as ‘Get Out’, but it still hits its goals. The script is fantastic and the story has some wild twists and turns that will keep you engaged throughout. Lakeith Stanfield may have also delivered my favorite performance of the year so far. It may not land everything, but Boots Riley’s debut movie is awesome.

KenJac – ‘Black Panther’ (92/100): Black Panther had the usual MCU constants in crazy special effects, a predictable plot arc, and reliable humor. Where it excelled relative to most of the MCU was the depth in casting, the social message, and most of all the antagonist. Killmonger was a phenomenal villain, and his plight wasn’t the standard “I want to kill everyone and take over the world!!” bullshit which helped set it apart for me.

Audience – ‘Sorry to Bother You’ (92/100)

Jeff – ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (93/100): Call me a Marvel shill, say you hate comic book movies all you want, but I stand firm in saying ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ is a fantastic movie. This was a cinematic achievement for the Russo Brothers. To tie so many storylines, and one of the biggest ensemble casts in movie history, together seamlessly is flat out impressive. The movie has some of the biggest “wow” moments you’ll ever see on the big screen. It was easily my favorite theater experience of all time alongside ‘The Dark Knight’. The best element? The villain. Josh Brolin’s complex portrayal of Thanos slots him up there as one of the best movie villains I’ve ever seen.

KenJac – ‘Incredibles 2’ (93/100): There have been a lot of sequels this year, and none of them were a better movie than ‘The Incredibles 2’. The whole original crew was great, and the new additions of Bob Odenkirk, Sophia Bush, Catherine Keener, and the voice acting god himself Phil LaMarr were amazing. It’s not as good as the first, but what you get is still a funny, lively adventure that looks outstanding and leaves you feeling like a kid again.

Audience – ‘The Death of Stalin’ (93/100)

Jeff – ‘Annihilation’ (94/100): This movie grew on me after my first watch and into the second time I saw it. It could be the most divisive movie of the year so far with its wild plot and story. This is the definition of a movie that makes you think. Is it a metaphor or symbolism of cancer, or is it something else? One thing is for sure, the movie has some of the best visuals out of any film this year; it’s simply stunning to look at. Not to mention it also packs in some horrifying scenes and brutal tension along the way. A movie this thought provoking is very hard for me to pass up.

KenJac – ‘Death Of Stalin’ (94/100): I can definitely see where this doesn’t hit the mark for some people as political satire and black comedies are both sort of niche, but this was a fantastic movie. The cast was positively hysterical, headlined by Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Michael Palin and Jason Isaacs. You rarely go a few minutes without laughing, but it never loses its subtleness which is incredible.

Audience – ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (93/100)

Jeff – ‘The Death of Stalin’ (95/100): Just a straight up hilarious movie. I think this is easily one of the best dark comedies in the last 10 to 20 years. The cast is dynamite and the choice to have them all use their actual accents, whether it be British, American, or something else, just added to the comedy. It’s incredibly fast-paced, quick witted and boasts an insanely good script, which comes to no surprise as the movie was done by ‘VEEP’ creator Armando Iannucci.

KenJac – ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (94/100): The culmination of an unprecedented 18 movies worth of buildup, ‘Infinity War’ somehow met every insane expectation of comic book fans and us casual MCU fans. The time was split well across characters, the flow was cohesive, and Thanos turned out to be a three-dimensional, intriguing villain, which was by no means guaranteed. Without spoiling, the one scene during the Wakanda fight still gives me goosebumps.

Audience – ‘Annihilation’ (94/100)

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Those are our rankings of the movies we think have been the best so far from 2018. What do you think? What is your Top 10? Make sure to rate all movies from the year below. Tomorrow we will release the 10 movies we are most anticipating for the rest of the year. Make sure to also subscribe to Lights, Camera, Barstool right here.

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