2018 was a great year for movies, especially genre stuff. I was able to get to the cinema 71 times. More than in the years past, and I've got Moviepass to thank for that. Sadly, this year also saw good ol' Moviepass implode. It wasn't easy to come up with what I think were the best of the year, but here's my top ten of 2018.
- Suspiria
- The Favourite
- Sorry to Bother You
- Hereditary
- Border
- Black Panther
- The Rider
- First Reformed
- Mountain
- A Quiet Place
For me, Suspiria was far and away the best film I saw in 2018. Then, I saw the Favourite. These two were close for me. Sorry to Bother You is undeniably one of the most important, most original, films of, hell, the decade. The statement it makes on race, class, and capitalism alone makes it worth seeing multiple times. Hereditary I'll get to when I talk about best horror. Border, was delightfully strange and beautiful. First Reformed has one of Ethan Hawke's best performances ever, and is an excellent look at trying to keep a grip on ones faith as its slipping away. The Rider is a quiet and beautiful film, that's also about trying to hang on to a way of life that's being taken away. Mountain is breathtaking and at turns devastating, I can't remember a documentary keeping me on the edge of my seat the whole way through like this one. I think if you've been reading this blog for a while, you know how much I loved Black Panther. A Quiet Place is a film that may not work as well on a smaller screen, but in a theater full of people afraid to even chew their popcorn or make any noise, made this film work best. And I was totally a sucker for the story and cast.
Now, let's talk horror. 2018 had so much to offer, and I know there is still a bunch of stuff I haven't seen, but here's my top 10.
- Hereditary
- Terrified
- The Devil's Doorway
- Cam
- Piercing
- Mandy
- Assassination Nation
- Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum
- Halloween
- Revenge
Hereditary is a revelation, from story to the shocking scares to the acting. No other movie this year scared me like Terrified. There are images from that movie that still pop up in my head and make me think I should sleep with a light on. The Devil's Doorway and Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum are both found footage, but coming from completely different directions. Devil's Doorway is also a commentary on the Catholic Church and the dirty secrets they've always tried to hide, and Gonjiam hits on the obsession with instant fame and fortune that come from going viral. Cam is a thriller that's a cut above- having ones identity stolen is everyone's nightmare, but losing it while watching someone else is portray you? Crazy and terrifying. Piercing is super stylish, psychosexual, and darkly comic look at the pleasure one takes from pain (or murder). Halloween is just really well done fun. Assassination Nation I walked out of feeling very much like I wasn't sure how I felt. It was so stylish, and so crazy, but as time went on, I felt more and more like I had just seen such a scathing satire on the current culture of privacy in a world where people share every detail. Plus, the most toxic of toxic masculinity that surrounds us every day. Same with Revenge, I couldn't understand why people went crazy for it, until a rewatch, and some thinking. And Mandy, that shit was just crazy. Everyone went nuts for Nicolas Cage, but for me, the look, feel, and sound of Panos Cosmatos' second film are what make this film one to see. Cage is at his Cagiest, but Andrea Risebrough and Linus Roache are much more interesting as characters. And maybe the Cheddar Goblin.
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