Note: These are what I consider to be the best movies released so far in 2018. It's important to remember I haven't seen every movie to come out in 2018.
When I made this same list last year, I included a film called "Hounds of Love." A controversial film revolving around a woman who is kidnapped by a married couple and is repetitively raped and tortured, unfortunately, that film was loosely based off true events regarding an Australian couple who did just that. The movie was controversial regarding its depiction of violence against women, particularly because of some more graphic rape and torture scenes. Now this year, I include a film that's not based on true events but is a pure exploitative throwback. "Revenge" tells the story of a young woman and mistress who is taken to a desert resort by a French man who is there to later big game hunt with his friends. When the friends show up early, one of them becomes a little too attached to her and rapes her. Later the girl tries to escape but is chased down by the men who push her off a cliff nearly killing her, only to survive and seek revenge against them. The "rape/revenge" genre has never been my favorite; I always viewed them as a trashy homage to a time in Hollywood that has since passed. But "Revenge" is the best the genre has seen in a very long time. Over-the-top, violent, action-packed, disturbing imagery with the saturation turned up, and one of the most badass women protagonists I've seen on screen in a long time. If you can stomach the violence, this is one worth watching.
For
the past 20 years, Wes Anderson has been hailed as one of the best active
American directors. Noted for his unique visual style and storytelling, his
films like "The Royal Tenenbaums," "Fantastic Mr. Fox," and
"The Grand Budapest Hotel" are often called modern classics by his
fans. So every time he says he's working on a new film, the whole industry
perks up. His latest movie is "Isle of Dogs," a stop-motion animated
comedy that may bring a tear to your eye. Taking place in Japan, a political
leader signs a bill into law banning all dogs to the nearby Trash Island after
the spread of a mysterious disease linked to the animals. The film primarily
revolves around a group of dogs on the island who find a young boy after he
crashes his plane, the boy is looking for his lost dog that was taken to the
island, and with the other dogs help hopes on finding him alive. "Isle of
Dogs" is a lovely littler treasure, stop-motion movies are few and far
between and this is the best I've seen in a while. Anderson's quirky style
translates well, and knows just when to drop in offbeat humor and emotionally
draining moments. If you're a fan of the genre, or quality film making in
general, this is one you shouldn't miss.
I imagine when people are working on the follow-up to a successful, critically acclaimed, and beloved film there's a good bit of pressure on their shoulders; if I had to guess I feel "Incredibles 2" is the epitome of that situation. "The Incredibles" was a 2004 animated movie from Pixar that did well at the box office, won two Academy Awards, and garnered a huge fan base spanning several generations. It followed a family of superheroes in a world where it's illegal to be one. Picking up directly after the first ended, the story revolves around Elastagirl (aka Mrs. Incredible) as she is hired by an eccentric billionaire to perform heroic acts and get supers back on the public's good side. "Incredibles 2" took 14 long years to come out, and while I don't think it's as good as its predecessor, I still think it's great. Highlighted by great performances, memorable characters, beautiful animation and art direction, and taking place in a word filled with lore and personality helps this stand among some of the very best in Pixar's filmography.
When
the early year festival season was going on a few months back, one indie movie
that made a whole lot of waves was the upcoming comedy "Sorry to Bother
You." Receiving high praise from critics and audiences, and even now is
one of the year's best reviewed movies on Rotten Tomatoes, this satirical film
had all the makings to one of this year's best. The story follows Cassius, a
down on his luck loser who lives in his uncle's garage with his girlfriend and
needs to lie to get a crummy telemarketing job. While he has trouble at first,
he receives some advice on how to be a better salesman, put on his white voice.
He gives it a try and sees immediate success, and what follows is super crazy
and too hard to describe. "Sorry to Bother You" is one of the best
satires I've seen in years, and certainly one of the funniest. Filled with
memorable characters, hilarious lines, and crazy situations, this is one of
those rare movies that lives up to its immense hype.
Going
into the first half of 2018, this was one of the more talked about films. After
premiering at some film festivals, the movie received considerable buzz as one of
the best and most original horror movies in years. Acting as John
Krasinski's directorial debut, and after seeing it I certainly agree with all
the praise it had received. The film takes place in a near future where primal
aliens have invaded and wiped out most of the population. A family that has
survived live out on a farm away from areas more populated with these monsters.
With the mother pregnant and about to give birth, a deaf daughter who feels
guilt over the death of her younger brother, and the other challenges that come
with surviving the end of the world, we see the family fight for their lives as
best they can. On top of being a well written and intense horror-thriller, what
makes this film stand out would be its use of sound, mostly in that it uses
little of it. There is almost no talking in this film; most conversation is
through sign language. Most noise comes from the background, and there are long
pauses of mostly silence; and whenever the perspective switches to the
daughter, the sound cuts out altogether. "A Quiet Place" is a
phenomenal movie, one of the best directorial debuts I've seen in a while, and
one of the year's stand out films.
If you were to design a movie to make people cry, this is it; because this movie made me cry, a lot. And what I mean by a lot, I've never cried so much during a movie. I'm a big enough man to admit this movie made me cry like a little girl, and I highly recommend you go through the same experience. "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" chronicles the life of Fred Rogers, the host of "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood," an educational children's show that attempted to teach morals and life lessons to children of all ages. Mr. Rogers holds a special place in my heart, I watched his show growing up and that almost assuredly contributed to why this movie made me so emotional. Overall though, I'd rank this among the best documentaries I've seen in years. Exceptionally well told with great use of archived footage, even if you didn't watch Mr. Rogers growing up, this is one I can't recommend enough.
Over the years of doing this blog, I tend to like polarizing movies. I'm not sure what it is, maybe I look at movies a different way than general audiences (more like an analytical critic I guess, or I at least try to approach movies like this), but there is something interesting about seeing thoughts of a film split down the middle. For the most part, "Hereditary" is one of these films. Lauded by critics but met with much criticism from audiences, "Hereditary" is an artful tour de force a lot of people aren't going to like. The film follows the Graham family, a dysfunctional family whose matriarch has recently died. Not long afterwards the family falls into disarray, with tragedy after tragedy befalling them. I think the main reason that so many didn't like this film was that even though it was marketed as a horror film, it's not that scary. There is an underlying tension and sense of dread, but few jump scares and spooks. It's really a tragic family drama with horror elements. But when you approach it like that it's brilliant. Exceptional acting, a haunting score, an engaging plot filled with twists and turns, and a strong script culminate in what I think is the best movie of the year so far.
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Lakeith Stanfield (Sorry to Bother You)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Josh Brolin (Avengers: Infinity Wars)
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Toni Collette (Hereditary)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Millicent Simmonds (A Quiet Place)
Best Animated Feature: The Incredibles 2
Best Cinematography: Hereditary
Best Costume Design: Avengers: Infinity Wars
Best Director: Ari Aster (Hereditary)
Best Documentary Feature: Won't You Be My Neighbor?
Best Film Editing: Hereditary
Best Foreign Film: Revenge
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Avengers: Infinity Wars
Best Original Score: Avengers: Infinity Wars
Best Original Song: All the Stars (Black Panther)
Best Picture: Hereditary
Best Production Design: Avengers: Infinity Wars
Best Sound Editing: A Quiet Place
Best Sound Mixing: Avengers: Infinity Wars
Best Visual Effects: Avengers: Infinity Wars
Best Adapted Screenplay: Avengers: Infinity Wars
Best Original Screenplay (Tie): Hereditary/Sorry to Bother You
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