Now that the curtain has dropped on yet another year of great films, it is time to begin the tireless task of boiling everything the year had to offer down to a list of just ten. Why? Because this is an original idea and we wanted to be the first to do it.
All kidding aside, we've edited, culled, and supplemented until blue in the face, and though we could certainly spend days tweaking and twinging, adding and deleting, alas, it is time to just let it go.
Below is our list of the ten best films of 2018.
10. If you only take away one thing from Morgan Neville’s new documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor, it should be that Fred Rogers, the man behind the long-running PBS children’s show Mister Rogers Neighborhood, was exactly what we always thought he was – just an all-around nice guy.
Not only the best documentary in quite some time, but one of the best films, period.
9. They Shall Not Grow Old
They Shall Not Grow Old is a 2018 documentary film directed and produced by Peter Jackson. The film was created using original footage of World War I from the Imperial War Museum's archives, most of it previously unseen, alongside audio from BBC and IWM interviews of British servicemen who fought in the conflict. Most of the footage has been colorized and transformed with modern production techniques, with the addition of sound effects and voice acting to be more evocative and feel closer to the soldiers' actual experiences.
8. Eighth Grade
Thirteen-year-old Kayla endures the tidal wave of contemporary suburban adolescence as she makes her way through the last week of middle school -- the end of her thus far disastrous eighth-grade year.
7. This film has very little connective tissue to other films in the MCU, and holds its own without that crutch, which again is a testament to its many compelling elements, one of which I hope continues beyond The Avengers into the new batch of stand-alone films. This is just a fun, brisk, adventure that follows a good man finding his voice in a very important role.
6. Fans of the genre should be delighted with Krasinski’s B-movie handling of his film and the new attention he is sure to bring. it makes a whole lot of noise in the horror genre.
Though not particularly unique or original, A Quiet Place does its own thing and does it quite well. It is not particularly gory, but it is very much scary and certainly delivers the thrills. Though typically an afterthought in these type of films, A Quiet Place is very well acted from top to bottom. Even the kids hold their own.
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5. Hearts Beat Loud
In the hip Brooklyn neighborhood of Red Hook, single dad and record store owner Frank is preparing to send his hard-working daughter Sam off to college while being forced to close his vintage shop. Hoping to stay connected through their shared musical passions, Frank urges Sam to turn their weekly jam sessions into a father-daughter live act. After their first song becomes an internet breakout, the two embark on a journey of love, growing up and musical discovery.
4. Hereditary
Hereditary is a movie about secrets and dysfunction as one family’s murky past becomes future tense. Borne from a tragedy, the film turns into unstoppable nightmare fairly quickly. The faint of heart will shield their eyes as shadows manifest into ghosts and lights flicker indicating a supernatural presence. But this is a bold film. It is also unique in its unrelenting commitment to what might seem unnatural in another film as a truth about one family is revealed.
3. BlacKkKlansman is messy. It is brash. It is offensive. And it is as subtle as a flying brick. But there’s a uniquely satisfying sense of revenge that comes from watching Lee turn the vile words and hateful actions of racists and bigots against themselves. It’s amazing that we’ve made it so easy for him
2. Green Book
Dr Don Shirley is a world-class African-American pianist, who is about to embark on a concert tour in the Deep South in 1962. In need of a driver and protection, Shirley recruits Tony Lip, a tough-talking bouncer from an Italian-American neighbourhood in the Bronx. Despite their differences, the two men soon develop an unexpected bond while confronting racism and danger in an era of segregation.
1. One would be hard pressed to recognize this as a film that features two huge stars, each making the transition to a new medium. But they are, and Cooper and Gaga complement one another like a pair of well-worn leather slippers.
Sit back, fall in love, and let it wash over you. Watch a star being born
And what would a best-of list be without a worst-of list? This was also an original idea, by the way.
Here are the worst films 2018 had to offer (in no particular order):
• Robin Hood
• The Girl in the Spider's Web
• Night School
• Action Point
• Kin
• Fifty Shades Freed
• Winchester
