Well, that's another year, eh?
First off, I DO realise I never completed my 30 day short horror film challenge. I have piles of shorts lined up for my choices, but the one I pretty much decided to make the whole list for seems to have disappeared off the face of the internet Earth. Or the fact I never took the name down has made it stupidly difficult to relocate it. I swear, I have spent hours, if not days, trying to locate it! But I will eventually throw the final 10 shorts up in list format, I promise.
Anyway, enough of that aside. Now for the meat of what you're here for (though let's be honest with each other, you've skipped this intro section to hop right on down to my choices, haven't you!?); my favourite films of 2018.
As per usual, there are a few blind spots in the list, such as my lack of seeing films like Roma, Suspiria, or Overlord just to name a few. And some films I have excluded don't mean I didn't like them, just that they didn't quite tickle me the way the ones I have chosen did. There is a wide array of types of films from indie to blockbuster to horror to drama, and some notable horror exclusions include Halloween, Unfriended: Dark Web, A Quiet Place, and The Nun, all of which are films I enjoyed a lot, but when totting it up, the below is how the chips fell. Throw your judgement at me.
And breaking from my usual format (which I haven't followed since 2014), I WON'T be doing a worst-of list. I had my dislikes, but nowadays, it feels like a better use of time building things up than tearing them down.
Finally, I also had to use a lot of restraint to not include In A Stranger's House, being the plug-whore I am, but somehow I got away without mentioning it (wait a sec-).
And away we go!
15. Hereditary
This is one of the ones I wasn't sure I'd include. I've only seen the film once, and beyond the stark imagery in the final act plus certain events from early in the film, it didn't do a huge amount for me. But I still find a lot about Hereditary lingering in my mind even now, months later, and that's got to count for something.
14. Tomb Raider
I was surprisingly in to this video game remake/reboot starring Alicia Vikander as icon Lara Croft. The film didn't shy away from physically putting the character through her paces both mentally and physically, making it a helluva thrill ride.
13. Upgrade
Delighted I got to catch this high-concept scifi actioner on the big screen, but it also held up nicely on home viewing. An intriguing plot, well devised screenplay, and characters you can get behind, Upgrade deserved to break out big, but since it hasn't yet (not that it did bad), do yourself a favour and check it out this new year.
12. Annihilation
The visuals of this Netflix-released scifi moodpiece from Ex Machina director Alex Garland are as powerful as they are stoic. Natalie Portman never delivers a bad performance, and surround her with the talented pool on show here, coupled with the character-driven script, and you have the makings of a film that will be talked about for years.
11. Bird Box
Everyone is talking about this film. Everyone. And you know what? It deserves it. As someone slightly desensitized after years of horror, I wasn't cowering or covering my eyes while watching it, but the people who were checking it out with me did. Such a fun viewing experience! And aside from that, a film that keeps your attention to boot. The similarities to A Quiet Place have been brought up plenty, and though I don't feel the over-exaggeration of those similarities are fair, I decided to stick with one sensory-deprived film for the list, and Bird Box narrowly won out for me.
10. You Might Be The Killer
How the hell are more people not talking about this film!? A find on Shudder starring Cabin In The Woods' Fran Kranz and Buffy The Vampire Slayer's Alyson Hannigan, this horror comedy spins the killer-at-the-camp tropes on their head and makes for one of the most fun films of the year. How this was completely off my radar before quietly appearing on VOD baffles me.
9. Unsane
Steven Soderbergh's iPhone-shot paranoia-inducing thriller with Claire Foy and Blair Witch Project's Joshua Leonard (in a seriously Oscar-worthy performance) hits a lot of the right notes for me. I love a good cinematic experiment, but it's not all the often the execution lives up to the intention.
8. A Star Is Born
Enough has been written about this film by others. It's very good and adds on to that self-destructive tone that similar music biopic Walk The Line played with.
7. BlacKkKlansman
Hilarious and angering in equal measures, in the wrong hands, the quirky nature of this film could have ended up with a self-indulgent disaster, but the legend that is Spike Lee of course knows what he is doing, and we end up with one of the films of the year. The ending was a particular sucker punch.
6. Mission: Impossible - Fallout
The Mission: Impossible films tend to be fun, but I wasn't expecting one to feel like it had any stakes. Heck, I can't even remember the plot of the previous installment and I'm pretty sure I've seen it several times. Yet here we are at number 6. For a Tom Cruise vehicle, I was impressed just how tough it was to figure out where the film was going, or just how dark it would get. In fact, scratch that Cruise-vehicle line. The beauty of this film was that it was about the ensemble, even though Cruise was front and centre. He wasn't played off as the incredible action star, but as a human doing his damnedest to save the world. The action set pieces have not been matched at all this year, with the final 20 minutes of the film putting me on edge, even after several rewatches.
5. Avengers: Infinity War
Call me a Marvel fanboy if you like, but I was all over this film. After being left underwhelmed by a lot of the recent comic-book-movie juggernauts efforts, this one somehow was able to bring together an unsightly amount of cast members in a cohesive manner to battle a villain with more depth than 'DESTROY!' and was able to put in heart-wrenching moments to boot. Though I have a pretty good idea how the whole story is going to wrap up in the upcoming Endgame, this journey is so enjoyable. It's all the superhero fan in me could want (and there were a good few enjoyable superhero flicks this year).
4. Terrified
This one has probably become one of the most unexpected entries on a lot of year-end horror lists, and I will attest to how much it deserves it. The usual complaint of it not quite tying together in a satisfactory manner in the end stands, but there is so much to relish in here that you can pretty much overlook its flaws. When I caught it at Frightfest, I knew nothing about it, but the moment THAT first shocking visual occurred, I knew it was my kind of movie. I have never had so much tension with something being still, and... uff... I don't want to spoil anything. One of the best horrors this year, but misses out on the top spot fooooooorrrrr....
3. One Cut of the Dead
This absolute gem. A horror comedy, this was THE festival screening to attend. I actually hurt from laughing and smiling so much. This low budget affair's selling point is it's 30+ minute, unbroken take of filmmakers shooting a low budget zombie film when actual zombies attack. I'm not going to say more because any more info definitely spoils it, but this is an unreal film that reminds me of Brain Dead-era Peter Jackson, where the level of inventiveness is off the charts.
2. Christopher Robin
No, seriously. This is one of the most touching films I saw this year. Perhaps it has a bit to do with where I'm at in life. I'm definitely in that stage where I relate more to parents/adult figures as opposed to kids or teenagers, and who would have expected a film about a honey-lovin' teddy bear was actually aimed at those of us who worry about their focus in life? This isn't a perfect film, with the way everything ties up feeling like it is lacking compared to what has come before it, but the message is strong all the way, and hits hard for those who need to hear it. And seeing realistic Pooh and Eeyore and the gang is just so pleasing!
Now for number one... Is...
1. The Endless
Talk about high concept and masterful execution! I'm not actually too sure what I can say about Benson and Moorhead's third feature outing (following the equally brilliant Resolution, and Spring) but what I will say is that this has been pretty much the most inspirational film I have seen all year. There's a lot going on, but it never feels inaccessible. It's budget might not be big, but it never shows its seams. The Endless is in a word 'impressive', and in many words, well, maybe just repeat 'impressive' again and again ad infinitum. But don't let my film geeking dissuade you, this film is beautiful on all levels.
And that's that! Some of my choice selections for the year, and I stuck to my promise of not sneaking In A Stranger's House in there (I'll be going into more detail on that soon). It's been a good year for cinema, from the big screen to VOD to disc releases, and I have, as always barely scratched the surface.
What do you think? Did these films grab you in the same way, or am I off the mark entirely?! Tell me your thoughts on Twitter @RichMWaters
Have a safe and happy new year and I'll catch you back here sooner rather than later!
Rich
What is this IN A STRANGER'S HOUSE that I keep mentioning? Well, when I'm not struggling to blog, I actually DO make films as well. My latest is a tense and creepy horror you can watch RIGHT NOW at the following links:
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