Skate Kitchen
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Currently Available On: DVD/Blu-Ray, VOD
Between this, Minding The Gap, and Mid90s, it’s been quite a year for movies about the way skating brings ostracized kids together. Skate Kitchen made such a huge and immediate impression on me. The way reality bleeds into every moment of this film, which is loosely based on – and starring – a group of skater girls who refer to themselves as the Skate Kitchen, is very compelling, and adds a layer of authenticity to each of these characters. You really grow to love everyone here, and you experience the joy they feel whenever they skate or simply hang out as good friends. When it was over, I was disappointed, not by the film, but in wishing I could spend more time with these characters.
Sorry To Bother You
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Currently Available On: DVD/Blu-Ray, VOD
Movies rarely get to feel radical these days, even for films made outside of the big corporate conglomerates. That’s why Boots Riley’s big debut was both a breath of fresh air, and a screaming wake up call at the same time. There’s an aura to it that feels like watching it is some act of rebellion, as if the powers that be don’t want you to see it lest it inspires real action. It’s full of ideas, it’s weird, it’s ambitious, it takes numerous influences, and carves out an identity that is wholly its own. I don’t know what else Boots Riley has going on, but this is a hell of a way to make an entrance. We need more movies like this.
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
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Currently Available On: Still in a wide theatrical release, check your local listings.
Had this been a ranked list, Into The Spider-Verse is my number one. It took two viewings to fully cement it, and now there’s no doubt in my mind. Just look at all the things it accomplishes. It’s an origin story, it’s a team up movie, it’s a satisfying action movie, it balances comedy and drama beautifully, it allows supporting characters to be fleshed out without steering focus away from Miles Morales and his arc, it takes on really out-there comic book concepts and makes it palatable for a mainstream audience, it’s emotionally resonant, a step forward in representation, and it pushes the medium of animation in bold, new directions in a way I haven’t seen in a western animated film in a long time, and it does all that in just under two hours! This movie is perfect, I love it, please see it if you haven’t already.
Stan & Ollie
Review: N/A Trailer: Click Here!
Currently Available On: Still in a limited theatrical release, check your local listings. DVD/Blu-Ray, VOD scheduled for March 26th.
I was a weird kid growing up. Having tons of VHS tapes at my disposal meant I had access to all kinds of movies both old and new, but mostly old because new movies took a while before coming out on tape, and with my viewing habits on TV being mostly old reruns, I ended up developing a taste that was oddly old fashioned. I remember seeing this one tape full of Laurel and Hardy shorts that I adored, and seeing this new film starring John C. Reilly and Steve Coogan as the legendary comedy duo, I was taken back to that time when I would ait in the back room of my parents’ store watching their shorts. The appreciation for this film isn’t just nostalgia, though. It’s a beautiful look at friendship and artistic collaboration, it’s a very warm and sweet film, but it also doesn’t shy away from their conflicts with one another. You don’t have to be a fan to appreciate this.
Support The Girls
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Currently Available On: DVD/Blu-Ray, VOD
For being such a funny, lively and enjoyable film, it’s socio-economic underpinnings are far from funny, examining the way women are forced to navigate a cruel and unforgiving patriarchal and capitalist society. Finding that balance is one of the more impressive feats that writer/director, Andrew Bujalski, pulled off here. However, the performance are ultimately what sticks with you the most. Regina Hall, Haley Lu Richardson, and Shayna McHayle are all excellent here. It’s a slice-of-life movie, so there isn’t much in terms of plot, but it’s got a lot of heart, a lot of things on its mind, and a lot of colorful characters you enjoy spending time with.
The Death Of Stalin
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Currently Available On: DVD, VOD
Now, if you want to talk about movies that has great sense of balance, look no further than one of the best black comedies in recent memory, The Death of Stalin, from writer/director, Armando Iannucci. It’s was easily one of the funniest films I saw last year, full of hilarious one-liners, visual gags, and those wonderful Iannucci insults, but it’s also one of the darkest films of 2018 as well. It explores the power vacuum that comes when Stalin passes away, leading to alliances, back-stabbings, deaths, and political power plays. It’s fun to watch until you get sick to your stomach when you realize the very real and horrific consequences of these characters’ actions. It’s unforgettable filmmaking.
The Endless
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Currently Available On: DVD/Blu-Ray, VOD
Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are two of the most interesting genre filmmakers working today, having crafted a few films that are big on ideas, big on character, big on theme, big on pretty much everything, except budget. The way they’re able to produce, edit, shoot, write, direct, and star in weird genre-bending films like Resolution, Spring, and now The Endless, with the little resources at their disposal is the kind of inspiring stuff that any aspiring filmmaker should look into and study. They keep getting better and better at what they do, and this is their finest work to date.
The Favourite
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Currently Available On: Now on VOD, while DVD/Blu-Ray scheduled for March 5th.
It didn’t take until The Killing Of A Sacred Deer that I was fully able to get into a Yorgos Lanthimos film, and I ended up loving his new costume drama, The Favourite as well. At least, his own weird, funny, kinky, twisted version of a costume drama, which is what makes this film such a joy. The writing from Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara is unbelievable sharp and witty, perfectly capturing the grotesque exuberance of the times, as well as the pettiness of some of its characters. It’s hilarious, but also dives into some dark places, especially when it comes to how the dynamic between the leads play out, and Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, and Rachel Weisz are all brilliant at bringing this strange material to life.
The Night Comes For Us
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Currently Available On: Netflix
Between this and Mission: Impossible – Fallout, we have two entries to the canon of all-time great action films, with one being of the big budget spectacle variety, and the other being a barebones fight fest. The Night Comes For Us isn’t just an action movie, it’s a straight up horror film. Just when you think Timo Tjahjanto has run out of ways to mangle, cut, and break the human body, he’ll bring something else out. This movie is such a ride, with action building on top of action until it reaches its bloody climactic brawl. Even if there wasn’t any humanity injected in some of the quiet moments so that you care about the action beyond appreciation of the craft and choreography, this would still be an excellent film, but the fact that it does makes this one for the ages.
The Rider
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Currently Available On: DVD/Blu-Ray, VOD
Similar to how Skate Kitchen blends reality and fiction to striking effect, Chloé Zhao’s masterwork, The Rider, brings a cast of non-professional actors playing versions of themselves, centering the story on Brady, a rodeo rider who is forced to leave his passion after suffering an injury. It’s an understated film, but it’s emotions speak volumes. It has some of the most beautifully captured images of the American west (technically midwest, but whatever) that I’ve seen in ages. In a perfect world, this would be the Oscar frontrunner, but there’s no doubt that this film will be talked about long after most of the current nominees are forgotten. It’s an absolute treasure, and it establishes Zhao as one of cinema’s most essential voices.
The Tale
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Currently Available On: VOD, HBO
Jennifer Fox’s autobiographical film about coming to terms with the sexual abuse she experienced as a child is one of the more haunting films I’ve seen in 2018. She dives rather unflinchingly into a deeply personal story, and she explores the way your own mind will betray your memory. There’s one particular moment where Fox, as played by a brilliant Laura Dern, sees a picture of herself as a child, and is shocked by the fact that she doesn’t look the way she thought she did in her head. When that happened, I knew we were in for something special. Rough and uncomfortable, for sure, but very special in terms of execution. It’s also a very timely film, and essential in how it presents a much needed perspective on victims of abuse, especially in being a first-hand account. It’s required viewing.
They Shall Not Grow Old
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Currently Available On: Still in a wide theatrical release, check your local listings.
Peter Jackson sure loves playing with his toys, and while some of his experiments don’t quite work out the way he had hoped – *cough* high frame rate *cough* – his recent effort in restoring old WWI footage is something to behold. When the moment comes as the black-and-white footage slowly expands and turns to color, it’s about as close as I’ll ever be to understanding what it was like when the first audience who saw The Wizard of Oz reacted when the similar transformation occurred. Despite the gimmick being shown off in the trailers, it’s built up in the documentary very beautifully, and I still remember the audience being in awe of what they were seeing. That’s rare. And as a history buff, it’s incredible to hear soldiers speak for themselves, as we see what they experienced. It brings humanity to a war that we don’t often think about, and it makes you want to learn more.
Unsane
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Currently Available On: DVD/Blu-Ray, VOD
While Peter Jackson shows the possibilities with state-of-the-art technology, Steven Soderbergh, one of the most adventurous filmmakers in the world, is out here making movies on iPhones. His new one on Netflix is really good, and so is the last one he did. But even if you take the appropriately raw and unnerving choices in cinematography aside, it’s an enjoyably nasty and propulsive thriller with some darkly comedic impulses and a lot on its mind about the healthcare system and gender dynamics, and it is effortlessly carried by Claire Foy. It’s a great example of how you can take a fairly simple idea, filter it through a very distinctive and singular vision, and in the end, get something great out of it.
Upgrade
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Currently Available On: DVD/Blu-Ray, VOD
For well over a decade, Leigh Whannell has been cranking solid genre scripts, from his collaborations with James Wan to other underappreciated gems like The Mule or Cooties. His directorial debut with Insidious: Chapter 3 was really effective, but it wasn’t until his next effort in Upgrade, did it feel like he finally found a voice that is distinctly Whannell. From its oddball characters to the gruesome violence to the dark sense of humor, it takes many elements of the sort of no-budget B-movies of the 80s that would gather dust at your local video store, and he brings an infectious energy and verve that is easy to get swept up by. He’s been up for some pretty high profile gigs like The Invisible Man and Escape From New York, and it’s cool to see all his years of work pay off. I had a damn great time with Upgrade, and if its gnarly sensibilities sound like they’re your cup of tea, it’s worth seeking out.
What Will People Say
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Currently Available On: DVD, VOD
Like Jennifer Fox interrogating the trauma from her past with The Tale, Iram Haq similarly confronts a nightmarish ordeal she dealt with when she was a teenager. In the film, Nisha – played by a stellar Maria Mozhdha, is taken to Pakistan against her will after she was caught with a white boy in their Norwegian home. What ensues is likely the most harrowing and stressful and frustrating viewing experience I’ve had watching a film in 2018. It’s a relentless and bleak film, and just when things seem to be settling in alright, they end up being so much worse. This is not an easy sit, but it’s one that makes it all the more necessary, so we can see these kinds of stories directly from the point-of-view of someone like Haq, as opposed to someone who isn’t from that culture, who might unintentionally draw on Islamophobic impulses and framing in telling the story. Her direction here is taut, tense, and nail-biting, and I hope we haven’t seen the last of her.
Widows
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Currently Available On: DVD/Blu-Ray, VOD
Every now and then you’ll get one of those movies that will be described as “the kind they don’t make anymore,” and Widows is ultimate example of that type. A mid-range budgeted, R-rated crime epic made for adults, filled with a mix of A-list talent and up-and-comers, and puts careful attention to balancing entertaining pulp and thoughtfully constructed prestige in its filmmaking. I wouldn’t expect anything less from Steve McQueen and Gillian Flynn, and while the film might not be as airtight as some probably hoped, it’s just so damn alive! It has a pulse that builds and builds, the cast is uniformly great, and there is more of an attempt to bury socio-economic/political subtext to practically every single frame of this than you’ll see in entire movies. I long for the day when films like this were closer to the norm, as opposed to being an outlier, but whatever, I look forward to seeing this one again and again.
You Were Never Really Here
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Currently Available On: DVD/Blu-Ray, VOD
This was one of my early favorites of 2018, and I could tell you even far back that there was no way Lynne Ramsay’s latest masterpiece was gonna get knocked off this list over the course of the year. It’s strikingly simple in its conceit, imagine a Taken style action movie, and strips the elements down to the bone, and from there Ramsay and Joaquin Phoenix work their magic, turning that simplicity into a ethereal experience, putting you in the headspace of its troubled main character. It’s so skillfully, efficiently, and artfully executed that it almost seems easy. Almost. The score from Jonny Greenwood is out-of-this-world great. It’s beautifully made, it’s suspenseful, it’s challenging, it showcases everything that makes Ramsay such a talent. It set an early high bar for movies in 2018, and it’s a damn good place to end this list.
And that concludes my list! There were a lot of films I enjoyed in 2018, and I really hope there’s something in here that you maybe haven’t considered before. If I can get at least one person to see something they probably wouldn’t have checked out otherwise, I feel like I did my job well. Thank you so much for reading, and – just to do some quick self promotion – if you like what I do, consider donating to my PayPal link, all proceeds go towards keeping the site up and running, and if you can’t, feel free to share the link.
What were some of your favorite films of 2018? Feel free to discuss in the comments!