Films of 2018, Part III: The Highs
2018 turned out to be an odd year: There are 65 films on my +-side, more than in any twelve months since 2002. (And I still have to catch up on some films from Cannes, Venice or Toronto etc.) But as good as the year was on average, at the top it cannot compete with the best of the decade. I don’t see too many titles from 2018 on my list of The Favorites of 2010’s. The strangest thing is: For the first time in my 50 years of moviegoing I didn’t see my favorite film of the year in a movie theater… (As for television: I thought BABYLON BERLIN was even better on second viewing, I cherished BIG LITTLE LIES, enjoyed SHARP OBJECTS and the first season of GOLIATH, loved Robin Wright in HoC, and dreaded THE WALKING DEAD.)
The films are divided into four sections. 65 to 49 and 48 to 27 lack something in order to rank higher. 26 to 13 are pretty darn good. And then there are my twelve favorites. Or shall I say favourites?
Here's the countdown, the best film mentioned last.
The films are divided into four sections. 65 to 49 and 48 to 27 lack something in order to rank higher. 26 to 13 are pretty darn good. And then there are my twelve favorites. Or shall I say favourites?
Here's the countdown, the best film mentioned last.
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- DirectorMartin McDonaghStarsFrances McDormandWoody HarrelsonSam RockwellA mother personally challenges the local authorities to solve her daughter's murder when they fail to catch the culprit.65.
Stellar performances, not only by Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell, but especially by Woody Harrelson, a great (if painful) investigator’s idea (reminiscent of Sam Shepard and Barbara Hershey in DEFENSELESS), two or three unexpected twists that got me thinking. And yet I left with an awkward, cold feeling of misanthropy. It seems I just cannot get warm with Martin McDonagh, as witnessed before with IN BRUGES and – much worse – SEVEN PSYCHOS.
64 - 49
LAZZARO FELICE (strange, pleasant floater)
ALPHA (sweet & tough)
MOLLY’S GAME (tough)
MILE 22 (tougher)
THE COMMUTER (Another reliable B-movie with Liam Neeson)
WONDER (sweet)
FERDINAND (sweeter)
WAS UNS NICHT UMBRINGT (intertwining stories, whimsical, but sometimes touching)
DER VORNAME (another entertaining Sönke-Wortmann-movie, this remake of a French comedy works even in German. How can you tell I liked it? Even the presence of Florian David Fitz and Christoph Maria Herbst, two of my least favorite actors, never bothered me)
ON CHESIL BEACH (a tad too distant for my taste)
L’AMANT DOUBLE (not as good as other Ozon-stories – say: JEUNE & JOLIE – but engrossing nevertheless)
EVERY DAY (nifty idea)
JULIET, NAKED (nice; in the history of romcoms Rose Byrne owns her own chapter by now)
THE OLD MAN & THE GUN (Redford is fine, but Sissy Spacek steals the movie whenever she turns up)
ARTHUR & CLAIRE (with the great Josef Hader)
FILM STARS DON’T DIE IN LIVERPOOL (with the great Annette Bening) - DirectorPawel PawlikowskiStarsJoanna KuligTomasz KotBorys SzycIn the 1950s, a music director falls in love with a singer and tries to persuade her to flee communist Poland for France.48.
Beautifully simple and simply beautiful, this love story from Poland lacks one notch to qualify as a great melodrama
47-41
JUSQU’À LA GARDE (a post-breakup-story from France that hurts – there are no winners here, only losers)
THE FOUNDER (The stunning story of McDonald’s)
THE FRONT RUNNER (Beautifully directed by Jason Reitman, it transports you back to a time when paparazzidom invaded journalism and privacy became impossible)
CALL ME BY YOUR NAME (Almost talked to death by now. I didn’t much care for the visual style, but the feelings felt true)
BEAUTIFUL BOY (Another precise performance from Timothée Chalamet, this film about drug use takes you places you don’t wanna go. Good thing that Steve Carell is around. And Maura Tierney is a most welcome sight.)
DEADPOOL 2 (I didn’t like the first part, but had fun this time around, much to my surprise. [It takes much more to enter the hall of X-Men-fame – but Domino (Zazie Beetz) is a wonderfully inventive creation.])
LE SEMEUR (during a time when men were needed in France; wonderfully lit) - DirectorBradley CooperStarsLady GagaBradley CooperSam ElliottA musician helps a young singer find fame as age and alcoholism send his own career into a downward spiral.40.
I liked the first half a lot, especially Lady Gaga’s wide-eyed curiosity. The peaks came early, on the parking lot and with the performance of “Shallow”. Later on the film lost its grip and the clichés kept on coming. I do like Bradley Cooper, but not as a director, partly because he likes to give in to vanity. As for Lady Gaga: She surprised me throughout, but I’m still a sceptic, because I can’t imagine her playing something else than a version of herself. - DirectorAsghar FarhadiStarsPenélope CruzJavier BardemRicardo DarínLaura, a Spanish woman living in Buenos Aires, returns to her hometown outside Madrid with her two children to attend her sister's wedding. However, the trip is upset by unexpected events that bring secrets into the open.39.
Another Farhadi-movie about couple(s) on the verge of a serious breakdown. Word was that Farhadi was out of his league with Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem, but while it is true that A SEPARATION and LE PASSÉ were much better, I thought TODO LO SABEN is superior to Farhadi’s next to last movie, THE SALESMAN. - DirectorJohn KrasinskiStarsEmily BluntJohn KrasinskiMillicent SimmondsA family struggles for survival in a world where most humans have been killed by blind but noise-sensitive creatures. They are forced to communicate in sign language to keep the creatures at bay.38.
I love films of this kind, so this should have easily wound up higher on the list – but then the survivors can’t keep calm so often that I wondered how they survived for so long. And I couldn’t stop being rattled by that. What a pity! - DirectorGary RossStarsSandra BullockCate BlanchettAnne HathawayDebbie Ocean gathers an all-female crew to attempt an impossible heist at New York City's annual Met Gala.37.
This caper masters almost every hurdle. The women look like they had fun doing this, and it translates into a fun experience. - DirectorSteve McQueenStarsViola DavisMichelle RodriguezElizabeth DebickiFour women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands' criminal activities take fate into their own hands and conspire to forge a future on their own terms.36.
This caper masters almost every hurdle. The women look like they had fun doing this, and it translates into a fun experience. Never mind that director Steve McQueen has to up the ante with sociopolitical observations. On the other hand that widens the scope of emotions for actors like Viola Davis, Cynthia Erivo and Elizabeth Debicki, “all 6 foot 3 of her” (Richard T. Jameson). - DirectorChristian GudegastStarsGerard ButlerPablo SchreiberO'Shea Jackson Jr.An elite unit of the LA County Sheriff's Dept. and the state's most successful bank robbery crew clash as the outlaws plan a seemingly impossible heist on the Federal Reserve Bank.35.
As an unofficial HEAT-remake, this caper masters almost every hurdle. The men look like they had fun doing this, and it translates into a fun experience. - DirectorEugene JareckiStarsElvis PresleyEugene JareckiJames CarvilleForty years after the death of Elvis Presley, a musical road trip across America in his 1963 Rolls Royce explores how a country boy lost his authenticity and became a king while his country lost her democracy and became an empire.34.
This documentary about the traces Elvis Presley left behind might be one-sided. But it shows a lot of what made America great in the first place – and how the country is losing it in the Trump-era. - DirectorBryan SingerStarsRami MalekLucy BoyntonGwilym LeeThe story of the legendary British rock band Queen and lead singer Freddie Mercury, leading up to their famous performance at Live Aid (1985).33.
Far removed from reality and full of mistakes in almost every department (chronology, personality, truth, teeth, the flow of the story), this film touched me nevertheless. I couldn’t really find out why, because the direction of the much-troubled production was iffy at best. But rather than checking up on the film I like to preserve the unexplainably good feeling I had leaving the theatre. Rami Malek is undeniably great, bringing an enthusiasm to the role that makes you forget all the doubts you have. - DirectorKaspar MunkStarsGerda Lie KaasSonja RichterMay Lifschitz"Wild Witch" is a fantasy film for the whole family based on the popular book series by Lene Kaaberbøl.32.
Good films about/with cats are rare, with dogs playing first fiddle most of the time. This Scandinavian fairy tale with some dark sides has a prominent role for a cat – and several good things more. - DirectorDavid KerrStarsRowan AtkinsonBen MillerOlga KurylenkoAfter a cyber-attack reveals the identity of all of the active undercover agents in Britain, Johnny English is forced to come out of retirement to find the mastermind hacker.31.
Judgment was unfairly harsh on the third adventure of Inspector Clouseau’s distant relative from England. While not as good as the previous assignments it has several moments to cherish and remember. (The VR-sequence!) And Emma Thompson is a wonderful match for Rowan Atkinson. - DirectorJohn Francis DaleyJonathan GoldsteinStarsJason BatemanRachel McAdamsKyle ChandlerA group of friends who meet regularly for game nights find themselves entangled in a real-life mystery when the shady brother of one of them is seemingly kidnapped by dangerous gangsters.30.
Hard to understand why this romp wasn’t more of a success. It’s a funny mix of the heights and hazards of marriage, friend- and fiendship as well as neighborhood. Rachel McAdams and the underrated Jason Bateman form a likeable couple, Kyle Chandler is perfect as his show-offy brother. There are traps aplenty, and most of them are pretty effective. - DirectorMakoto ShinkaiStarsRyunosuke KamikiMone KamishiraishiRyo NaritaTwo teenagers share a profound, magical connection upon discovering they are swapping bodies. Things manage to become even more complicated when the boy and girl decide to meet in person.29.
A Japanese anime, this melodrama about two body- and soul-switching adolescents leaves you puzzled at first. But it does come together very strongly. - DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsTye SheridanOlivia CookeBen MendelsohnWhen the creator of a virtual reality called the OASIS dies, he makes a posthumous challenge to all OASIS users to find his Easter Egg, which will give the finder his fortune and control of his world.28.
Good, but not great: Steven Spielberg’s action-adventures doesn’t add up totally, but it has so many poignant (visual) ideas that it is thrilling throughout nevertheless. - DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsMeryl StreepTom HanksSarah PaulsonA cover-up spanning four U.S. Presidents pushes the country's first female newspaper publisher and her editor to join an unprecedented battle between press and government.27.
Watching the recount of The Pentagon Papers, I felt proud to be a journalist, and I was certain the film would wind up in my Top 10. But with each day it slipped more and more from my memory. And while this is unfair, especially because there are so many marvelous faces and performances (Odenkirk!), the film ultimately never reaches the heights of the real masterpieces. - DirectorGreta GerwigStarsSaoirse RonanLaurie MetcalfTracy LettsIn 2002, an artistically inclined 17-year-old girl comes of age in Sacramento, California.26.
Watching this witty coming-of-age account, I was certain the film would wind up in my Top 10. But with each day it slipped more and more from my memory. And while this is unfair, especially because there are so many marvelous faces and performances (Metcalfe!), the film ultimately never gets near the heights of the real masterpieces of the genre. - DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsVicky KriepsDaniel Day-LewisLesley ManvilleSet in 1950s London, Reynolds Woodcock is a renowned dressmaker whose fastidious life is disrupted by a young, strong-willed woman, Alma, who becomes his muse and lover.25.
Watching this movie about a maddeningly perfectionist couturier and his muse, I was certain I wouldn’t be liking it. I have had my reservations about Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Day-Lewis for some years, and the fashion industry has never been my cup of tea. But then the movie won me over – not by storm but by gentle persuasion. Another week from now it might have climbed even higher on the list, in part thanks to the great supporting Lesley Manville. - DirectorPaul GreengrassStarsAnders Danielsen LieJonas Strand GravliJon ØigardenA three-part story of Norway's worst terrorist attack in which over seventy people were killed. 22 July looks at the disaster itself, the survivors, Norway's political system and the lawyers who worked on this horrific case.24.
Paul Greengrass goes Breivik. Refraining from obvious judgment, the director lays out the horrors of Utoya in July 2011, approaching the core from two perspectives. Chilling stuff. - DirectorSean BakerStarsBrooklynn PrinceBria VinaiteWillem DafoeSet over one summer, the film follows precocious six-year-old Moonee as she courts mischief and adventure with her ragtag playmates and bonds with her rebellious but caring mother, all while living in the shadows of Walt Disney World.23.
At first I was mad at most of the characters because of their inability to communicate as social beings. But then I started to care for them; reluctantly at first, deeply concerned at the end. Willem Dafoe is just wonderful as the motel manager, an anchor of humanity, but the show belongs to Brooklynn Prince (as the young problem child Mooney) and Bria Vinaite (as her mother Halley). - DirectorPeter FarrellyStarsViggo MortensenMahershala AliLinda CardelliniA working-class Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver for an African-American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South.22.
What a pair: Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen go on the road together in the 1960’s and experience firsthand America’s not so beautiful corners in the South. The performances are priceless, but the director (Peter Farrelly) never elevates the material, neither visually nor formally. This could (and should) have been much better. - DirectorDK WelchmanHugh WelchmanStarsDouglas BoothJerome FlynnRobert GulaczykIn a story depicted in oil painted animation, a young man comes to the last hometown of painter Vincent van Gogh to deliver the troubled artist's final letter and ends up investigating his final days there.21.
A labor of love from Poland, this animated feature imagines Vincent van Gogh’s final months before his early demise. It does so by turning the life (and death) of the artist into a mystery and using living tableaus imitating the design of the master. Unlike anything I’ve ever seen. - DirectorPhil JohnstonRich MooreStarsJohn C. ReillySarah SilvermanGal GadotSix years after the events of "Wreck-It Ralph," Ralph and Vanellope, now friends, discover a wi-fi router in their arcade, leading them into a new adventure.20.
One of the best sequels and big-budget-works of the year, the continued story of the friendship of the two Arcade-games-creatures Wreck-it-Ralph and Vanellope von Schweetz achieved something other more popular films (like THE INCREDIBLES 2 and SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE) did not: It deepened the characters. And some jokes (the Disney-princesses!) are for the ages! - DirectorAnthony RussoJoe RussoStarsRobert Downey Jr.Chris HemsworthMark RuffaloThe Avengers and their allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe.19.
When it became clear that the (film) world would be cleared of several (or most of) the Marvel heroes we’ve grown accustomed to during the last decade, I detected an unexpected feeling, first in my gut, then in my heart: I cared! I didn’t want them to die; to go. I think that’s a pretty strong feeling to be achieved by Hollywood’s biggest money machine. Directed with same tightness, precision and just the right amount of pause by the Russo-brothers – a skill they first demonstrated in CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER –, this mega-budget-production dared to leave us with a cliffhanger of a magnitude last experienced in 1980, when Han Solo was carbonated in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK – a point of reference the Russos might like. Now we all know what a disappointment the Ewoks-infected RETURN OF THE JEDI turned out to be. Let’s just hope that’s not an omen. - DirectorPeyton ReedStarsPaul RuddEvangeline LillyMichael PeñaAs Scott Lang balances being both a superhero and a father, Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym present an urgent new mission that finds the Ant-Man fighting alongside The Wasp to uncover secrets from their past.18.
It doesn’t have to be the whole world all the time. While the first two Marvel releases of 2018 dealt with the big themes – color in BLACK PANTHER, the end of everything as we knew it in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR – ANT-MAN AND THE WASP tackles smaller things. Even much smaller things. Scott Lang has been grounded for two years, a clever twist that immediately explains why he wasn’t involved in INFINITY WAR. Now he’s off and in again to help the Pym-family once more, thereby meeting the luminous Evangeline Lilly and finally Michelle Pfeiffer. The magical aspect of the movie is, how playful and easy it whizzes by, that nobody is larger than life and that the FX are integrated almost naturally. ANT-MAN AND THE WASP isn’t going to change the Universe or the Marvel Universe – but that is exactly the reason for it being one of the best Marvel-entries.