As the year comes to an end, it is tradition that I assess the films that have come out this past year.

So I have made my very own TOP 10 list of films that stood out to me this year. There are some honourable mentions AND some that stood out in their genre.

Here are my TOP 10 Films of 2018:

A Quiet Place
dir. John Krasinski
screenplay. John Krasinski, Bryan Woods, Scott Beck

The reason why this film is so unique is the fact that there was pure silence on screen. I’ve never experienced something like that. Normally, people think that having silence on screen is bad because it’s dead air but Krasinski utilized that and played off the tension and anticipation of sound. I also appreciated the fact that the score did not overpower those moments of silence and that it was used subtly throughout.

Annihilation
dir. Alex Garland
screenplay. Alex Garland

Annihilation is one of the best science fiction films to be released in the past 10 years. It’s an original piece from the mind of Alex Garland and he truly blew me away with this film. It had such a strong cast of actors and the story kept getting better, it had so many twists that I did not see coming and it really does make you reach maximum anxiety levels. The film is beautifully shot and has a powerful story. This made it into my top 3 sci-fi films of all time and I am definitely looking forward to his next film.

Aquaman  
dir. James Wan
story by. James Wan, Geoff Johns, Will Beall

James Wan has been in the spotlight for his horror universe of The Conjuring and those films are all so incredibly unique to the horror genre. Wan has his own style and he definitely brought it in Aquaman. This film was simple and the visuals enhanced the story, making it one of the best DC films to be released. DC has such strong characters and they’ve been successful with their standalone films. The future is bright for DC because they are trusting their directors and they will be able to create unique worlds.

Ben is Back
dir. Peter Hedges
screenplay. Peter Hedges

Ben is Back is such a heart-wrenching film and it depicts the harrowing truth of addiction. Lucas Hedges gives the performance of his career thus far and Julia Roberts is a knockout. Peter Hedges penned a brutally honest screenplay and made very powerful choices, especially the ending. This is an underrated film and it needs to be seen!

Blackkklansman
dir. Spike Lee
screenplay. Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, Spike Lee

A Spike Lee Joint has never been so exhilarating and relevant, I have never felt so many emotions at once during a film AND I left this film absolutely enraged. This film is one of the best movies of the year and it deserves more recognition. Everything about this film was perfect and the way Spike Lee integrated every single piece of media that has been consumed by mainstream audiences was genius. This was a masterwork and it’s incredible that he was able to use this medium to speak about the corruption in the United States right now.

Black Panther
dir. Ryan Coogler
screenplay. Ryan Coogler, Joe Robert Cole

Marvel’s 18th film in it’s universe had the first black superhero in the spotlight. Black Panther had such a massive cultural significance earlier this year and it became an instant phenomenon. This film, directed by Ryan Coogler meant so much more to the black community than any other Marvel movie and the reception proved that. Every single actor in this film did a a great job in telling T’Challa’s story and I know that Stan Lee was proud of this major accomplishment.

Roma
dir. Alfonso Cuarón
screenplay. Alfonso Cuarón

Alfonso Cuarón really delivered on all front with Roma. It’s a beautiful film because of how effortless he made everything seem. The story is simple and tragic but the love that is shown on screen mends those heartbreaking feelings at the same time. It’s beautifully shot and the visuals were so incredibly powerful that I didn’t need subtitles to understand what was happening. Yalitza Aparicio gave a beautiful performance and I felt everything with her.

Ocean’s Eight
dir. Gary Ross
screenplay. Gary Ross, Olivia Milch

This cast of women truly saved 2018 and it was the best version of any Ocean’s movie. This film was so much fun and Sandra Bullock was excellent in this alongside Cate Blanchett. It was interesting from beginning to end and it was filled with many nods to the first Ocean’s film. I would like a trilogy with these lovely ladies! Also, Anne Hathaway stole show and I’m happy she’s back! The heist was extravagant and fun because it was taking place at the MET Gala and many audiences don’t know what goes on inside the Gala, so it was very refreshing!

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
dir. Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman
screenplay. Phil Lord, Rodney Rothman

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the BEST Spider-Man movie that has ever been released. Not only was the animation superb but to have every single version of Spider-Man on screen showing the multiverse made it so unique! The best part about this film is that kids are introduced to the youngest Spider-Man, Miles Morales. Miles is half black and half Latino and it was lovely to see that representation on screen! Sony definitely has a universe of their own to expand on, especially with this character and this animation!

 
 Widows
dir. Steve McQueen
screenplay. Gillian Flynn, Steve McQueen

Steve McQueen and Gillian Flynn working together was truly a dream team and I loved every single second of this thriller. It was such an intense film and it kept me at the edge of my seat the entire time. This cast was phenomenal and I was amazed that everyone got enough screen time and each of their backstories flowed effortless through each scene. The standouts were Daniel Kaluuya and Elizabeth Debicki, pay very close attention to their performances!!

The two films that I have yet to see but I know would have been in my TOP 10 for 2018 are…

The Favourite
dir. Yorgos Lanthimos
screenplay. Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara

If Beale Street Could Talk
dir. Barry Jenkins
screenplay. Barry Jenkins 

Both Yorgos Lanthimos and Barry Jenkins have created such beautiful films in the past and I’m always excited for their new projects!

 

The Honourable Mentions:

Best Action Movie: 
Mission Impossible – Fallout
dir. Christopher McQuarrie
screenplay. Christopher McQuarrie

Best Comedy: 
The Spy Who Dumped Me 
dir. Susanna Fogel
screenplay. Susanna Fogel, David Iserson

Best Kids Movie: 
The Incredibles 2 
dir. Brad Bird
screenplay. Brad Bird

Best Coming of Age Film:
Eighth Grade 
dir. Bo Burnham
screenplay. Bo Burnham