Last year, my 2017 top movie ranking was delayed a number of weeks so I could make time to see a few of the 2017 films I hadn’t yet been able to, particularly Phantom Thread. While that exercise proved largely unnecessary, I’m much more confident that I’ve seen most of what I care to see from this year. Obviously, tastes change, and rarely do the most well-liked movies of a particular time hold up to a few years’ consideration, but for now, here are my top 20 favorite movies of 2018. But first, some honorable mentions.
Honorable mentions: For starters, this has been an especially great year for superhero films, and while only two made it onto the list, I’d like to shout out the genre’s other triumphs this year, particularly Deadpool 2, Aquaman, and Teen Titans Go! to the Movies. On the topic of animation, this year also gave us Wes Anderson’s beautifully-captured Isle of Dogs and Pixar’s worthy sequel to one of their finest moments, The Incredibles 2. While I wasn’t the biggest fan of A Star Is Born, I do have to acknowledge its tactful storytelling and brilliant performances. Charlize Theron’s Tully is weird, tough, and one of the year’s most underrated movies. Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! outshines the original, and on the subject of stellar sequels, Mission: Impossible – Fallout is as great as everyone says it is. Crazy Rich Asians is the greatest rom-com in a number of years, and did wonders for representation (though it’s not quite as captivating as the John Cho-led thriller Searching). Can You Ever Forgive Me? is an excellent drama that I’m sure will stick with me more than most others this year, and Disobedience, another LGBT drama (this one from the visionary Sebastián Lelio), deserved more praise despite being overshadowed by another certain Rachel Weisz lesbian drama. I had difficulty choosing who to mention between Skate Kitchen and Mid90s, as despite their similar setups, neither deserves to be overlooked. Don’t let anyone tell you Ocean’s 8 isn’t great, and don’t overlook The Ballad of Buster Scruggs either. Finally, this year gave us two great, well-received-yet-overlooked comedies, John Francis Daley’s Game Night and Kay Cannon’s Blockers.
20) THE DEATH OF STALIN (dir. Armando Iannucci)
Armando Iannucci’s name has become synonymous with biting, ceaseless political satire, and it’s hard not to look at The Death of Stalin in the same light as The Thick of It or Veep. However, by removing the floor of TV’s need for resonant character growth out from under it, Iannucci’s brand of comedy goes off the rails, fueling a madcap, ridiculously grim romp through Soviet Russia’s post-Stalin power vacuum. It’s a brilliant exercise in comedic setting and character that sticks in your brain more than you might expect.
19) BLACK PANTHER (dir. Ryan Coogler)
It’s impossible to praise Black Panther without pointing something out that a thousand other critics and fans have already gotten to, but I’ll try to sum it up. There are strong elements to every piece of the film, but the true jewel that holds Black Panther together is its writing. It plays within and subverts the standard Marvel formula, setting up a heartfelt story with true stakes and emotional weight that manages to retain the epic scale of Marvel’s most high-profile releases while grounding itself in a distinct unity of time and place. In all elements (give or take a weak climax and bizarrely subpar special effects), it’s at least on the same level as some of Marvel’s best, but it’s the underappreciated elements, the costume and set design, the storytelling, the groundedness, that truly push it over the top.
18) A QUIET PLACE (dir. John Krasinski)
Frankly, I’m as surprised as anyone by the fact that I’ve included multiple horror movies in my top 20 this year, especially given the breadth of stellar films in my more preferred genres. But A Quiet Place is a bit of a marvel, a tight, self-contained, meaningful horror film from Office star John Krasinski. It’s fruitful to compare the film to Netflix’s Bird Box, which traffics in a similar theme of a monster using our own senses against us. It was watching Bird Box fairly recently that allowed me to go back and appreciate what’s so great about A Quiet Place: it’s apocalyptic without being nihilistic, it doesn’t rely on gimmicks or cliches, it doesn’t get burdened by the necessity for lore and detail. It knows what it’s trying to say, and it says it in the simplest, most elegant way possible.
17) BLACKKKLANSMAN (dir. Spike Lee)
As a Spike Lee movie, BlacKkKlansman is… odd. Which is to say, it’s not as odd as you might expect. Spike’s quirks are still there in spades (the movie opens with an uncut clip from Gone with the Wind, then an Alec Baldwin monologue, then the actual start of the film), but where it succeeds is where it differs from the legendary director’s increasingly-oblique filmography is in its more straightforward elements. Being based on a true story, its storytelling is more classical, linear, self-contained. As the darkly-comic tale unfolds, it’s grounded by an brilliantly unreadable performance by John David Washington and some excellent work from the rest of the cast (one of the film’s most welcome surprises is Topher Grace’s performance as David Duke). Its more formalistic elements mostly lend to the film’s sense of discomfort and, paradoxically enough, its placement in the real world.
16) VOX LUX (dir. Brady Corbet)
Before you give Vox Lux a watch, you should know that it’s weird, mean-spirited, and uncomfortable. It begins with a school shooting and ends with fifteen minutes of concert footage. Frankly, it’s no wonder so many critics were turned off by Brady Corbet’s “fuck-you” method of storytelling and development. Like his previous film, Childhood of a Leader, Vox Lux tells the story of a seemingly-innocent child growing into a monster. If you’d like, you can see it as A Star Is Born‘s evil twin: both feature a talented unknown taken under the wing of an industry veteran who turns them into a star. But Vox Lux tells the story in its own way: it begins with Celeste’s (Raffey Cassidy) initial brush with success and suddenly shifts to 13 years later, where she (Natalie Portman) is prepping for a new tour. The film is peppered with jarring touches, like the stark aforementioned depictions of terror attacks at the beginning of each chapter (they’re very relevant, mind you), as well as having the credits at the beginning and Willem Dafoe’s uncomfortably verbose narration. All these touches may serve to make the movie insufferable as time goes on, but they stuck with me enough for me to include the film.
15) HEREDITARY (dir. Ari Aster)
Hereditary is something else, man. It’s got stunning visuals, twists and turns, some completely bonkers plot points, and a killer soundtrack, all anchored by a career-defining performance from Toni Collette. If you think you know where this movie’s going, think again. It’s a pulse-pounding thrill ride that succeeds brilliantly as a horror film while also giving way for, as previously mentioned, some brilliant technical work on all sides of it.
14) YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE (dir. Lynne Ramsay)
We Need to Talk About Kevin director Lynne Ramsay returns with another stunning psychological drama, You Were Never Really Here. As a crime film, it’s stark and compelling, but its depiction of trauma is truly astonishing, making for one of Joaquin Phoenix’s most vulnerable performances to date. Ramsay’s vision is uncompromising and wholly unique, and You Were Never Really Here may be her most refined expression of that vision yet.
13) UPGRADE (dir. Leigh Whannell)
Frankly, I liked Venom (as an unexpectedly large group of people seemed to), but I’ll admit that it has some deficiencies in many of the ways in which movies are typically considered “good.” If you’re looking for something with the heart and humor of Venom that’s also got stellar action, breathtaking visuals, and an incredible soundtrack, look no further than Upgrade, a film about a man who gets a superpowered AI implanted into him after an accident leaves him paralyzed. Director Leigh Whannell is largely known for his horror work with partner-in-crime James Wan, and while both dipped their toes into the action genre this year (Wan with the aforementioned Aquaman), Whannell brings his horror sensibility to this off-the-wall, at times gut-wrenching sci-fi tale.
12) FIRST REFORMED (dir. Paul Schrader)
First Reformed tells the stark, solemn story of a pastor (Ethan Hawke) having a crisis of faith. It wouldn’t do the film’s supernatural journey justice to describe it in such basic terms, but it would also dampen the ethereal experience to describe its directions in too much detail. Writer/director Paul Schrader is a living legend, and First Reformed is his finest work since 1985’s Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters. The film’s leads, Hawke and Amanda Seyfried, offer some of the best performances of their career, and Cedric the Entertainer’s turn as Hawke’s megapastor boss is one of 2018’s supporting role highlights. It must be seen to be believed, end of story.
11) PADDINGTON 2 (dir. Paul King)
Paddington 2 is currently the highest-rated film in Rotten Tomatoes’ entire database, with a 100% rating based on over 200 reviews. And with good reason, too: like the original Paddington before it, this sequel is an absolute delight, so full of love and passion and kindness that it stands out not only as a knockout within its peculiar subgenre of live-action films based on beloved animated characters, but as one of the greatest family films yet conceived. It’s hilarious, visually stunning, and rapturously enjoyable for kids and adults alike. Hugh Grant gives a completely game performance as the movie’s over-the-top villain (a role portrayed with equal panache by Nicole Kidman in the original).
10) ROMA (dir. Alfonso Cuarón)
It’s about time I finally own up to how excellent Alfonso Cuarón is. Despite how much I adore Children of Men, Prisoner of Azkaban, and Y Tu Mamá También, I was a bit of a naysayer when he was the talk of the town after Gravity. I’m still not exactly sold on that film, but I’ll admit Roma got me. The somewhat-operatic story is fine, the characters are relatable enough, but Roma truly stands out as one of the most visually-stunning films of our time. The amount of care and precision palpable in every frame of this movie is breathtaking, and masterfully-integrated soundtrack and stoic, timid storytelling, it creates an old-school sense of grandeur that’s completely mesmerizing.
9) WIDOWS (dir. Steve McQueen)
If any film has been robbed of its place in this year’s award-season conversation, it’s Widows, a breathtaking heist film by 12 Years a Slave visionary Steve McQueen. It’s got stunning visuals, great action, an unavoidably necessary message, and perhaps the year’s greatest ensemble cast, particularly in its four titular widows and a terrifying turn by Daniel Kaluuya. Most of the films this high up on the list “blew me away” to some degree, but I was most surprised by Widows. If you think you’ve seen all the year’s must-see releases, don’t sleep on it.
8) IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK (dir. Barry Jenkins)
Like Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight and Medicine for Melancholy before it, If Beale Street Could Talk is a captivating romance with a musical sensibility and an unquestionable grasp on filmmaking as an art form. Barry Jenkins captures love in a way few filmmakers have truly been able to capture, and he brings that keen eye to James Baldwin’s classic novel. If you’re looking for a truly resonant, profoundly emotional experience, this film is for you.
7) ANNIHILATION (dir. Alex Garland)
Alex Garland’s latest is a sci-fi film for the ages, a mix of mindbending turns, heart-wrenching drama, unforgettable visuals, and stellar performance from its stacked cast. Between Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez, and Oscar Isaac, the film takes what could be two-dimensional characters and gives them enough resonance to add to the film’s cosmic scale, with the year’s most memorably intense soundtrack and a number of unforgettable moments, particularly in its jaw-dropping finale.
6) BLINDSPOTTING (dir. Carlos López Estrada)
I ended up putting off Blindspotting for the longest time, but I would strongly advise anyone not to do the same. It offers perhaps the most nuanced, necessary commentary on our current state of affairs in film this year, as well as amazing visuals by acclaimed music video director Estrada, a killer Bay Area hip-hop soundtrack, and stellar lead performances by Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal, who also wrote the script together. It’s a great buddy comedy, a great drama, a great satire, and another woefully underrepresented entry in the year’s pantheon of great films.
5) EIGHTH GRADE (dir. Bo Burnham)
Eighth Grade did for me what I think Lady Bird did for a lot of people. Both films are the first works of already well-known directors, and like many people felt Lady Bird was, Eighth Grade is almost unnervingly real. It’s unflinching, easily the truest portrayal of the middle school experience ever put to film. It’s resonant as a truthful depiction of one of the most emotionally tumultuous times in a young person’s life, and we feel the intense highs and lows of the lead’s daily goings-on, particularly thanks to a starmaking performance by the wonderful Elsie Fisher. Like I said, many of the movies on this list have taken me aback, but it takes a truly great filmmaker to really get to the core of its audience, and Bo Burnham does just that with Eighth Grade.
4) THE FAVOURITE (dir. Yorgos Lanthimos)
There’s so much to love about The Favourite. It’s one of the funniest movies of 2018, it’s got a captivatingly twisted love triangle between three phenomenally gifted actresses, its visuals are unheard-of, its storytelling is experimental, and it’s gay. It’s an overwhelmingly exciting film to take in as a whole, but it’s the little things that really elevate it to new heights, out-of-nowhere lines like “People shit in the streets around here. Political commentary, they call it,” or absurd moments like a sudden cut to a music hall where an opera singer full-throatedly sings the word “music.” It’s Horatio, the fastest duck in the city, and the brothel owner named Mary Magdalene. I could go on, but at the end of the day, I’ve just never seen anything like The Favourite, and I don’t intend to let up on it any time soon.
3) SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (dir. Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman)
It often takes some time to truly appreciate how groundbreaking, paradigm-shifting, revolutionary a film is, to understand just how much of an impact it has. Such is not the case with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which is already rightfully being heralded as not only the best Spider-Man movie, or even the best superhero movie, but one of the greatest animated films of all time. Truly, there’s never been anything like it. Its immaculate visuals took years to bring to life, its sense of humor, heart, action, adventure, character, style, every sensibility you could think of is top-shelf. One doesn’t want to oversell it to a viewer, because no film is perfect, but I’ve yet to meet anyone who was disappointed by Into the Spider-Verse. It might eventually float its way to #1 of 2018 if it stands the test of time, which I can only imagine it will. For Miles Morales, there’s no way to go but up.
2) MANDY (dir. Panos Cosmatos)
Aside from a penchant for neon visuals and the casting of Nicolas Cage, Into the Spider-Verse and Mandy couldn’t be more different. The second film by Italian visionary Panos Cosmatos, Mandy lets Nic Cage loose on a level never before thought possible. It gives a nail-biting build-up for the legendary actor with a glacial, macabre first half in which Cage’s character is pushed to his very limits. But when the title card finally appears an hour into the movie, it’s no holds barred. This may very well be the best Nicolas Cage performance, but it’s certainly the most Nicolas Cage performance. And even taking away Cage in all his glory, the movie’s still pretty stellar. It’s got amazing visuals, an awe-inspiring soundtrack by the late great Jóhann Jóhannsson, a hippie sex cult, a chainsaw fight, and a cheddar goblin. I rest my case.
1) SORRY TO BOTHER YOU (dir. Boots Riley)
Is Sorry to Bother You the most narratively cohesive movie of 2018? No. Does it have the absolute best ensemble of 2018? No. But giving it #1 on this list isn’t really a technical honor. No movie in 2018, and very few movies ever, have stuck with me the way Sorry to Bother You did. The energy of both its director (first-timer Boots Riley) and its leading man (Lakeith Stanfield) is something we’ve never really seen before. I talked up the simplicity and elegance of some of the films on this list, but Sorry to Bother You is noteworthy for having so much to say, and so much going on. Practically every scene, for better or worse, warrants a full essay’s worth of cultural, critical, and theoretical analysis. It’s bold both as a political statement and as a work of art, a thrilling, hilarious, terrifying, madcap train heading full-speed through hell to revolution on the other side. Sorry to Bother You is miles ahead of its time, and therefore the timeliest film of the year. It’s the truest definition of a must-see.