Richard Whittaker’s Top 10 Films of 2018

1) Blindspotting

No film was more hilarious, lyrical, or needed. Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal unleashed a stone-cold masterpiece.

2) You Were Never Really Here

An astounding poem to the devastating impact of violence and the potential for redemption.

3) Avengers: Infinity War

The audacity of pulling together 18 films, the agony of "I don't want to go, Mr. Stark."

4) Won't You Be My Neighbor?

I didn't even grow up with Fred Rogers, but his humanity made me weep.

5) Burning

A relationship drama that hides under a Great Gatsby narrative until revealing its true disturbing heart.

6) The Favourite

We learn from history only when we do not rewrite it. A brilliant, scathing look at women and power.

7) A Simple Favor

Deliciously wicked melodrama, a martini-fueled throwback to Peyton Place and Danger: Diabolik.

8) Hereditary

Forget the lazy The Witch comparisons. Ari Aster's debut is a hellish dissection of family legacies.

9) Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Hollywood finally picks up the visual gauntlet thrown down by the Japanese animation houses.

10) First Man

An amazing examination of the personal peril of the space race, from the era before oversharing.

Near Misses

Cam, The Captain, Damsel, Mandy, Cold War

Most Overrated

Roma, BlacKkKlansman, Sorry to Bother You

Most Underrated

Anna and the Apocalypse, Blindspotting, A Simple Favor

Wild Card

The year of Ethan Hawke. First Reformed's soul-shaking performance was matched only by his lyrical tragedy Blaze. Plus, that duct tape tuxedo jacket!

Acting Kudos (Male)

Steven Yeun (Burning), Ben Dickey (Blaze), Joaquin Phoenix (You Were Never Really Here)

Acting Kudos (Female)

Toni Collette (Hereditary); Anya Taylor Joy (Thoroughbreds); Regina Hall (Support the Girls); Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, and Rachel Weisz (The Favourite)

Best Director

Lynne Ramsay (You Were Never Really Here), Debra Granik (Leave No Trace), Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite)

Best Original Screenplay

Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara (The Favourite); Daveed Diggs, Rafael Casal (Blindspotting); Isa Mazzei (Cam)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Oh Jung-mi, Lee Chang-dong (Burning); Macon Blair (Hold the Dark); Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini (Leave No Trace)

TV Series/Event

The Haunting of Hill House

Worst Film

Sherlock Gnomes: Lazy filmmaking is one thing. Lazy filmmaking that screams "we all just want a paycheck" is another. Lazy, cash-grab projects hiring Johnny Depp in 2018? A whole new layer of unwatchable.