Richard Whittaker’s Top 10 Films of 2018
By Richard Whittaker, Fri., Dec. 28, 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.