Top 10 Movies 2018

Alright, So this will be my first post in way over a year but oh well... Better late than never I suppose; been busy, failing uni and working, so lets get this shit back on track (new year new blog posts and all that). I'll be hopelessly attempting to resurrect this page with some small level of dignity, so let's start with the always original, top ten of last year post.

So... Let's get this proverbial show on the proverbial road.

10 - Upgrade

Upgrade was pretty much everything I wanted it to be; a schlocky fun grindhouse pic straight from the 80's, just with far better fight choreography and stylish cinematography. Logan Marshal Green plays Grey (great name for a character I know, but trust me it's good), a man fused with an A.I called Stem after being left paralysed by a horrid ordeal.

Directed by Leigh Wannell (ya know, the one with the glasses from those Insidious films), who takes a break from conventional horror to bring this ultra violent, ultra stylish action flick to the big screen. Sure, there's no oscar winning performances, and the script isn't particularly special, but goddamn is this one a shitload of fun. Imagine The Guest meets Robocop in the best possible way.

9 - Hereditary

And now, for the almost obligatory horror addition. Independent studio A24 have seriously cornered the market on Arthouse horror, creating their own little niche for slow burn brilliance with films such as The VVitch and A Ghost Story. It really comes to something when Hereditary is possibly their most accessible film to date.

Granted, this one was bogged down a bit in controversy over supposed 'misleading marketing', but I personally found that this heightened the experience of this at times shocking and brutal take on grief and personal, tragic loss.

Whilst the previous entry on this list may have not had any awards worthy performances, Toni Colette, is truly captivating in this film. Her portrayal of a mother losing everything around her is at times difficult to sit through (her wailing screams of pain still give me shivers), but this all just adds to her performance.

8 - Searching

Let's keep this list nice and depressing, shall we. Now, like around.... 90% of the population of movie-goers, I cannot stand found footage films (I find them to be cheap gimicky films that pander to the lowest common denominator of film fans, typically used to get an easy scare). A few years ago, Unfriended took found footage in an even cheaper but, nevertheless, interesting direction; films told from the perspective of webcams.

So here we are at Searching; a found footage mystery thriller about a single father attempting to locate his missing daughter. Always suspenseful, naturally acted, and truly Hitchcockian in it's execution; Searching is, for me, the biggest surprise of the year, hence it's placement on this list. I'm merely not wanting to give too much away here, so just, go watch it.

7 - Green Book

Aragorn takes a road trip with a concert pianist... Tell me if you've heard this one before. But in all Seriousness, Green Book is truly amazing. A dramady of epic proportions, not so funny as to lessen the seriousness of the topic at hand (the trials and tribulations faced by minorities in 60's rural America, regardless of pedigree or talent), but not dramatic as to seem preachy or conventional.

And to think, a film balancing two complex characters was directed by the guy who made Dumb and Dumber (whod-a-fucking-thunk). Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali both give incredible dual lead performances in a film that will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you feel every emotion in between.

6 - Creed II

Cast your mind back to the latter half of 2015, Star Wars was coming back after an almost decade long hiatus, as was the Rocky franchise, in the form of Creed. A film about the son of Apollo Creed being trained by Rocky Balboa himself, sounds like a cheesy cash-grab, but it ended up possibly being one of the best films of that year with an Oscar nominated performance from Sylvester Stallone (not a sentence you get to say too often).

So, safe to say I was somewhat excited for the thought of a sequel; and vengeance is the topic of conversation. Challenged by the son of Ivan Drago, Addonis Creed is forced to take on the family that killed his estranged father. With his own personal struggles and the stake of his father's legacy, Creed II is the more thoughtful version of Rocky IV.  Shining a light on that state of affairs the Drago family has been left in after Ivan's bout with Rocky, it feels completely refreshing to see a boxing film that gives as much characterisation and depth to the opponent as it does to the protagonists.

5 - Bohemian Rhapsody

OK... I must be honest, this list is obviously subjective but here is my completely biased opinion; Bohemian Rhapsody FUCKING ROCKED! It may seem somewhat controversial, given that the film takes some liberties with factual events, but also; I'm currently writing this article wearing a Queen T-shirt, so any film regarding one of my all time favourite bands was always gonna rank fairly highly for me.

It's inevitable to mention the calamitous behind the scenes process of making this film, so it's just all the more impressive given that this was directed by both Bryan Synger, and Dexter Fletcher (who is coincidentally currently in post production on his Elton John biopic, Rocketman), that this film was coherent at all, never mind how good it actually was.

Raimi Malek gives what is easily the best performance of his career as Freddie Mercury. Making him vain without seeming pompous, vulnerable but determined. He plays the character perfectly, from the mannerisms to the speech impediment, Malek completely transforms into Mercury before our very eyes.

The supporting cast is also very impressive, but this is truly the Freddie Mercury show, at least in terms of performance. But there are so many documentaries and shows about Mercury, which is why this is without a doubt, a Queen film. Showing them grow as a band go from success to success, to the inevitable downfall, as is the case in every biopic, musical or not.

But the Live-Aid sequence.... THE LIVE-AID SEQUENCE. It's perfect, I've never seen a cinema audience so pumped up like they're at a gig as I did during the final 20 minutes of this film. I've watched both the film and the actual footage of Live-Aid side by side numerous times now and it just gets more impressive and mesmerising every time I see it.

4 - Mary Poppins Returns

Let's keep things musical shall we. Bohemian Rhapsody may have had me stomping my feet, but Mary Poppins Returns had me leaving the cinema with a grin on my face stretched from ear to ear. I'm a big fan of the original film, having watched it time and time again as both a child and an adult.

Upon the announcement of a sequel being made over 50 years after the original, easy to say this made me incredibly apprehensive to the whole thought. When the announcement was made that Emily Blunt was taking the lead role, I was somewhat more excited; then the trailer was released, and I saw, this was not only a belated cash grab attempting to make a quick buck off of nostalgia, but that there was something truly special going on here.

Sure, nostalgia plays a part in the audience's enjoyment of this film, but this isn't in a cheeky nod and a wink, smirking at the camera kinda way (looking at you, grinning Franco in that piece-of-shit Oz prequel), but in a way that was revitalising the grandiose style of the original film. From the opening credits to the set pieces (Trip a Little Light Fantastic being the new Step in Time), this was a love letter to a beloved classic whilst being it's own unique take on the material.

Blunt is fantastic, as is Lin Manuel-Miranda as lamplighter 'leary' Jack. Blunt doesn't attempt to be Julie Andrews but makes the character all her own, making her somewhat sterner but also more adventurous (her venture into cabaret during A Cover is Not the Book is a particular favourite of mine). Miranda's cockney accent is about as good as Van Dyke's, but it's debatable that this could have been intentional.

3 - Avengers: Infinity War

10 years in the making, from the first Iron Man to here, who'd have thought we would get to this point, 20 films later and the most expansive cinematic universe of all time. Just for sheer effort, I would have included Infinity War on this list, but it is such a bonus that it also turned out to be an incredible film.

From outset, seeing an Asgardian ship being ransacked and pillaged by the children of Thanos, we know this is not your usual Marvel film, but something wholly new for the MCU. One of my biggest issues with the previous MCU entries directed by the Russo brothers is their handling of the action, which always seemed to be choppily edited and a bit to erratic to fully appreciate the magnitude of the fight (just look at the Lagos sequence from Civil War), but it really does seem that they've held back here. filming almost entirely on IMAX cameras, they ,made the most of the technology at their disposal by pulling the camera back a bit and really letting the scale of the action sink in.

2 - Mission: Impossible Fallout

Never would I thought I would have seen the day where I put a Mission: Impossible film in the top 3 films of the year, but Fallout was absolutely spectacular. True popcorn entertainment at it's finest, this was without a doubt the best film of the summer. The action is so perfectly choreographed and staged, showing just what incredible visuals you can create when you pull the camera back and really let your talented cast work their magic. In particular, the bathroom fight during the first half of this film is incredible, as is the HALO jumpsuit sequence with precedes it. I was so completely blown away by the sheer effort and mastery of action on display during this film.

This is the first film in the franchise where not only has the director returned (Christopher McQuarrie, once again proving he is one of the best action directors working in Hollywood), but also the first film to continue the plot threads from the previous film (Rogue Nation, also directed by McQuarrie). And that focus on narrative is clearly evident. With Sean Harris returning and having a blast as the faint voiced and undoubtedly creepy villain, Solomon Lane, this series has seemingly gone from strength to strength (it really comes to something when the worst film of the franchise is directed by action maestro John Woo).

I refer to this one as pure popcorn entertainment as, with all the other M:I films, the story does certainly play second fiddle to the set pieces. Once again, there is a nuclear mcguffin preventing our protagonists from just leading an everyday lifestyle, but at this point, I expect nothing else from this franchise. Also, when you have Henry Cavill cocking his arms like pump action shotguns, I'm not really gonna complain, especially when something so stupid actually looks so badass.

I really have no true issues with Fallout, I loved every adrenaline pumping, pulse pounding minute of it. And were it not for one release at the end of the year, it would have been my favourite, but there was one more release that really took my breath away in ways I never expected....

1 - Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse

I had absolutely no high expectations for this film in the slightest. Sure I liked the voice cast that was announced, and the inclusion of Phil Lord and Chris Miller, but then again, it was another Spider-Man film released by Sony, and after Venom (a film I didn't hate but was never gonna come close to this list). With an experimental visual style, and 3 directors working on the film... Safe to say I was a little hesitant but still excited.

Fucking hell, was I impressed by this film. The visuals were stunning and deserve to be seen on the biggest screen to be believed. I was floored by everything in this film, from the animation, the action, the soundtrack (which is astounding), the vocal performances; I was so shocked with how amazing this film was that I instantly called my brother after watching to tell him to see it as soon as possible describing the film as 'genuinely, a perfect superhero movie'.

Who'd have thought, in a year where we have had benchmark superhero films such as Black Panther and Infinity War, that it would be the underdog of the year that is not only the best superhero film, but, in my opinion, the best film of the year.

As a comic book fan, it was amazing to finally see a film about fan favourite Miles Morales, and to have him be played by Shameik Moore was pure genius casting. This film is packed with amazing casting choices, and with all these different Spider-People (for lack of a better term), this is still Moore's film, and he shines the whole way through. He brings to Morales a sense of vulnerability masked by confidence, and a feeling of misplaced priorities that feels fresh even in the tropes that are ever present in the superhero genre.

It's not just Moore who brings his A-game here, but everyone in the cast is on top form, especially for a vocal performance. Nicolas Cage is incredible as Spider-Noir, as is Jake Johnson as an aged and reluctant Peter Parker. There are other cameos in Spiderverse that I don't want to give away here (one in particular that hit hard... You can probably guess who that might have been given celebrity deaths this year).

The main thing I wasn't expecting from this film though, above everything else, was the level of emotion and heart in the story. If this was just a breezy fun animated comic book film about parallel dimensions colliding I probably would have still loved it, but with the amount of characterisation and moments that genuinely had me tearing up (one scene in particular is especially heart wrenching), the film was elevated to all time great levels.

Honorable Mentions

This part is just going to be a list of films I could have easily included in this top 10, but unfortunately just missed out... Nevertheless see these films as well as soon as possible.

A Star Is Born
Black Panther
Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck it Ralph 2
Widows
Ready Player One
A Quiet Place
Game Night
Bumblebee

All in all, 2018 has been an incredible year for films, and here's to hoping 2019 is going to be just as impressive, cos, not to sound preachy, but with how fucked reality is, some good escapism seems perfect right now.