Top 10 Movies of 2018 (So Far)

Illustration by Mai-Phuong BuiIn a matter of only seven months, 2018 has seen the release of some incredibly unique, bold, entertaining and thought-provoking films. Many films have stayed in my mind throughout the year, and every week there’s been at least one interesting thing happening in the medium. Because of this, I want to start this new semester off by listing some of my favorites from the year so far.

10. BlacKkKlansman

The true story of a Black man infiltrating the KKK is hilarious and exciting, but director Spike Lee uses this as a platform to explore issues of race and bigotry while fighting these problems from inside the system. Parallelling the struggles of Black people in the ‘70s to those in the modern era reveals Lee’s intention. Luckily, the story is interesting, the actors impeccable and the filmmaking stylish without being overbearing. It’s easy to embrace Lee’s messaging, especially when it’s this well thought-out and entertaining.

9. Leave No Trace

Debra Granik’s quiet examination of the effects of trauma on a family and the tension between artificial and true understanding is as beautiful as it is emotional. The film is held together by two fantastic lead performances from Ben Foster as a veteran suffering from PTSD and newcomer Thomasin McKenzie as his sheltered daughter. Their bond feels real and both of them express it with just their look and tone of voice. It’s a slow-moving film concerned with empathy rather than narrative or answers, making it all the more satisfying the more you think about its themes.

8. Blindspotting

This film takes a personal approach to the issue of race in the United States, combining the expression of rap with striking visuals and well-defined characters. While hilarious — and even aimless in the beginning — the conflicts that have been subtly boiling begin to burst, and the film’s hard-hitting, unflinching messages become clear. The film spotlights the inherent biases and duality of racial profiling. By the end, the filmmakers’ meticulous construction reveals itself as the themes become even clearer.

7. You Were Never Really Here

Lynne Ramsay’s stylish revenge thriller is also a hauntingly vague and abstract character study. On the surface, it would seem like a standard revenge film, where Joaquin Phoenix’s character is tasked with finding a kidnapped girl. But what makes this film so incredible is Phoenix’s performance and Ramsay’s filmmaking. Viewers can interpret little from the sparse dialogue, but Ramsay’s abstract and gorgeous imagery tell us everything we need to know. We just have to be willing to put the pieces together.

6. Mission Impossible: Fallout

After four years of nearly perfecting the Mission Impossible franchise, director Christopher McQuarrie has made a masterpiece of the action blockbuster genre with the sixth entry. This is a fast-paced, intelligently crafted film that makes up for its illogical plot with uniquely intense action scenes and inventive cinematography and filmmaking. Fallout has raised the bar for action films, daring anyone — including future entries — to be equally insane and artistic.

5. First Reformed

Directed and written by Paul Schrader — most well known for writing the script to Taxi Driver — this film is a similarly dark and disturbing look at a man’s descent into despair. Ethan Hawke gives the performance of his career as a troubled priest who becomes obsessed with martyrdom and saving the planet. The film is just as cold as its upstate New York setting, full of quiet moments and tense reflection, as it explores how someone can accept the radical, and how terrifyingly rational that turn to insanity can seem.

4. Sorry To Bother You

First time director Boots Riley explodes onto the scene with this creative, hilarious, unpredictable, gloriously message-heavy fable. A surreal satire about the financial struggles of the poor in this country, “Sorry To Bother You” is joyously outrageous, able to criticise everything from Silicon Valley CEOs to the lack of unionization in the workforce. It does it all with a wink and a smirk, using comedy and a unique vision that will not soon be forgotten. To spoil the secrets hidden within this inspiring and important work of modern art is truly a crime that I will not commit here. Just know that Riley’s film is not perfect, but is unlike anything you have seen, or ever will.

3. Annihilation

Dealing with abstract ideas about our place in the universe, unimaginable cosmic horror and how our personal baggage and emotions play into our daily lives, “Annihilation” was the sci-fi/horror/thriller I never knew I wanted. With a reserved but excellent performance from Natalie Portman, gorgeous cinematography with bizarre yet colorful special effects, and grisly horror, Annihilation is a nightmarish journey that has stuck with me throughout the year, and I can’t see it leaving my mind anytime soon.

2. Hereditary

With a focus on the trickling effects of family trauma and how one can feel trapped by their pasts or their own delusions, Hereditary stands as a horrifying and emotionally draining experience. With a slow burn that becomes an uncontrollable wildfire, the film’s strengths lie in the award-worthy performance from Toni Collette, director Ari Aster’s masterful control of the camera and a general sense of distressing confusion followed by unimaginable dread.

1. Upgrade

Few films have floored me in the way “Upgrade” has. As an entertaining action movie, “Upgrade” bursts with kinetic and precise camera movements and choreography. These action scenes play into the overall narrative and themes, exploring the rise of technology, the loss of human empathy to machine automation and the overall the dangers of technology taking over. The action scenes, cinematography and the dialogue reflect this. Everything in the film is crafted to serve this hypothetical horror narrative, and all without losing the fun of grindhouse flicks.

Samuel Goodrich, Staff Writer