The Top Ten Films of 2018 by Corben Carpenter
The year has come to a close, and while most of you may be excited for what 2019 will bring, or pinning down a resolution, I'm looking back on the hundreds of hours I spent sitting in a dark room where a giant screen beckons. I reminisce over the rise and fall of MoviePass, the takeover of reserved seating and reclining chairs, and streaming services amping up their feature film releases. The landscape is constantly evolving and I found myself becoming bitter at the essential changes needed for the survival of the movie theater experience. Have I become jaded? Perhaps, and after seeing over 70 theatrical releases in one year, many films appear to be just adequate. However, there has been a plentiful amount of good to excellent films throughout 2018, and below are the coveted ten that I want you to see most.
worse than being incompetent,
or being unkind, or being evil,
is being indecisive."
#10 - Thoroughbreds
Written and Directed by Cory Finley
"Being genius is not enough,
it takes courage to change people's hearts."
#9 - Green Book
Directed by Peter Farrelly
Written by Peter Farrelly, Brian Hayes Currie, and Nick Vallelonga
I thought I could read this movie from a mile away, resembling another trite race relations biopic set in the 1960s. But after spending miles on the road with Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen, I presumed wrong. Green Book just works with what it sets out to do. Ali and Viggo have infectious chemistry and disappear into their real life portrayals. The key moments are handled with a subtle touch, eager to satisfy and leads to a rousing crescendo of a finale. This film has inexplicable sense of magic and charm to it, where I couldn't help but smile in retrospect.
"Music is essentially twelve notes
between any octave. Twelve notes
and the octave repeats. It's the same
story told over and over, forever.
All any artist can offer the world,
it's how they see those twelve notes. That's it. "
#8 - A Star Is Born
Directed by Bradley Cooper
Written by Bradley Cooper, Will Fetters, and Eric Roth
Written by Bradley Cooper, Will Fetters, and Eric Roth
The players have changed but the song remains the same. The song is still a classic and Bradley Cooper’s modern remake might be the version we will remember for good. Even though the retold tried and true tale is nearly empty of radical departures, the committed effort on both sides of the camera is exceptional. Cooper and the insatiable Lady Gaga treat the film as an opportunity for their aspirations, and they breakthrough tremendously. As someone who appreciates the authenticity of live music, the pulsating sound design and performances from Cooper and Gaga really strike a chord. A Star is Born is not a revolution, but few films this year gave me such chills.
"It appears the vitals of this lucky
son-of-a-gun remain unpunctured.
Sloppy shootin' on my part."
son-of-a-gun remain unpunctured.
Sloppy shootin' on my part."
#7 - The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Written and Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
When the Coen Brothers are good, they’re gravy. What started as an anthology series based on short stories conceived over the past decades, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs has settled into one film divided up into six, distinct fascinating chapters. Each story is immaculately photographed, scored, and acted, bringing out the best in cinematic western of yore. The highlights include Tom Waits search for gold, a spine-tingling stagecoach conversation and young woman’s journey along the Oregon Trail. Each chapter is capable of a feature length expansion, but that’s left to our imaginations.
"It's not destroying.
It's making something new."
#6 - Annihilation
A studio executive believed this film was too "complicated" and "intelligent" for the average movie-goer, and he's right. But we need more films that reward its audience with ingenious direction and provoked thought, not just giving away all the answers like candy. Annihilation is a stirring expedition boasting with chilling yet beautiful creations underlined by themes of metamorphosis and guilt. Alex Garland uses the science fiction genre to vividly explore the internal struggles of characters as being the ultimate human discovery. See it twice, and see it again as each viewing unlocks another door and reveals another layer expanding its narrative scope.
"If any animal around here got hurt
like I did, they'd have to be put down."
#5 - The Rider
Written and Directed by Chloé Zhao
I’ve mentioned before that the most transportive experiences can be in the mundane periphery of our own country land, and it holds true with another shining example. The Rider takes us to an impoverished North Dakota prairie for an intimate look into its cherished rodeo scene and a star rider Brady who is forced to give up his dream after a devastating accident. Brady, his family, and the local commonwealth feel genuine because they are. The actors have lived these lives and their honest portrayals pulled me in even further. The gimmick pays off because Chloé Zhao weaves her bold vision into poetic gold with confidence and grace.
"I don’t talk a lot at school but if
people talk to me and stuff,
they find out that I’m like
really funny and cool and talkative."
people talk to me and stuff,
they find out that I’m like
really funny and cool and talkative."
#4 - Eighth Grade
Written and Directed by Bo Burnham
14 year-old Kayla may be the defining icon of the decade’s pubescent generation. She’s anxious, unsure, shy but desperate for attention. Cell phones and social media infiltrated the development of almost every teenager and Eighth Grade represents the new normal as a painfully relatable horror film of sorts. Observant and brimming with compassion, Bo Burnham navigates the terrifying landscape of middle school with off-beat playfulness and sincere insight into Kayla’s silent suffering which she tries to remedy with YouTube videos, of all things.
"McCleary said you were brutal."
#3 - You Were Never Really Here
Written and Directed by Lynne Ramsay
Efficiently told in a dense 90 minutes, You Were Never Really Here is a visceral and uncompromising tour de force. Lynn Ramsay’s audacious vision is no better demonstrated than a raid into a seedy fortress shown solely through security camera footage. Relentless violence ensues but it’s not glamorized. She focuses in on the inherent struggle of her ruthless anti-hero with a limited choice of words and nightmarish backstory. Joaquin Phoenix continues his career renaissance with a fearless performance of a troubled fixer on a rescue mission that falls into a suicidal quest for redemption. I couldn’t get this film out of my head. When you hit rock bottom, there is always a light above.
"As it turns out, I'm capable of much unpleasantness."
#2 - The Favourite
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
Written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara
Written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara
The 18th century period picture has been turned on its head by Yorgos Lanthimos, who implements his unique expression to blow your expectations away. Almost everything in The Favourite is not what it seems, ranging from the tone, dialog and set pieces to the motivations and actions of its characters. And it’s all sinfully delicious. Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone are equally exquisite as they push their own boundaries and keep up with the ensuing madness. It is as familiar as it is strange, and where there is hilarity there is seeping melancholy. A gorgeous, refreshing, and delightfully twisted history lesson that doesn’t need to be true to be remembered.
"You too can develop your potential.
But don't expect any miracles,
the only miracle lies in your own will."
But don't expect any miracles,
the only miracle lies in your own will."
#1 - Roma
Written and Directed by Alfonso Cuarón
In the midst of political and cultural revolution, Roma centers on a young maid named Cleo who serves a caring yet shattered family. Her dreams and tribulations are captured with poignant elegance by the visionary Alfonso Cuarón who directed, wrote, edited, and shot this cinematic treasure. A breathtaking journey presented through velvety black and white photography, the most impressive imagery I’ve ever witnessed on film. Every shot is ambitiously conceived and thoroughly executed, full of life and subtext that accumulate in an expansive backdrop of Mexico City in a vital period. Cuarón allows the story and characters to just be, effortlessly expressing their humanity and coexisting with this chaos, which makes the harrowing moments hit harder and the emotional scars linger. This level of immersion and resonance is rarely matched in the medium. Simply, a masterpiece that should make filmmakers envious and cinephiles jubilated.
Thank you for taking time to read this list of films.
Have a happy new year.
Previous Winners
2017 - The Florida Project
2016 - Manchester by the Sea
2015 - Mad Max: Fury Road
2014 - Whiplash
2013 - 12 Years a Slave
2012 - Amour
2011 - The Artist
2010 - Black Swan
2009 - Up in the Air
2008 - WALL-E
2007 - No Country for Old Men
2007 - No Country for Old Men
2006 - The Departed
2005 - Capote
2004 - Kill Bill Vol. 2
2003 - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2002 - Adaptation.
2001 - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
1 more to go...
1 more to go...
