Written by Tyrone BruinsmaDISHONORABLE MENTIONS -Air Strike (The Bombing) [Dir. Xiao Feng] -Bird Box [Dir. Susanne Bier] -Book Club [Dir. Bill Holderman] -The Cloverfield Paradox [Dir. Julius Onah] -Death of a Nation [Dir. Dinesh D'Souza and Bruce Schooley] -The 15:17 to Paris [Dir. Clint Eastwood] -Fifty Shades Freed [Dir. James Foley] -Green Book [Dir. Peter Farrelly] -Gringo [Dir. Nash Edgerton] -God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness [Dir. Michael Mason] -Guardians of the Tomb [Dir. Kimble Rendall] -The Happytime Murders [Dir. Brian Henson] -Holmes and Watson [Dir. Etan Cohen] -Hunter Killer [Dir. Donovan Marsh] -The Hurricane Heist [Dir. Rob Cohen] -I Think We're Alone Now [Dir. Reed Morano] -Life Itself [Dir. Dan Fogelman] -Megalodon [Dir. James Thomas] -Milk and Honey: The Movie (King of Crime) [Dir. Matt Gambell] -Mute [Dir. Duncan Jones] -The Nun [Dir. Corin Hardy] -The Nutcracker and the Four Realms [Dir. Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston] -Overboard [Dir. Rob Greenberg] -Patient Zero [Dir. Stefan Ruzowitzky] -Peppermint [Dir. Pierre Morrel] -Peter Rabbit [Dir. Will Gluck] -Robin Hood [Dir. Otto Bathurst] -Slender Man [Dir. Sylvain White] -Surrounded [Dir. Jose Montesinos] -Truth or Dare [Dir. Jeff Wadlow] -12 Strong [Dir. Nicolai Fuglsig] -Vice [Dir. Adam McKay] -Welcome to Marwen [Dir. Robert Zemeckis] -Winchester [Dir. Spierig Brothers] 10. Pacific Rim: Uprising [Dir. Steven S. DeKnight]I loved the first Pacific Rim and was happy it was getting a sequel. Unfortunately, the sequel was inferior in everyway. While it gave us new characters, new encounters and new ideas: it brought none of the original's perfectionism. Guillermo Del Toro made the original a perfect rendition of mech anime and Power Rangers, the change to director Steven S. DeKnight has resulted in a lesser work. The film has a standard Hollywood blockbuster flat look, the giant robots and monsters feel less like colossal beings and more like toys, the action isn't as intense or memorable and it's disappointing. If the original Pacific Rim was an epic, Pacific Rim: Uprising can't help but be a poor follow up. 9. Solo: A Star Wars Story [Dir. Ron Howard]This is the second worst Star Wars film to date, and the most boring as I was falling asleep in the theatre. The ideal Han Solo film would've come out in 1985 with Harrison Ford, directed by Sergio Leone. This film suffered from a problem production with directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (The Lego Movie, 21 Jump Street) being kicked off for doing joke takes of Lawrence Kasdan's screenplay, with workman director Ron Howard being signed on. The film looks ugly, with the lighting being really terrible and only the CGI heavy action scenes looking good. Even then, most of the action scenes carry little weight due to stock standard filmmaking or trying to make us care about characters we know will live. I get that it's the openly acknowledged space Western of the Star Wars universe: but with Harrison Ford's character already doing that in the prior films and many space westerns coming out-did we need this? It ends up feeling like a Wikipedia article for where Han Solo got his name, best friend, ship etc and ends on an almost so stupid it's hilarious plot point. 8. The Girl in the Spider’s Web [Dir. Fede Alvarez]When David Fincher remade The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in 2011, he made the best version of that story and Lizbeth Salander (Sorry book and original film trilogy fans: it's true because Fincher is still one of the best in the business). Unfortunately, Fincher didn't return to the series and so Sony soft rebooted with a new tone, style and director in Fede Alvarez. Things looked promising, but it's clear that Sony tried to make a smaller budget version of the Bond films and failed in capturing the dark tone of the original stories. The movie has vigilante hacker Lisbeth trying to stop a terrorist group getting terrorist nukes from the mind of a neuro-divergent child...like it's a bad 90's action film. None of the action scenes work, the darkness is sanded down with only the vacuum/latex suit getting close to the twisted original tone. The cast is fine, but considering the material and those involved - I expected better. 7. Tomb Raider [Dir. Roar Uthaug]While I have issues with the Angelina Jolie Lara Croft films, at least they were fun garbage. This 2018 reboot modelled off the 2013 video game reboot however is boring as hell. It goes for the realistic and mature angle, but with none of the near exploitative content that made the 2013 game mildly controversial. And being realistic means we lose a lot of the fun and personality the series would have (like Lara Croft fighting a T-Rex, which no film has given us yet). It's you're run of the mill action film with generic action sequences, cliché villains, hero with daddy issues and I'm just so bored. I don't know what's worse, the fact this film about an empowered female character relies on her own father...or the fact one scene gave me flashbacks to Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li. 6. Deep Blue Sea 2 [Dir. Darin Scott] In 1999, Renny Harlin directed one of the best killer shark films in Deep Blue Sea. 19 years later, Warner Brothers revived the series...to cash in on Sharknado's direct to DVD money. The result is a cheap rip-off of the original story that makes less sense, isn't scary, has continuity errors aplenty and fails to capture what made the original so good. Seriously, the bad guy here is making intelligent sharks...because of the plot of Terminator. No, for real: the guy wants to make sharks smarter, so humans can be smarter than machines. Who thought that up? There's like one moment of tension and the rest of the film is a nothing snorefest with bad writing, poor acting and no sense of genuine care. Deep Blue Sea deserved to be a better franchise, not sent to chase Sharknado's dwindling money. 5. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald [Dir. David Yates]After the first Fantastic Beasts film was a boring slog, it’s not surprising this sequel was worse. This prequel series was essentially pitched as Indiana Jones in the Harry Poyter universe…and all we’ve gotten is a boring magical espionage story with Wizard Nazis and terrorism. The film looks really ugly, proceeds at a stop and start pace, with the plot being a really lackluster “mystery” reveal as its climactic result. Most of the cast is fine, even if Caludia Kim is wasted as Nagini in a rather racist sense of characterization. The film ultimately ends up being a two hour Wikipedia set up for a pre-determined bad sequel, written by a bad writer with very gross beliefs and a history of bigoted writing. Tweeting that Grindelwald and Dumbledore had a gay relationship doesn’t exonerate you from your transphobia JK Rowling. At least the pointless opening action sequence is kinda cool I guess. 4. Bohemian Rhapsody [Dir. Bryan Singer]Let me say this, yes Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury is amazing, and the music Queen created is outstanding. What I hate is this 100% fake, manufactured, studio product made by lackluster director and accused sexual predator Bryan Singer who couldn't bother to be professional during the film's production. Have you seen ANY musical biopic? Then you've seen this one, just re-arrange the details and throw in a Mike Meyers cameo, and that's this film. They toned down the X-Rated lifestyle Freddie and Queen lived, change history to fit the cliché biopic narrative and the living Queen members likely mandated the horrible editing so they wouldn't feel like Freddie got so much screen time. It's a cynical film aiming to use the music and image of a dead man to sell you the fake version of history. If you want the real history of Queen: go watch a documentary or read a book. This movie did not deserve the money or awards it was given, because it's easily the worst major studio film of 2018. 3. Gotti [Dir. Kevin Connolly]After a messy and troubled production that saw Joe Pesci sue those involved, Gotti released a complete financial and critical flop. The film feels like the dandruff of every mobster film from the past 20 years, so if you've seen Martin Scorsese's filmography and films like Donnie Brasco or A Bronx Tale-you don't need to watch this. While I can commend some of the production values and Travolta's performance; the film is a failure on a screenplay constructed from mob cliche, horrendous music, awful editing, glorifying a murdering mobster and just being a complete bore. 2. Holmes and Watson [Dir. Etan Cohen]Here's a comedy film so bad that even Netflix wouldn't buy it. Holmes and Watson is just one of the worst comedies ever made. Not a single joke lands, its talented cast is wasted, and it doesn't even work as absurdism. Will Ferrell and John C. Rielly may have chemistry, but neither bring any of their A-game to this lifeless attempt at a parody of Sherlock. The plot is largely non-existent, the slapstick moments are snoozes, most of the jokes feel childish and even the attempts to parody the Guy Ritchie Holmes films are lazy and far too out of date. It's baffling that it even got released considering how truly bad and worthless the final result is. 1. Power of the Air [Dir. Dave Christiano] Have you heard of this movie? No? Good. It's garbage. It's a Christian faith propaganda piece about how the REAL danger to Christianity is...cinema. Yes, this is a film about how cinema is the church of the devil because more people go to it than church and that a radio station message will change that. And this is why most people don't take Christian films like this seriously, it's just choir preaching to people too stupid to understand reality. The film's acting, direction, message, intent and self-righteousness make it a crime against cinema. There have been many films that explored faith, but the good ones didn't need to play on the paranoia of people who are scared by progressivism or think that seeing movies is somehow insulting Jesus. If films need to preach the message of Christianity or Jesus for your approval or support...then you don't know or respect what film and art is. Art and artists have no obligation to your easily offended paranoid principles. It's the same logic of bigots getting offended by the inclusion of black actors, women, LGTBQIA+ persons and crying that films need to stop "pandering", while demanding those films pander to their bigoted beliefs. This film is a waste of money, time and effort. It's very close to another propaganda that's equally as bad called God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness...but that right wing garbage series has been spouting the same hilariously awful trash since 2014. Go watch literally anything else unless you want to breakdown everything wrong with this intellectually offensive work.
Also why is Michael Gross aka Burt Gummer from the Tremors series in this? You're better than this man. This is the worst film of 2018.
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Written by Tyrone BruinsmaHONORABLE MENTIONS -Apostle [Dir. Gareth Evans] -Bad Times at the El Royale [Dir. Drew Goddard] -Birds of Passage [Dir. Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra] -BlacKkKlansman [Dir. Spike Lee] -Boy Erased [Dir. Joel Edgerton] -Butterfly Kisses [Dir. Erik Kristopher Myers] -Climax [Dir. Gaspar Noé] -Crazy Rich Asians [Dir. Jon M. Chu] -Den of Thieves [Dir. Christian Gudegast] -Destroyer [Dir. Karyn Kusama] -Dogman [Dir. Matteo Garrone] -Eighth Grade [Dir. Bo Burnham] -The Favorite [Dir. Yorgos Lanthimos] -First Man [Dir. Damien Chazelle] -Free Solo [Dir. Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin] -Halloween [Dir. David Gordon Green] -The Head Hunter [Dir. Jordan Downey] -High Life [Dir. Claire Denis] -The House that Jack Built [Dir. Lars Von Trier] -Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom [Dir. J. A. Bayona] -Love, Simon [Dir. Greg Berlanti] -The Man Who Killed Don Quixote [Dir. Terry Gilliam] -Mary Queen of Scots [Dir. Josie Rourke] -Mirai [Dir. Mamoru Hosoda] -Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle [Dir. Andy Serkis] -The Night Eats the World [Dir. Dominique Rocher] -Operation Red Sea [Dir. Dante Lim] -Padmaavat [Dir. Sanjay Leela Bhansali]| -Rampage [Dir. Brad Peyton] -Ready Player One [Dir. Steven Spielberg] -Roma [Dir. Alfonso Cuarón] -Searching [Dir. Aneesh Chaganty] -Sicario: Day of the Soldado [Dir. Stefano Sollima] -Snake Outta Compton [Dir. Hank Braxtan] -A Star is Born [Dir. Bradley Cooper] -Terrifier [Dir. Damien Leone] -They Shall Not Grow Old [Dir. Peter Jackson] -The Third Wife [Dir. Ash Mayfair] -Thunder Road [Dir. Jim Cummings] -Upgrade [Dir. Leigh Whinnel] -Venom [Dir. Ruben Fleischer] -What Keeps You Alive [Dir. Colin Minihan] -Widows [Dir. Steven McQueen] -A Wrinkle in Time [Dir. Ava Duvernay] 20. Ghost Stories [Dir. Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman]An examination on faith, belief, superstition and horror-Ghost Stories might not be the most original film in the genre, but it might be one of the best and most important. Anthological in nature, the film explores and man trying to see how fear and horror affects those around him-before turning on himself. It's got great scares, beautifully handled direction and great performances-with the ending going to make or break it for you. 19. The Meg [Dir. Jon Turteltaub]For decades, the legendary Megalodon has been relegated to cheap garbage films that never have the budget to give you the giant shark carnage you want. But in 2018, we got a $150 Million dollar Megalodon movie in the form of an adaptation of Steve Alten’s 1997 novel and it’s awesome. The first half is a very well crafted tense film, while the latter gives into more pure action thrills that doesn't disappoint. The pseudo-science used to explain the creature’s existence works, the effects and production values make all the action sequences awesome and the story moves at a good clip. The cast is really great with Jason Statham and Page Kennedy being my favorites, giving me a lot of hope for the sequel. 18. A Quiet Place [Dir. John Krasinski] Who knew Jim from The Office could make an outstanding horror film? A Quiet Place is the definition of a great creature feature that we don’t see enough anymore. It commits to its premise, serious tone and characters-providing some terrifying and emotional moments. The decision to be played out primarily in American Sign Language with one real deaf actress is very commendable, providing the cast a lot of time for big and nuanced emotional beats. But the monsters and horror sequences still stick with me to this day and it remains endlessly terrifying. Oh and for all the armchair screenwriters who think plot holes are criticism, please re-educate yourselves on how films work. 17. Bumblebee [Dir. Travis Knight]After a decade of Michael Bay's Transformers films being reviled by critics and watched by audiences, Travis Knight (director of Kubo and the Two Strings) and his team brought to life a charming, wonderful and action packed reboot/prequel to the series. Featuring Hailey Steinfeld in another amazing performance, the film follows a plot close to E.T and The Iron Giant in a big affectionate nostalgia ride for Gen 1 Transformers fans. It also helps that the writing, effects, action, direction, performances and overall cohesion works so well. While it's not as interesting as Bay's prior work with the series, it's clearly the most enjoyable. 16. Aquaman [Dir. James Wan]This is easily the visual blockbuster spectacle of 2018. James Wan takes his visual gifts from Saw, Insidious, The Conjuring and Furious 7, and applies it to the character of Aquaman. Through the use of million in CGI and Wan's use of camera work, the film looks absolutely amazing with all the action scenes being outstanding. Most of the cast does well in committing to this gonzo madness, the score is great-but it really is the visuals and action that makes this film true blockbuster cinema. 15. Under the Silver Lake [Dir. David Robert Mitchell]This strange film took a while for me to fully understand and appreciate. Combining 1940s Los Angeles Noir mysteries with modern cultural references and clues, Under the Silver Lake is not for everyone-but means a lot to those who sought to understand it. Andrew Garfield as a modern-day slacker who becomes invented in finding a missing woman, the story focuses on cryptic hints to a possible conspiracy that is stranger and more dangerous than he realizes. While not all its mysteries are answered outright, the themes of primal manhood, masculinity and the hero's journey filtered through modern culture arise to make this a truly stunning experience that should be experienced multiple times. 14. Annihilation [Dir. Alex Garland]Alex Garland’s evolution from novelist to screenwriter to director has been one of the best in recent memory, with Annihilation being near perfection. The equivalent to Andrei Tarkovsky making a 90’s monster movie like The Relic or Deep Blue Sea: Annihilation tackles the concept of the hero’s journey to its very core. It might not be subtle, but being blunt is not exactly a bad thing in a body horror creature feature with mutant bears ripping people apart. It can be methodically paced akin to Apocalypse Now written by H.P Lovecraft as a journey into madness of the self, but you come out feeling like you experienced a genuinely impactful adventure and that’s what cinema should be. 13. Overlord [Dir. Julius Avery]This is the most fun I’ve had in a horror film in a long time. Overlord feels like the genuinely scary and well produced version of a Cannon Films 80’s action film in all the right ways. Basically mix Wolfenstien, Re-Animator, Band of Brothers and Call of Duty Zombies into one film and you’ll end up with this genre masterpiece. It’s not an epic film in scope, but the numerous action and horror sequences are expertly crafted with the actors giving it their all. Wyatt Russell (Son of Kurt Russell) particularly stands out as the predecessor to his father’s legacy from The Thing and Soldier as a born genre movie star. Seriously, this is mandatory watching for genre fans. 12. Mandy [Dir. Panos Cosmatos]Son of George P Cosmatos (Director of Rambo 2, Cobra, Of Unknown Origin, Leviathan and Tombstone), Panos Cosmatos makes a visual and thematic follow up to his debut film Beyond the Black Rainbow and then some. Mandy follows Nicolas Cage getting revenge on a cult for kidnapping the woman who has been healing him by killing them with crossbows, chainsaws, a hand-made axe and his bare hands. It’s visually insane, feeling like a Heavy Metal comic on neon laced LSD. Thematically, it tackles boomer new-age philosophy much like Beyond the Black Rainbow did and it tells that story very well. It’s certainly not conventional and hard to define as a genre, but it’s something you must not skip. 11. Assassination Nation [Dir. Sam Levinson]Another son of a legendary director, Sam Levinsion is the son of Barry Levinsion (Good Morning Vietnam, Rainman, Sphere, The Bay) and had made his father very proud with an explosive debut feature. The story of a small American town that gets overrun by violent bigoted extremists after leaked messages from many people come out, with a group of four girls leading a fight against them is a righteous ride. The performances are dynamic, the visuals are powerful and the storytelling is very much an existing feeling (even years after the film’s release). It’s violent, not easy to watch at times, but cathartic to watch as a middle finger to the toxic culture that has arisen to prominence. Assassination Nation will likely one day take the place alongside politically dangerous and artistically important masterworks like Fritz the Cat, Pink Floyd: The Wall, Do the Right Thing and Natural Born Killers. 10. Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse [Dir. Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman]This is easily the best Spider-Man film ever made: a vibrant, energetic, action packed, funny and emotionally powerful film that far outpaces any of the live-action incarnations of the web-crawler. The voice cast does great work, the visual style is a breath of fresh air, the editing and music are wild and it does some truly surprising things. It has a message that might be a corporate approved idea for merchandising, but carries a powerful aspiration: “Anyone can be Spider-Man”. 9. Suspiria [Dir. Luca Guadagnino]As a fan of the original Dario Argento Suspiria from 1977, I love this unique remake just as much. The original film was one of the most visually impactful horror films of all time that delivered on gore and a wondrous dream-like quality, even if its plot and themes were vague at best. Meanwhile, this remake goes for a visually toned down, but wonderfully shot film that delves into social and political themes of the time: all while still delivering on some nasty gore and kills. It might seem pretentious, but it’s a wonderful horror film that acts as a companion piece to the film it remakes that is endlessly rewatchable. Seriously, everything about this epic horror film is great-cast, music, cinematography, mood, script and more. It’s actually very close to the classic giallo films in how it seems to function as a high art European horror film, but really wants to shock and disturb you-so seek this one out. 8. Burning [Dir. Lee Chang-dong]South Korean cinema continues to have great films year after year and Burning deserves a spot alongside Oldboy, Parasite and The Wailing. This drama that slowly unfolds itself as a low-key psychological experience is a minor masterwork in terms of thematic stimuli, character writing and cinematography. The eventual story that unfolds might be one of the best in 21st century fiction as it's a drama you're supposed to look back on and meditate. Inconsequential details and conversations pay off, the cinematography should be taught to all filmmakers and it's an acting powerhouse. 7. First Reformed [Dir. Paul Schrader]Writer/Director Paul Schrader follows ups his prior post-modern works Hardcore, American Gigolo, Light Sleeper and Affliction with First Reformed (The first film to earn him an Oscar nomination for best original screenplay, despite having written Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver). Following Ethan Hawke as a disillusioned man of the cloth who slowly begins to pursue a path of radicalization, we become witness to a man and world God might have abandoned. Easily one of the best performances by the always great Ethan Hawke, giving the audience a sense (but never full picture) of the life he's gone through to bring him here. The supporting cast do well; but its Paul Schrader's willingness to commit to darkness, a scene of astral projection and THAT ending that makes this a must watch. It might be slow and intense, but it's one of the best films about faith you'll ever see. 6. Revenge [Dir. Coralie Fargeat]A feminist deconstruction of both the rape-revenge sub-genre and "masculine" filmmaking style (Think Michael Bay or Tony Scott), Revenge is a near revolutionary piece of filmmaking. A film that removes the fetishization of abuse and the sexist demeaning of "slutty" female characters in order to deliver an action horror film where we see our heroine brutally rip apart the villains. By no means an easy watch, but certainly masterful and required viewing. 5. Hereditary [Dir. Ari Aster]Easily the most terrifying film to come out of 2018, Hereditary by Ari Aster is the kind of horror film that gives one continued faith in the genre. While it starts out as a Shyamalan style supernatural horror about grief, its act 1 transitioning moment guarantees the audience is in for a head biting ride. Toni Collette leads the amazing cast through an emotional journey that slowly reveals what it is. Hereditary looks classy and pretentious, but has more in common with Italian Giallo thrillers or Japanese horror films at the turn of the millennium: it's ready to make you scream. 4. Mission Impossible: Fallout [Dir. Christopher McQuarrie]Easily the best film from a technical and production standpoint, Mission Impossible Fallout succeeds as the impressive series' new benchmark. Touting nothing but perfect action scenes, a riveting story and the best score in the series. Tom Cruise and the returning cast continue to prove themselves in the series while Henry Cavill gives easily my favorite performance from him. This truly is the best Mission Impossible film to date. 3. Black Panther [Dir. Ryan Coogler]The world became a lesser place when we lost the immensely talented Chadwick Boseman. Black Panther will be his legacy as a nuanced, aspirational story about black lives, African culture and how one affects the world around them. Black Panther was a cultural touchstone for many black communities around the world and remains vital to this day. It's a colorful, fun, well written and exciting superhero story with Michael B Jordan giving us one of the best Marvel villains to date. Yes, the CGI sometimes doesn't hold up. But I've overlooked worse flaws in lesser films and it doesn't detract from the power and message of the film. And yes, the film is not universally beloved by black audiences and many have valid capitalist/cultural appropriative criticisms over Disney making and selling this film. Those are discussions worth having and those voices should be heard. However, white critics who want to dismiss the film as "just another Marvel movie", don't understand why black audiences loved it so much and ask why they don't enjoy films like "12 Years a Slave" more…well those critics need to rethink their bad arguments. Because Black Panther is still awesome. #BlackLivesMatter 2. Possum [Dir. Matthew Holness] My favorite horror film of 2018, Possum is a modern dark fairy tale that we don't see enough anymore. Directed by Matthew Holness who created Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, the film knows how to handle theme, tone, atmosphere, horror and historical context to brilliant effect. It's dark without becoming exploitative, subtle without being vague and emotionally powerful. You should seek this movie out as soon as possible. 1. Avengers: Infinity War [Dir. Russo Brothers]The reason I love Avengers: Infinity War more than any other film of 2018 is more than simply it being a big fun Marvel blockbuster. The storytellers and writers, through the use of Josh Brolin's Thanos: breaks down the hero's journey arc and why it matters the way it does.
Thanos is the epitome of the hero's journey storytelling element "Want VS Need". Heroes have a base want, but must come to accept that their desire is toxic for them and the world around them. Thanos gets what he wants…and it is not for the better. That's why Infinity War remains one of my favorites of the MCU: on top of it being a mostly well made, superbly well acted and extremely entertaining film. There are flaws like Ironman's CGI nano tech suit not looking particularly good, but I'm willing to overlook flaws like that on the basis of how good the overall film is. And that's why it's my favorite film of 2018. |
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