Best Films Of 2018
by TheAnimalMother | created - 29 Jun 2018 | updated - 2 days ago | PublicFrom what I've seen from this year so far...
- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. The Mule (2018)
R | 116 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A ninety-year-old horticulturist and Korean War veteran turns drug mule for a Mexican cartel.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Patrick L. Reyes, Cesar De León, Gustavo Muñoz
Votes: 152,482 | Gross: $103.80M
Easily the best film I've seen from this year so far. What are many of the critics smoking? I was surprised how good of a film this was. The more mature audience will likely appreciate this film the most. 8.5/10
2. Under the Silver Lake (2018)
R | 139 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Sam, a disenchanted young man, finds a mysterious woman swimming in his apartment's pool one night. The next morning, she disappears. Sam sets off across LA to find her, and along the way he uncovers a conspiracy far more bizarre.
Director: David Robert Mitchell | Stars: Andrew Garfield, Riley Keough, Topher Grace, Callie Hernandez
Votes: 51,278 | Gross: $0.05M
Unique, interesting, creative and funny. Perhaps not for everyone, but I certainly enjoyed it. 8/10
3. Leave No Trace (2018)
PG | 109 min | Adventure, Drama
A father and his seventeen-year-old daughter are living an ideal existence in a vast urban park in Portland, Oregon when a small mistake derails their lives forever.
Director: Debra Granik | Stars: Thomasin McKenzie, Ben Foster, Jeffery Rifflard, Derek John Drescher
Votes: 65,266 | Gross: $6.05M
A somewhat strange and sad story turned into an excellent screen version. Well acted and directed. 8/10
4. The Old Man & the Gun (2018)
PG-13 | 93 min | Biography, Comedy, Crime
Based on the true story of Forrest Tucker and his audacious escape from San Quentin at the age of 70 to an unprecedented string of heists that confounded authorities and enchanted the public.
Director: David Lowery | Stars: Robert Redford, Casey Affleck, Sissy Spacek, Danny Glover
Votes: 49,593 | Gross: $11.28M
Definitely well worth watching. 7.5/10
5. Den of Thieves (2018)
R | 140 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An elite unit of the LA County Sheriff's Dept. and the state's most successful bank robbery crew clash as the outlaws plan a seemingly impossible heist on the Federal Reserve Bank.
Director: Christian Gudegast | Stars: Gerard Butler, Pablo Schreiber, O'Shea Jackson Jr., 50 Cent
Votes: 123,650 | Gross: $44.95M
Enjoyable crime thriller. 7.5/10
6. The Kindergarten Teacher (2018)
R | 96 min | Drama, Thriller
A kindergarten teacher in New York becomes obsessed with one of her students who she believes is a child prodigy.
Director: Sara Colangelo | Stars: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gael García Bernal, Ato Blankson-Wood, Libya Pugh
Votes: 17,797
Haunting, timely and awkward, but it's meant to be all of these things. Definitely a solid and effective film. 7/10
7. American Animals (2018)
R | 116 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Four young men mistake their lives for a movie and attempt one of the most audacious heists in U.S. history.
Director: Bart Layton | Stars: Spencer Reinhard, Warren Lipka, Eric Borsuk, Chas Allen
Votes: 49,333 | Gross: $2.86M
If you're interested in true crime films, I strongly recommend this flick. It's funny and somewhat mind boggling. Definitely worth a look. 7/10
8. The Fall of the American Empire (2018)
R | 127 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A shy and insecure delivery truck driver accidentally arrives on the scene of a major crime and picks up two bags of cash and hides them. Only the help of a prostitute and a former biker released from jail might get him out of trouble.
Director: Denys Arcand | Stars: Alexandre Landry, Maripier Morin, Rémy Girard, Louis Morissette
Votes: 4,269 | Gross: $2.18M
The Fall of the American Empire. Who are the real modern criminals? 7/10
9. The Turn Out (2018)
80 min | Drama
A trucker inadvertently gets drawn into the life of a teenager who is being sex trafficked at his local truckstop.
Director: Pearl Gluck | Stars: Jen Atkins, Camila Benencia, Philis Bibbie, Phillis Bibbie
Votes: 120
A Serious Indie Director
Actually a very well made low budget indie film. Not all of the acting is that good, but it's not all that bad overall even in this regard. The film has many strengths. The film is very well shot, and nicely edited. The Director knows what they're doing. They deserve a shot with a bigger budget.
The Turn Out reminded me a little of some of Paul Schrader's films because it feels very real, and it's also a leisurely paced slow burn kind of a mysterious drama. But like Schrader's slow burn films also, it remains interesting enough to enjoy that pace for those that are into these kinds of films. It is a realist film, so some people may find it too bleak, or dark. So far only 106 people have rated this on here and it has a 5.7/10. Such a shame really. To me, the film isn't overly bleak or anything. It's a sad subject, our world's imperfect. We already know this going into it hopefully. There is some strong realist human drama here however. I also found a few moments of the film to be laugh out loud funny. This film captures some very real life. This is not easily accomplished by most filmmakers. A very solid indie film, somebody in Hollywood, give this guy some money and get him rolling into more projects pronto, please!
7/10
10-24-2022
10. Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
PG-13 | 134 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The story of the legendary British rock band Queen and lead singer Freddie Mercury, leading up to their famous performance at Live Aid (1985).
Director: Bryan Singer | Stars: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy
Votes: 592,650 | Gross: $216.43M
I tried to avoid watching this for as long as I could, as I knew it would be a somewhat flawed and limited window into the world of Queen. Nor did I want the film to really impact my own already well established view/love of this band. It's a worthy film however, but I wouldn't watch it many times. To really capture what Queen was and did, I think you had to be there in that time period. They were too impactful to jam their story into a little over two hours.
In all truth, there is no hard rocking band in all of history who has sold more albums than these guys. Call them Queen, but they were also definitely KINGS. Rock royalty for certain! In terms of worldwide certified(Proven) sales they rank well ahead of The Rolling Stones, and even ahead of Pink Floyd and Zeppelin despite some claims by hypster mangers and PR people to the contrary. Queen has even more certified(Proven) album sales than The Eagles do!! Their music is mind blowing stuff, and their live performances are the stuff of grand legend. Simply put, there is no bigger hard rock band in history. The film is just a small window in. For myself, I really have very little interest in their personal lives. The music and the live performance is where these guys really stood out. These guys were artists and for me Queen will always be their art. In my mind this film, while fairly good, is only a very small piece to add to their art. 7/10
11. Looking Glass (I) (2018)
R | 103 min | Mystery, Thriller
A couple buy a desert motel where they find that strange, mysterious events occur.
Director: Tim Hunter | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Robin Tunney, Marc Blucas, Ernie Lively
Votes: 7,852
This film is actually just too much of a mindf--k for most viewers to enjoy. As a person who has seen thousands of films, I'm not one of them. It's actually a decent film if you're asking me, better than that even, these days it's better than most Hollywood films in general. At the same time however, only those who enjoy darker films will likely enjoy this.7/10
12. I Think We're Alone Now (2018)
R | 99 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
The apocalypse proves a blessing in disguise for one lucky recluse--until a second survivor arrives with the threat of companionship.
Director: Reed Morano | Stars: Peter Dinklage, Elle Fanning, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Paul Giamatti
Votes: 12,602
A Much Misunderstood Meditation
This is rated a 5.7 on IMDb right now??? Somehow this film has so far evaded its due audience. I Think We're Alone Now isn't a great film, but it's certainly somewhat unique, and in my view much better than your average modern film. The main thing that separates this work from most is that the characters, as bizarre as they are, seem far more human than most film characters. They're not just your standard stereotypical modern characters, they resemble more realistic people. The film works as a fairly deep and somewhat piercing meditation, and it's a character driven piece for the most part.
If you've seen a lot of films, I recommend a viewing of this. For more seasoned viewers, this film will at least bring something a little fresh. It's not a typical or generic type of story. In fact most of the questions about the story you have in the film will be left unanswered by the end. Really though, what does that matter? You and I don't even really understand how we are here right now, me writing this, you reading it. The North American and UK audience has mostly lost the ability to enjoy or even relate to a good meditative film, or even most character driven films these days. That however is not a problem for most true lovers of film. Despite its reputation as an underwhelming film by the viewing majority, it's worth a look for most film lovers. This is a somewhat unique meditation, and a very worthy one for many. It's not mind blowing or anything, but it is what I would call a truly good piece of artistic filmmaking.
7/10
13. Bad Samaritan (2018)
R | 110 min | Crime, Horror, Thriller
A pair of burglars stumble upon a woman being held captive in a home they intended to rob.
Director: Dean Devlin | Stars: David Tennant, Robert Sheehan, Kerry Condon, Carlito Olivero
Votes: 26,093 | Gross: $3.44M
It has a few flaws here and there, but mostly this is a pretty smart and interesting thriller.
14. The Guilty (2018)
R | 85 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A police officer assigned alarm dispatch duty enters a race against time when he answers an emergency call from a kidnapped woman.
Director: Gustav Möller | Stars: Jakob Cedergren, Jessica Dinnage, Omar Shargawi, Johan Gotthardt Olsen
Votes: 64,416 | Gross: $0.21M
Not as good as many critics and fans are saying in my view, but it is a good film nonetheless. It's much like the Tom Hardy film Locke from some years ago. Like that film this is basically a one actor film where he spends the entire time talking to others on the phone. This was a good film, but far from mind blowing from my perspective. Locke is undoubtedly the better flick of the two for me. Still I do recommend watching this, that is if you don't mind a somewhat morbid story. 7/10
15. The Clovehitch Killer (2018)
Unrated | 109 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A picture-perfect family is shattered when the work of a serial killer hits too close to home.
Director: Duncan Skiles | Stars: Dylan McDermott, Charlie Plummer, Samantha Mathis, Madisen Beaty
Votes: 33,963 | Gross: $0.01M
In my view this film is a fairly interesting, fresh and authentic feeling addition to the horror/serial killer genre. It's certainly not perfect, but to me it's a lot better than many critics and viewers seem to be saying. If you're interested in the subject matter, I definitely recommend checking this out. 7/10
16. The 15:17 to Paris (2018)
PG-13 | 94 min | Biography, Drama, Thriller
Three courageous young Americans prevent a terrorist attack on a train bound for Paris.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Alek Skarlatos, Anthony Sadler, Spencer Stone, Ray Corasani
Votes: 35,536 | Gross: $36.25M
I feel this isn't nearly as bad as many have said. I agree more with The New York Times on this one, I enjoyed the simplicity of it. 7/10
17. The Professor (I) (2018)
R | 90 min | Comedy, Drama
A college professor lives his life with reckless abandon after being diagnosed with a terminal illness.
Director: Wayne Roberts | Stars: Johnny Depp, Rosemarie DeWitt, Odessa Young, Danny Huston
Votes: 37,250
Live well, so we can f**king die well.
18. In Darkness (2018)
Not Rated | 110 min | Mystery, Thriller
A blind musician hears a murder committed in the apartment upstairs from hers that sends her down a dark path into London's gritty criminal underworld.
Director: Anthony Byrne | Stars: Natalie Dormer, Ed Skrein, Emily Ratajkowski, Neil Maskell
Votes: 14,283
Hard to believe this film is rated a 5.7 on here right now. Though I would agree that it definitely is flawed, it also has many great aspects to it. It's a worthy effort and a worthy watch if you like smart thrillers. Mostly it is a smart thriller, but it eventually goes just a little too far to be a great film, but to me it was definitely good. I strongly dislike the major twist at the end, it was so unneeded and just flat out didn't fit the film. Otherwise though, it's quite interesting with some very unique aspects for an American film. 7/10
19. Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
PG-13 | 135 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
During an adventure in the criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his future co-pilot Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian years before joining the Rebel Alliance.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover
Votes: 379,071 | Gross: $213.77M
As a kid who grew up with the original films, I actually found this effort to be easily the funnest of all the Disney Star Wars films. I'm not sure what the kids and critics are talking about. This kicked the crap out of that Force Awakens garbage. Anyway, this was still nowhere near as good as the first two original films, A New Hope and Empire, but at least it was a fun flick that didn't ruin anything from the past instalmments. 7/10
20. Galveston (2018)
Not Rated | 93 min | Action, Crime, Drama
After escaping a set up, a dying hitman returns to his hometown of Galveston where he plans his revenge.
Director: Mélanie Laurent | Stars: Ben Foster, Jeffrey Grover, Christopher Amitrano, Mark Hicks
Votes: 16,217
I was hooked into this film, it grabbed me and held my interest easily and fully. It feels so authentic, I was loving it. The end however I found to be very disappointing. I didn't feel it was the type of film to end in the vague way it does. It just didn't fit this film. Too bad the ending wasn't better, because this could have truly been great. 6.5/10
21. The Nightingale (I) (2018)
R | 136 min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Set in 1825, Clare, a young Irish convict woman, chases a British officer through the rugged Tasmanian wilderness, bent on revenge for a terrible act of violence he committed against her family. On the way she enlists the services of an Aboriginal tracker named Billy, who is also marked by trauma from his own violence-filled past.
Director: Jennifer Kent | Stars: Aisling Franciosi, Maya Christie, Baykali Ganambarr, Addison Christie
Votes: 35,621 | Gross: $0.39M
The Film Loses Itself
In many ways this is a great film, yet in many ways it's also a very frustrating story overall. I couldn't help but feel that this film was such a lost opportunity. Simply because there are so many great aspects to it, yet a few parts feel entirely unconvincing, and the last 40 minutes for the most part are a total disaster in comparison to the rest of the story that precedes it.
The one guide character played by Baykali Ganambarr is an exceptionally great film character pretty much from start to finish. The acting in the film overall is mostly very strong. The overall look and feel of the film is also fitting, and at least through most of the film, the pacing is what I would call perfection. One of the sad things about this film however is that it could've also been called, 'Two Idiots Challenge A Power-Drunk Officer'. If a little more thought went into a few aspects of the writing of this story, it could've been a true masterpiece. Sadly however, it comes up way short of that because of what seems like some very thoughtless writing around the original conflict, and much of the last 40 minutes. Most of the film is very enjoyable, though just using a dumb character move to set things in motion originally, does feel a little weak in terms of the writing. The film loses itself in the last 40 minutes pretty much entirely, and as said the original conflict feels a little lost as well. Other than that though, the film is exceptional. In other words, well over half of this film is quite impressive. Too bad however that it mostly left me feeling as though the writer/director definitely missed the mark overall. I enjoyed some of this so much though, that I almost wish this same filmmaker would attempt to perfect this film at a future date.
I also read that this writer/director worked on the production of Dogville with Lars von Trier, and considered that to be her film school. Well that may also help to explain some of the bad decisions in this films story quite frankly. For instance by the end, the biggest 'bad guy' character is propped up to be such a monster, that it seems a little overdone and overemphasized, just like some aspects of von Trier films often do.
6.5/10
22. Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)
PG-13 | 147 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
Ethan Hunt and his IMF team, along with some familiar allies, race against time after a mission gone wrong.
Director: Christopher McQuarrie | Stars: Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg
Votes: 378,058 | Gross: $220.16M
23. The Equalizer 2 (2018)
R | 121 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Robert McCall serves an unflinching justice for the exploited and oppressed, but how far will he go when that is someone he loves?
Director: Antoine Fuqua | Stars: Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Ashton Sanders, Orson Bean
Votes: 197,610 | Gross: $102.08M
24. Hotel Artemis (2018)
R | 94 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Set in riot-torn, near-future Los Angeles, 'Hotel Artemis' follows the Nurse, who runs a secret, members-only emergency room for criminals.
Director: Drew Pearce | Stars: Jodie Foster, Sofia Boutella, Dave Bautista, Sterling K. Brown
Votes: 58,412 | Gross: $6.71M
I found it to be a somewhat interesting film. Worth watching in my view. Don't think I'd ever watch it again however. 6.5/10
25. Outlaw King (2018)
R | 121 min | Action, Biography, Drama
A true David vs. Goliath story of how the 14th century Scottish 'Outlaw King' Robert the Bruce used cunning and bravery to defeat the much larger and better equipped occupying English army.
Director: David Mackenzie | Stars: Chris Pine, Stephen Dillane, Rebecca Robin, Billy Howle
Votes: 80,931
Worth a look. 6.5/10
26. Anon (I) (2018)
TV-MA | 100 min | Crime, Mystery, Sci-Fi
In a world without anonymity or crime, a detective meets a woman who threatens their security.
Director: Andrew Niccol | Stars: Clive Owen, Afiya Bennett, Morgan Allen, Jeffrey Men
Votes: 48,744
Somewhat interesting and thought provoking, but overall the story is a little weak in a few places. A reasonably decent film nonetheless. 6.5/10
27. A.I. Rising (2018)
R | 85 min | Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
An intimate relationship between a human and an android tests the boundaries of human nature.
Director: Lazar Bodroza | Stars: Sebastian Cavazza, Stoya, Marusa Majer, Kirsty Besterman
Votes: 11,299
A fairly good low budget sci-fi. 6.5/10
28. Destroyer (2018)
R | 121 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A police detective reconnects with people from an undercover assignment in her distant past in order to make peace.
Director: Karyn Kusama | Stars: Nicole Kidman, Toby Kebbell, Tatiana Maslany, Sebastian Stan
Votes: 31,787 | Gross: $1.53M
A pretty gritty story with a good main theme but it's just not told in a way that worked that well on screen. 6.5/10
29. The Sisters Brothers (2018)
R | 122 min | Drama, Western
Eli and Charlie Sisters, an infamous duo of gunslinging assassins, chase a gold prospector and his unexpected ally in 1850s Oregon.
Director: Jacques Audiard | Stars: John C. Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal, Riz Ahmed
Votes: 70,454 | Gross: $3.14M
Fairly good, but not really outstanding in any way either. It was good, but it was also a little flat. 6.5/10
30. White Orchid (2018)
TV-MA | 82 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A shy investigator assumes the identity of a small town murder victim in order to solve her gruesome death.
Director: Steve Anderson | Stars: Olivia Thirlby, John Carroll Lynch, Janina Gavankar, Brendan Sexton III
Votes: 1,444
This film has a ton of problems. However there are also some very good things here. For the right audience, it's very watchable. I really want to give this a 6.5/10 at least, but I just feel there are way too many small logistical problems with the film. So many small mistakes, compound into a far less than effective film overall. Still, for the right crowd, as said it's worth a watch. 6/10
31. A Quiet Place (2018)
PG-13 | 90 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
A family struggles for survival in a world where most humans have been killed by blind but noise-sensitive creatures. They are forced to communicate in sign language to keep the creatures at bay.
Director: John Krasinski | Stars: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe
Votes: 583,378 | Gross: $188.02M
In my view, not nearly as good as most of the reviewers seem to be saying. There certainly are holes in this story, and it's basically just another Alien sequel, but with earth as the setting. The film was well made and does create some decent tension just as the Alien films did, but there's nothing here to really be all that thrilled about. It's a been there, done that kind of film the entire way through, unless you're a person who has barely seen any films I suppose. 6/10
32. Summer of 84 (2018)
Not Rated | 105 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
After suspecting that their police officer neighbor is a serial killer, a group of teenage friends spend their summer spying on him and gathering evidence, but as they get closer to discovering the truth, things get dangerous.
Directors: François Simard, Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell | Stars: Graham Verchere, Judah Lewis, Caleb Emery, Cory Gruter-Andrew
Votes: 45,920 | Gross: $0.09M
Overall it's way too generic and forced to be really good. However there are a few decent moments and it's far from terrible. A reasonable low budget effort, but nothing special. Pretty standard Rear Window plot, they could have called it Disturbia 2, maybe there is a Disturbia 2? I hope not. 6/10
33. Annihilation (I) (2018)
R | 115 min | Adventure, Drama, Horror
A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition into a mysterious zone where the laws of nature don't apply.
Director: Alex Garland | Stars: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, Benedict Wong
Votes: 361,336 | Gross: $32.73M
A somewhat interesting film. 6/10
34. Stockholm (2018)
R | 92 min | Biography, Comedy, Crime
Based on the absurd but true 1973 bank heist and hostage crisis in Stockholm that was documented in the New Yorker as the origins of the 'Stockholm Syndrome'.
Director: Robert Budreau | Stars: Ethan Hawke, Noomi Rapace, Mark Strong, Christopher Heyerdahl
Votes: 14,708 | Gross: $0.30M
Some very funny parts but it feels like this somewhat crazy film is missing something. Like a fuller story perhaps. Hawke's performance and character are worth the watch I'd say no matter the films shortcomings. 6/10
35. Venom (2018)
PG-13 | 112 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A failed reporter is bonded to an alien entity, one of many symbiotes who have invaded Earth. But the being takes a liking to Earth and decides to protect it.
Director: Ruben Fleischer | Stars: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Scott Haze
Votes: 538,125 | Gross: $213.52M
Definitely worth a watch if...you're a kid! 6/10
36. Acts of Violence (2018)
R | 86 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
At a bachelorette party in a nightclub, the bride tells 2 guys offering blow to go away. They abduct her. The groom's 2 big brothers looked after their kid brother as kids and do so now again as veterans, "looking" for her and the 2 guys.
Director: Brett Donowho | Stars: Bruce Willis, Cole Hauser, Shawn Ashmore, Ashton Holmes
Votes: 13,356
One of those sort of guilty pleasure action revenge flicks that are actually somewhat fun to watch when in the right frame of mind. Certainly nothing special, but not all that bad either.
37. A Simple Favor (2018)
R | 117 min | Comedy, Crime, Mystery
Stephanie is a single mother with a parenting vlog who befriends Emily, a secretive upper-class woman who has a child at the same elementary school. When Emily goes missing, Stephanie takes it upon herself to investigate.
Director: Paul Feig | Stars: Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Henry Golding, Andrew Rannells
Votes: 162,575 | Gross: $53.55M
The film starts off fairly interesting, but then mostly goes in silly directions. 6/10
38. Charlie Says (2018)
R | 110 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The tragic tale of an all-American girl who was transformed into a cold-blooded killer in the summer of 1969.
Director: Mary Harron | Stars: Hannah Murray, Matt Smith, Sosie Bacon, Marianne Rendón
Votes: 5,408 | Gross: $0.04M
There's really nothing new here, though there have been a couple critics who've claimed otherwise. You'd think they'd look into the other works based on Manson before saying such a thing, but whatever. You can't trust film critics today. The film is well done in some ways. The acting is pretty strong. But the story itself is unconvincing I would say overall. It lacks the depth to truly understand anything new from this work, or to even really understand the true Manson family dynamic as it actually was. It's the standard Manson telling basically, with more focus on the 3 main women and their apparent victimhood. Though it's not terrible, I really don't see a point to this film. It's all been said and done before. Seems like just another cash-in on the horrific tragedies really, which is sad. Especially because there are many people still alive out there today, who have been affected by the crimes of the Manson family. If you have nothing new to say about something like this, in my view, you're best off just being quiet. 5.5/10
39. Border (2018)
R | 110 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy
A customs officer who can smell fear develops an unusual attraction to a strange traveler while aiding a police investigation which will call into question her entire existence.
Director: Ali Abbasi | Stars: Eva Melander, Eero Milonoff, Jörgen Thorsson, Ann Petrén
Votes: 34,240 | Gross: $0.77M
Not as original as many people seem to be claiming. In fact I found the film to be a really weird borefest for the most part. It wasn't terrible, but it's not very good either. 5.5/10
40. Tag (I) (2018)
R | 100 min | Action, Comedy
A small group of former classmates organize an elaborate, annual game of tag that requires some to travel all over the country.
Director: Jeff Tomsic | Stars: Jeremy Renner, Ed Helms, Jake Johnson, Jon Hamm
Votes: 146,714 | Gross: $54.55M
It was actually slightly better than I expected. Obviously it's stupid, but it was funny enough here and there to get through it. 5/10
41. High Life (2018)
R | 113 min | Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A father and his daughter struggle to survive in deep space where they live in isolation.
Director: Claire Denis | Stars: Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, André 3000, Mia Goth
Votes: 41,007 | Gross: $1.23M
Worth a watch I suppose, but barely. A highly acclaimed director/writer and a highly praised film by many critics. However I thought it was mostly just boring and stupid. It wants so bad to be a thought provoking Bergman or Kubrick type of film, but just ends up feeling like another over done Von Trier pile of garbage. 5/10
42. Thunder Road (2018)
92 min | Comedy, Drama
A police officer faces a personal meltdown following a divorce and the death of his mother.
Director: Jim Cummings | Stars: Jim Cummings, Kendal Farr, Nican Robinson, Jocelyn DeBoer
Votes: 19,489
4/10
43. Hereditary (2018)
R | 127 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A grieving family is haunted by tragic and disturbing occurrences.
Director: Ari Aster | Stars: Toni Collette, Milly Shapiro, Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff
Votes: 377,709 | Gross: $44.07M
Both of Ari Aster's films are essentially the same. Midsommar is more in the vein of The Wicker Man in a sense, but basically both films are just clunky and sometimes even laughably bad copies of The Rosemary's Baby formula. This one is better than Midsommar, but not by much. They're both pretty bad films really. 4/10
44. Lizzie (2018)
R | 105 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A psychological thriller based on the infamous 1892 murders of Lizzie Andrew Borden's family.
Director: Craig William Macneill | Stars: Chloë Sevigny, Kristen Stewart, Jeff Perry, Fiona Shaw
Votes: 9,372 | Gross: $0.64M
Axed Its Own Story
The first maybe 40 minutes of the film, (Give or take) seem to be going just fine, but then, the film starts to wrestle with itself. For one thing, I found the camerawork to be a little distracting at times, which is unusual for me. I'm a person who's literally seen thousands of films. I just started to feel that the extremely wide and narrow shots were strange given the context. At times, they took away perspective, and at the same time it made the film feel more modern. Sadly, that is somewhat how the film starts to feel as it goes on. We start to realize we're not watching a story from the late 1800's. Nope, we're watching a modern film with a story that by the time it's all said and done, really feels so unauthentic to its very own story. The killings, the way that they were done, if anything point to the fact that this story is not sufficient to explain what actually happened. The reimagining here is just not thought-out well enough to make much of the audience believe it. 4/10
45. Creed II (2018)
PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Drama, Sport
Under the tutelage of Rocky Balboa, newly crowned heavyweight champion Adonis Creed faces off against Viktor Drago, the son of Ivan Drago.
Director: Steven Caple Jr. | Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad
Votes: 155,467 | Gross: $115.72M
To me definitely the most generic, predictable and silly of the entire Rocky/Creed franchise. I didn't mind the first Creed, it was fairly good, but this one was pretty lousy. 4/10
46. Searching (III) (2018)
PG-13 | 102 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
After his teenage daughter goes missing, a desperate father tries to find clues on her laptop.
Director: Aneesh Chaganty | Stars: John Cho, Debra Messing, Joseph Lee, Michelle La
Votes: 179,898 | Gross: $26.02M
This is only on my list for cautionary purposes.
Why the hell did the kids like this film? Even quite a few critics seem to have fallen for it. I'm not sure why, it's a totally generic story with exceptionally mediocre execution. I'm shocked this wasn't a Lifetime movie. 4/10 At best!
47. Mandy (I) (2018)
Not Rated | 121 min | Action, Fantasy, Horror
The enchanted lives of a couple in a secluded forest are brutally shattered by a nightmarish hippie cult and their demon-biker henchmen, propelling a man into a spiraling, surreal rampage of vengeance.
Director: Panos Cosmatos | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Andrea Riseborough, Linus Roache, Ned Dennehy
Votes: 89,468 | Gross: $1.21M
Even worse than this writer/directors first film. Both films are terribly boring and really just nonsense on screen. Not even nearly in an interesting surreal type of way in my view. Luis Buñuel & David Lynch are among my favorite directors. Buñuel, really the master of surrealism is in fact my 3rd favorite all time filmmaker. This guy however sucks hard in my view. It's just flat out boring crap. There was one interesting line in the film, and few other reasonably good moments here and there other than that. Mostly, the film has the mentality of a stoned, immature and very nerdy 80's 13 year old heavy metal and Dungeons & Dragons freak, AND, not really at all in a good way. It's almost completely pointless and uninteresting drivel from start to finish. 3.5/10
48. The Tale (2018)
TV-MA | 114 min | Biography, Drama, Mystery
A woman filming a documentary on childhood rape victims starts to question the nature of her childhood relationship with her riding instructor and running coach.
Director: Jennifer Fox | Stars: Laura Dern, Jason Ritter, Common, Elizabeth Debicki
Votes: 19,696
Other than the acting, I thought it was a really terrible film. I hate films that present themselves as true but then come off feeling so unauthentic. Especially when it's such a serious film and a heavy topic. Metascore a 90? Crazy! As I've called those critics over there before, metamorons indeed! 3.5/10
49. Holiday (I) (2018)
93 min | Crime, Drama
A love triangle featuring the trophy girlfriend of a petty drug lord, caught up in a web of luxury and violence in a modern dark gangster tale set in the beautiful port city of Bodrum on the Turkish Riviera.
Director: Isabella Eklöf | Stars: Vic Carmen Sonne, Lai Yde, Thijs Römer, Yuval Segal
Votes: 4,555
Here's another film that shows how clueless many modern film critics are. This piece of empty nonsense actually won awards and was praised by many critics. I think all of those critics only proved to be somewhere in the intelligence range of the lead character here. Which is somewhere very close to having no intelligence at all. I hope dearly that the director, editor and writers never work in film again. It's very difficult to make a film this pointless, stupid and boring. 2/10
50. Assassination Nation (2018)
R | 108 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
After a malicious data hack exposes the secrets of the perpetually American town of Salem, chaos descends and four girls must fight to survive, while coping with the hack themselves.
Director: Sam Levinson | Stars: Odessa Young, Abra, Suki Waterhouse, Hari Nef
Votes: 21,743 | Gross: $1.96M
A satire on modern culture/society. Too bad it's terribly delivered and perhaps even slightly more boring than watching paint dry. 2/10
Tell Your Friends