The Films of 2018

[Forty40]

It's that time of year when people start releasing their best films of the year lists. Indiewire has also put out an article about the most under appreciated films of 2018

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.indiew ... 24878/amp/

[pabs]

Good idea. But it won't be until February or March that some of us will be ready to make a final list for films that were first released in 2018.

[Lencho of the Apes]

I started January with the firm intention of watching more current releases this year... and I've seen exactly two. I trust everyone else is doing better on this front.

[pabs]

This year I've watched many more recently made films (for me that's 2014-2018) than I've managed to see in many years.

WBA needs to bring his NEWISH films thread over here.

[Forty40]

Good idea. But it won't be until February or March that some of us will be ready to make a final list for films that were first released in 2018.

I'm going on leave for six weeks at the end of this week, so I'll be seeing quite a few at home and in the cinema.

[rischka]

black panther
blackkklansman
the ballad of buster scruggs
sorry to bother you

these were all at least interesting enough for me to watch in their entirety

[kanafani]

I can tell you my favorite 2018 movies... in 2021 or 2022. I'll probably have watched some good ones by then.

The only 2018 I can wholeheartedly endorse today is Christian Petzold's Transit.

[...]

I've only seen six 2018 movies according to Letterboxd. The rough order of appreciation:
Annihilation
Isle of Dogs
Padmavati
Black Panther
Deadpool 2
Avengers: Infinity War

The first four, at least, I found some reasonable interest in, for differing reasons, so it hasn't been a total waste of time and I knew what I was getting into with the last couple , so I can't claim undue annoyance for the choices.

[ofrene]

I think I can make ultimate list of films that were first released in 2018 at the end of 2019 or 2020(at least) but thus far...


Asako I & II (Ryūsuke Hamaguchi)
Dead Souls (Wang Bing)
Grass (Hong Sang-soo)
The Other Side of the Wind
The Real (Kim Eung-soo)


Blue (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
Hereditary (Ari Aster)
House of Hummingbird (Bora Kim)
Leave No Trace
Oh, Love (Kim Eung-soo)
Private Life
Ready Player One
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Transit
The Tale
The Waldheim Waltz



~~ disappointing/overrated ~~

An Elephant Sitting Still (Hu Bo)
Burning
Isle of Dogs
Roma
Your Face (Tsai Ming-liang)

[thoxans]

i've technically seen five (two of which i wouldn't really count tho; and not just cuz i thought they were mediocre, but also cuz they were stand-up comedy perfs). then there's the zen diaries of garry shandling, which was fine, but really only meant for shanfans. tales from the hood 2, on the other hand, was abs horrible, and not even meant for fans of the first film. i'd probs rec the other side of the wind, not as 'orson welles' final film,' but cuz of its aesthetic merits, which i really really enjoyed. besides, i've always liked to listen to huston's lilting patois. and of course i've seen a bunch of stuff this year that was made last year but really only received a proper release (for me, at least) this year so for me they'd be more like this year's releases even tho they're in reality last year's releases but either way i won't include them cuz this is a thread about this year's releases and not last year's releases that just happened to be released (for me, at least) this year. confused? me too

[Silga]

For me, Widows (Steve McQueen) is so far the best film of the 2018.

Biggest surprise of the year- Cuban film Candelaria (Jhonny Hendrix).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpvAi9nv9yg

[Joks Trois]

Quite possibly the worst year for film in living memory.

[flip]

i've seen about thirty films from this year, almost all american films, not many that were good. the best thing i've seen so far is leave no trace (debra granik).

i'll run a 'best of 2018' poll, but i'll start that in the new year, and the deadline will be academy awards day, as we've done the last few years.

[Zulawski]

Of those I've seen, there's the Straub, which I liked, the Strickland, which I too liked, and the Godard, which IMO is his best in a long while. There's also Sono's Tokyo Vampire Hotel, which was a beast when it didn't spend its time showcasing that it was made as a series.

Of those I'm looking forward to, there's the new Obayashi, the new Ruiz (they premiered in '17 I guess, but have had lots of screenings this year), as well as Burning, La Flor, Season of the Devil, and Transit.

[Forty40]

these were all at least interesting enough for me to watch in their entirety

Just imagining a movie poster with "It was at least intersting enough for me to watch in its entirety"

[wba2]

I've seen way over 100 new releases and this must be the worst year in film history. Easily.

Haven't seen anything truly outstanding out of the 100+ films (of which over 50 were German feature films), so I can't make a list.
And yes, I've seen Petzold's Transit, which was good, but easily his worst of the past 15 years. So nothing interesting there either.

[Joks Trois]

I really liked Mandy, but that film is essentially a man child's wet dream.

Perhaps I haven't seen enough films this year, but none of the 'serious' ones have stood out to me.

[Mauries]

Has anyone seen Western by Valeska Grisebach? (WBA probably, since it's German). My fav of 2018 so far.

[pabs]

Has anyone seen Western by Valeska Grisebach? (WBA probably, since it's German). My fav of 2018 so far.

I saw it a week ago, and yes, I agree, it's excellent.

kanafani saw it and liked it a lot, too.

[nrh]

i know i've said this before but the "bad year for films" thing always seems weird to me; usually i find it means "i'm looking in the wrong places" or "the curators i trust or the platforms available to me have failed me," not "there aren't good to great films out there."

it will be quite awhile before anyone who wasn't lucky enough to attend a small handful of awkwardly timed screenings to see la flor, or for anyone who doesn't speak japanese to see "my friend 'a'", to pick two somewhat random examples.

[kanafani]

Has anyone seen Western by Valeska Grisebach? (WBA probably, since it's German). My fav of 2018 so far.

I saw it a week ago, and yes, I agree, it's excellent.

kanafani saw it and liked it a lot, too.

Ya, top notch stuff.

[kanafani]

And yes, I've seen Petzold's Transit, which was good, but easily his worst of the past 15 years. So nothing interesting there either.

Well, he's made some amazing movies in the past 15 years, but really, wouldn't you take Transit over these for example?

Polizeiruf 110: Kreise (2015)
Dreileben: Beats Being Dead (2011)

[roujin]

I submitted this to Senses of Cinema. I do not know if they will publish it. It's terrible.

1. Transit (Christian Petzold)
2. Roma (Alfonso Cuaron)
3. The Night is Short, Walk On Girl / Lu Over the Wall (Masaaki Yuasa)
4. A Star is Born (Bradley Cooper)
5. Black Panther (Ryan Coogler)
6. BlacKkKlansman (Spike Lee)
7. Shoot the Moon Right Between the Eyes (Graham L. Carter)
8. Mirai (Mamoru Hosoda)
9. Overboard (Rob Greenberg)
10. Been Busy (Jhon Hernandez)

Once I see La Flor I will remove my own film from the Top 10. But until then, it stays on.

[wba2]

Has anyone seen Western by Valeska Grisebach? (WBA probably, since it's German). My fav of 2018 so far.

Unfortunately I haven't seen it yet.
But here in Germany it got a cinema release in 2017, so it's not part of the 2018 stuff for me (technically speaking).

[wba2]

And yes, I've seen Petzold's Transit, which was good, but easily his worst of the past 15 years. So nothing interesting there either.

Well, he's made some amazing movies in the past 15 years, but really, wouldn't you take Transit over these for example?

Polizeiruf 110: Kreise (2015)
Dreileben: Beats Being Dead (2011)

let's say his "worst" he has made for the cinema then.

Haven't seen his 3 Polizeiruf films (the newest debuts/debuted this week, I believe - but among Petzold fans here in Germany they have excellent word of mouth)..

BEATS BEING DEAD is actually my favorite Petzold.


My personal ranking of recent(-ish) Petzolds, which I've seen:

01. Beats Being Dead
02. Phoenix
03. Barbara
04. Jerichow
05. Ghosts

06. Yella
07. Transit

First 5 are more or less perfect, I'd say.

[augusto]

wasn't able to keep up with a lot of the films that released this year -- very keen to watch asako i & ii, transit, tsukamoto's killing, la flor, high life, the two hong films, the two rima das films, ee. ma. yau, etc. -- but still watched quite a few great ones, even if they're probably not on the radar for most on this forum, i'd imagine. annus mirabilis for tamil cinema, in particular.

[Joks Trois]

i know i've said this before but the "bad year for films" thing always seems weird to me; usually i find it means "i'm looking in the wrong places" or "the curators i trust or the platforms available to me have failed me," not "there aren't good to great films out there."

it will be quite awhile before anyone who wasn't lucky enough to attend a small handful of awkwardly timed screenings to see la flor, or for anyone who doesn't speak japanese to see "my friend 'a'", to pick two somewhat random examples.

There are also people who think rock music is still vibrant and as relevant as ever for the same reasons you just mentioned.

There is no consistency in life/nature, no steady state. Things ebb and flow, rise and fall etc.

It is very possible that film is not in the best state now, but that does not imply permanence.

[nrh]

^yes but rock is a very specific genre/tendency within whatever we call popular music as a whole! i think you can certainly say that rock music has lost some of the cultural force it once had and not be too controversial, but if you were to make the statement about music or popular music as a whole i think you'd have a hard time defending it.

tamil cinema's great year is even more remarkable considering that for the second year in a row the entire industry was shut down by massive strikes, and a number of the most anticipated movies (super deluxe, the two gautham menons, the two selvaraghavans, new karthik naren) were pushed to next year. and seethakathi, kaana, sarvam thaala mayam, and maari 2 have all yet to release.

[MatiasAlbertotti]

I've seen 13 from this year, mostly big blockbuster/superheroe movies. In Buenos Aires the non-hollywood circle is limited to a few theater, mostly old and with bad/old equipment. There are some cineclubs and a couple of museum curated places, but they are not so close to home (1 hour drive) and I don't go too often.

What I liked:
1- El angel (Luis Ortega)
2- Cold War (Pawlikowski)
3- Isle of dogs (Wes Anderson)

Middle of the road:
1- A quiet place (Krasinski)
2- Black Panther (Coogler)

I did see other movies I liked as this year releases here in Argentina, but they are actually 2017 or even 2016 releases according to IMDB.

[Evelyn Library P.I.]

Every year, especially around Oscar season, I resolve that this year will be the year I start keeping up with new releases — and I never really do. I'm starting to accept that I should give up on trying to guilt myself into following new releases in the interests of cinephiliac completism and just properly commit to what interests me, which tend to be movies made before the mid-60s, save for some post-60s anti-colonial cinemas, avant-garde cinema, and popular genre cinema. If I have to drag myself to the theatre to see the latest releases, then I should probably just stay at home.

Of the little I've seen, the mainstream 2018 flicks I've enjoyed are Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and The Princess Switch. All guilty pleasures, save for Black Panther, which is art. On the avant-garde front, Jodie Mack's The Grand Bizarre is exquisite, fascinating joy. Hopefully it comes to a festival near you.