Sean Kelso, Editor-In-Chief
1. Annihilation
Annihilation was a film unlike anything I've ever seen before—ethereal, yet grounded in reality. The idea of self-destruction and how it percolates society was both unusual and eye-opening.
2. The Sisters Brothers
An unconventional Western, The Sisters Brothers is a breath of fresh air with great performances from Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal and the other cast.
3. A Star is Born
Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga shine bright in this remake, offering a stunning portrait of stardom and depression.
4. Avengers: Infinity War
An epic smorgasbord of characters unseen until this point, Infinity War is a cinematic achievement.
5. Green Book
Green Book is the perfect movie for a divided country, offering audiences something to build on and reflect on our commonalities across all differences.
6. Black Panther
A truly original vision in a crowded comic book genre, Black Panther is a new height for genre films.
7. Wildlife
Gyllenhaal, Mulligan and director Paul Dano deliver strong work in this moving portrait of a family in-crisis.
8. The Favourite
A modern reimagining of Kubrick's Barry Lyndon, The Favourite is a bizarre, yet lovable look at Victorian drama.
9. Black Klansmen
While it focuses on events of the past, Black Klansmen is framed brilliantly in the present, showing the great distances we still have to make with society.
10. Upgrade
Wholly underrated and unique in its vision, Upgrade is a must-see for all interested in low-budget indie success.
Honorable Mentions: Vice, You Were Never Really Here, RBG, They Shall Not Grow Old, Won't You Be My Neighbor, Leave No Trace
Kate Hefner, Staff Writer
5. A Star is Born Hi Lady Gaga, how are you? Gaga killed her acting-debut. She was matched with Cooper, who had one of his best performances yet, and the two had palpable chemistry. The story will have you in tears by the end of it. 4. Black Panther Being the first superhero movie with a predominately black-cast, Black Panther was a game changer for inclusivity in Hollywood. Also, the narrative is solid and the characters are rich. No complaints here. 3. I Am Not an Easy Man This Netflix French film flips your perspective. After a blow to the head, a chauvinist (Vincent Elbaz) wakes up in a world where men and women are switched. Watching a man be mistreated by females is jarring at first because it is so unusual, but extremely eye-opening in the end. 2. Crazy Rich Asians An NYU professor (Constance Wu) travels to Singapore for a wedding with her boyfriend (Henry Golding), only to discover that they come from two separate worlds—and her boyfriend’s has a lot more money in it. This film is a pretty good romantic comedy in its own right, but is elevated by the fact that it is the first Hollywood studio film centered on an Asian-American’s experience in over 25 years. 1. Bird Box I know, I know, hear me out… you’re probably thinking that’s just like A Quiet Place but they can’t see. No. This movie will have you shaking. It’s that good. Sandra Bullock is a pregnant badass, paired with Trevante Rhodes (drooling) and surrounded by rich characters. What makes this film so good is the non-linear narrative that flips from the moment the monsters first attacked to five years later where Bullock is on an impossible journey. Also, Bird Box is based on a novel written way before A Quiet Place, so people can STFU and just watch the film. Honorable Mentions: The Favorite, Roma, and Bohemian Rhapsody (because I haven’t seen them yet). Also, A Quiet Place because it changed the horror/thriller genre, but just wasn’t as good as Bird Box. Sorry.
Fergus Campbell, Staff Writer
1. Wildlife
The rare film to showcase existential frustration in a way that doesn’t involve outbursts or showy confrontations. We instead see confusion and impulsiveness, simply but carefully composed displays of small-town life, and a brilliant Carey Mulligan. Even when she is vulnerable, she remains unknowable.
2. First Reformed
A shocking cinematic experience that constantly challenges its audience’s understanding of narrative conventions, and raises questions that linger long after the credits roll. Ethan Hawke delivers a career-best performance.
3. Mission: Impossible — Fallout
More fun than I’ve had at the movies in ages, with action sequences staged like ballets—simultaneously exhilarating and refined—and characters whose humanity raises the stakes immeasurably.
4. The Favourite
Exquisitely filmed, acted and written, with political maneuvers to rival Game of Thrones and bonkers relationship drama that somehow matches the period setting.
5. Roma
Slow-going for a while, until the tableaus of upper-class Mexican life have accumulated and you’re lost in a transcendent, heartrending piece of big-screen storytelling, which will tragically be confined to Netflix for the foreseeable future.
6. Isle of Dogs
Not a single shot exists in this film that doesn’t belong in a museum, such is the beauty of the stop-motion animation. Wes Anderson’s character tropes increasingly risk going stale, but not with a visual setting as rich and detailed as Megasaki.
7. Shoplifters
Mellow-paced in the same way that Roma is, and similarly moving for the window it provides into a world so unfamiliar to American audiences.
8. If Beale Street Could Talk
Undermined by a less-than-entrancing central couple, but boosted by exemplary supporting players and commentary on injustice that takes full advantage of the movie medium. Nicholas Britell’s score deserves the Oscar.
9. Cold War
It’s a short film, but you’d never know it. You leave the theater feeling like you spent the last ten years coming to really know Wiktor and Zuzanna, the two halves of the love story that the film follows.
10. Howard’s End
Yes, this is technically a miniseries, but I liked it a lot more than most of the films I saw this year, and it was written by Kenneth Lonergan, so the dialogue is perfect, as is the plot structure. Hayley Atwell, too.