Top 12 favorites, 1001 Movies favorites, notable first-time viewings, and a list of 2018 movies I did not get a chance to see yet. Past reviews: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014.
Viewing tip: Check out GoWatchIt to see what services you can use to watch a title (Netflix, iTunes, Prime, HBO, etc.)
Top 12 of 2018
The best movies I saw that came out this year (in Louisville, Kentucky)
- 120 BPM (Beats Per Minute, 2017 France) – Director Robin Campillo and co-screenwriter Philippe Mangeot drew on their personal experiences with ACT UP in Paris, France, to develop the story about the largely-ignored AIDS epidemic in the early 1990s.
- Annihilation – A unique and visually beautiful film about alien invasion.
- Bohemian Rhapsody – Rami Malek plays Freddie Mercury (of ’70s band Queen) in the highest-grossing music biopic of all time.
Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot – The story of John Callahan, a quadriplegic cartoonist for nearly 30 years, battling alcoholism and the free press.- First Man – The space race through the eyes of Neil Armstrong. Excellent IMAX experience.
- Hannah Gadsby: Nanette (Netflix Original) – A deeply personal and inspiring stand-up act from the Australian comedienne.
- Janelle Monáe: Dirty Computer – Released on YouTube as an “emotion picture” accompaniment to the album of the same name.
- Searching – This entire murder mystery plays out on computer screens, with Google, Apple, and Microsoft technology in use.
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse – Fantastic story and possibly the best 3D (glasses) animation ever.
- The Post (2017 limited release) – Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-bait film set in 1971, depicting the true story of attempts by journalists at The Washington Post to publish the Vietnam War Pentagon Papers.
- They Shall Not Grow Old – Peter Jackson brings actual silent WWI footage to life by adding color, sound effects, and voices (translated by lip-readers) to tell the story of British soldiers in the trenches.
- Verónica (2017, Spain) – Horror dramatization of 1991 Vallecas case where Estefanía Gutiérrez Lázaro died mysteriously after using a ouija board.
1001 Movies favorites
From the annually-updated 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die books, which I’ve been working through since 2013. 21 more this year, for a total of 486.
- Call Me By Your Name (2017)
- mother! (2017)
- Jacob’s Ladder (1990)
- Blue Velvet (1986)
- Strike (1925)
Notable first-time viewings
As with the 1001 Movies section above, these could be from any year.
- Megan Leavey (2017)
- Wonder (2017)
- Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World (2017)
- Cameraperson (2016)
- Waste Land (2010)
- Coraline (2009)
- The Others (2001)
- Pecker (1998)
- Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982)
- Berlin: Symphony of a Great City (1927) – Best if you can find a copy with the original Edmund Meisel soundtrack.
- A Night on Bald Mountain (1933)
- The Cameraman’s Revenge (1912)
Want to see
Strikethrough for the ones I’ve seen since January.
- Alpha
- A Star is Born
Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-BlachéBlacKkKlansmanCrazy Rich AsiansFirst Reformed- If Beale Street Could Talk
- Isle of Dogs
Leave No Trace- Last Men in Aleppo
- Roma (Netflix)
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?