Movies of 2018

1. Across the River - More interesting in how it looks than in the content. Meh!
2. Kong Skull Island - Silly, poorly acted and a set up for sequels. John C Reilly almost saves it.
3. La Jetee (Re-watched) - Chris Marker's short is one of, if not the greatest Sci-fi film ever made.
4. The Earrings of Madame De ... - One of the most perfectly shot films. Fun, simple and brilliant.
5. A Ghost Story - Great idea, but comes off as a youthful, amateurish attempt to be profound.
6. 47 Meters Down - May have taken the title of worst movie ever made.
7. Der Samurai - Bizarre film about sword-wielding nut. An odd take on a werewolf film!
8. Dunkirk - A rare short war film. Without a doubt Christopher Nolan's best film. 
9. Sawdust and Tinsel - A rare Bergman film that is simply good. Bibi shines!
10. Our Friend, Martin - Animated. MLK, time travel and changing times. Doesn't always work.
11. Dig Two Graves - Looks great and the lead gives it her all, but the film lacks depth.
12. Russian Ark - Sokurov's incredible 90-minute, single shot, is remarkable, but incredibly boring.
13. The Passion of Anna - Bergman uses four characters to show us the cracks in all of us.
14. Throne of Blood (RW) - Kurosawa's brilliant Macbeth adaptation. Mifune shines!
15. Mother! - Aronofsky's biblical tale will confuse many. This one will take another viewing.
16. Pi (RW) - Aronofsky's first is revered, but I still believe is his weakest effort.
17. The Lion King - After many years I finally watched and unimpressed. Worst Disney film.
18. La La Land - Beautiful. Stone and Gosling are this generation's dynamic duo. 
19. Deep Red - Argento's film feels like an homage to past films, artwork, and music.
20. Red Beard - It seems unthinkable to suggest this, but it may be better than Seven Samurai.
21. Manhunter - Rewatched cinema's introduction into the world of Hannibal Lecter. Still great!
22. The Killing Of A Sacred Deer - Bizarrely perfect. Kidman is amazing. Lanthimos' best so far.
23. Chungking Express - Kar-Wai Wong's film feels like a how-to on filmmaking. Beautiful!
24. Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters - Animated. Great anime, but 30 minutes in, it was too boring.
25. Force Four aka Black Force - It as sentimental value.
26. Ashes of Time Redux - Wong Kar-Wai's dreamlike tale. Good? Not sure it matters/
27. Hell or High Water - Brilliantly acted, and thank goodness, because Sheridan's script is gold.
28. Born in China - Despite my love of animals and nature, the narration is so dumb, it's awful
29. Evolution - Feels like a low budget version of A Cure for Wellness. Better in every way.
30. Mindhunter (Series) - Snappy dialogue, likable characters and fascinating subject matter.
31. Le Ballon Rouge - Revisited my favorite short film of all-time. Still beautiful!
32. Jackie - I adore Portman, but this was a drag. Sarsgaard and the accents were perfect though.
33. Blade Runner 2049 - Deakins' cinematography makes up for a lot. Better than the original!
34. La Bete Humaine - Renoir's boring tale fails to make you feel for any of the characters.
35. Killing Ground - Standard horror trail story, gets good, then completely falls apart.
36. Wind River - Been done before, but for some reason, it clicks in all the right spots.
37. The Villainess - Korean action film that excels due to it's "gimmicks" and amazing star.
38. 35 Shots Of  Rum - Claire Denis' version of Ozu's Late Spring, trains and all. Solid.
39. Darkest Hour - Brilliant acting. Oldman won Oscar, but it's James who truly shines.
40. Perfect Blue - Confusing anime Inspired by so much and inspired even more. Must see.
41. Skirt Day - Teacher deals with unruly students and a gun. Heartbreaking. Adjani is great.
42. The Thing (2011) - Absolutely unwatchable. I tried three times and couldn't sit through it.
43. Chris Rock: Tamborine - Feels like a weak reboot of Bigger and Blacker. Pretty dull.
44. The Man Without A Past - Least favorite Kurasmaki film, but has its moments.
45. Sicario (Re-watched) - Better the second time around. Score and cinematography is special.
46. A Handmaid's Tale (first two episodes) - I adore Moss & Strahovski, but this start is slow.
47. Lady Bird - Stellar cast with a simple, but relatable story. Metcalf is amazing!
48. The Shape Of Water - Hawkins shines, with stellar support, in Del Toro's brilliant fairytale.
49. Black Orpheus - Not seen since I was a kid. Even better. Marpessa Dawn just dazzles. 
50. My Blueberry Nights - Wong Kar-Wai does English speaking film. Colors pop, as does acting.
51. Sunrise - Rewatched the film that is, in my opinion, the greatest film ever made. 
52. Luna De Miel (Honeymoon) - Spanish horror which concentrates on shock. Near miss.
53. Days Of Being Wild - Maggie Cheung is as beautiful as the film looks, but it lacks something.
54. The Florida Project - Touching, at times painful look at poverty, through many different eyes. 
55. Aftershock - Easily the worst first 35 minutes of any movie ever. Then something happens.
56. The Girl Without Hands - Animated sketches tell a Brothers Grimm tale. Lovely.
57. Selected Shorts by Sebastian Laudenbach - None have the look or resonate like TGWH
58. The Ritual - Dreadful over-hyped horror film filled with common themes and cliches.
59. Atonement - Is this The Notebook with a much sadder ending? It only clicks at the end.
60. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - Flawed at times, but acting elevates it 
61. The Killers - Hemingway's writing is a noir classic. Fun throughout, but Gardner is wonderful.
62. The Killers - Tarkovsky's school film. Only 20+ minutes long, but signs of things to come.
63. Doctor Strange - Great cast makes this average superhero film stand out. Good fun.
64. Veronica - Spanish horror film delivers. Great tension coupled with fine young actors. 
65. Memoir of a Murderer - Average at best with one too many twists that ruins everything.
66. Shoalin Avengers - Better than average martial arts classic.
67. Ricky Gervais: Humanity - A weak effort by Gervais, who seems to explain every joke.
68. Haxan - Not sure I saw the right version. Commentary and goofy "Jazz" soundtrack. Meh!
69. Revenge of the Green Dragons - Starts off pretty interesting, then completely falls apart.
70. Eg Man Pig aka I Remember You - Tension builds and builds and builds, then nothing.
71. Turbo Kid - Ode to a ton of stuff with cute robots, gore, Michael Ironside and a garden gnome.
72. The Phantom Thread - Perfect first hour, becomes somewhat predictable, but still magnificent.
73. The Post - It's been done before, and better, but it is timely and important.
74. Star Wars; The Last Jedi - Quite possibly the worst of all the Star Wars film made.
75. Gate of Hell - Beautiful, but somewhat dull story. Maybe it's just not what I was expecting.
76. Scandal - One of Kurosawa and Mifune's more human stories. Avoids usual tropes. 
77. Ms.45 -  Revisited this Ferrara/Tamerlis (Lund) gem. Sadly, #MeToo makes it feel timely.
78. Beatriz at Dinner - Hayek and Lithgow shine, but Britton is the glue of this tight commentary.
79. Cargo (Short Film) - Watched this classic short again, in preparation for the feature.
80. Chronic - Flawed, especially in its editing, but Tim Roth is amazing. It's a personal gut punch.
81. The Bad Sleep Well - Film Noir by Kurosawa with Mifune. Good, but less than expected.
82. Wings of Desire - Wim Wenders uses angels to create a dream about life, place, and time. 
83. Hidden Fortress - Revisited Kurosawa's epic, which served as an inspiration for Star Wars
84. I am Cuba - Kalatozov's Russian propaganda film drags, but a  B&W visual masterpiece
85. The Killing (US) - Watched all 4 seasons in seven days. Holder is an all-time great character.
86. Black Panther - I was thoroughly unimpressed and believe it simply came out ar the right time.
87. Guardians of the Galaxy 2 - Pales in comparison to the first, but some good laughs.
88. The Great Silence - Revered Spaghetti Western with Klaus Kinski. Dull, aside from McGee
89. Valley of Ditches - Pretty lead, also co-writer, can't save this from taking itself too seriously.
90. The King's Speech - Firth won the Oscar, but it's Rush who sets the tone and pace. Superb!
91. Paprika - Sci-Fi Anime which failed to keep me awake. I'll try again later.
92. The Salesman - My least favorite Farhadi film is difficult to say, as it's so powerful.
93. Luther - Feels like Prime Suspect with better co-stars, with Ruth Wilson's Alice Morgan is tops!
94. III - The Ritual - Russian fairytale which is as beautiful as it is haunting.
95. Good Time - Robert Pattinson definitely shines, but this one has me on the fence.
96. Jaws - For probably the 2000th time. Still amazing how good this film is. 
97. Jim Jefferies: This Is Me Now - The man is hilarious, often with stinging social commentary.
98. The Tag-Along - Taiwan horror folklore is reminiscent of some Japanese films but works well.
99. Manhunt - A John Woo films I really didn't like. Felt like an odd homage to himself!
100. Thoroughbreds - Yelchin's last film. More like a play, it works on every level. 
101. 12 Years A Slave - Slow start, somewhat uniform storytelling ends powerfully. 
102. A Quiet Place - Lacks any tension, despite what people tell you. Complete dud.
103. Spring Breakers - See my blog if you want to know my feelings. I'm so confused/torn.
104. The Break with Michelle Wolf - Binge-watched every episode so far and it's hilarious.
105. Rear Window - First time in over 30 years. It's lost a bit, but the setting is always a pleasure.
106. Chimes at Midnight - Welles and Co shine. The acting outshines any lags or flaws. 
107. The Idiot - Kurosawa's take on Doevstoyosky. Laboriously long, but the acting is top notch. 
108. Red Sparrow - Great cast makes up for some shaky writing and tons of cliches. Entertaining!
109. The Flowers of St. Francis - Rossellini's almost whimsical tale of the greatest saint.
110. The Man From London - Bela Tarr takes patience, but a handful of scenes make this worth it.
111. The Snowman - Amazing cast. Decent plot. Nicely shot. What a dud of an ending though. 
112. The Magician - Ingmar Bergman's personal film about public rejection. Simple and solid. 
113. Sucker Punch - CGI and beautiful women. Not bad, but the soundtrack elevates it greatly. 
114. Trespass Against Us - Fassbender, Gleason, and terrific supporting cast keep it above water.
115. Unsane - Shockingly bad being it's Soderbergh. Cast tries, but too many gimmicks.
116. Trespassing Bergman - Some of the best actors and directors discuss the Master.
117. Lake Mungo - Horrible documentary-style horror film.
118. Layer Cake - better every time I watch it. A near-perfect crime thriller. The cast is amazing.
119. Gerald's Game - Cugino is strong but the film starts to unravel and the finale is awful.
120. Dekalog - Kieslowski's epic 10-part series. Ten Commandments unwrapped. Amazing!
121. No Country for Old Men - After reading, it hits even harder. That ending! Damn!
122. Big Night - How this one escaped me I'll never know. Second best food movie?
123. Hereditary - Slow, boring, and if not for Toni Collette, I would have turned it off.
124. Sicario: Day of the Soldado - Nowhere near as good as the original, but fun characters.
125. Grave of the Fireflies - Saw this many ages ago and it's more impactful today than ever.
126. Stranger Than Paradise - Jarmusch's first success is wonderfully simple. Lurie leads the way!
127. Permanent Vacation - Jarmusch's first has a wonderful opening but doesn't have enough.
128. You Were Never Really There - Lacks the grittiness of the book but Phoenix aces Joe.
129. The Witch - Went back to check out a few scenes. Still, love it but hate the final few minutes.
130. The Forest of Lost Souls - Starts off as philosophical drama then becomes a mediocre slasher.
131. Man of Tai Chi - I'm no Keanu hater but man, this movie could prove the haters right.
132. Armageddon - A lazy night and it was on TV. Still love it, even if it's terrible.
133. 3 Doors of Horror - An anthology which is actually six tales. Some better than others. Average.
134. The Raid: Redemption - Went back to this amazing action film. Still fun with insane fight scenes
135. The Rift: Dark Side of the Moon - About as bad as a film can get.
136. The Night Comes For Us - One of, if not the, most violent movies ever made. Not bad!
137. The Haunting OI Hill House - Works better as a family drama than horror/thriller.
138. The World Of Kanako - Overly long and has been done better before, but it works. 
139. Night Of The Comet - Revisited this one after 30+ years. Still mediocre, but good fun.
140. Retaliation - Above average 60's Yakuza film. Definitely influential.
141. Joe Rogan: Strange Times - The vegans with cats clip is an all-time great.
142. Joe Rogan: Triggered - Slightly lesser than the previous but laugh out loud comedy.
143. Dragon's Feast - I should have known by the typo in the credits this was a silly doc.
144. Bumping Mics - Jeff Ross and Dave Attell with friends. Solid comedy, at times, brilliant.
145. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs - Coen Bros do a Western anthology. Grows with each vignette.
146. Accident - Korean thriller with a fascinating plot but the unraveling and resolution is weak. 
147. Attack The Block - Very simple and amateurish, with the exception of Whittaker. Some fun.
148. Outlaw King - Robert the Bruce (Pine) and Scotland. Pugh shines brightest but pretty amazing.
149. The Meg - Pretty bad. Cute little girl the high point. 
150. BlacKkKlansman - Spike Lee is back. I even loved Adam Driver in this, but Washington is A+!
151. Citizen X - Yes, I watched it again. It gets better every time. Rea is a tour de force. 
152. Malevolent - Pugh shines in familiar horror trope. Acting pushes it above run-of-the-mill.
153. John Leguizamo: Hispanic History for Morons - Poignant, funny, and fact-filled commentary.
154. Dreamcatcher - Silly story, script, and poor acting makes for a complete dud.
155. The Innocent Man - Documentary based on Grisham's non-fiction true crime novel. Meh
156. The Chase - Korean crime thiller about serial killer coming back. Predictable tropes.
157. Ghoul - Indian horror series in apocalyptic times. Not sure what it wants to be but comes close.
158. Apostle - So many positive things about it, but finale quarter makes a mess of a good story.
159. Paths of Glory - Revisited for first time since I was a child. Solid, with amazing Kirk Douglas!
160. Thor: Ragnarok - Awful. Poor attempts at comedy throughout. One funny moment worked.
161. Wizards - Ralph Bakshi's classic fantasy about good vs evil. Could work in today's world.
162. Office - Korean thriller with predictable trope, but how it plays out is done nicely.