The best and worst of movies in 2018

[ravenus]

Isn't it around that time of the year when we do this? Hoping at least this thread gets more replies than most of this forum in the recent past

Concentrating only on movies produced this year I present to you my list of:

THE THUMBS-UPS

Black Panther - A fun action-packed superhero movie that holds its own and in fact manages to mostly avoid the cookie cutter feel of other Marvel adaptations. The first half feels more like a James Bond adventure (if Bond had access to a Crysis-style exosuit).

Bhavesh Joshi Superhero - It would have been more apt to call BJS 'Bhavesh Begins' because this vigilante hero origin story is a fitting companion piece to Chris Nolan's Batman Begins. BJS is notable for the grounded manner in which most of the action is set. The film is also to be praised for its non-stereotypic exploration of Mumbai and its surroundings, raising issues that mainstream cinema will not acknowledge. Slack editing, a half-baked romance angle and mostly cardboard villains bring down the experience, but the reasonably unique approach to the vigilante hero genre is worth a watch.

Annihilation - I haven't read Jeff Vandermeer's book, the film comes across as a mix of Stalker the film and STALKER the game. Its best elements for me were purely visual, with some gorgeous artistry on display. I'd definitely recommend as a watch.

Carbon - A gripping and visually ravishing tale of one man's obsessive quest for (fool's?) gold, evoking comparison to Herzog classics like Aguirre and Fitzcarraldo. Excellent direction and a strong lead performance from middle-of-the-road Malayalam cinema's hot favorite Fahadh Faasil. Damn, why couldn't this have come out on blu-ray?

The Incredibles 2 - This one turned out, all things considered, as good as the first film...which automatically makes it about 3 zillion times better than most superhero movies of recent times.

Manto - Biopic of author SH Manto. While the script does simplify the complexities of the author's personality and distill his life as a vehicle to discuss issues of religious hatred and censorship, Nawazuddin does an amazing job as the flawed and tormented writer and Rasika Duggal who played Manto's wife Safia is wonderful. Lots of great cameos from seasoned actors.

Andhadhun - Overall not on the same scale of greatness as Johnny Gaddaar, on account of the twists in the second half falling into the territory of "kuch bhi!", but yeah this is probably Sriram Raghavan's most FUN movie after JG. Ayushmann Khurana and Tabu totally rock their parts. Don't read any detailed reviews or synopses beforehand, just see andhadhun.

Tumbbad - IMO the best Indian horror movie ever, with a strong script and incredibly good shadowy visuals and great sound design. Focused direction and a defining performance from Sohum Shah (who also produced the film and stayed committed to its making over a period of several years). Also excellent staged CGI for the budget.

Badhaai Ho - There is little that feels new and much that appears contrived in this tale of a mother of significantly older children discovering that she is pregnant again and deciding to go on with it. But I was hooked. It was mainly the performances that worked, Neena Gupta and Gajraj Singh look the part of a long-time middle-class couple and their interaction has a warmth that overcomes cliche.

Wildlife - Paul Dano's family drama with Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan is captured with restraint and quiet attention to detail. Its impact is limited, ironically because of its civility; the script never tries to probe the wound of family discord or seriously discomfit the viewer with the emotional angst of the characters, but with steady direction and strong acting a very respectable effort it is.

Ballad of Buster Scruggs - In a series of unrelated episodes set in the West represented in old-school Hollywood, the Coen Bros anthology (co-produced by Netflix) seem to pay tribute to masters like John Ford, Sam Peckinpah, and hell, even animator Tex Avery. Over the various courses of this banquet, the tone goes from hilarious to stirring to romantic and a dash of the macabre. I won't spoil it any more save to say that I enjoyed myself thoroughly and look forward to revisiting it. Entertainer of the Year!

Manta Ray - This Thai directorial debut (Phuttiphong Aroonpheng) was a slow but engaging and eventually hypnotic blend of reality and fantasy, highly reminiscent of the films of Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Uncle Boonmee, Cemetery of Splendour).The beauty of the film is in its rhythm and its evocative mix of real and imagined elements, coming across as a fable of sorts. And towards the end there are some sequences that are rapturous pure audio-visual experiences. This is a brilliant assured debut from a maker whose future work I will be looking forward to.

Endhiran / Robot 2.0 - The middling reviews of this movie were right about stuff in-between the action being dull filler but what they don't tell you is that there is very little footage that is not badass action or imaginative VFX. While it has less rewatch value, this movie is in overall feel like Pacific Rim - dumb but awesome. For anyone who understands Tamil, that version is clearly superior. It also has very good 3D, with solid depth and some excellent front projection.

Roma - Alfonso 'Gravity' Cuaron's latest film (produced by Netflix) deals with the life of a housemaid and the family she works for in Mexico. It takes a while to feel immersed with the characters, and sometimes the technique is a little overwhelming for the actual scene, but it turns out a brilliant and compassionate portrayal of the humanistic bond between the characters, the parallels that run in the lives of mistress and servant. The scene at the beach towards the end is nerve-wracking and cathartic. Highly recommended.


AND THE CLUNKERS

Avengers: Infinity War - The overwhelming feeling I had all through this movie was one of weariness. I got BORED of seeing stuff blow up and huge things come crashing down. The dialog is caught between dull exposition and desperate attempts to inject humor. There is absolutely no sparkle here.

Raazi - It's not as jingoistic as some of the worst offenders in the patriotic movie genre, but that's about the only good thing I can say about it. Bad writing and direction, give this Raazi a Razzie.

MI: Fallout - The action sequences are done efficiently and the final scene at the cliff carries some genuine vertigo-triggering thrills but the connective tissue between the set-pieces is unbelievably poor. No one seems to have given a thought as to making the script interesting or even bear a decent degree of coherence. Good humor is all about pacing, but that's lacking here. Worse, the dialog seems to have been written by amateur drama kids given a 5-min deadline, and the actors simply cannot make it work.

Saheb, Biwi & Gangster 3 - Even with a few okay moments courtesy returning actors Jimmy Shergill and Mahie (No Sher for you)Gill and unintentional laughs from a hilariously out-of-place (and likely drunk) Sanjay Dutt, this one is on the whole a whacking big turd.

Stree - The stray amusing quip aside, 'Stree' was such a load of cock it might as well have been called 'Purush'. The script is so poor and lazy even the brilliant cast can only occasionally raise it above the doldrums. Two thumbs down.

Blackkklansman - I suspect if Quentin Tarantino had made this film, Spike Lee would have been railing at him for being patronizing / exploitative towards the struggles of the black movement against white oppression. Unlike (the wholly fictitious) Inglourious Basterds this film is not able to take its preposterous narrative and milk its potential to create genuine tension in the narrative and empathy with the characters.

In Fabric - I did not immediately enjoy the new film from Peter Strickland (Berberian Sound Studio, Duke of Burgundy). It begins well enough as a haunted object tale , but the film's tone is all over the place and its sense of humor never seems comfortably seated. I feel I could give this another try sometime in the future, but on the whole my first viewing left me dissatisfied.

Thugs of Hindostan - I thought I’d seen an okay if VERY bland homage to the multi-starrer masala movie, with a few touches - like the Bachchan homages to Coolie, Mard and Aakhree Raasta - it didn't really capitalize on. Then to my (most unpleasant) surprise, instead of ‘The End’ it said ‘Intermission’. Bloody Hell!

[nitin]

Here is my list of cinema viewings of movies made in 2018 (in rough order of preference)

1. The Wild Pear Tree
2. Roma
3. Burning
4. The Rider
5. First Reformed
6. Zama
7. The Favourite
8. You Were Never Really Here
9. Isle of Dogs
10. Widows

Honorable mentions: Cold War, Disobedience, Birds of Passage, The Fugue, Lean on Pete, Leave No trace, Sweet Country, Spider Man: Into the Spider Verse, Museum, Dogman, Bad Times at the El Royale, Tully

Others Seen: Suspiria, Happy as Lazarro, First Man, Shadow (Yimou), The Kindgergarten Teacher, Halloween, Colette, Hereditary, BlackKlansman, A Quiet Place, Sorry to Bother You

[pavan_a]

Just to mention one film, for me, Parmanu was a really nice movie and the worst i've watched this year was Race 3.

[DefLeppard]

My 2018 favs are as follow-

1.Annihilation
2.Revenge (not an official 2018 one but netflix)
3.Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan (not a film but Amz prime series)
4.Cobra Kai (not a film but YT Red series)
5.The Favourite
6.Sicario: Day of the Soldado
7.Bad Times at the El Royale
8.The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
9.Beirut
10.The Other Side of the Wind

and MCU films - Infinity War/Ant-Man and the Wasp/Deadpool 2.

EDIT; UPGRADE definitely need to be in this list; one of the best thriller films of 2018.

[Anurag1700]

The best:
1.Tumbaad. A little offbeat to set ur mind to it but omce u do, Sheer brilliance and excellence in everything
2.Andhadhun. Mainstream cinema with twists after twists and pulled off nicely.
3. Pari: very surprisingly balanced and well executed thriller.
4. Bioscopewala. Danny danzongpa soars in this heart warming heart touching tale.
5. Blackmail. Impressive effort at dark/black comedy

The worst

1. Zero. Nothing beats this what in my opinion is by far the biggest misfire of all times. Took over ra.one as my Worst srk movie ever.

2. Simba. One more usless baseless needless bad cop turned good cop crap.

3. Race 3. Felt like a 5 year old was playing with Camera and result was edited for a movie.

[ravenus]

Oh ya, I'd been intending to see Bioscopewala sometime. Sadly I'm a lot more busy these days and the 1 movie per day routine becomes more difficult now. Is it on Netflix?

I still want to see Zero. A good friend of mine whose opinion I rely on for movies, liked it a good deal. We were also probably the only 2 people on this planet other than Anurag Kashyap who liked Bombay Velvet. Btw this is what he had to say about Zero:

Went in to lampoon this and ended up absolutely loving it. I'll take this gloriously imperfect, ambitious, risky, unabashedly filmy movie that adamantly refuses to stay grounded over a ton of carefully calibrated films any day. Found it very entertaining and moving as well. The only logic that rings true here is the emotional and sometimes that's all you need.

[raSpberRy]

1. Secret Superstar
2. Tumbbad
3. October
4. Raazi
5. Tumhari Sulu
6. Mom
7. Hichki
8. Hindi Medium
9. Manto
10. Garbage


Honorable Mentions: Ship of Theseus, Kapoor & sons, Padmavaat, Veere Di Wedding, To Let, Love Per Square Foot, Jai Lava Kusa(1st half :b)

Letdowns: Rangasthalam!!!, Sanju, Bhavesh Joshi Superhero, Zero

Sucks...
Mersal, Baaghi 2, Gali Guleiyan, Bhonsle (Manoj... why???)

[afgmusix]

Best: Badhaai Ho, Andhadhun, October, Rajma Chawal
Bad (most disappointing): Zero, Thugs of Hindostan, Race 3... 3 khans messed up this year...

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by raSpberRy

Honorable Mentions: Ship of Theseus, Kapoor & sons

Eh? SoT 2014, K&S 2016

[raSpberRy]

Originally Posted by ravenus

Eh? SoT 2014, K&S 2016

Yes, so that's my honorable mention. But I had experienced both two at theater in this year.
Especially, 'Ship of Theseus' became my best Hindi film so far.

[Anurag1700]

Originally Posted by ravenus

I still want to see Zero. A good friend of mine whose opinion I rely on for movies, liked it a good deal.

Sure go ahead I wont advice against it. In fact my favourite critic Baradwaj rangan was able to shift his mindset and actually found lot pf positives in this one so i am pretty sure some ppl actually saw what majority didnt. You must read his take. I however personally cannot in seven lifetimes imagine myself having that kinda patience and royally altered perspective to dig deep for any good at all in this one

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by raSpberRy

Yes, so that's my honorable mention. But I had experienced both two at theater in this year.

Wow, at a cinema? Where at?

[ketan]

Happy New year to all.

My list includes what I watch in 2018 (may be include old movies also).

I watch another language movies on You tube in Hindi or watch their own language with subtitles so may be my opinion or thoughts are not perfect. And more movies I watch which is totally for mass audience movies but I like them so I make this list.

Telugu Movies

Natural Star Nani – My Friend kids are huge fan of Nani so we see three movies in Two days in Diwali Vacation.

Nenu Local- Total mass movie with Nani's energy absolutely fun to watch.

Middle Class Abbayi – again totally mass movie but with Bhumika chawla ( after long time I watch her movie). Some good funny movement and some illogical movements but over all a fun movie.

Ninnu Kori –

Ninnu Kori Theatrical Trailer | Nani | Nivetha Thomas | Aadhi Pinisetty | #NKTrailer | DVV - YouTube

This is best of all three. Supported by Nivetha Thomas as Pallavi and Aadhi Pinisetty as Arun. This is an entertainer with lots of drama and emotion with just the right amount of laughter thrown in.

Bharat Ane Nenu - This is totally Mahesh Babu’s show .The movie, while being watchable, suffers from predictability – its biggest surprise being the absence of surprises. the movie sparkles – like in Mahesh’s press conference scene, where he stands, consistent to his character like the man who always speaks common sense, simple sense. Mahesh’s performance in that scene as an educated man reasoning with unreasonable people while simmering with anger will stand out as one of the highlights of his career.

Marathi Movies

Naal -

Naal | नाळ | Official Trailer 2018 | Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti | Nagraj Popatrao Manjule | Zee Studios - YouTube

This is one more feather in cap for Nagraj (for dialogue & acting). Awesome cinematography & Direction (Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti). If you want to be awed by child acts (Shrinivas Pokale). It does touch your heart. Sometimes we don’t watch a film thinking it will be too sad a movie or something but this is certainly not that movie. Instead you will laugh and keep on think what’s next. This is undoubtedly Best marathi movies in 2018.

Kaccha Limbu -

Kaccha Limbu Trailer | Sonali Kulkarni | Ravi Jadhav - YouTube

is the perfect package of an excellent heart-warming story along with praise-worthy performances. Prasad Oak’s(Director) film hopes to highlight the story of the many parents living with mentally challenged kids and the lack of empathy from others. Ravi Jadhav and Sonali Kulkarni turn in memorable performances as the parents dealing with the drills of life. Bachchu’s challenging role is brought to life beautifully by Manmeet Pem.

Kannada Movies

KGF - Yash rocks and other major part is multiple solid villains with rugged characters. Since it's a period action film, KGF delivers much more than what the trailers showed. It has action, adventure, drama and some suspense that will keep you glued till the end. It's neither funny nor too dark, and hence a properly balanced film. The dialogues are so crisp that I was literally smiling with excitement. Cinematography is mind-blowing. The depiction of the Kolar Gold Fields is so stunning that you'll have a tough time finding an excuse for not watching it on the big screen it's visual treat. Background music is best. The scenes are amazing but for me His mother and kid Rocky Secenes are golden one. More of action but still can watch with full family. KGF team use the larger than life image of Yash but magically all element fit in these 2 hours and 35 min. magnum opus.


Tamil Movies

Vada Chennai -

VADACHENNAI - Official Teaser (Tamil) | Dhanush | Vetri Maaran | Santhosh Narayanan - YouTube

is a layered, violent and mesmerizing portrayal of North Madras, the breeding ground of rowdies and its ambitious gang leaders, jockeying to take control. Dhanush is effortlessly excellent, as Anbu, with multiple shades as the characters grow across different phases, like the teen in love, with his naughty acts, as the youngster who is forced into the dark route losing his innocence and, in the process, also his fear, and finally entering the gangster route. His body language and dialogue delivery are an asset. Director Vetrimaaran seems to not compromise in anything for making the film utterly realistic. They even went for ‘Adults Only’ certification from the censor board without muting the unparliamentary words which was a bold attempt because that made the film more native. Another pillar to the already astonishing film was Santhosh Narayanan (SaNa) and his pulsating background score. Velraj's cinematography is top notch as he captures the essence of the livelihood and rustic milieu of the people of North Madras, bringing alive the lifestyle and the raw, angry, and bloody nature of the area.

[thisgenius]

Here's something different. Although I didn't get to see a lot of the films I really wanted to (Burning, Ash is Purest White, The Third Wife, A Land Imagined, Shadow, A Spy Gone North, Long Day's Journey Into Night), I compiled a list of my favourite Asian films of 2018 for a site I review for. Sharing it here as well:

1. Shoplifters: Koreeda's tender film deserves every praise thrown its way and more! Asking questions like "what actually makes a family" and "is blood what really matters or love", it includes two of the best performances this year, including a towering one by Sakura Ando, as well as two of the cutest actors seen this year in Jyo Kairi and Miyu Sasaki. Shoplifters will undoubtedly steal your heart, only to break it into several pieces before handing it back to you.

2. An Elephant Sitting Still: Hu Bo's directorial debut is an incredibly sad, bleak and dark film, made further so by the fact that it will also be Hu's last film, for the director committed suicide before the film was released, reportedly due to conflicts he had with his producers regarding the final cut of the film. Running at almost 4 hours long, An Elephant Sitting Still is quite uncomfortable to sit through, to watch every character being chewed up and sh*t out by society, but it remains an extraordinary piece of work by an extraordinary talent, and one of my absolute favourites of this year.

3. The Night Comes for Us: All. That. Blood!
That is all.

4. Dead Souls: This film broke me! Wang Bing's mammoth documentary, with a runtime of more than 8 hours long, tells the story, or rather lets the survivors tell the story, of what really went on in the "Re-education Camps" of Communist China in '50s. Dead Souls often reminds one of Lanzmann's Shoah. It is harrowing, unbelievable and eye-opening, and possibly the most important film of 2018.

5. Little Forest: This is a simple film: a young heartbroken girl fails her exams and retires to the countryside home that she shared with her mother to get away from the city and possibly to reconnect with the memories of her mother through the one good thing she left her- her love for cooking. While South Korea really succeeds at making thrillers, bleak dramas and romantic melodramas, it was this little film, an adaptation of a manga and a live-action Japanese film, that stole my heart, not least for showing me that Korean cuisine can have amazing vegetarian dishes too! Watch this; it might just be the kick you need to show urban lifestyle the middle finger and go live in the mountains, seaside or countryside as you've always wanted to.

6. Call Boy: Another adaptation, this time of a play based on a book by the same name, Call Boy pushes the boundaries of accepted erotica in mainstream cinema, but it manages to do so without being crude or low-brow, thanks to its sophisticated production and superior performances. Mind, this film is not just about the sex, of which there is plenty. There are far deeper themes and messages to be explored here.

7. Us and Them: Spanning over a decade, Us and Them plays out over two different timelines as it tells the story of two friends who became lovers, only to be separated before finally meeting again years later. The only romance on my list, this was a surprisingly warm and bittersweet watch, one that I immensely enjoyed, although some might find it too saccharine. Oh, and it's on Netflix, so it's readily available!

8. The Witch:Part 1. Subversion.: 2018 saw Park Hoon-jung return with a vengeance to the vengeance thriller genre. The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion is a delightful mix of drama, action, superhero, revenge thriller elements that works due to its rich characters and fantastic action sequences, anchored by one of the finest female performances in recent mainstream South Korean films from Kim Da-mi.

9. Microhabitat: A whisky-loving, chain-smoking young girl needs to rethink her priorities and forgo of some luxuries when her apartment rent goes up, so she does what any sane person would and gives up on her apartment in favour of a nomadic life, crashing with her friends and ex-bandmates and staying with them for as long as she can. Microhabitat is a wonderful indie film that demands viewing for its subtle message, deft execution that is equal parts entertaining and reflective, and a star-making turn from lead actress Esom.

10. Heart Blackened: If it's a Choi Min-sik film, it's a film I like. Simple as that. His reunion with Happy End director is a smart mystery-thriller-slash-courtroom-drama that works more on the thriller front than as a coutroom drama. Another remake, this time of the Chinese film Silent Witness, Heart Blackened sees Choi's two female co-stars stand toe-to-to with the legendary actor and emerge unscathed, often even victorious.


Of the English-language films that I did see, I thoroughly enjoyed Searching (for what I thought would be too gimmicky but was actually a decently paced and played-out thriller), A Star is Born (for Lady Gaga's excellent performance and Cooper's assured direction), Annihilation (Alex Garland can do no wrong right now, it would seem), Creed II (Creed v Drago 2.0 was cliched at places, but I'll be goddamned if it wasn't entertaining!) as well as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (a clever script, which shows excellent reverence for its source material, backed by some eye-popping visuals and a badass soundtrack; this one has winner written all over it), while Andhadhun and Badhaai Ho were arguably the two standouts locally. It was indeed Ayushmann Khurrana's year in Bollywood.

[jbloggs]

Surprisingly good for 2018...
Upgrade

The worst of 2018 for me were...
Race 3
Baaghi 2
The Predator
Happytimes Murders
Mandy

[BRStar]

nice thread thank you

my list

Andhadhun (Hindi)
Badhaai Ho (Hindi)
Secret Superstar (Hindi)
October (Hindi)
Ratsasan (Tamil)
Pariyerum Perumal (Tamil)

worst ones Not any as I skip them thanks to such thread

will definetely watch most from above lists thanks

[pavanteja]

Here is the list of Top Telugu movies of 2018:

1. Rangasthalam
2. Mahanati
3. C/o Kancharapalem
4. Geetha Govindam

Andhadhun is a brilliant film among Bollywood films.