Review:
2018 Top 5 Favorite Films
1. First Reformed Ethan Hawke gives his most affecting performance as a conflict-struck parish pastor in writer/director Paul Schrader’s quietly daring and intimate dissection of religion vs. politics, faith vs. personal belief, devotion vs. sacrifice. 2. The Night Comes for Us Gloriously reminiscent of John Woo’s Hong Kong-set ballets of violence, Timo Tjahjanto’s rapid-fire Indonesian crime thriller features one breathtakingly choreographed fight or shootouts after another to advance a story fueled by the pain of betrayal and the desire for redemption. Two hours of being punched in the face—and loving it. 3. Blindspotting While set in Oakland, the themes that run through this sharply observed comedy about the pros and cons of gentrification can also resonate in other cities undergoing such swift and obvious transformation, especially here in Austin. This is a humorous and ultimately evocative story about being a stranger in your hometown that’s eloquently written by Hamilton’s Daveed Diggs and newcomer Rafael Casal and executed with skill and confidence by first-time director Carlos López Estrada. 4. Paddington 2 Not just the best sequel of 2018 but the perfect anecdote to the cruel and vindictive times that we live in. A vibrant and imaginative celebration of the value of being nice that also serves as an endorsement of immigration as a means to advance a country’s cultural development. It all ends with a delightful song-and-dance number that would make Busby Berkeley proud. Plus Hugh Grant is hilariously smug and desperate as a scheming over-the-hill actor out to get our favorite brown bear. 5. Vice Yes, writer/director Adam McKay’s follow up to 2015’s The Big Short is a mess. And, yes, it occasionally talks down to or insults its audience. But this eviscerating account of Dick Cheney’s relentless pursuit of power is a film holds up a mirror to what is happening today in Washington, D.C. and begs us not to sit back idly and watch politicians, lobbyists, and corporations hijack our government for their own dubious agendas. Christian Bale portrays the former Vice President with a quiet authority that is more stolen than earned; Steve Carell gloriously turns Donald Rumsfeld into the most dangerous sitcom character imaginable. Honorable Mentions 1985 Avengers: Infinity War The Ballad of Buster Scruggs BlacKkKlansman Black Panther Burning Call Her Ganda Damsel The Death of Stalin Den of Thieves Disobedience Early Man Eighth Grade The Endless A Fantastic Woman The Favourite First Man Game Night Hearts Beat Loud If Beale Street Could Talk Leave No Trace Mission: Impossible - Fallout The Mule Never Goin' Back The Old Man & the Gun A Quiet Place RBG The Rider Searching Shoplifters Shirkers A Simple, Favor Sorry to Bother You Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Support the Girls Teen Titans Go the Movies! Three Identical Strangers Tomb Raider Thoroughbreds Upgrade Widows Robert Sims Aired: Jan. 7, 2018 |
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