The Top 25 Films of 2018

25. Cam

24. Vox Lux

23. The Miseducation of Cameron Post

22. Leave No Trace

21. Cold War

20. Skate Kitchen

19. American Animals

18. Set It Up

17. Paddington 2

16. Crazy Rich Asians

15. Tully

14. Blindspotting

13. The Kindergarten Teacher

12. The Favourite

11. Thoroughbreds

10. Shirkers: A remarkable love letter to film and an expression of loss, frustration, pride, and determination all in one. Sandi Tan will never get back what was stolen from her, but I’m glad she’s finally realizing her dream now, even if it isn’t the way she’d envisioned.

9. The Rider: Chloe Zhao’s lovely, meditative film sneaks up on you by the end. It does a wonderful job of immersing you in the story, drawing every emotion out of every landscape (cinematography remains some of the best of the year).

8. Searching: Very surprised by how much I enjoyed this, but it’s a thoroughly engrossing thriller that manages not to lose itself to a gimmick. John Cho is great.

7. Won’t You Be My Neighbor?: Sometimes positivity is nice.

6. Hereditary: Would be higher if the ending doesn’t sputter the way it does, but most of this is meticulously crafted horror and family drama intersecting in the best of ways. Collette and Wolff deserve a lot of the credit.

5. Mission: Impossible – Fallout: Yeah it’s pretty basic stuff story wise, but the production is just so spectacular that it results in a relentless thrill ride. You can’t go wrong with Tom Cruise and Henry Cavill attacking each other with helicopters.

4. First Reformed: It’s a visceral, agonizing, seething dive into the depths of faith and unrelenting uncertainty, all held up by a towering performance from Ethan Hawke.

3. Roma: A work of immense power and immaculate care, one that invites you to love, lose, and live together across all boundaries.

2. Shoplifters: The best ensemble of the year paints a complicated, yet warm and affecting, portrait of a family that you get to know on a very deep level. If there’s anything this year that captures the boundless humanism and the nonjudgmental look at class that The Florida Project did last year, it’s this.

1. Eighth Grade: A touching, authentic portrayal of a time period that no one wants to go back to. Elsie Fisher is a genuine star, and Burnham demonstrates an impressive level of nuance, insight, and most importantly respect, for an experience that so many people go through in their own unique ways. A remarkable debut and the best film of 2018.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Annihilation, If Beale Street Could Talk, Wildlife, The Old Man and the Gun, Hearts Beat Loud, A Star Is Born, Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse, Disobedience, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Game Night

WORST MOVIE OF THE YEAR: The 15:17 to Paris

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