Black Ribbon's Best Films of 2018: Part One

Best Films of 2018: 20-11

Mixing together just under one hundred and fifty films over the course of 2018, the first part of our list for the best of the best from the past twelve months is finally here, splicing together spectacular sequels, Netflix produced works of wonder and gorgeous B-movie splatter-fests for a rather interesting catalogue of cinematic endeavours. Whilst it is always hard to pick between so many films over the course of a whole year, below is numbers 20-11 for those which have really stood out above the rest, beginning with...

20. Widows

Based on Lynda La Plante's television series of the same name, Widows seemed to be one of the ultimate Hollywood team-ups, with 12 Years a Slave director, Steve McQueen, utilising the writing talents of Gone Girl author, Gillian Flynn, for a heist drama which although featured familiar genre-literate notions, was high on style and boasted a catalogue of outstanding performances from the ensemble cast, with Viola Davis and Daniel Kaluuya the standout stars of the show. Featuring a couple of technically savvy set pieces and some interesting plot twists, Widows won't exactly set the world on fire in a similar vein to McQueen's previous Oscar winning work, but it sure is a fine example of expert storytelling and filmmaking at its most naturally observed. 

19. Ghost Stories

Based upon the 2010 stage play of the same name from the directing double act of Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson, Ghost Stories is in some way a horror fan's dream, a part portmanteau, full blooded ghost train of a movie which features alarmingly well orchestrated creepy set pieces and a central screenplay with enough twists and turns to keep you hooked until the very last shot. Featuring the talented British chops of Paul Whitehouse and Martin Freeman, Ghost Stories revels in playing with set genre conventions to appease even the most delicate of horror fans, and with some genuinely disturbing imagery and some clever, hidden asides which generate an immediate need for subsequent viewings, Ghost Stories is the kind of movie which shows that with a decent script and enough dedication, even the most low-budget of movies can be frighteningly effective. 

18. Creed II

Following a very familiar pattern to the origins of the entire Rocky franchise, Creed II echoed the successes of Rocky II by being a sequel to a critically acclaimed predecessor which managed to more than effectively hold its' own and further develop characters and plot points beautifully set up in the opening chapter. With Ryan Coogler stepping down from directorial duties after his success with 2016's Creed, Steven Caple Jr. took hold of the reigns of a movie which revelled in the opportunity to reunite old foes whilst adding an unexpected layer of depth and substance, something of which was genuinely unexpected within a movie full to the brim with expertly orchestrated central fight sequences which managed to make you feel every punch, every single round. If this is indeed the end of Stallone's time as one of cinema's most iconic roles, what a superb way to bow out. 

17. Annihilation

When it was announced that Ex Machina director, Alex Garland, failed to make a deal with cinemas in the UK regarding the release of his latest endeavour, many, myself included, were left with a gnawing sense of disappointment, yet thanks to the power of Netflix, Annihilation on the small screen was still a riveting, mind bending experience, a film which followed familiar themes to that of previous Garland led works but undoubtedly was the first to dream so big. With beautiful cinematography, startling imagery and a screenplay which balanced elements of full blooded horror with science fiction, the one real shame regarding Garland's latest was ultimately the complete absence of witnessing it upon the big screen where it undoubtedly belonged. 

16. Molly's Game

The first film of 2018 still holds firm against the many which came after it, with Aaron Sorkin's directorial debut in the form of Molly's Game a thoroughly entertaining and expertly written biographical crime drama based on the memoir from the high stakes poker princess, Molly Bloom. With the always brilliant, Jessica Chastain, really at the top of her respective game with a simply stunning and charismatic central performance, the transition from behind the typewriter to behind the camera seemed to come annoyingly easy for a filmmaker who just knows how to perfect interesting and character driven screenplays whether it be in the halls of the White House or at the table of a multi-million dollar poker game. 

15. Sicario 2: Soldado

When the first murmurs of a sequel to Denis Villeneuve's superb, Sicario, began to surface, an immediate dangling thread of trepidation began to fill my mind, particularly when it was announced that Villeneuve himself wasn't set to be involved in a directorial sense, and whilst Soldado didn't exactly hit the heights of its' predecessor, what a huge relief to see that it instead was a movie which at least dared to come close. Directed by Italian filmmaker, Stefano Sollima, the second installment in a proposed trilogy of movies all written by the interesting, Taylor Sheridan, featured crisp cinematography, a brooding musical accompaniment and two central angst-ridden performances from the macho pairing of Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro, but alas, the most redeeming aspect of Soldado was its ability to pay homage to the mastery of its' predecessor without in any way spoiling its' legacy.  

14. First Man

With Whiplash and La La Land both examples of modern cinematic masterpieces, director, Damien Chazelle, continued his excellent start to his career with First Man, a poignant, intriguing drama in which Chazelle decided to take to the stars for a feature in which constant companion, Ryan Gosling, continued the blossoming bromance between the two with a superbly restrained portrayal of the one and only Neil Armstrong. Reuniting with the superb band of Oscar winning filmmakers including Justin Hurwitz and the editing sensation of Tom Cross, Chazelle's latest may not have hit the lofty standards of his previous two masterpieces but First Man is still a resounding, heartbreaking success with an added Claire Foy. Everything should have a Claire Foy. 

13. Roma

On first watch,  Alfonso Cuarón's chromatic, low-key drama seemed lifeless, yet on second viewing, what a devastating and beautiful picture Roma ultimately was. Given complete control by Netflix, Cuarón returned to his native Mexico for the first time since the start of the twenty first century for a project quoted as his most personal yet, and with the Mexican involved in pretty much every single aspect of its' creation from editing to cinematography, Roma was just that, a technically astute and simply gorgeous epic sweep of a drama made with a soon-to-be Academy Award winning pedigree which thanks to the power and pull of Netflix can be watched anytime, anywhere right now. What are you waiting for?  

12. Black Panther

After the success of both Fruitvale Station and Creed, American filmmaker, Ryan Coogler, was always destined for enormous exposure, and with his handling of Black Panther, Coogler created one of the most iconic and exciting superhero movies ever, let alone in its' own respective franchise. Combining the powerhouse performers of Chadwick Boseman and long-term Coogler favourite, Michael B. Jordan, Black Panther felt like a blockbusting blend of James Bond style action and fantasy cinema world building and with a predominantly black cast at its' core, Coogler's movie was as radical as it was genuinely entertaining. 

11. Mandy

Let's face it, any film featuring a neon fuelled colour pallette, an overly dangerous chainsaw duel and Nicolas Cage drinking an entire bottle of vodka in just one take was always going to win rapturous plaudits, yet the real success of Panos Cosmatos' second feature is in its' absolute love of the genre in which it undoubtedly sits. With Cage once again bringing that hilariously crazed Nicolas Cage performance the American is renowned for to the big screen in a movie worthy of his unquestionable talents, Mandy was half hallucinatory nightmare, half B-movie revenge flick and with some hilarious outlandish set pieces and wonderfully odd imagery, Cosmatos' latest was one of the most unexpected cinematic pleasures of the entire year.

Next Time: Worst Films of 2018 

Film Review: Widows

"What I've Learnt From Men Like Your Late Husband And My Father Is That You Reap What You Sow..."

For a director who already holds widespread acclaim and critical pedigree with so few releases, even with only his fourth release, Oscar winning director, Steve McQueen, unfortunately already bears the pressure of making sure every release is made with the similar style and pedigree of the multi Academy award winning, 12 Years a Slave, back in 2013, following on from the equally impressive one-two of the Michael Fassbender led, Hunger and Shame. With Fassbender surprisingly not on the guest list for McQueen's latest, the Brit teams up with the brilliant Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl and the recently adapted Sharp Objects, for a contemporary adaptation of Lynda La Plante's Widows, a subverted crime thriller first brought to the small screen on ITV during the mid 1980's and now transferred to modern day Chicago which sees Viola Davis (Fences) as the mournful Veronica Rawlins, who after the death of her husband and his thieving band of criminals, orchestrates a heist of her own alongside the widowing wives of her husband's deceased gang in order to pay back the seething crime boss who her husband had previously ripped off. Boasting one of the most impressive ensemble casts of the year, McQueen's latest is a expertly crafted, if slightly conventional, heist thriller, one which blends a top notch screenplay with top of their game performers and a movie proves that even when hitting particular genre conventions, some filmmakers just have the natural knack to create brilliant pieces of cinema.

As per pretty much all of McQueen's previous work, the focus of Widows is undoubtedly on the individual players which carry Flynn's words from paper to screen, and with a healthy abundance of depth and substance given to the film's primarily female leading force, the storytelling begins at a perfect, precise pace, using the early dramatic set piece in which we see the criminal gang led by Liam Neeson's (The Commuter) Harry Rawlins both enter and exit the story in dramatic fashion as a opening into the world of the wives left behind. Supported by the likes of the excellent double act of Elizabeth Debicki (The Great Gatsby) and Michelle Rodriguez (The Fast and the Furious), the plot is primarily seen through the eyes of the simply magnanimous Viola Davis as the headstrong and independently ferocious widower who is caught in the crossfires of Brian Tyree Henry's (Hotel Artemis) crime boss turned political aspirer and the ominous presence of Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out) as the merciless gang enforcer. Whilst McQueen understands the nature of the genre in which Widows ultimately sits, the Heat-esque crime procedural feel of the film takes cues from the work of Michael Mann by portraying the landscape of a city with obvious purpose, summed up particularly in one superb one-take tracking shot in which we see Colin Farrell's (The Beguiled) slippery politician be driven from an area riddled with poverty and famine to another plated in excess and wealth in the space of a few, short minutes, a take which reminds everyone of the one-shot conversation between Michael Fassbender and Liam Cunningham in McQueen's first feature, Hunger. Whilst the concluding act does feature a rather anticlimactic central heist and an alarming sense of rushness as the credits begin to roll, Widows is stylish cinema made by people who understand how film's should be made for audiences after something more than your average blockbuster, and when you have this much talent on just one film set, the outcome was always going to be something rather special. 

Overall Score: 8/10