Top Ten UK Releases of 2018
It should be noted, as avid a film fan as I am, it is impossible to see everything that is released within the year. Therefore, this list is subject to later additions
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- DirectorMartin McDonaghStarsFrances McDormandWoody HarrelsonSam RockwellA mother personally challenges the local authorities to solve her daughter's murder when they fail to catch the culprit.Writer/Director Martin McDonagh brings his familiar flavour to bear on a tale far more serious at heart than he has previously tackled. Simply told, the movie unites a formiddable cast, with standouts in the never better Frances McDormand, and the finally recognised talent that is Sam Rockwell. Timely, heartbreaking, dry, funny, sharp and witty, from beginning to end it's an absolute joy. It isn't 'In Bruges' and could be said to fumble a couple of moments, perhaps occasionally trying too hard to be stark, but it's as close to a masterpiece as I could see any film ever getting, without actually getting there. McDonagh is now often compared to Tarantino; Tarantino only wishes he'd made a film this good in recent years! There's more than a little shade of the Coens here, too.
- DirectorGuillermo del ToroStarsSally HawkinsOctavia SpencerMichael ShannonAt a top secret research facility in the 1960s, a lonely janitor forms a unique relationship with an amphibious creature that is being held in captivity.In tough competition with 'Pan's Labrynth' as Del Toro's most impressive original work, 'The Shape Of Water' retains a slightly more whimsical tone, without being devoid of the idiosyncratic touches that make his cinema stand out. As ever, the film it appears to be is only the tip of the iceberg; a romance, a story about the nature of identity, social commentary, political fable....There's a lot to unpack, and I'm sure it will unfold more on repeat viewing, but for now, it's simply a magical movie. Michael Shannon and Sally Hawkins blow us away, and that's not mentioning the supporting cast, the effects, the cinematography or the music. Fantastic, it's a film everyone should take time to appreciate.
- DirectorSteven Caple Jr.StarsMichael B. JordanSylvester StalloneTessa ThompsonUnder the tutelage of Rocky Balboa, newly crowned heavyweight champion Adonis Creed faces off against Viktor Drago, the son of Ivan Drago.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsMeryl StreepTom HanksSarah PaulsonA cover-up spanning four U.S. Presidents pushes the country's first female newspaper publisher and her editor to join an unprecedented battle between press and government.'The Post' is a talky drama that moves at a pace and is shot like an action thriller. Look no further than the linchpin scene, nothing but a telephone conversation, which has us on the edge of our seat like it's the latest Nolan piece. Yet, despite being a film imbued with the same urgency as felt by those involved in the story it tells, it never feels like one that has been rushed out by its director, Steven Spielberg. Years of experience as one of the master storytellers of our time ensure that his thoughtful, inspired style has rarely been more obviously on show; many a film student could have fun writing about camera language and editing here. It's near redundant to celebrate standout performances from Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks; equally as impressive are the other key players, not least Bob Odenkirk as a rebel journalist on the right side of history. Perhaps not offering much beyond irony, given the US administration right now, but nevertheless an important and timely film.
- DirectorChristopher McQuarrieStarsTom CruiseHenry CavillVing RhamesEthan Hunt and his IMF team, along with some familiar allies, race against time after a mission gone wrong.Probably tops any previous outing in the franchise for its ridiculousness and its twisty nature, but if it's not utterly bonkers, are you really watching a 'Mission: Impossible'? With the return of McQuarrie to the helm, we have, arguably, the most enjoyable 'Mission: Impossible', and for me, perhaps the most exciting action film since 'The Raid 2'. At this stage, this is truly a pleasant surprise, and despite feeling a tad heavy on the plot exposition, it is full of so much practical stunt work and chase sequences echoing classics from 'The French Connection' to Nolan's 'Batman' series, some on-point charm and humour, and stunning location shooting, it's still a joy. In time, the extended sequence of Tom Cruise running around London's rooftops and bridges will be a staple-point in cinema. It may not carry the same ground-breaking weight as Gene Hackman driving after a train at full speed, but it is very similar to that scene in spirit, and carries in its DNA the same sense of gritted determination (As with Hackman's Doyle, you really are rooting for Ethan all the way!), as well as showing off a post-millennium London in beautiful, proud glory, so as to make for a classic moment in film history - Guaranteed!
- DirectorDamien ChazelleStarsRyan GoslingClaire FoyJason ClarkeA look at the life of the astronaut, Neil Armstrong, and the legendary space mission that led him to become the first man to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969.
- DirectorJohn KrasinskiStarsEmily BluntJohn KrasinskiMillicent SimmondsA family struggles for survival in a world where most humans have been killed by blind but noise-sensitive creatures. They are forced to communicate in sign language to keep the creatures at bay.
- DirectorJohn Francis DaleyJonathan GoldsteinStarsJason BatemanRachel McAdamsKyle ChandlerA group of friends who meet regularly for game nights find themselves entangled in a real-life mystery when the shady brother of one of them is seemingly kidnapped by dangerous gangsters.
- DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsVicky KriepsDaniel Day-LewisLesley ManvilleSet in 1950s London, Reynolds Woodcock is a renowned dressmaker whose fastidious life is disrupted by a young, strong-willed woman, Alma, who becomes his muse and lover.For what is supposedly his last outing, Daniel Day-Lewis turns in a typically committed performance as Reynolds Woodcock, a fastidious, petulant high society 1950's designer with what we might call "mummy issues". But to say Day-Lewis is good is like saying the sea is wet; so entrenched in his role is the man, you don't really think of what he's doing as acting so much as being. Lesely Manville plays his statuesque sister, who we all quickly recognise organises and runs things, while newcomer Vicky Krieps is Alma, the latest model on whom Woodcock can set his hungry vision, ready to mould, ala Hitchcock's 'Vertigo'; indeed, there are shades of the master of suspence in this, visionary writer/director P. T. Anderson's latest.
With costume design, set design, and cinematography all echoing the beauty Woodcock looks for, and is ever aiming to create, and with a Johnny Greenwood score that becomes its own character, there is no denying the innovative, unique feel of 'Phantom Thread'. The film sometimes behaves as though Anderson is channelling Kubrick's 'Eyes Wide Shut'; slowly, almost unnoticeably intoxicating his audience, until, at one point or another, you realise you wouldn't want to miss what's going to happen next.
So what does happen? Not much, really. This isn't a plot so much as a window into the behaviours and complexity of a relationship in which an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. There's nothing big happening, everything's in the little details. The final act may challenge some a little too much, and I can understand how many may lose patience with its slow, meandering moments, but this film plants seeds that grow; an exploration of ideas that is powerful, strange, and yes, even creepy enough to get under your skin. Again, I can't help but have 'Eyes Wide Shut' come to mind.
More viewing required until I settle on a final score, but without doubt another Anderson hit, and if it is to be DDL's last, a very fine farewell. - DirectorAaron SorkinStarsJessica ChastainIdris ElbaKevin CostnerThe true story of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game and became an FBI target.From the opening moments, Aaron Sorkin fans will be in familiar territory. Given his reputation as one of the best living screenwriters, it's no great shock that it's the sharp, snappy, yet detail-heavy dialogue and subtle character development that are the big winners here, but his first efforts as a director demonstrate that he may have learned a thing or two from working alongside some greats (can't help but think Fincher at this point). An intriguing premise, strong performances all round, including Kevin Costner's in a surprising role, and a good pace help bolster a subject matter that might initially lack engagement. Not a masterpiece, but a good start to 2018.