QR Community Top 10 Movies of 2018

Lee Smallwood

As we bid farewell to an incredible year at the cinema in 2018, we here at Queen's Radio have looked back at what the big and small screens have brought us to narrow down our 10 favourite films of the year. With over 100 films initially up for consideration, we have managed to pick and rank what we feel are the best amongst them, as well as what made us love them and stick in our minds during the year.

10. A Star Is Born

The most recent release of A Star Is Born is the fourth time Hollywood have released this film onto the silver screen, this time with Bradley Cooper taking the lead behind the camera, as well as in front of it alongside Lady Gaga in the starring roles, telling the story of a musician helping a younger singer find fame as his fame begins to fade away from him. What was delivered, was a bitterly-sweet and beautiful modern masterpiece that will surely go down in the annuls of history as a future classic.

Gaga’s first performance has rightly been massively praised, alongside a huge number of awards predictions for her near flawless portrayal of the lead, Ally, who is supported by a well-fleshed out and fantastic ensemble behind her. As is to be expected, the soundtrack is varied and a true delight, and is easily one that one would not mind hearing on repeat again and again with his melodic highs and emotional lows. The true victory of A Star is Born is not only its ability to do justice to the fantastic renditions that have become before, but to also surpass them in so many ways to become the definitive version of the story.

9. A Quiet Place

It would be fair to say not many people would’ve known what to expect when it came to the quality of A Quiet Place, a unique premise for horror where a world has been invaded and over-run by extra-terrestrials that are unable to see but hunt using an incredible sense of hearing, coming from a director whose most famous work is from the latter seasons of the US’s version of The Office. However, just as Jordan Peele’s Get Out surprised and delighted audiences worldwide, so has this tense, terrifying masterpiece.

Emily Blunt stands out in possibly the best performance of her career as she struggles with keeping her family safe alongside her husband, who is played by John Krasinski who also directs the piece. The tension placed upon the audience during the 90-minute runtime is the true crowning achievement of this horror flick, with remarkable stories of entire cinemas falling absolutely dead silent, fearing, alongside the characters on screen that the smallest sound would cause their untimely demise. A Quiet Place will be remembered as a unique horror-thriller that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats and fear any slight, sudden noises for a while after.

8. To All the Boys I've Loved Before

At the beginning of 2018, Netflix announced plans to release over 100 new films onto the streaming service under the ‘Netflix Originals’ banner. What was ultimately delivered was a mixed bag of films, with some disappointing and terrible films such as The Cloverfield Paradox, Father of the Year and The Kissing Booth, and also some truly great and substantial films, such as Annihilation and Calibre, with the one film that truly managed to attract the attention of viewers and the positive praise from critics being the adaptation of the young adult novels To All the Boys I've Loved Before.

Lana Condor and Noah Centino make two excellent leads in this film where Lara’s character Lara Jean’s secret love letters to the boys she has crushed on in the past get sent out and she and Peter (Noah Centino) agree to pretend to be in a relationship in an attempt for Peter to win back his ex. Thus, ensues quite a sweet and light-hearted film, with enough well-placed hijinks, family and clique drama and sappy, yet delightful moments dusted throughout to deliver an ultimately simple film that works mainly due to the great acting provided from most the cast alongside the brilliant material provided.

7. Incredibles 2

When it comes to Pixar, the one thing that is almost always guaranteed is quality, whether looking back at the classics of Toy Story and Monsters Inc., to the more modern hits of Inside Out and Coco. However, when it comes to direct sequels to already beloved movies, Pixar can seem to be pretty much hit or miss, with Toy Story 3 and Cars 2 being on the opposite ends of the quality spectrum. Thankfully, Incredibles 2, the sequel to the well-beloved family-superhero classic that fans had been waiting 14 years for.

All the characters we all know, and love return with each of the family members keeping their quirky and loveable personalities, from Frozone to Jak-Jak, from whom comes one of the best scenes of the year taking on a racoon in a play of the stereo-typical superhero sequences that Marvel and DC have made us come to expect from superhero flicks. Incredibles 2 is a solid, good family-fun film that kids will enjoy and fans of the original will get a kick out of. Pixar does once again show its quality of animation and film making and the film looks and sounds amazing because of it.

6. Black Panther

It would be fair to expect with the high volume of superhero films, with a total of six major pictures and quite a few indie films in 2017 alone that the superhero genre would start to feel stagnant as writers run out of ideas and general interest in the franchises to diminish. Thankfully, for Marvel and fans alike, this has not happened, as Black Panther presents one of the most fresh, innovative and important superhero films of all time.

Black was very different in its methods, inviting us to the fantastic environment of Wakanda, the country itself almost acting as a central character with amazing development and detail. Chadwick Boseman is fantastic as the central lead, and yet he gets almost completely overshadowed by his supporting cast, mainly the woman of Wakanda in Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira and the breakout success of Letitia Wright as Shuri. This is all not mentioning the fantastic story and moral dilemmas brought by the central villain, Erik Killmonger, played fantastically by Michael B. Jordan. The intelligent design of almost every aspect of this movie, alongside all the fresh, new ideas and the massive cultural impact, makes the film possibly the most significant of the year.

5. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

When Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was announced earlier in the year, it was surprisingly met with very little fanfare, especially after the abhorrent display of Sony Pictures Animation’s previous effort, The Emoji Movie. Thankfully, due to a huge concentration on both style and substance from the talented animators working on this production, the film came out with a huge, surprising bang which seems to delight all who see it.

The look into the extended Marvel universe on screen makes this a must see for hardcore and long-time fans of the Marvel and Spider-Man franchises, however the film in no way alienates newcomers either, with a simple, yet very in-depth, action-packed and fun story. Every member of the cast is played and animated to near perfection, with laughs and entertainment to be found within the run-time. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse not only hold the title for the best animated film of 2018, but also, as unexpected as it may sound, the best Marvel movie of the year.

4. Isle of Dogs

Visionary director Wes Anderson is known for his unique style and quirkiness in all the pictures he has produced from the mad The Grand Budapest Hotel to the quality adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox. His latest feature is his second foray into stop-motion animation with the lovable Isle of Dogs.

Isle of Dogs is in every sense a beautiful move. It is beautifully shot, beautifully created and has one of the most beautiful stories. The movie follows Akira as he searches for his beloved helper dog Spots after all dogs are banished from Japan after a mysterious canine flu sweeps over the country.

The main cast is full of stellar voice performances from very familiar voices such as Edward Norton, Bill Murray and an incredible lead by Brian Cranston. The film is also basically a moving painting as the cinematography of this film is truly stunning, so much so that every frame looks it could be framed and hung up in a gallery. Isle of Dogs works as both a visual spectacle and a brilliant movie for all the family and film lovers to enjoy.

3. Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again

When the original Mamma Mia entered cinemas ten years ago, it was quite the odd occurrence, because while on paper and in action a lot the movie shouldn’t and didn’t work, yet mostly everyone, from the common cinema-goer to the admired and well-respected film critic found enjoyment and fun in the movie, leading to it breaking a lot of UK box office records. When the sequel was announced, most feared the second movie would be unable to capture the same fun and magic as the first one, and yet, upon arrival, it turned out to still be there, and, arguable, even better than the first one.

Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again brings back pretty much every beloved character and idea from the first film is brought back and built upon as we see Amanda Seyfried’s Sophie deal with her own pregnancy and new issues, alongside returning to 1979 to see a younger portrayal of her mother, Donna, by Lily James as we see her story of she came to be the much-loved hotel manager on the Greek Island. The catchy Abba soundtrack makes a few great returns and a lot of great additions also, especially those of Angel Eyes and My Love, My Life. Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again is one of the biggest shocks of the year, and thankfully, one of the best.

2. Avengers: Infinity War

In 2018, Marvel have released their 18th, 19th and 20th movies in their combined cinematic universe. It’s hard to argue that any film this year was more hyped up than Avengers: Infinity War and amazingly, it managed not only to meet expectations of fans and critics alike, but also exceed them. The 19th film in Marvel’s cinematic franchise shattered box office records and is possibly on route to becoming the highest grossing film of all time.

While fans may have only went to see their favourite superheroes once again, what they were met with was some of the best story, action scenes and new characters to the cinematic universe, especially Josh Brolin’s turn as the mad titan Thanos, who actually came to be a sympathetic and thought-provoking villain and probably the best part of this film. The Russo brothers managed to give each member of the Avengers that we have fallen in love with over the last 18 movies their moment to shine, and while some may have wished for more for their own personal picks, fans and movie-goers alike can walk away from this film, feeling satisfied, enthralled and even a little heart-broken.

1. BlacKkKlansman

BlacKkKlansman takes the title as Queen’s Radio’s favourite film of 2018. This is a film that will make you angry, filled with rage and fire. This is a film that will make you giggle, laugh and make your ribs ache with joy. This is a film that will make you feel worried, saddened and ashamed. What Spike Lee has managed to create with BlacKkKlansman is a true insight into the massive issue of racism that prevailed throughout the United States’ history and even today, feeling more prominent than ever after events such as Charlottesville, while also bringing about one of the funniest and most entertaining movies of the year.

The story of Ron Stallworth, the first African American police officer in Colorado Springs and his fight against the local sect of the Ku Klux Klan is a surprising, provocative, gripping and ultimately troubling true story, showing the very worst of humanity, even on both sides and that the equal rights movements have problems of their own, which is something Lee should be commended for. For a film that is truly hilarious, BlacKkKlansman is also very direct, shining a light on our own problems and showing us how our actions, our hate and our negligence can lead to massive problems that affect many more, much worse. There is no way this film is not hard-hitting or essential in todays world, and the way Lee has managed to expertly craft what needs to be said in such an entertaining way, makes it our film of the year.