Good evening ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for another top 10 list.  2018 was a great year for me because the Blog Complainer was born, I reached almost 150 followers and I was nominated for an award (that I’m still waiting to receive), but in the meantime I made my own award thing and I’m making people happy so that’s good news. I censored my doppelganger – that’s more of a personal achievement, but still a good thing, and of course the greatest thing to happen to me in 2018 was that I got to watch a lot of great movies.

Which reminds me, it was a great year for films. Great animated movies, great super hero movies and great great greatness everywhere. So this list I’m about to share with you is a collection of great movies that I personally liked in 2018. So if you disagree with my list then leave a comment with your favourites or reasons why I’m wrong. It’s best to note that I haven’t seen every movie of this year so if your favourite movie isn’t on here be sure to mention it. Also, with these films I’m about to discuss I’ll only give a quick summary and if you want more information on that movie just click on the pictures or the highlighted words and that will take you to my full review.

With that out of the way, let’s get started with some Honorable Mentions. These are films that weren’t good enough to get onto this list basically. Tully – my favourite movie at one point but obviously now it isn’t. A Star is Born – a destined easy Oscar grab but wasn’t even close to grabbing it’s way onto this list. Mission Impossible: Fallout – this movie got onto alot of end of the year lists but although I enjoyed it, and it was definitely one of the better blockbuster movies of the year, it never even touched my top 15.

Another great movie was A Quiet Place – I never reviewed this movie, probably for a good reason, because it made me whimper like a little girl for 45% of the movie. No 2018 list would be complete without mentioning Avengers: Infinity War. It was in my top 10 for a very long time but I ended up booting it off at the last minute because it was no longer my favourite superhero movie of the year. (That’s a hint by the way.)

With that out of the way, here is my actual list.

Number 10

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Swinging in very late in the year came my favourite superhero movie of the year. In my review I said I was a bit unsure if it was my favourite, but now I can say it is. I think animation just works so much better for superhero movies because the stylised comic booky look makes it so much more appealing to look at, rather than a greenscreen with a bunch of grown adults fighting a CGI monster. This movie features the best protagonist of the year and it’s got really smooth and creative action scenes. What really keeps this movie on top is it’s understanding of what makes Spider-Man so great. More people need to see this so go and watch it, you’ll have a blast.

Number 9

 The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

This is an interesting one as it’s a collection of small films combined into one. This is a Coen Brothers movie and they really excel here. All the shorts are well written, well acted and gorgeously shot. Which of these shorts you prefer is up to you but they’re all very unique and make a pretty awesome movie altogether.

Number 8

 Isle of Dogs

I never got a chance to review this movie but once I saw it I instantly knew it was my favourite animated movie of the year. This movie won’t be for everyone as it’s a Wes Anderson movie and is pretty much like his other animated film Fantastic Mr Fox. It’s very artistic and, dare I say it, different. It’s been quite awhile since I have seen it but I remember being hooked in right away by the incredible soundtrack. This movie probably won’t win Best Picture because of how different it is (probably not even the previous movie I mentioned) but that music, damn Oscars don’t let me down!

Number 7

Annihilation

I never reviewed this because I didn’t have Netflix at the time. Now I have seen it so I’ll give you my brief two cents. It’s one of my favourite Sci-Fi Horror movies of the year as it’s a fascinating tale about a strange alien thing landing on earth and a group of scientists having to find it. Natalie Portman probably gives the best performance I have ever seen from her. It’s visually impressive with some very gruesome and disturbing imagery and also some of the most gorgeous sights I have seen all year. It’s a dark story with some twists and turns and I really loved it. It bombed pretty badly so that should give you more incentive to watch it.

Number 6

Searching

Another different movie and it’s one that I have reviewed. Searching is a murder mystery movie but the twist is it takes place entirely on a computer or the internet. Even though the plot of this movie isn’t overly original I think it’s extremely creative how it advances the plot. It’s a great fun movie to easily get lost in and I also remember when I first watched this I was trapped in a drought of painfully average to bad movies and Searching was the movie to break the spell. So, if you haven’t seen it, thumbs up from me.

Number 5

Boy Erased

Boy Erased was my favourite coming of age movie of this year. I remember having the best experience from this movie because there was me and nobody else in my cinema – it was awesome. Though this movie did make me feel a bit down so maybe that isn’t the best idea. It’s a sad disturbing story, full of great performances, great music, it’s nicely shot and it’s a really good drama. I doubt it will be nominated for an Oscar, but one can hope.

Number 4

Black Mirror – Bandersnatch

It’s technically a TV movie but I don’t care. Bandersnatch was the only movie I watched multiple times in one sitting. That’s only because it’s a like a choose your own adventure story where you decide where the story goes. The movie deeply explores the genre you’re currently playing and it does a fantastic job at making you want to try out all the different endings it has to offer, as it encourages you to analyse every single frame and take note on every single line of dialogue. It’s one of the most thought provoking movies I have seen all year. Only Black Mirror could pull off a gimmick like this so exceptionally well, because I doubt any other movies who tried this could ever compare.

Number 3

First Man

When I saw First Man it felt like a great birthday surprise. I remember seeing the trailers expecting it to be bad but I was blown away by how much I ended up loving the movie. Ryan Gosling gives one of his best performances as Neil Armstrong along with an excellent supporting cast. Let’s talk about the moon landing which was so amazing as you really felt the impact and it’s one of the best moments in a movie I have seen all year. I guess it’s also worth pointing out that this was the first movie to get the Blog Complainer’s Approved Seal which is basically the best score you can get from me. Can’t recommend it enough – it’s a must watch.

Number 2

Hereditary

The best horror movie of the year by far. I think I had the best experience I could possibly have as I knew nothing about the movie and had no expectations for it except the possibility that it might be bad. But it ended up blowing me away like I never expected. This is a directorial debut for Ari Aster and what an awesome start to a career!  I read some articles saying Toni Collette should win an Oscar for her role and I 100% agree with that and the rest of the cast also do a superb job. (There should be a category for ensemble casts.) I’m still yet to rewatch it but thinking back on it, I really want to watch again, like right now!

And Finally The Number 1 Movie of 2018…

 Widows

It’s Widows, it was always going to be Widows. If anyone read my post for that review you should have guessed it would be my number one. I feel all alone on this one since the lists I have seen don’t even mention this film or put it as an honourable mention. I’ll rephrase what I said there as it’s an excellent drama building up to this really awesome heist. Steve McQueen does an amazing job at developing these very interesting characters and turning a short mini series into a just over 2 hour film. It’s my favourite movie of the year because for one it has an awesome trailer and from start to end I was always into it, never a dull moment and full on fantastic performances. This movie should get more praise and definitely should get nominated for something at the Oscars. (Probably won’t because it’s not popular enough.)

That’s it folks, my ten best movies of 2018. Wow, I feel so positive right now but I’m just realising that I’ve got another list to do and it will not be as positive. Expect that to come out tomorrow and I have been the Blog Complainer, signing out. Have a good night everybody.