Walter's Top Ten for 2018

So, having once again missed the deadline of beating the Oscar nominations (because of rushing to get a few last films in), I now offer my top ten for the year. I remind readers that this list refers to their value to me and are not meant to highlight the best crafted films of the year.

I suspect that I have seen fewer films this year than any of the last ten - a fact not unrelated to the number of reviews that I posted in 2018 (0). Clearly my life is too busy with less important matters. So, many good candidates remain unwatched including: Can you ever forgive me?,The Silent Revolution, A Private War, Boy Erased, and Capernaum.

Nevertheless, I still found enough to have a list that I feel ok about, as well as the usual honourable mentions and disappointments.The honourable mentions are Leave No Trace, Indian Horse, First Reformed and the Guernsey Literary etc. That's a wide diversity of fine films that didn't quite make the list.

Before the top ten, here is my "spilled coffee list" (having totally blown the chance to warrant the salute of a raised mug of coffee). First of all: Sicario: Day of the Soldado - this was the one I expected to disappoint, and it did. Such a step down from the first. Then Crazy, Rich Asians. Really? Critics: what the heck? How did this warrant any more attention than the average rom-com? So ordinary. And the disgusting display of outrageous wealth without the slightest awareness that this is problematic. Sigh. Finally, Annihilation. Yes, my hopes shouldn't have been raised when this is not my genre. But it was sci-fi horror with nothing extra to make it worthwhile (Sorry, Vic, I just don't see it).

Here's the top ten:

(10) Roma & Cold War - OK, here's the thing. These are two very well made films, but neither fulfilled my hopes. The b & w cinematography is gorgeous in each (I significantly preferred Cold War on a purely aesthetic basis.) They both succeeded in creating an amazing sense of mood that felt exotic and powerful. In spite of the excitement about Roma, I thought I was going to like Cold War better because it was so beautifully done, and I sensed it had a stronger narrative. It may have, but the narrative was pathetic. Vic referred to it as a passionate love story, but I would prefer "pathological" love story. Roma just didn't give enough story period, and though it had the potential to "mean" something anyway, I didn't find it succeeded in a meaning that I cared about. If I felt it succeeded in telling Cleo's story, I would have put it high on my list (because several scenes were truly amazing). But it didn't succeed. It felt like Cuarón's imaginings and glorifications from the boy's perspective, which didn't quite honour the real Cleo. So I'll just leave both these films parked here at the tail of my list.

9. Juliet, Naked – The best rom-com of the year (though that’s not a perfect description or genre). It’s a clever film well worth a light evening of entertainment.

8. The Insult – Strikingly less light - this story, as good films often do, deepens the complexity around a common conflict, taking us through many layers and a variety of emotions toward each "side." It asks good questions about the use of emotional manipulation. (2017 film but not released in Canada until 2018)

7. Puzzle – The acting makes this interesting little film work. A repressed housewife discovers her superpower and it slowly draws her into a larger world in which she has more of a voice. 

6. The Children Act – Few could have made this such a great film as Emma Thompson does. She makes us feel her world and her dilemma, even as she struggles with feeling anything. It’s a window into how professional wisdom and personal brokenness get credibly tangled up. 

5. Isle of Dogs – I haven’t always been a fan of Wes Anderson, though increasingly his films have been catching the outskirts of my attention. This is one of the best. More than ever, there seemed to be a point to it (the lack of which has been a problem for me in many of his other films). It felt like a finally "got" some of the things that he was up to creatively.

4. The Guilty – Reminding me of a favourite from a few years back (Locke), this Danish thriller is another great example of how you can tell a deeply engaging story from a very constrained perspective; this one takes place entirely within an office receiving emergency calls. The way the ending is handled (as Vic already noted) takes it from good to great. 

3. Tully – A creative film that succeeded in its unique approach. See it without asking too many questions. There was more clever writing to lighten things up than I expected and lots of beautiful and inspiring reality about care and self-care.

2. The Rider – This is a film that I enjoyed on viewing, but my appreciation grew even more as I thought about it. Reading about how the film came to be deepened that even more. The Rider centres on an Indigenous family and deals well with that reality without drawing any unnecessary attention to it. It celebrates human diversity in a context where you don’t expect it. Some scenes were amazing.

1. Green Book – Take two interesting characters that make an odd couple, based on a true story. Throw in a lot of good piano music, some great laughs and a few surprises. Add some social and historical insights that you see from a new perspective. And you've got a great movie that underlines how deeply important it is for us to build relationships across divides.