The Michigan Movie Guy's Top 25 Best Films of 2018

2018 was my best year at the movie theater in my 17 young years of life. I saw a record 133 movies at the movie theater, a record I hope & plan to beat this year. There were some good films, & there were some bad films. But I am here to talk about the best of the best: the top 25 best films of 2018. Note that one film will not have a link to a review, as I did not see that film in theaters. We will start with...

25. Annihilation

Visually stunning & haunting, this sci-fi horror is thought-provoking, well-acted, & terrifically directed. My review is here.

24. Ben Is Back

Powerful & realistic, this look into the opioid crisis in America benefits from a terrific cast, especially Julia Roberts & Lucas Hedges. My review is here.

23. The Old Man & the Gun

Funny & charming, this film based on a wild true story is a perfect swan song to one of the greatest actors of all time: Robert Redford. My review is here.

22. A Quiet Place

This film makes the most of its minimal dialogue to create a truly immersive horror film & one of the best horror films of the past few years. My review is here.

21. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Innovative & stylish, this animated film is the best superhero film of 2018, & the best animated film of 2018. My review is here.

20. Mission: Impossible - Fallout

This sixth installment in the franchise brings it to new heights, in storytelling, filmmaking, &, of course, stunts. My review is here.

19. BlacKkKlansman

Bitingly satirical & all-too timely, this Spike Lee joint is one of his best joints in years, showing that he does have a lot of gas left in his tank. My review is here.

18. Blindspotting

Wildly funny, eye-opening, & wholly original, this dramedy is a love letter to Oakland, a commentary on police brutality & race relations, & a story of friendship all at once. My review is here.

17. Leave No Trace

A heart-achingly intimate & beautiful depiction of an unorthodox father-daughter relationship powered by two terrific performances. My review is here.

16. Love, Simon

A hilarious & heartwarming coming-of-age film that finally gives LGBTQ+ youth what they've wanted to see on screen for years. My review is here.

15. Hereditary

One of the best horror films in recent memory, this film pulls no punches in terms of scare power & also far separates itself from the rest of the horror pack. My review is here.

14. First Reformed

A dark & disturbing film, this look into a crisis of faith is powered by Ethan Hawke's greatest performance & the return to form of one of our most underrated directors, Paul Schrader. My review is here.

13. Private Life

Terrifically funny & tenderly heartwarming, this look into the troubles of becoming parents is buoyed by great performances & a wonderful screenplay.

12. Wildlife

This 1960s-set domestic drama is buoyed by terrific performances & a wonderful directorial debut from Paul Dano. My review is here.

11. Can You Ever Forgive Me?

This shocking true-life story is brought to life through career-best work from Melissa McCarthy & Richard E. Grant & a wildly funny script.

10. If Beale Street Could Talk

A tender yet heartbreaking piece that is also very timely, this is another masterwork from Barry Jenkins, one of our best directors of the age. My review is here.

9. Game Night

One of the greatest dark comedies of the decade, this terrific film shows us what mainstream dark comedies once were & what they could be again. My review is here.

8. Roma

A gorgeously intimate film, this is Alfonso Cuarón at his most personal & most artistic, & it is one of the best foreign language films I've ever seen. My review is here.

7. A Star Is Born

With great performances, a terrific directorial debut from Bradley Cooper, & excellent writing, this is the rare remake of a remake of a remake that truly works. My review is here.

6. The Favourite

A delightfully whimsical period piece that is terrifically acted, beautifully crafted, & just brilliantly written. My review is here.

5. Widows

With a cast that includes one of the best villainous performances in this decade, & direction that knows how to balance style & substance, this is the best heist film I've ever seen. My review is here.

4. First Man

An intimate & unorthodox biopic, this film takes us into the life of Neil Armstrong, which is beautifully depicted through the performances, filmmaking & writing. My review is here.

3. Vice

A bitingly funny look into the most powerful Vice President in American history, this brilliant dark comedy shows us how evil Dick Cheney truly was. My review is here.

2. You Were Never Really Here

One of the greatest filmmaking achievements of this century, this crime thriller is a no-holds-barred nightmare of tension & trauma, further brought to life by Joaquin Phoenix's greatest performance. My review is here.

1. Eighth Grade

Wildly hilarious, tenderly heartwarming, & jaw-droppingly realistic, this look into the most cringeworthy year of our lives is the most realistic depiction of it that I've ever seen, & it is further brought to life by the best performance of the year in Elsie Fisher, a terrific directorial debut from Bo Burnham, & a truly phenomenal screenplay from Bo Burnham.

Well, that's my list for the best films of 2018. It was a terrific year for film, & I definitely hope 2019 is just as good of a year for film.

High Life

★★★★★ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

Space has both bewildered me & terrified me since I was a kid. It bewildered me because of all the fascinating things out there that we've discovered & the things that we've yet to discover. But it terrifies me because of how dark & desolate it is.

High Life perfectly captures this scintillating paradox. The film follows Monte (played by Robert Pattinson), a prisoner serving a life sentence for the childhood murder of his friend. Monte, along with Tcherny (played by André Benjamin), Boyse (played by Mia Goth), Mink (played by Claire Tran), Ettore (played by Ewan Mitchell), & Elektra (played by Gloria Obianyo), have been selected to participate in an alternative energy finding mission in space near a black hole with the promise that they will be released from custody once they return. The mission is headed by Dr. Dibs (played by Juliette Binoche), who uses the prisoners as guinea pigs, as she is obsessed with the idea of creating a child through artificial insemination. Also on the ship are the pilot, Nansen (played by Agata Buzek), & the captain, Chandra (played by Lars Eidinger). Sexual activity is prohibited on the ship, but the crew uses a device known as The Box for self-pleasure. Monte is the only celibate person on the ship. For the most part, he keeps to himself, except with Tcherny, who he considers his only friend on the ship.

As the ship nears the black hole, the ship descends into chaos, as death & carnage become commonplace. But Monte will be most affected, as he will sire a daughter, Willow (played as a newborn by Joni Brauer & Johann Barwitz, as an infant by Scarlett Lindsey, & as a teenager by Jessie Ross). As he comes to terms with being a father, Monte must also come to terms with the idea that he, along with the other people on the ship, will never be released from custody & will never return to Earth.

The cast is phenomenal. Robert Pattinson continues to show that he is more than Edward Cullen in Twilight (which he wasn't even that bad in), & cements himself as an actor with immense range & command. Juliette Binoche is at her best in years. André Benjamin gives a shockingly great performance. And the rest of the cast, especially Mia Goth & Jessie Ross, give great supporting performances.

Claire Denis' direction is immaculate. Denis deviates from the normal high-budget sci-fi approach we've been accustomed to, going for a more intimate yet dark & disturbing approach, & it works perfectly here.

The screenplay by Claire Denis & Jean-Pol Fargeau is brilliant. The plot is terrific, tackling so many complex themes, such as sexuality, the death penalty, & space exploration. The characters are intricately detailed, & the dialogue is perfectly calculated.

Yorick Le Saux's cinematography is superb. Shot in a compact 1.66:1 aspect ratio, the framing makes the audience feel claustrophobic & more unnerved by the events that unfold.

And the score by Stuart A. Staples is astonishing. Populated by synths & discordant sounds, Staples' score gives us a feeling of uneasiness that works well with the film.

This is one of the best films of the year so far. It's a visually stunning, disturbing, & excellently-made sci-fi horror film.

High Life was seen by me at the Landmark Main Art Theatre in Royal Oak, MI on Saturday, April 20, 2018. It is currently in 2 theaters in the Detroit area: the Landmark Main Art Theatre in Royal Oak, MI; & the State Theatre in Ann Arbor, MI. Its runtime is 113 minutes, & it is rated R for disturbing sexual & violent content including sexual assault, graphic nudity, & for language.

The Curse of La Llorona

½★ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

Ah, horror. The genre I consider to be that broken clock that's right twice a day. These horror films are a dime-a-dozen, but the vast majority of them are mediocre at best, & downright awful at worst. Every so often, there are some horror films that are truly great, but those sadly seem to be the exception & not the rule.

The Curse of La Llorona is an absolutely horrendous film. Set in 1973 Los Angeles, the film follows Anna Tate-Garcia (played by Linda Cardellini), a widowed social worker & mother to Chris played by Roman Christou) & Samantha (played by Jaynee-Lynne Kinchen). Anna has been recently enveloped in the disappearance of Tomas (played by Aiden Lewandowski) & Carlos (played by Oliver Alexander) Alvarez, the two sons of Patricia Alvarez (played by Patricia Velásquez), who has been visited often by Anna due to concerns over the boys' welfare. Anna arrives at the Alvarez residence & is told by Patricia to not open the door the boys are in; however, Anna does this, & she takes the children to a child services shelter.

While at the shelter, Tomas & Carlos see a woman in a white dress: La Llorona (played by Marisol Ramirez). La Llorona (The Weeping Woman) is a woman from Mexican folklore who was locally renowned for her beauty & had 2 young boys. However, she drowned both of them in the river, but regretted it soon after, cried, & killed herself soon after. They say she still cries to this day, looking for children to take & replace her children. Anna's involvement in the case is blamed by Patricia for causing La Llorona to come for her children, & now La Llorona will soon be searching for the Garcia family; however, Anna doesn't think much of it.

Eventually, La Llorona does come for the Garcia family. They go to a local church for help, but Father Perez (played by Tony Amendola) tells them that it will take a long time for the church to get involved. He sends them in the direction of Rafael Olvera (played by Raymond Cruz), a former priest, to help them defeat La Llorona. But their quest to get rid of her once & for all will prove to be tough.

The cast is awful. Linda Cardellini is completely wasted here, & after this & Green Book, I think she needs a new agent. Raymond Cruz is also wasted here, which is disheartening considering how great he was as Tuco Salamanca on Breaking Bad. And Patricia Velásquez is completely one-dimensional in her performance.

Michael Chaves' direction is terrible. Chaves relies way too much on poorly-executed jump scares instead of trying to build tension & terror, & ends up making the scares come across as unintentionally funny.

And the screenplay by Mikki Daughtry & Tobias Iaconis is disastrous. The plot has no nuance to it, the characters are flatter than pancakes, & the dialogue is poorly written.

This is one of the worst horror films I've ever seen. It has nothing even minutely scary in it, is incompetently made, & is unintentionally funny, but not in a good way.

The Curse of La Llorona was seen by me at the MJR Marketplace Digital Cinema 20 in Sterling Heights, MI on Thursday, April 18, 2019. It is in theaters everywhere. Its runtime is 93 minutes, & it is rated R for violence & terror.

Amazing Grace

★★★★★ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

Aretha Franklin was truly one of the greatest singers of all time, & she definitely earned her title of "The Queen of Soul." With 38 studio albums, 8 live albums, 1 soundtrack album, & hundreds of hit singles such as Respect, Chain of Fools, You Make Me Feel (Like a Natural Woman), I Say a Little Prayer, & Think, Franklin became the most charted female artist in history, leaving an indelible legacy.

Amazing Grace is a soul-shattering documentary of the recording of one of her finest albums. The film follows Aretha Franklin as she arrives to the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles in 1972 to record her upcoming live gospel album, Amazing Grace. Franklin has assembled her usual crew for the album: Cornell Dupree on guitar, Pancho Morales on congas & percussion, Bernard Purdie on drums, & Chuck Rainey on bass, along with Arif Mardin & Jerry Wexler producing. Also, Franklin will be accompanied by Rev. James Cleveland & the Southern California Community Choir.

The church is packed with people in the audience, & they are welcomed to participate in the recording with words of praise. As the recording commences, the music is awe-inspiring. Little does the audience know how successful this album will be, as it will become Franklin's best-selling album & the best-selling live gospel album of all time.

The direction by Sydney Pollack & Alan Elliott is astounding. Pollack, who sadly never got to see the release of the film, as he passed in 2008, perfectly visualizes the soul-shaking music & the love & effort put into it. However, Pollack did not use a clapperboard to sync the picture & sound together, which caused the film to be left in the vaults for 38 years. Elliott came in to finish the job & put it all together. His realization is the cherry on top of this film, for we would not be seeing this film without his restoration work.

This is a truly awe-inspiring documentary. It is a true crowd-pleaser, as it makes you want to get up & sing with The Queen of Soul herself.

Amazing Grace was seen by me at the AMC Star John R 15 in Madison Heights, MI on Thursday, April 18, 2019. It is currently in 6 theaters in the Detroit area, including the Landmark Main Art Theatre in Royal Oak, MI; The Maple Theater in Bloomfield Township, MI; & the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor, MI. Its runtime is 89 minutes, & it is rated G.

Missing Link

★★★★½ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

Stop-motion animation is such a wonderful style of animation. The work that goes into it is so intricate & wondrous. Unfortunately, people do not go to see films like these, as they are more interested in the CGI-animated films that are commonplace these days.

Missing Link, while just short of perfect, is a great work of stop-motion animation. The film follows Sir Lionel Frost (voiced by Hugh Jackman), an explorer of mythical creatures. Despite his best efforts, Frost has consistently failed at trying to discover these creatures, & his assistant Lemuel Lint (voiced by David Walliams) has recently resigned. However, he remains determined to discover mythical creatures & join a society of great explorers led by Lord Piggot-Dunceby (voiced by Stephen Fry).

One day, Frost receives a letter telling of a sighting of a Sasquatch in the Pacific Northwest. Believing that this is true, Frost makes a deal with Piggot-Dunceby that if he finds the Sasquatch, he will be accepted into the society, to which Piggot-Dunceby begrudgingly agrees. However, Piggot-Dunceby does not want Frost in the society, nor does his right-hand man Mr. Collick (voiced by Matt Lucas), so he hires bounty hunter Willard Stenk (voiced by Timothy Olyphant) to stop Frost from succeeding in his attempt.

When he arrives in the Pacific Northwest, Frost discovers the Sasquatch (voiced by Zach Galifianakis), whom Frost names Mr. Link (& eventually Susan). Susan tells Frost that he wrote the letter, & wants Frost to help him find his Yeti relatives in the Himalayas, led by the Yeti Elder (voiced by Emma Thompson). Frost agrees to help Susan find his relatives.

Meanwhile, Adelina Fortnight (voiced by Zoë Saldana), Frost's ex-girlfriend, has a map to the Himalayas that her late husband had. Frost & Susan break into her house to find it, & although they get it, Fortnight catches onto them the next day. However, she allows them to use the map as long as she joins them. Together, they will make their way to the Himalayas, where mountain guide Ama Lahuma (voiced by Amrita Acharia) will help them get to the Yetis. But Stenk is right on their tail, & this will be a complicated journey for all of them.

The voice cast is excellent. Hugh Jackman shows off his great comedic timing. Zach Galifianakis is at his funniest in years. And the rest of the cast, especially Timothy Olyphant, give great performances in their supporting voice roles.

Chris Butler's direction is great. Although a couple moments have issues maintaining interest, Butler is able to overcome that with a colorful animated style & a warm tone throughout.

Chris Butler's screenplay is amazing. The plot is intriguing, the characters are well-developed, & the dialogue is consistently funny.

And the animation is terrific. The work that was put in to making this film is so evident here, as the attention to detail is awe-inspiring.

This is a very good stop-motion film. Although there are a couple small issues, they're definitely overcome by the voice cast, writing & animation.

Missing Link was seen by me at the MJR Marketplace Digital Cinema 20 in Sterling Heights, MI on Saturday, April 13, 2019. It is in theaters everywhere. Its runtime is 94 minutes, & it is rated PG for action/peril & some mild rude humor.

Pet Sematary

★★½ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

Remakes & reboots have become a bit too common these days. Although some of them are very good or even great, most of them aren't good, & I lament the lack of originality in cinema in this day & age.

Pet Sematary had the potential to be good, but it ultimately settles for mediocre. Based on the 1983 novel Pet Sematary by Stephen King, the film follows Louis Creed (played by Jason Clarke), a doctor from Boston. He, along with his wife Rachel (played by Amy Seimetz), daughter Ellie (played by Jeté Laurence), son Gage (played by Hugo Lavoie & Lucas Lavoie), & cat Church, have moved to the small town of Ludlow, Maine. Just before they arrive at their new house, they notice a group of children wearing animal masks taking a dead dog to the cemetery in the woods, known as the "pet sematary." Their neighbor, Jud Crandall (played by John Lithgow), warns the family not to go into the woods alone, as they are filled with danger.

One day, at the university hospital, Louis encounters Victor Pascow (played by Obssa Ahmed), a student who was injured after being hit by a car. Despite his best efforts, Louis is unable to save Victor. The next night, Louis has a dream where Victor takes him to the back of the cemetery & warms him not to go further. Although Louis wakes up from the dream, he notices some things that show that it may have been more than a dream.

On Halloween, Church is hit & killed by a truck. Louis & Jud go out after dark to bury him, but Jud takes him further into the cemetery into an ancient burial ground. The next day, Church returns, but he is much more aggressive. Louis, wondering what has happened, is told by Jud that the ancient burial ground is inhabited by a spirit named Wendigo & is able to bring things back from the dead. But as the days go by & a horrific event occurs in the Creed family, they all begin to realize that sometimes dead is better.

The cast is amazing. Jason Clarke further shows his ability to show immense command in a lead role. John Lithgow is the standout of the supporting cast. And the rest of the cast give great performances in their supporting roles.

The direction by Kevin Kölsch & Dennis Widmyer is great. Although they can't stop the film from going off the rails in the third act, they do show a great ability for maintaining a dark tone & atmosphere.

And the screenplay by Jeff Buhler & Matt Greenberg is bad. The changes from the book to the film don't work out that well, & as the film goes on, the plot falls apart.

This is a prime example of a lackluster film. It had so much potential, but unfortunately, it didn't deliver on that potential, showing us that sometimes not remaking something is better.

Pet Sematary was seen by me at the MJR Marketplace Digital Cinema 20 in Sterling Heights, MI on Friday, April 5, 2019. It is in theaters everywhere. Its runtime is 101 minutes, & it is rated R for horror violence, bloody images, & some language.

The Mustang

★★★★ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

Redemption is a long, rough road. It may take less time for some, but it will always take a long time to redeem yourself. But once you do find redemption, you will feel at least close to normal again. However, some of us never reach that destination.

The Mustang, while a bit too familiar at times, is a powerfully-acted tale of redemption. The film follows Roman Coleman (played by Matthias Schoenaerts), a convict in the Nevada State Penitentiary. He has been in prison for 12 years for assault, & knowing full well that he has a violent temper & is prone to bursts of rage, does not want to be put back into society, despite the best efforts of the prison psychologist (played by Connie Britton). Roman's daughter Martha (played by Gideon Adlon), who is pregnant, has become ambivalent towards her father, & is not interested in mending their relationship.

While doing maintenance outside, Roman is met by Myles (played by Bruce Dern), a rancher. Myles places Roman in a rehabilitation program where he is to work with a mustang. These mustangs are trained for 5 weeks before they are sold at an auction. Roman struggles with training his horse, becoming violent towards it at times, but with the help of Henry (played by Jason Mitchell), an inmate who is also very experienced in horse training, Roman develops a companionship with the horse, who he names Marcus.

As Roman further develops his companionship with Marcus & forms a friendship with Henry, he tries to rediscover himself in the process. But the guilt of his crime may keep him imprisoned both literally & figuratively.

The cast is excellent. Matthias Schoenaerts is a force to be reckoned with. His acting prowess definitely shows in his loud, emotional moments, but it shows even more in quiet moments. Jason Mitchell, Bruce Dern & Gideon Adlon are terrific in their supporting roles. But Schoenaerts runs away with the film.

Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre's direction is amazing. de Clermont-Tonnerre goes for a very subdued approach to a prison drama, & it works very well, distinguishing it from other prison dramas that go for a more gritty approach.

And the screenplay by Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, Mona Fastvold & Brock Norman Brock is great. Although the plot is a bit too formulaic, the characters feel very human & the dialogue is very realistic.

This is a very good drama. Although the screenplay could've been better, its strong performances & subdued direction propels it to the finish line.

The Mustang was seen by me at The Maple Theater in Bloomfield Township, MI on Tuesday, April 2, 2019. It is currently in 6 theaters in the Detroit area, including the AMC Forum 30 in Sterling Heights, MI; The Maple Theater in Bloomfield Township, MI; the State Theatre in Ann Arbor, MI; & the Rave Flint West 14 in Flint, MI. Its runtime is 96 minutes, & it is rated R for language, some violence & drug content.