2018 Films

MOVIES OF 2018 -

Reour du heros / Return of the Hero - Mélanie Laurent, Noémie Merlant, Christophe Montenez, Jean Dujardin, Christian Bujeau and Evelyne Buyle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every year the choice has less meaning because the frame of reference expands. When I started everyone in the English speaking world saw the same movies and the critics just shuffled them. This year a lot of the material on peoples' lists I haven't caught because I spend most of my time in Australia. 'Frinstance I managed to see four of the twenty five The New York Times' A.O. Scott nominated, five of Figaro's ten best and did a bit better with Sight & Sound - 15 of 25. A few will belatedly catch up with me here but even people with better access are not going to be able to do justice to the deluge of material, as streaming joins theatrical, free to air, institutional and physical media like DVDs, pushing previous boundaries. As well as access the old factors do still kick in - time, money, apathy - and sub titles.

I singled out this lot because they impressed me when I saw them for the first time in the calendar year.
 

1987: When the Day Comes  dir. Joon-Hwan Jang    

1987: When the Day Comes Joon-hwan Jang. South Koreans taking to the streets, Watu Wote / All of us Katja Benrath Oscar contender short - bus passengers hide a woman from jihadists, The Post Steven Spielberg and the First Amendment, The Sisters Brothers Jacques Audiard makes Joachim Phoenix and John C. Reilly ride the Spanish range. Coco Lee Unkrich animates The Day of the Dead.  El peso de la ley / The Heavy Hand of the Law Fernán Mirás Argentinean account of rough justice with Dario Grandinetti. Climax Gaspar Noé balletic excess, Isle of Dogs animated Wes Anderson. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Martin McDonagh with Frances McDormand. Ready Player One Spielberg deep in pop mania. Les gardiennes Xavier Beauvois - During WW1 it's Jean-François Millet land girls.  Sweet Country Warwick Thornton on form. Last Flag Flying Richard Linklater's Last Detail follow up. The 15:17 to Paris Clint Eastwood makes real life macho respectable. Pour une nuit d'amour / Passionnelle Edmond T. Gréville revealed as a major player in 1947.

Captain Blood 1925 with J. Warren Kerrigan & Wilfrid North.

along with Nebraska Alexander Payne, I, Tonya Craig Gillespie, Molly's Game Aaron Sorkin, Captain Blood (1926) David Smith,  Ernest & Celestine Aubier, Patar, Renner, Roma Alfonso Cuarón,  BlacKkKlansman Spike Lee, LBJ Rob Reiner, Happy End  Michael Haneke,  Kampf ums Matterhorn / Fight for the Matterhorn Mario Bonnard (1928), Lady Bird Greta Gerwig,  Qadiat raqm 23 / L'insulte / The Insult Ziad Doueiri, The Shape of Water Guillermo del Toro, Juliet, Naked Jesse Peretz, Padmaavat Sanjay Leela Bhansali,  Retour du heros / Return of the Hero Grégoire Vigneron, Memory Lane John M. Stahl (1928), De toutes nos forces / The Finishers Nils Tavernier,  Il capitale umano / Human Capital Paolo Virzì, La Melodie / Orchestra Class Rachid Hami, Revolting Rhymes Part One Lachauer & Schuh (Short), Keisatsukan / Police / Policeman Tomu Uchida (1933), American Animals Bart Layton,  The Riot Club Lone Scherfig and at last State Fair Henry King (1933).

Isle of Dogs