best movies 2018
The scale of new releases means a conventional top ten list can't really grapple with the full landscape. You need a bigger list, one that makes room for blockbusters and smaller movies that might've fallen through the cracks. (We also have genre-specific lists for horror, action, comedy, and science-fiction if the offerings below don't quite scratch the movie itch you have.) In a hectic year, these were the movies we escaped into.
57. Den of Thieves
Released: January 19
Cast: Gerard Butler, Pablo Schreiber, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson
Director: Christian Gudegast
Why it’s great: If there's one thing you've probably heard about this often ridiculous bank robbery epic, it's that it steals shamelessly from Michael Mann's crime saga Heat. The broad plot elements are similar: There's a team of highly-efficient criminals led by a former Marine (Schreiber) and they must contend with a obsessive, possibly unhinged cop (Butler) over the movie's lengthy 140 minute runtime. What makes Den of Thieves oddly fascinating is that it feels like a bootleg t-shirt you'd buy for a band outside the venue before a show, all garish and unconcerned with matters of good taste. A screenwriter helming a feature for the first time, Gudegast is not in the same league as Mann as a filmmaker and Butler, sporting unflattering tattoos and a barrel-like gut, is hardly Al Pacino. But everyone is really going for it here, attempting to squeeze every ounce of Muscle Milk from the bottle. You might respect the hustle.
Where to see it right now: Rent on Amazon, iTunes, and YouTube (watch the trailer)
roxanne roxanne on netflix
Netflix
56. Roxanne Roxanne
Released: March 23
Cast: Chanté Adams, Mahershala Ali, Nia Long, Elvis Nolasco
Director: Michael Larnell (Cronies)
Why it’s great: The traditional musician biopic, with its rags-to-riches beginning and its fall-from-grace conclusion, is a genre that's always in need of a remix. Roxanne Roxanne, a stylish chronicle of Queensbridge rapper Roxanne Shante's rise to fame in the 1980s, isn't the most formally adventurous take on hip-hop's early days -- the "life on tour" scenes and a corny appearance from a soon-to-be-famous young rapper named Nasir feel like standard showbiz fodder -- but director Michael Larnell has an eye for period detail, an ear for needle drops, and enough patience to let his performers shine on (and off) the mic. With humor and wit, Adams keeps you invested in every aspect of Shante's journey, from her early battles with her disapproving mother (Long) to her harrowing fights with an abusive boyfriend Cross, played with tenderness and menace by Moonlight breakout Ali. Like Shante's best rhymes, it's a tale told with dazzling craft and unwavering confidence.
Where to see it right now: Stream on Netflix (watch the trailer)
braven movie
Saban Films
55. Braven
Released: February 2
Cast: Jason Momoa, Garret Dillahunt, Zahn McClarnon, Stephen Lang
Director: Lin Oeding
Why it’s great: The main character in this movie is named "Joe Braven" and he's played by Jason Momoa. That simple fact alone should convince you to watch this scrappy, low-budget action movie about a logger tasked with fighting off a heavily armed gang of drug dealers who stash some primo shit in his log cabin. If the protagonist had a less goofy name, the movie would still be effective -- the director is a former stunt coordinator and he knows how to properly stage all the gunfights, bow-and-arrow deaths, and snowmobile chases -- but the stupid grin that you get on your face every time someone says "Joe Braven" really elevates this throwback outdoors thriller. Momoa has the sturdy, low-key charisma of the best '80s action heroes, and it's a shame that the the laws of modern blockbuster-dom mean he'll likely spend more time starring in CG monster throw-downs like Justice League when he could be snapping necks in gruff B-movies like Braven. In a just world, the Braven-verse would be rapidly expanding every year.
Where to see it right now: Stream it on Amazon Prime; rent on iTunes, Amazon Video, VUDU, and YouTube (watch the trailer)
the night comes for us
Netflix
54. The Night Comes for Us
Released: October 19
Cast: Joe Taslim, Iko Uwais, Asha Kenyeri, Sunny Pang
Director: Timo Tjahjanto (Headshot)
Why it’s great: There are images in The Night Comes for Us, a wild Indonesian action thriller starring two veterans of the celebrated The Raid franchise, that resemble what a child might think an action movie would be after simply looking at lurid VHS cover art and hyper-stylized movie posters. It flirts with parody at points and gleefully crosses over into absurdity in others. Towards the end of the movie, the two main characters -- an ex-mercenary for the Triads named Ito (Taslim) and his old friend turned rival Arian (Uwais) -- basically slash at each other's flesh like Itchy and Scratchy, their bodies carrying on long past the point of what conventional medicine would deem possible. Similarly, a brawl in a butcher shop just goes on and on, like the fight choreographer version of an extended one-liner run in a Judd Apatow movie. Is it overwhelming? Yes. But the dedication to mayhem makes this essential viewing for action fans with strong stomachs.
Where to see it right now: Stream it on Netflix (watch the trailer)
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ant man and the wasp
Marvel Studios
53. Ant-Man and the Wasp
Released: July 6
Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Peña, Michael Douglas
Director: Peyton Reed (Ant-Man)
Why it’s great: The first Ant-Man was a rambunctious and clever take on the familiar Marvel origin story, introducing audiences to shrinking superhero dad Scott Lang (Rudd) and his extended family of friends and reluctant crime-fighters. The sequel is an even funnier and sillier refinement of the first chapter, ditching some of the heavier elements and going all-in on the gags. Though other entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been filled with sitcom-ish banter -- and Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok was happy to deflate its own self-important genre trappings -- this is the first one that really plays like a proper comedy. (It recalls Ghostbusters in the way it combines special effects and irreverence.) Rudd has a way of putting an absurd spin on even the most mundane lines, Peña again steals every scene he's in, and Reed approaches the pint-sized action beats with the goal of upending viewer expectations. Luckily, it's the rare blockbuster with charming human moments that doesn't feel the need to overcompensate with scenes of mass destruction or constantly apologize for its modest scale. It's content with being small.
Where to see it right now: Rent on iTunes, Amazon Video, VUDU, and YouTube (watch the trailer)
the ritual
Netflix
52. The Ritual
Released: February 9
Cast: Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier, Sam Troughton
Director: David Bruckner (V/H/S)
Why it’s great: In the increasingly digitized world, the woods are often presented as a place to escape to and the prospect of "getting lost" is seen as a chance for self-discovery. The Ritual, a horror film where a group of middle-aged men embark on a hiking trip in honor of a dead friend, understands the tension between natural beauty of the outdoors and the unsettling panic of the unknown. The group's de facto leader Luke (an understated Spall) attempts to keep the adventure from spiralling out of control, but the forest has other plans. (Maybe brush up on your Scandinavian mythology before viewing.) Like a backpacking variation on Neil Marshall's 2005 cave spelunking classic The Descent, The Ritual deftly explores inter-personal dynamics while delivering jolts of other-worldly terror. It'll have you rethinking that weekend getaway on your calendar.
Where to see it right now: Stream on Netflix (watch the trailer)
the endless
Well Go USA Entertainment
51. The Endless
Released: April 6
Cast: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead, Callie Hernandez, Tate Ellington
Director: Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (Spring)
Why it’s great: The Endless, a time-loop drama with mysterious flashes of Lovecraftian horror and confounding spurts of observational comedy, is a movie that tests and, more importantly, rewards your patience. The story follows brothers Justin and Aaron Smith -- played by the (unrelated) directors -- who grew up in a Southern California cult with connections to UFOs, but when we meet them in the movie's awkwardly paced opening stretch they've escaped, living directionless, dull lives on the outskirts of society. A video cassette the pair receives in the mail leads them back to the compound and the community they left behind, where they begin to question the group's intentions and eventually the laws of time and space. Circles pop up throughout the movie as a visual motif, centered in wide shots and tossed in the margins of the frame, and the plot itself can resemble a blob of slinkies tied together in knots. Like with Primer or Looper, theory-prone viewers will be tempted to untangle the temporal mess, but Benson and Moorhead are more concerned with creating a mood and delivering an emotional payoff than providing logical answers. Rewinding the loop only reveals so much.
Where to see it right now: Stream on Netflix; rent on iTunes, Amazon Video, VUDU, and YouTube (watch the trailer)
skate kitchen
Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
50. Skate Kitchen
Released: August 10
Cast: Rachelle Vinberg, Dede Lovelace, Nina Moran, Jaden Smith
Director: Crystal Moselle (The Wolfpack)
Why it’s great: The secret world of a group of teenage skateboarders cruising down the streets of lower Manhattan gets a careful, poignant examination in the narrative feature debut of documentary filmmaker Moselle. Long Island 18-year-old Camille (Vinberg) has a disapproving mother and a yearning to escape the rhythms of her day-to-day existence, so she joins up with an Instagram famous clique of young women posting skate trick videos, memes, and photos. Like Bo Burnham's Eighth Grade, Skate Kitchen is curious about how social media complicates IRL social dynamics, but Moselle isn't looking to condemn behavior or harshly judge her characters. That laid-back, observational approach can lead to some inert dramatic beats, especially as Camille argues with her mom and pursues a relationship with Jaden Smith's stockroom buddy Devon. Still, the camaraderie between the performers, which appears to be very real, and the skating footage makes this a hang-out movie that more than makes up for the occasional botched trick.
Where to see it right now: Rent on iTunes, Amazon Video, VUDU, and YouTube (watch the trailer)
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