Another year has bit the dust and so it's time for my annual awards for the best in film. 2018 was a strange year in that it only delivered two five-star film in my ratings, but from top to bottom it was a strong year. Very few films really bombed for me (The Mule being the big one) and I even found many films to be unfairly maligned. The year before delivered seven five-star films. However things quickly fell off after those seven films so it was nice to have a good balance of solid films throughout the year.
Lead Actress was the toughest category like usual. I had originally made this post with Glenn Close making it in for The Wife, but couldn't hit submit without including Lady Gaga for her role as Ally in A Star is Born. Gaga replaced Close at the last second, but Close is likely winning the Oscar for her great turn and it will be well earned. Elsie Fisher, Melissa McCarthy and Helena Howard were also very close to making the list. I had already claimed Toni Collette as my favorite working actress prior to this year, but her career-best turn in Hereditary even blew away my expectations. The dinner scene should be shown in acting classes for years to come.
Unlike the Oscars my Lead Actor category is full of performances from the younger crowd. Strange to think of Ryan Gosling as the third oldest nominee in a category. Bradley Cooper's growling rock star and Ethan Hawke's idealistic minister both put up a strong fight, but Charlie Plummer's performance as a young man dealing with loss was my choice for the best of the year. Lucas Hedges earned his third straight nomination but his first in lead for his turn in Boy Erased.
Timmy Chalamet wins his second acting award in as many years. Last year he won my Best Actor award for his all-time great performance in Call Me By Your Name and followed it up this year with his fantastic supporting turn as a young man dealing with addiction in Beautiful Boy. I have a feeling at age 23 this won't be the last acting award that I give to him. He's quickly proving to be one of cinema's best talents.
Supporting Actress went to Emma Stone for her turn as the class climbing Abigail in The Favourite. I had trouble deciding if she was lead or supporting (along with Weisz and Colman from the same film and Erivo as well.) Ultimately went along with where the studio campaigned her which was supporting to Olivia Colman's Queen Anne. This is Stone's first win after four nominations.
Best Director was another hard category this year as I found many strong choices without a clear cut set of nominees. Paul Schrader, Barry Jenkins, Yorgos Lanthimos and Lee Chang-dong were all strong choices that I had to leave just on the outside. Ultimately I went with Spike Lee for BlackkKlansman.
Original Screenplay was the single greatest challenge in deciding between The Favourite, First Reformed and Eighth Grade. Adapted was much easier as BlackkKlansman was the winner for me there with Can You Ever Forgive Me? a close second.
Anyway enough of my rambling, here are my awards for the best films of 2018. Winners are in BOLD and are also listed at the end.
Thanks for reading and I hope this list might inspire you to see a film or two that you may have avoided otherwise.
Best Picture
BlackkKlansman
Burning
Eighth Grade
The Favourite
Hereditary
Minding the Gap
Best Actress
Toni Collette, Hereditary
Olivia Colman, The Favourite
Lady Gaga, A Star Is Born
Regina Hall, Support the Girls
Carey Mulligan, Wildlife
Charlize Theron, Tully
Best Actor
Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born
Ryan Gosling, First Man
Ethan Hawke, First Reformed
Lucas Hedges, Boy Erased
Charlie Plummer, Lean on Pete
Nick Robinson, Love, Simon
Best Supporting Actress
Cynthia Erivo, Bad Times at the El Royale
Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
Blake Lively, A Simple Favor
Rachel McAdams, Disobedience
Emma Stone, The Favourite
Rachel Weisz, The Favourite
Best Supporting Actor
Timothée Chalamet, Beautiful Boy
Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Brian Tyree Henry, If Beale Street Could Talk
Na-kel Smith, Mid90s
Alex Wolff, Hereditary
Steven Yeun, Burning
Best Director
Ari Aster, Hereditary
Bo Burnham, Eighth Grade
Josephine Decker, Madeline's Madeline
Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk
Spike Lee, BlackkKlansman
Chloé Zhao, The Rider
Best Score
Black Panther
First Man
If Beale Street Could Talk
Isle of Dogs
Madeline's Madeline
Suspiria
Best Original Screenplay
Eighth Grade
The Favourite
First Reformed
Hereditary
Sorry To Bother You
Tully
Best Adapted Screenplay
BlackkKlansman
Burning
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
If Beale Street Could Talk
The Tale
Widows
Best Editing
The Favourite
If Beale Street Could Talk
Minding The Gap
The Other Side of the Wind
Roma
Suspiria
Best Cinematography
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
If Beale Street Could Talk
Madeline's Madeline
Minding the Gap
The Rider
Roma
Production Design
Black Panther
The Favourite
If Beale Street Could Talk
Paddington 2
Roma
Suspiria
Best Original Song
"Alfie's Song (Not So Typical Love Song)" (Bleachers)
from
Love, Simon
"All The Stars" (Kendrick Lamar & Sza)
from Black Panther
"Always Remember Us This Way" (Lady Gaga)
from A Star is Born
"Revelation" (Troye Sivan & Jonsi)
from Boy Erased
"Shallow" (Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper)
from A Star is Born
"Suspirium" (Thom Yorke)
from Suspiria
List of Winners:
Best Picture: Hereditary
Best Director: Spike Lee, BlackkKlansman
Best Actress: Toni Collette, Hereditary
Best Actor: Charlie Plummer, Lean on Pete
Best Supporting Actress: Emma Stone, The Favourite
Best Supporting Actor: Timothée Chalamet, Beautiful Boy
Best Original Screenplay: The Favourite
Best Adapted Screenplay: BlackkKlansman
Best Editing: The Other Side of the Wind
Best Cinematography: If Beale Street Could Talk
Best Production Design: If Beale Street Could Talk
Best Score: If Beale Street Could Talk
Best Original Song: "Always Remember Us This Way" from A Star is Born
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