This is my list of five favourite films of 2018, and most of those below I also consider to be the best films of 2018. Please note that I have not yet seen Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma”, Nadine Labaki’s “Capernaum” or Peter Farrelly’s “Green Book”. There is a big chance I would have equally enjoyed either or all of them.
Author: Spotlight on Film
Providing in-depth reviews of films since 2011.
“The Wife” Review
The Wife [2018] – ★★★★ There is a saying that behind every successful man there is a woman, and The Wife exemplifies this saying like no other film. More often than not, society concerns itself with appearances, and people often only see what the façade presents – be it in relation to a relationship or…
“The Little Stranger” Review
The Little Stranger [2018] – ★★★ In this story, adapted from Sarah Waters’s novel of the same name, Dr Faraday (Domhnall Gleeson) tries to reacquaint himself with one stately house (Hundreds Hall) he used to admire in his childhood. This is the house belonging to the Ayres family who now find themselves in a pitiful…
Winter Animations: The Snow Maiden, The Twelve Months, & The Snow Queen
Below are three classic Russian-language animations from the Soyuzmultfilm Studio.
10 Films You May Not Know Were Based on a Book (Part II)
This film by Paul Thomas Anderson could really be considered a cinematic masterpiece, with a great performance by Daniel Day-Lewis…However, few probably know that the film is loosely based on book Oil! by Upton Sinclair.
The Greatest Film I’ve Never Seen Blogathon: Pickpocket (1959)
Debbie at Moon in Gemini is hosting The Greatest Film I’ve Never Seen Blogathon, which is a fabulous idea since it is an opportunity for everyone to discover or re-discover classic and “must-see” films, or even find hidden gems. I have chosen to write on Robert Bresson’s Pickpocket because it is considered one of the greatest…
The 4th Wonderful Grace Kelly Blogathon: Dial M for Murder (1954)
Virginie at The Wonderful World of Cinema and Emily at The Flapper Dame are hosting The 4th Wonderful Grace Kelly Blogathon to honour Grace Kelly, the icon of beauty and elegance. She was an outstanding actress, who worked most notably with Alfred Hitchcock (see Rear Window (1954) and To Catch a Thief (1955)). In Dial…
“The Babadook” Review
📖 A well-made horror film with oppressive atmosphere that also explores deeper, thought-provoking themes of coming to terms with trauma and overcoming grief.
“In Fabric” Review
In Fabric [2018] – ★★★ 👗 A critique of consumerism and employment culture invades a ghost story, and with the 1970s aesthetics, and enough eccentricities and humour, culminates in a very unusual viewing experience. Peter Strickland is known for such unusual and, in some way, “brave” films as Berberian Sound Studio (2012) and The Duke of…
The “October Birthdayz” Blogathon: Repulsion (1965)
It is that time of the year again when everyone is writing about exciting spooky stuff, and to accomplish two objectives with one action, I am contributing to the “October Birthdayz” blogathon hosted by Nuwan at No Nonsense with Nuwan Sen to celebrate the birthday of his sister. The theme is famous people who were born…
New York: 10 Films Illustrating the City
Chris Columbus’s entertainment-feast Home Alone II leads my list as it provides a great itinerary for a first-time visit to New York.
“The Third Murder” Review
A strangely compelling murder-mystery, which, together with a peculiar Japanese understatement and an insight into the Japanese criminal justice, delightfully subverts expectations.
“Burning” Review
Burning [2018] – ★★★ “You don’t have to convince yourself that a mandarin orange exists, you have to forget that it does not exist.” (Haemi, explaining the art of pantomime in Burning). In Chang-dong Lee’s film Burning, Jongsoo (Ah-In Yoo) is a country lad who rekindles friendship and begins a romance with Haemi (Jong-seo Jeon),…
“Three Identical Strangers” Review
Three Identical Strangers (2018) Tim Wardle’s Three Identical Strangers is a documentary about an incredible true story of three identical brothers (David, Eddie and Robert) who were separated shortly after birth and who then get to know each other for the first time at the age of 19 through one incredible reunion. However,…
“The Children Act” Review
The Children Act [2018] – ★★★1/2 “It was a logical extension of his fantasy of a long sea voyage with her, of their talking all day as they paced the rolling deck. Logical and insane. And innocent. The silence wound itself around them and bound them” (Ian McEwan, The Children Act). The Children Act is…
Classic French Animations: Fantastic Planet, and The King & The Mockingbird
Fantastic Planet (La Planete Sauvage) [1973] – ★★★★1/2 Once in awhile comes one animation which is so powerful in its message and so unusual in its presentation, it becomes quite unforgettable. Fantastic Planet is precisely such adult-themed animation, co-produced between France and Czechoslovakia. A winner of the Cannes Special Prize in 1973, this French-language animation has…
Jean Renoir: “La Règle du Jeu” (1939) & “La Grande Illusion” (1937)
La Grande Illusion is, undoubtedly, one of the greatest anti-war films of all times.
10 Films You May Not Know Were Based on a Book (Part I)
I. The Prestige (2006) The secrets to magicians’ tricks are often mundane – it is the way those tricks are performed which makes all the difference. Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige is a complex, clever film about two magicians competing against each other in the 19th century, but the film is actually based on a…
“L’ Amant Double” Review
L’Amant Double (Double Lover) [2017] – ★★★1/2 François Ozon (Frantz (2016), In the House (2013)) is a French director who is uninhibited when it comes to portraying sexuality/erotica on screen and was exploring it freely in his previous films Jeune et Jolie (2013) and Swimming Pool (2003). His latest psychological thriller L’Amant Double is another…
“Hereditary” Review
Hereditary [2018] – ★★★★ 🏠 Ari Aster treats his horror like an epic masterpiece, paying close attention to story, setting, acting, pacing, look and small symbolic details, & the reward is, finally, a quality horror we have all been waiting for. Ari Aster’s debut feature horror film has caused quite a stir so far. With such…
Spotlight on Film 