The year’s best movies an eclectic mix of Marvellous entertainment
It’s been a year of musicals, mission-driven action movies and Marvellous entertainment. Sequels and comic-book inspired movies once again dominated the box office, but they were increasingly challenged by song-and-dance tales that gave large audiences ‘‘the feels’’.
After viewing around 200 features this year, including some that debuted on the increasingly influential Netflix streaming service, here are the 12 movies that left a lasting impression on me during the past 12 months.
Avengers: Infinity War
A two-and-a-half-hour thrill ride, with plenty of action, laughs and potential for tearing-up, directing duo Anthony and Joe Russo did an amazing job of shoehorning Marvel’s myriad superheroes into a coherent tale that doesn’t stint on spectacle or enthralling drama.
C’est La Vie
Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano (the French duo who gave the world 2012’s much-loved The Intouchables) crafted another outstanding crowdpleaser with this hilarious ensemble comedy about Gallic wedding planner Max Angely’s (Jean-Paul Bacri) very challenging workday.
A Robert Altman-esque roam, encompassing everyone from Max’s employees to some truly garrulous guests.
The Death of Stalin
From the creative mind of The Thick of It and Veep comes this superbly eclectically cast (everyone from Paul Whitehouse to Steve Buscemi and Michael Palin) black comedy focusing on the grab for power that took place in the wake of the Soviet dictator’s demise.
If you thought Armando Iannucci’s takes on modern British and American politics were entertaining, just wait until you get a load of this hilarious and horrifying spin on a key moment in Russian history.
Loving Vincent
Entirely hand-painted by a team of more than 100 speciallytrained artists, this Oscarnominated, animated historical mystery is a breathtaking achievement.
Saoirse Ronan and Chris O’Dowd provide the vocals and visages, as Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman try to unravel the last days of troubled artist Vincent van Gogh.
Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Opening with a wedding in the shadow of Mitre Peak and ending with a thrilling, extended helicopter pursuit through the Southern Alps, there’s a lot for Kiwis to cheer in the seemingly ageless action man Cruise’s latest Mission.
Sure the plot may be old hat but with so much doublecrossing, dastardly deeds and breathtaking stunt work you’ll hardly care as the near two-anda-half hours flies by.
On Chesil Beach
Adapted by Ian McEwan from his Booker Prize-nominated short novel, this is a compelling car crash of a relationship drama. That this ‘‘feel bad’’ story works is down to terrific chemistry between the two leads.
And if Brooklyn and Lady Bird hadn’t already swayed you, this provides more compelling evidence as to why Saoirse Ronan is one of the finest actors of her generation.
This quite brilliant sequel provided enough family entertainment to sustain virtually all of 2018.
Returning director Paul King keeps the action and jokes coming thick and fast, while also allowing his vast cast of the creme of British acting talent to shine.
Apart from the bear himself (beautifully voiced again by Ben Whishaw), the real stars are two newcomers. Brendan Gleeson’s Knuckles McGinty and Hugh Grant’s self-absorbed Buchanan are comic-creations for the ages in what is a fitting tribute to the late Paddington creator Michael Bond.
Sweet Country
From a beautiful, lyrical opening scene simply involving a dark bubbling pot and evocative audio to its devastating denouement, Warwick Thornton’s Aussie western is a triumph of taut
storytelling and visual flair.
Inspired by a real-life incident in the late 1920s, this is a tale that draws you in with its colourful characters and grips, haunts and outrages with its scenarios and injustice
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Built around grieving mother Mildred Hayes’ (a quite brilliant Frances McDormand) quest for justice in a small town, Martin McDonagh brings all his playwrighting and film-making skills to bear in creating a simply stunning, subversive tale.
This is a movie that will leave you exhilarated, exhausted and entertained as you experience a vast range of emotions during its near two-hour running time.
Three Identical Strangers
Perfectly paced and cleverly constructed using archival footage and modern-day interviews, Tim Wardle’s documentary draws you into this fascinating mystery from the opening moments and will leave you shellshocked by its revelations.
A kind of Project Nim-meetsThe Truman Show by way of The Wolfpack, the director does a terrific job of slowly revealing the real horrors of the situation when Eddy Galland, David Kellman and Bobby Shafran discovered the truth about their doppelganger looks.
They Shall Not Grow Old
Aimed at creating a soldier’s eyeview of the four-year conflict, this World War I documentary is a stunning piece of cinema, an engrossing and enlightening look at historic events and a moving tribute to those who fought for Britain in the fields of Europe.
What is particularly striking is how understated director Sir Peter Jackson is in his approach. There’s no sign of a syrupy score, the soldiers’ reflections are supplemented only by dialogue Jackson and his cohorts have attempted to ‘‘recreate’’ (using lip readers) from the silent footage and the colour only comes in when we reach the trenches.
The Wife
Based on Meg Wolitzer’s 2003 novel of the same name, this is a slow-burning drama that richly rewards the patient viewer.
It helps greatly that this features a trio of terrific performances. Christian Slater and Jonathan Pryce are fabulous as deliciously flawed characters, but it’s Glenn Close whose turn sears into the memory. She’s always had an ability to switch emotional gears in an instant, but here, her ‘‘awakening’’ offers truly compelling viewing.