2018 was quite a transformative year in every aspect for me. So does in my viewing preference. I used to only go to the movies to watch movies that have been in my watchlist, but I began to enjoy festival movies too — albeit still on the more popular side. What I didn't like is that I never seem to go and watch movies alone as of late. Where's the old confident me go?
Dilan 1990
I started the year with an Indonesian movie. It was really overhyped but it's really cute. An okay coming of age movie set in high school in the year 1990. Quite nostalgic in a way or two and a good (albeit cringe) way to release your stress. 2/5
Black Panther
I do think it's a good movie to come out of Marvel Universe. But to have an Oscar nomination while BlacKkKlansman is already there? What kind of joke?
Ready Player One
A huge big fat love letter to everything pop culture. A movie I will hold dearly for a lifetime, perhaps. I laughed, I cried, I squirmed hard I closed my eyes in my seat during that one scene (I had a death grip on one beloved/poor friend, sorry bubu). It also hits close to home to me. Whoever made this had a really good childhood. Thank you. 5/5
Avengers: Infinity War
How would you like your pain served? I like it really cold without warning that made me cry for several hours afterward. I watched it twice and I still cried after I exited the theatre. It's still painful to remember months later. I think Russo Brothers did a great job uniting everyone in one movie. It does feel more like episodes of a TV series crammed into one, but in a way, it's also effective to bring them together for Endgame later on. I really like how they kept every character stayed faithful to their respective movies. Nothing feels rushed, nothing feels too sudden. Everything just flowed smoothly. I like it. 5/5
Deadpool 2
At this point, I am sure Deadpool is that one movie you have to watch only when you're in the mood. It's such a niche, IMO. To sum it, it's all over the place. And relied heavily on the broad and extensive jokes which are almost impossible to catch up if you're not a movie n00b. I had fun, though still prefer the first one. 1/5
Ocean's Eight
STELLAR. This is the movie that just keeps getting better with so little male involved. A true testament that women really don't need much from men. Come on. The casts are gorgeous. The plot is straight to the point. And everything is executed nicely to a T. Pure heart eyes on this one. 5/5
Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days
I didn't watch the prequel because I missed it and I had a doubt that I couldn't follow this one. But I didn't. There were some confusing moments but still so minor that they didn't negate the whole experience. I like this one solely for Kyung-soo's stellar acting — he's such a babe. It's heartwarming yet fun. The CGI could've done better, though. 3/5
Searching
One of my top 5 favorites from last year. I have been wanting so badly to watch it because of the unique cinematography and the ever so lovely John Cho which is nothing short of phenomenal. The story hits too close to home, coming from a broken family myself. But I am so glad everything went well at the end. Earned its five stars just so easy. 5/5
Venom
This movie was pure crack and reminds me of a lot of superhero movies in the 90s. So cliche but also so good to the point of guilty pleasure. Tom Hardy is superb, Riz Ahmed is even more superb. I had a good laugh, I had fun. But nothing amazing to write home about. 2/5
|  |
Golden Slumber
I went to a Korean Movie Festival with a dear friend and signed up for a movie marathon consist of three movies. This was the first one. Korean adaptation of a Japanese movie with the same title. Watching it makes me feel like watching myself, an INFP, being put in a depressing situation because that's how exactly I'm gonna react. I think there's a lot of difference from the Japanese counterpart which made me wanna watch, but I really enjoyed this one. Kang Dong-won is great at everything. Including stealing my heart. 3/5
The Negotiation
The second movie of the movie marathon. I fell asleep during the slow moments but in all, it's a good movie. It sets the tension right from the get-go but kind of hard to keep up in the middle though and struggling towards the end. One thing that bugged me off was how bad the negotiator was. You had one job. You didn't even excel at it. I cringed so bad. It's still a pleasant viewing experience but still boring, nonetheless. 1/5
The Spy Gone North
The last movie of the movie marathon and the one that actually made us wanna go to watch the movie festival lol Joo Ji-hoon is a religious experience at this point. I cannot fault him. I like this movie but probably my tiredness from watching the previous movies caught up which made me really sluggish and felt the movie was too long for my liking. It was perfectly paced and slow burn in the most delicious way. Really nice. I held my breath quite a number of times and I still feel like I've been transported back in time. If you have to watch one South Korean movie from last year, I can't recommend this enough. It's amazing. 5/5
The Night Comes for Us
A Netflix production! Indonesian movie! I popped my Netflix cherry this year with subscription and all and this was my first movie. It looks so much like pent-up anger meets 101 ways to die. Still stuck in old Hollywood cliches but still enjoyable. Fell a bit flat in the storyline but make up for the acting greatness. That all-girl fighting scene is to die for. 3/5
Shoplifters
I have been long trying to avoid Hirokazu Kore-eda's movie solely for the reason they hit too close to home. They always felt a little too personal because there are a lot of parts in my life that happened exactly just the way he makes it. No joke. But I knew I have to watch this. It blew me away. It's delicate but also powerful in a lot of ways it punched me straight in the gut. By the time the credit rolls crept up the screen there's a heavy unsettling dark feeling in the bottom of my stomach followed by thunderous applause from the deeply immersed audience. What an experience. 5/5
Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse
My favorite movie of 2018. HANDS DOWN. Probably the best Spidey movie ever made. There, I said it. It's fresh, it resonates a lot with the modern viewers without making comic book fanatics feel left behind. It looks so nonchalant and comical at first glance. But it held a great story, greater characters, solid animation, not to mention a hell of a banger soundtrack. I am completely awe-struck and so much in love with this movie I left the theatre giggling and aww-ing. The best part is that this movie exists for us to show to a wider array of audience that this is what animation medium can become had it given all the love and passion and greatness. I love it. I love it. 5/5
***
Read my full reviews on Letterboxd here. I made an ongoing list of the movies I watched in 2019 in Letterboxd along with small reviews. For monthly recap please hop on to my diary.
I'm a bit bummed I missed a lot of long-awaited movies but I am grateful I can still watch so many. It was the first time in three years that I missed my 100 movies a year! I guess quality always triumphed quantity, amirite? So, what're your favorite movies from 2018? What do you think 2019 movie scene gonna be?
Post a Comment
Drop me a nice one (+ cupcakes. Pretty please?)