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Best Hollywood Films of 2018 so far (10+1list)

Best Hollywood Films of 2018 so far

written by Souranath Banerjee

Half the year is gone and you film-buffs are counting the good ones you have watched. If not – then you should be!

This year Hollywood have given us some pretty decent movies and
then a very few really good ones. All genres touched – from Sci-Fi to Best-Hollywood-Films-of-2018-so-faraction, thrillers to comedies, horror flicks to coming-of-age dramas, biographies and even a couple of superb animated ones like Isle of Dogs and Paddington 2.

Then of course the two huge commercially successful Superhero movies like Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther. And also Solo: A Star Wars Story for the Star war fans.

Till now it has been what we film-lovers like to call it ‘a satisfying year’. Hope you agree! And let’s also hope the rest of the year goes well. Fingers crossed.

And so here we go – the Best Hollywood Films of 2018 so far. Relax and enjoy the flashback!

10. You Were Never Really Here (2017)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8oYYg75Qvg

Best-Hollywood-Films-of-2018-so-farWhen actor Joaquin Phoenix join hands with director Lynne Ramsay you expect something special and that is exactly what this film is.

A traumatized violent man who tracks down people for a living goes in search of a missing 13-year-old daughter of a senator but this time something goes horribly wrong.

An unexpected ending but totally worth the experience – a must watch.

9.  Hereditary (2018)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6wWKNij_1M

Best-Hollywood-Films-of-2018-so-farThere are very few films especially in the horror genre that manage to keep the tension and disturbance flowing till the very end and this movie exactly does that and that too in terrific style.

Written and directed by Ari Aster, superb performances by Toni Collette, Milly Shapiro, Gabriel Byrne and Alex Wolff.

Certainly one of the best horror movies of this year!

8. The Rider (2017)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlrWRttLTkg

Best-Hollywood-Films-of-2018-so-farA young cowboy takes a fall and is suffering from a fatal head injury. His passion, his career and the way he is being treated by others seem to be changing and he has to cope with his new life!

Written and directed by Chloé Zhao, an underrated film with great story telling, awesome performances and also visually stunning. Brady Jandreau in the part of the rodeo is so cool.

7. Eighth Grade (2018)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8lFgF_IjPw

Best-Hollywood-Films-of-2018-so-farHighly underrated and yet a perfect coming of age comedy drama where a young girl tries her best to survive the last week of her eighth grade.

Written and directed by Bo Burnham, a witty and honest portrayal of that awkward age of a youngster where she is neither a child nor an adult – desperately trying to fit in and make her own mark. Elsie Fisher in the central character is absolutely brilliant!

6. A Quiet Place (2018)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR7cc5t7tv8

Best-Hollywood-Films-of-2018-so-farA family trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world where silence is the key, if you make a sound the deaf dangerous creatures will come looking for you. Basically you die.

(Click for the Review)

Directed by John KrasinskiEmily Blunt and John Krasinski at their best and Millicent Simmonds deserves a special mention in the acting department.

5. Tully (2018)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5D3O4yCmCg

Best-Hollywood-Films-of-2018-so-farMotherhood with three little ones (including a newborn) is tough and hectic but then you can always hire a nanny to reduce the stress. And then if the mother and the young nanny starts sharing a certain bond between them – nothing like it!

Directed by Jason Reitman (of Juno fame), and great performances by Charlize Theron, Mackenzie Davis and Mark Duplass – a very honest film with good humor and drama.

4. Ready Player One (2018)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSp1dM2Vj48

Best-Hollywood-Films-of-2018-so-farA young boy is more comfortable in the virtual gaming universe than the real one but as he starts winning the game he discovers the dangers of that crazy world!

Adopted from the famous Sci-Fi novel by Ernest Cline and directed by none other than Steven Spielberg – this is one awesome visual trip that you shouldn’t dare miss. Tye Sheridan and Olivia Cooke are just made for the roles.

3. Love, Simon (2018)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0cbWdlQg_8

Best-Hollywood-Films-of-2018-so-farFor a teenager it is often difficult to come out as gay and that is why a young boy tries his best to keep it a secret from his friends and family but then he falls in love. And it is a secret no more!

Directed by Greg Berlanti, this is a unique witty drama, fine piece of storytelling, and Nick Robinson along with Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel are really perfect in their roles. 

2. Deadpool 2 (2018)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D86RtevtfrA

Best-Hollywood-Films-of-2018-so-farRyan Reynolds aka Deadpool – the ‘Foul-mouthed mutant mercenary’ is back and all set to fight out the bad guys. And he is as funny and raunchy as ever. 

(Click for the Review)

Directed by David Leitch, with Josh BrolinJulian DennisonZazie Beetz and Karan Soni this second installment of the popular comic franchise is not to be missed.

1. The Tale (2018)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXpYsr3AL4U

Best-Hollywood-Films-of-2018-so-farA brilliant mystery drama that forces a woman to go back into her childhood and e-examine her first sexual relationship. A perfect example of the psychology of repressed memory.

Written and directed by Jennifer Fox, this is a must watch film not only because of the sensitive and well narrated story but also for the brilliant performance of Laura Dern. Unfortunately highly underrated. 

and (The ‘+1’ film is not necessarily the best but certainly the most innovative one. A must watch)

+1. Annihilation (2018)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89OP78l9oF0

Best-Hollywood-Films-of-2018-so-farA mysterious zone with strange creatures and plants that needs to be explored and a team of female experts are ready for an expedition of their lifetime.

Directed by Alex Garland, a spell-bounding visual treat starring  Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason LeighOscar IsaacGina Rodriguez among others. 

A well made Sci-Fi that demands your attention!

Similar Interest: Best Hollywood Movies of 2017 so far

Poster courtesy: www.imdb.com.

Deadpool 2 (2018)

Deadpool 2 Review

written by Souranath Banerjee

Deadpool 2 Review: If you like quirky insolently funny kind of comedy blended with extreme gore – this is your game!

My ratings: 4/5

11 years in the making, the first Deadpool film emerged in 2016, Canadian actor Ryan Reynoldspet-project that went on to become an unexpectedly Marvel-ous success of the year! The film was made out of $58 million (only) and went on to collect a whooping $783 deadpool-2million worldwide – the highest grossing Superhero-movie with an
R-rating!
The trailers created such hype and immense fan-following that the producers announced its sequel Deadpool 2 just 3 days before even the first film hit the theaters!

And finally the wait is over, the second installment is hot out of the oven and it is no less inappropriately funny (often to the point of vulgarity), addictively raunchy and disrespectfully sarcastic than the first one. Guaranteed boost in violence, swearings, racist jokes, sexually awkward moments and self-referential super-hero-world wisecracks!

You all better get ready for the lizard-skinned Wade Wilson who managed to gain extraordinary healing powers from an accident and got transformed into this cool superhero Deadpool; and mark my words – this time he is determined to take down all the baddies of the world!

‘You’re no hero. You’re just a clown, dressed up like a sex toy.’ Ouch!

deadpool-2Like any other superhero from either DC or the Marvel universes Deadpool also has certain set of responsibilities (mostly self-imposed though) and by the end of the movie he goes through enough comic sufferings to achieve the impossible (well almost).

But the real question that needs our attention is that this buffoon of a superhero who every now and then breaks the fourth-wall and chat up the audience just to deliver another smart one-liner – will he be able to commit to a dream from a loved one and sacrifice his life if necessary to save an innocent?

Superb comic-timing by Ryan Reynolds – definitely his foul sense of humor is the core of this franchise! Not to forget Colossusdeadpool-2DopinderBlind Al and Deadpool’s girlfriend Vanessa who continued to be at their very best in this sequel too.    

Introduction of director David Leitch (who replaced Tim Miller) and also the introduction of a whole bunch of new characters – the one-eyed villain from the future Cable played by Josh Brolin, the most ‘lucky’ new recruit in the ‘X-Force’ team Domino played by Zazie Beetz and Julian Dennison as the kid who has problems in controlling his superpowers. Awesome cool performances all around! 

And guess who plays the Vanisher? Hint: The same guy was supposed to play Cable – but didn’t. 

deadpool-2Overall a highly entertaining film that turns out to be exactly what it promised to be!

And let’s face it, when grotesquely violent action-sequences (like a guy being shredded into pieces in a huge grinder, another one literally torn into half from his belly, and hundreds of chopped heads and limbs flying around the screen most of the time) make you heartily chuckle, eat your popcorn with a smile and wait for the next gag – then the writers Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick and Ryan Reynolds must have done something right!

Wade Wilson is undoubtedly the funniest superhero in a costume and lucky for us he is kinda immortal, which means never-ending franchises. Wink. Wink.

‘Tell me they got that in slow-motion’ Absolutely hilarious!

P.S: Still wondering about Stan Lee’s cameo – couldn’t find him anywhere in the film!

Similar Interest: Deadpool review

Poster courtesy: www.imdb.com

Everest (2015)

Everest review.

written by Souranath Banerjee

My Ratings: 4/5.

The film Everest is much more than just another disaster film. It’s about nature, it’s about human empathy, it’s about experiencing the impossible.  

everest-poster2Many people (including me) prefer mountains than the oceans. But only a handful have the courage and the potential to trek 29,029 ft above sea level and conquer the highest peak of the world – Mount Everest!

And this film Everest is about such a group of enthusiastic mountaineers who dared to touch the summit; for them it was a dream come true.

But they must remember the one uncomfortable truth before starting their ambitious climb – ‘The last word belongs to the mountain!’

Everest is based on several books including Jon Krakauer’s ‘Into Thin Air’ and Lou Kasischke’s ‘After the Wind’; these are memoirs inspired from the true story of the 1996 Mt. Everest disaster. Even many survival’s interviews were taken as reference for this film.

everest-posterA film that breathtakingly captures not only the grandeur of nature but also it’s unpredictable monstrosity.

The focus of the film is on a group of professional trekkers teamed up under the supervision of their expedition leader Rob Hall (Jason Clarke) with the sole intention of climbing to the top – Mt.Everest.

The film follows their journey and perfectly captures the dramatic moments (both the joy and the tragedy) and narrates a heart felt humane story of compassion, benevolence and courage.

everest-poster3Director Baltasar Kormákur (known for his earlier films like Contraband and 2 Guns), have managed to gather a very impressive star cast for his latest film.

We have Josh BrolinJake GyllenhaalJohn HawkesEmily WatsonSam WorthingtonNaoko MoriRobin Wright and Keira Knightley just to name a few. 

And each of them have perfectly played their characters and contributed to this thrilling adventurous drama. 

Salvatore Totino have done wonders with the camera and make you experience the majestic Himalayas like never before.

everest-poster4A film that respects nature and also the desire of men/women to conquer it.

The only sad part about Everest is that the film is promoted as a ‘disaster-film’ from the start and that somehow makes you anticipate a tragic ending.

But i still recommend this film to those who are fond of nature and adventure; a good watch for the majority 99.99 % of people who will never get a chance to actually climb Mt.Everest – for us this is the closest experience possible to be on the top of the world.

And for the remaining .01% who are planning to take the big hike, you too watch Everest because at the end of the day the film is all about your passion for trekking the impossibles!

poster curtsey: www.impawards.com and www.broadsheet.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill for (2014)

My Ratings: 3/5

Welcome to the twisted world of Sin City.

A city that conspires with the stooping dark shadows to tell its gruesome stories; where white blood spills like milk, men ruthless and bloodthirsty, and the dames cold and treacherous.

Almost after a decade since Sin City (2005) mesmerized us, we are invited again to get drenched in pure artistic savage violence; an invitation I couldn’t resist.

sin-city-poster1The most awaited sequel – Sin City: A dame to kill for has preserved the legacy of Frank Miller’s comic book style imagery, typically high contrast black and white with occasional flashes of red, blue, green and gold.

Perspectives are stretched beyond belief and each frame has a unique story of shadow play.

And that too in 3D! (Though I personally feel the 3D technology doesn’t add much to such already-stylized films).

sin-city-poster2Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez have done it again but this time (though artistically as impressive as the first one) the story doesn’t have that sting in it.

The various interlinked plots that bind the screenplay are somehow deliberately underplayed; I mean as if it is a conscious effort from the filmmakers to keep things as simple as possible almost at the risk of being dumb.

But consistency is maintained in the department of violence. Every now and then throats are getting sliced, skulls smashed, enough chopped hands and heads and at the peak of it – an eye was taken out with bare hands!

sin-city-poster3-marvActors who managed to stay alive in the first movie still dominate the sequel – the brute force Mickey Rourke, seductive dancer Jessica Alba, the protector of the old town Rosario Dawson and the powerful senator Powers Boothe.

Even Bruce Willis makes his presence felt in a few scenes – now only a ghost of himself.

And then there is the sexy Eva Green, chirpy Joseph Gordon Lewitt and Josh Brolin (replacing Clive Owen) – the new lot who promise to commit every possible sin offered by the Sin City.

sin-city-a-dame-to-kill-for-poster-rosario-dawsonThe deadly Miho is also been replaced; Jamie Chung played the role instead of my favorite Devon Aoki.

But nevertheless every Sin City film is an unique experience, an artistic extravaganza, a pure delight for both the action film lovers and comic book enthusiasts.

In this sequel there is a bonus treat for us, none other than the sultry Eva Green and her fight for free-dom with the censor boards (of India).