My Top Movies of 2018

Probably the most important year in movies so far:

1. Burning
   
    
2. Mission Impossible: fallout
   
3. Don’t worry he won’t get far on foot
   
4. Roma
   
5. Mid90s
   
6. BlackkKlansman
   
7. Sorry to bother you
   
8. Blindspotting
   
9. The Favourite
   
10. Eighth Grade
    
11. Overlord
    
12. Sicario 2
    
13. Suspiria (2018)
    
14. The Happytime Murders
    
15. Searching
    
16. Tully
    
17. Private Life
    
18. The Hate U Give
    
19. The House That Jack Built
    
20. The Miseducation of Cameron Post
    
21. Boy Erased
    
22. Unsane
    
23. Hold The Dark
    
24. Solo
    
25. First Reformed
    
26. You Were Never Really Here
    
27. Upgrade
    
28. Mandy
    
    
    
29. Nancy
    
30. The Kindergarten Teacher
    
31. Annihilation
    
32. Disobedience
    
33. Dead pool 2
    
34. Red Sparrow
    
35. Bird Box 
    
36. Where is Kyra? 
    

    37. Under The Silver Lake

    38. Hostiles

   39. Shirkers

             

 40. Leave No Trace

41. The Oath

42. The Rider 

- Maurice Jones

The Long Dumb Road (2018)

The Long Dumb Road is about 19-year-old Nathan (played by Tony Revolori), a college kid travelling on his own to his college campus to start his freshman year, travelling from Texas to Los Angeles. Amongst his travels he runs into Richard (played by Jason Mantzoukas), and from there his sheltered perspective is changed forever.

The Long Dumb Road is a nice gem of a movie, that shows that people of colour can be classic characters in an American movie as Americans, and not just be stereotypes for the dumb.

The films a little predictable in its character study, and has a script that says what it’s about as oppose showing what the films about through direction, but ultimately does an extremely good job at portraying the core story of bonding.

The Long Dumb Road is very naturally funny with the obvious comedic chops of the golden Jason Mantzoukas, but as well with realistic conversational dialogue in some parts, that feels picked from actual personal candor that is simply comedic based on subject matter alone.

Jason Mantzoukas pulls off a sweet puppy dog demeanour and a downtrodden performance that both put a smile on your face, and dampens your eyes with sadness and empathy. Tony Revolori is the perfect straight man counter part, playing accurately meek and also being frustrated and excited by Jason Mantzoukas’ character, but all the while learning to appreciate the experience.

Hannah Fidell films and writes a personal road buddy comedy, that within a genre that goes for a sentimental heart string tugging goal. The Long Dumb Road instead treats things realistically and let’s things be, emotionally, and let’s us accept the end result without having to cry our eyes out, and that the memories of friendship are enough. 7/10.

• Maurice Jones

Kung Fu Master! (1988)

When a movies premise seems dark, sometimes it takes more than a premise to believe that it is. This is very much the case for Agnès Varna’s Kung Fu Master!.

Kung Fu Master! Is about a mother who becomes suddenly infatuated with one of her daughter’s schoolmates. When the boy quickly reciprocates the same feels back, things become extremely problematic.

Through Agnès Varna’s careful direction, Kung Fu Master!’s disturbing premise ironically comes with off sweet and tenderly uplifting, but as the movie narrows to its climax, the dark confusing reality of the film sardonically creeps in. The film deals with the biases of older women going after young boys in society, not being so closely watched as oppose older male, younger female relationships. It focuses on the cuteness of the relationship in a motherly way, but then inherently exposes the pressures on males to have sex and the pressure on females to be with a male at all times, all resulting into the reality of statutory rape.

Fans of Todd Solondz will definitely notice influences from Kung Fu Master! On his work. A style of film portraying subject matter that’s unpleasant immediately put under a generic film lens. Especially the painfully unapologetic sarcasm of the film’s final scene.

The film features amazing cinematography and a forever poignant script, and unbeknownst to me, features one of Charlotte Gainsbourg’s first movies roles at age 15 in a shiningly realistic performance.

Kung Fu Master! Is a disturbing examination on the pitfall dynamics of older woman, male child relationships, but is even more an examination on lying. 9/10.

 

• Maurice Jones