6. “BlacKkKlansman”
Hands down Spike Lee’s best film in a decade, “BlacKkKlansman is a powerful mix of drama and unbelievably comedic moments that are simply too crazy to be real, except it (mostly) is. Lee fine-tunes the performances of John David Washington, Adam Driver and Topher Grace to the perfect wavelength and, often, lets the modern day parallels speak for themselves. That is, until the end where Lee weaves in a historical footnote that makes the film’s events, which take place almost 40 years prior, even more horrific.
7. “Roma”
Alfonso Cuaron’s passion project is a cinematic marvel. Every shot is perfectly framed. Every pan wonderfully executed. Every set beautifully lit. The experience is often like watching a painting come to life. Still, there is a distance to the heart of the story. It’s almost too set back to let the drama truly overwhelm you. But, boy, is it gorgeous.
8. “Sauvage”
A stunning and non-judgemental portrait of those who live an unorthodox lifestyle with no interest in conforming to society even if it may kill them. Director and screenwriter Camille Vidal-Naquet benefits from a startling turn from Félix Maritaud who also shined in last year’s “BPM (Beats Per Minute).” Read my review from Cannes.
9. “A Simple Favor”
Paul Feig’s black comedy is a stylish thriller that was hands down one of the most entertaining films of the year. It features Anna Kendrick in one of her most inspired performances since “Up in the Air” (that was almost 10 years ago) and Blake Lively owning her star power like a boss with no cares in the world. It was horribly mismarketed by Lionsgate (who clearly had no idea what to do with it), but once you watch it once it’s so smart, witty and captivating you’ll never underestimate the talent’s of Kendrick, Lively or Feig ever again.
10. “Burning”
Admittedly, Lee Chang-dong’s thriller about a man (Yoo Ah-in, fantastic) who suspects his rich acquaintance Ben (Steven Yeun, superb) has killed a woman he’s fallen for (Jeon Jong-seo) is a slow…burn. Yes, despite the film’s spectacular one-shot final scene this is a film that is a delayed hit. You may not be overwhelmed when you walk out of the theater, but it’s the sort of experience that wrestles around in the back of your head in the days and weeks to come. How often can you say that about a movie that isn’t being drilled into the public consciousness on a daily basis?
Notable: “A Quiet Place,” “Black Panther,” “Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” “Eighth Grade,” “Game Night,” “Happy as Lazzaro,” “Isle of Dogs,” “Madeline’s Madeline,” “The Sisters Brothers,” “Sicario: Day of the Soldado,” “Sorry to Bother You,” “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” “Suspiria,” “They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead,” “Three Identical Strangers,” “Widows”