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Best and Worst Films from December 2018

Best Films from December 2018:

3. They Shall Not Grow Old

‘Roma’ was close to get on this list, but for now I find it slightly overrated until I watch it the second time. They Shall Not Grow Old thus ended up taking this third slot and the fact that it was entirely dismissed by the Academy once again shows their utter cluelessness for the most time when it comes to the quality of films they nominate. This is the ultimate World War I documentary where Peter Jackson actually put real footage of the war, but colorized and restored it. It looks crisp, the film is eerily modern and thus all the more emotional.

2. Bumblebee

One of the most underappreciated films of 2018 is this endearing family/teen flick. Bumblebee made me a Transformers fan overnight which I certainly didn’t expect. Travis Knight saved what was previously quite possibly the worst franchise of them all by infusing a lot of genuine heart to it, lovable and superbly developed characters as well as great, very amusing humor. The drama and story behind the human main character is what propels this blockbuster to greater heights along with Hailee Steinfeld’s absolutely amazing performance.

1. Shoplifters

Only ‘Border’ is better than Shoplifters when it comes to the year of 2018 and I doubt that’s going to change anytime soon. The direction is phenomenal, the script is superb and the cinematography and pacing are so good, but this is again the case of a wonderful character-driven drama film where the characters are so well developed that I felt as if I had just met this wonderful family which is cinema’s best family of all time in my opinion. It’s a thematically rich movie that is highly emotional and it genuinely made me cry in its last scenes. I am so happy that Japan is back on the map with this classic for the ages.

Worst Films from December 2018:

3. Dogman

Yes, 2018 had some absolutely brilliant foreign films, but this is most certainly not one of them. Dogman is so mediocre that it ultimately trumped ‘The Predator’ for this third slot on my list. The protagonist is unlikable, the violence is excessive and the movie is simply clichéd, pointless and with its two halves feeling like two very different, ultimately disconnected parts.

2. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers

Halloween 5 is another uninspired sequel in the Halloween franchise and the silliest one so far. this is one very silly, pointless affair with many of its scenes feeling thrown around and very disconnected from each other. It’s a fun movie for me as it entertained me, but most of its characters are annoying and the kills aren’t all that inspired in execution.

1. Black Cat, White Cat

The worst movie I watched in December is unfortunately Emir Kusturica’s Black Cat, White Cat. Now, I certainly respect this director as his ‘Dom za vesanje’ is such a good movie, but this is not the case. Here he showed all of his worst excesses – annoying characters, ripping off Fellini in style, soapy and unrealistic scenarios – without any themes, messages or point to all of this ludicrous, not that funny story. I was annoyed and bored by it.