Year-End Lists

Kitty Empire: Top 10 Albums of 2018, as published by The Observer

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino
   Arctic Monkeys
2. Dirty Computer
   Janelle Monáe
3. Chris
   Christine and the Queens
4. Heaven and Earth
   Kamasi Washington
5. Be the Cowboy
   Mitski
6. Body
   The Necks
7. Your Queen Is a Reptile
   Sons of Kemet
8. Joy as an Act of Resistance
   Idles
9. Strange Lights Over Garth Mountain
   Gwenifer Raymond
10. Hope Downs
    Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever

Mark Kermode: 10 Best Films of 2018, as published by The Observer

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014]

1. Leave No Trace
   Debra Granik
2. The Breadwinner
   Nora Twomey
3. Widows
   Steve McQueen
4. Cold War
   Pawel Pawlikowski
5. You Were Never Really Here
   Lynne Ramsay
6. A Fantastic Woman
   Sebastián Lelio
7. The Shape of Water
   Guillermo del Toro
8. Montparnasse Bienvenue
   Léonor Serraille
9. BlacKkKlansman
   Spike Lee
10. They Shall Not Grow Old
    Peter Jackson

David Morgan: Best Movies of 2018, as published by CBS News

[see also 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015]

Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order)

• Annihilation
  Alex Garland
• Black Panther
  Ryan Coogler
• Burning
  Lee Chang-dong
• Disobedience
  Sebastián Lelio
• First Reformed
  Paul Schrader
• Happy as Lazzaro
  Alice Rohrwacher
• Madeline’s Madeline
  Josephine Decker
• A Star Is Born
  Bradley Cooper
• Summer 1993
  Carla Simón
• Three Identical Strangers
  Tim Wardle

1. The Death of Stalin
   Armando Iannucci
2. Leave No Trace
   Debra Granik
3. The Favourite
   Yorgos Lanthimos
4. You Were Never Really Here
   Lynne Ramsay
5. The Rider
   Chloé Zhao
6. Shirkers
   Sandi Tan
7. Cold War
   Pawel Pawlikowski
8. Wildlife
   Paul Dano
9. BlacKkKlansman
   Spike Lee
10. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
    Joel & Ethan Coen

Film School Rejects: 50 Best Movies of 2018

[see also 2010s • 2017]

1. Black Panther
   Ryan Coogler
2. Annihilation
   Alex Garland
3. Eighth Grade
   Bo Burnham
4. The Favourite
   Yorgos Lanthimos
5. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
   Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman
6. Blindspotting
   Carlos López Estrada
7. Sorry to Bother You
   Boots Riley
8. Paddington 2
   Paul King
9. Mandy
   Panos Cosmatos
10. First Reformed
    Paul Schrader
11. Hereditary
    Ari Aster
12. Suspiria
    Luca Guadagnino
13. BlacKkKlansman
    Spike Lee
14. Shoplifters
    Hirokazu Kore-eda
15. Mission: Impossible – Fallout
    Christopher McQuarrie
16. Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
    Morgan Neville
17. Private Life
    Tamara Jenkins
18. Widows
    Steve McQueen
19. You Were Never Really Here
    Lynne Ramsay
20. Roma
    Alfonso Cuaron
21. A Quiet Place
    John Krasinski
22. The Night Comes for Us
    Timo Tjahjanto
23. Revenge
    Coralie Fargeat
24. Avengers: Infinity Wars
    Anthony and Joe Russo
25. The Rider
    Chloé Zhao
26. If Beale Street Could Talk
    Barry Jenkins
27. Burning
    Lee Chang-dong
28. Leave No Trace
    Debra Granik
29. Cam
    Daniel Goldhaber
30. The Death of Stalin
    Armando Iannucci
31. Cold War
    Pawel Pawlikowski
32. Crazy Rich Asians
    Jon M. Chu
33. Madeline’s Madeline
    Josephine Decker
34. Minding the Gap
    Bing Liu
35. The House That Jack Built
    Lars von Trier
36. Thunder Road
    Jim Cummings
37. Wildlife
    Paul Dano
38. Game Night
    John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein
39. Isle of Dogs
    Wes Anderson
40. Bad Times at the El Royale
    Drew Goddard
41. Upgrade
    Leigh Whannell
42. The Tale
    Jennifer Fox
43. A Star Is Born
    Bradley Cooper
44. A Simple Favor
    Paul Feig
45. Night Comes On
    Jordana Spiro
46. Let the Sunshine In
    Claire Denis
47. The Endless
    Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead
48. Borg vs. McEnroe
    Janus Metz
49. Support the Girls
    Andrew Bujalski
50. Love, Simon
    Greg Berlanti

Liz Shannon Miller: Favorite TV of 2018, as posted to Twitter

• 12 Monkeys
• Atlanta
• Barry
• Better Call Saul
• The Bisexual
• BoJack Horseman
• Dear White People
• Glow
• The Good Place
• The Handmaid’s Tale
• High Maintenance
• Into the Badlands
• It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
• Legends of Tomorrow
• Mozart in the Jungle
• One Day at a Time
• Queer Eye
• Sharp Objects
• Star Trek: Discovery
• A Very English Scandal
• Westworld
• You

Desist Film: Best Films of 2018, extracted from the contributions of a group of cinephiles with "a panorama of tastes"

[see also 2017]

1. The Image Book
   Jean-Luc Godard
2. The Other Side of the Wind
   Orson Welles
3. Happy as Lazzaro
   Alice Rohrwacher
4. The Wolf House
   Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña
5. Black Mother
   Khalik Allah
6. Isle of Dogs
   Wes Anderson
7. Long Day's Journey Into Night
   Bi Gan
8. The Waldheim Waltz
   Ruth Beckermann
9. Burning
   Lee Chang-dong
10. Hereditary
    Ari Aster

Bonus

• First Reformed
  Paul Schrader

Experimental: our favourites

1. ALTIPLANO
   Malena Szlam
2. Blue
   Apichatpong Weerasethakul
3. L. Cohen
   James Benning
4. Segunda vez
   Dora García
5. The Grand Bizarre
   Jodie Mack

Paste Magazine: 50 Best Movies of 2018

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2017 • 2015]

1. First Reformed
   Paul Schrader
2. Annihilation
   Alex Garland
3. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
   Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman
4. Eighth Grade
   Bo Burnham
5. Black Panther
   Ryan Coogler
6. Mission: Impossible – Fallout
   Christopher McQuarrie
7. Hereditary
   Ari Aster
8. You Were Never Really Here
   Lynne Ramsay
9. Burning
   Lee Chang-dong
10. The Rider
    Chloé Zhao
11. Widows
    Steve McQueen
12. Mandy
    Panos Cosmatos
13. Roma
    Alfonso Cuaron
14. Lean On Pete
    Andrew Haigh
15. Paddington 2
    Paul King
16. Leave No Trace
    Debra Granik
17. The Favourite
    Yorgos Lanthimos
18. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
    Joel & Ethan Coen
19. Isle of Dogs
    Wes Anderson
20. Incredibles 2
    Brad Bird
21. Private Life
    Tamara Jenkins
22. The Death of Stalin
    Armando Iannucci
23. Sorry to Bother You
    Boots Riley
24. Avengers: Infinity Wars
    Anthony and Joe Russo
25. Zama
    Lucrecia Martel
26. BlacKkKlansman
    Spike Lee
27. A Star Is Born
    Bradley Cooper
28. Happy as Lazzaro
    Alice Rohrwacher
29. Can You Ever Forgive Me?
    Marielle Heller
30. Cold War
    Pawel Pawlikowski
31. Shoplifters
    Hirokazu Kore-eda
32. Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
    Morgan Neville
33. If Beale Street Could Talk
    Barry Jenkins
34. Bisbee '17
    Robert Greene
35. Bodied
    Joseph Kahn
36. Apostle
    Gareth Evans
37. Support the Girls
    Andrew Bujalski
38. First Man
    Damien Chazelle
39. Suspiria
    Luca Guadagnino
40. Blindspotting
    Carlos López Estrada
41. Thoroughbreds
    Cory Finley
42. A Quiet Place
    John Krasinski
43. Game Night
    John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein
44. Let the Sunshine In
    Claire Denis
45. The Night Comes for Us
    Timo Tjahjanto
46. Thunder Road
    Jim Cummings
47. Minding the Gap
    Bing Liu
48. Shirkers
    Sandi Tan
49. Crazy Rich Asians
    Jon M. Chu
50. The Miseducation of Cameron Post
    Desiree Akhavan

Josh Larsen: Top Ten Films of 2018, as posted at Larsen on Film and discussed on Filmspotting

[see also 2022]

1. Isle of Dogs
   Wes Anderson
2. Roma
   Alfonso Cuaron
3. First Reformed
   Paul Schrader
4. Sorry to Bother You
   Boots Riley
5. Zama
   Lucrecia Martel
6. BlacKkKlansman
   Spike Lee
7. Private Life
   Tamara Jenkins
8. Game Night
   John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein
9. Hale County This Morning, This Evening
   RaMell Ross
10. Leave No Trace
    Debra Granik

Mick LaSalle: Best Movies of 2018, as published by The San Francisco Chronicle

[see also 2021]

1. Vox Lux
   Brady Corbet
2. Disobedience
   Sebastián Lelio
3. The Oath
   Ike Barinholtz
4. Blindspotting
   Carlos López Estrada
5. Mission: Impossible – Fallout
   Christopher McQuarrie
6. Let the Sunshine In
   Claire Denis
7. Green Book
   Peter Farrelly
8. First Reformed
   Paul Schrader
9. BlacKkKlansman
   Spike Lee
10. Crazy Rich Asians
    Jon M. Chu

Jeffrey M. Anderson: Top Ten Films of 2018

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2017]

1. Roma
   Alfonso Cuaron
2. BlacKkKlansman
   Spike Lee
3. First Reformed
   Paul Schrader
4. The Other Side of the Wind
   Orson Welles
5. 24 Frames
   Abbas Kiarostami
6. Let the Sunshine In
   Claire Denis
7. Black Panther
   Ryan Coogler
8. You Were Never Really Here
   Lynne Ramsay
9. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
   Joel & Ethan Coen
10. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
    Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman

9 Runners up (in alphabetical order)

• Burning
  Lee Chang-dong
• Eighth Grade
  Bo Burnham
• Hereditary
  Ari Aster
• If Beale Street Could Talk
  Barry Jenkins
• A Quiet Place
  John Krasinski
• Stan & Ollie
  Jon S. Baird
• Support the Girls
  Andrew Bujalski
• Leave No Trace
  Debra Granik
• Monrovia, Indiana
  Frederick Wiseman

Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order)

• Annihilation
  Alex Garland
• Ant-Man and the Wasp
  Peyton Reed
• Avengers: Infinity Wars
  Anthony and Joe Russo
• Destroyer
  Karyn Kusama
• Disobedience
  Sebastián Lelio
• The Great Buster
  Peter Bogdanovich
• The Guilty
  Gustav Möller
• Incredibles 2
  Brad Bird
• Isle of Dogs
  Wes Anderson
• Minding the Gap
  Bing Liu
• Mission: Impossible – Fallout
  Christopher McQuarrie
• The Mule
  Clint Eastwood
• The Old Man & the Gun
  David Lowery
• Paddington 2
  Paul King
• Ready Player One
  Steven Spielberg
• The Rider
  Chloé Zhao
• Searching
  Aneesh Chaganty
• Sorry to Bother You
  Boots Riley
• Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
  Morgan Neville
• Zama
  Lucrecia Martel