After squabbles, in-fighting and more shuffling than a Vegas casino I present the best films of 2018: 20. The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs...

You may remember Aquaman as the hulkingly charismatic, slightly drunk wildcard of the Justice League pack given nothing to do other than occasionally whooping whilst holding a trident. Giving him an entirely solo film then (before Batman and The Flash, no less) appears a brave decision by DC and one to be applauded after the triumph that was Wonder Woman, a chance for them to throw off the dark and dingy shackles and inject some fun into this ailing superhero universe. Pleasi

Another tumultuous year has seen musicians trying ever more disparate ways to comment on our times or simply distract us from them....

You want another superhero review from this bloated year? Oh, go on then. At least I can refreshingly describe a superhero film as original after seeing Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Sony’s latest attempt to steal the MCU’s thunder by saturating the market with films about the Webslinger’s universe. This is far, far, far superior to the dreadful Venom as we get an eye-searingly gorgeous animated version of Mile Morales’ origin story and featuring a little of the ‘Death o

I wrote two years ago that the first Fantastic Beasts would come to be admired at the summation of the franchise for having the confidence to kickstart this Harry Potter spin-off series with a slow, auspicious beginning. Whilst those comments are true in light of its sequel Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, it’s unfortunately for the wrong reasons with the first looking like a heavy-hitting thrill ride in comparison to the treacle that is this second. It’s insuffer

Some franchises are just luckier than others and it’s not often quite clear why that is. Audience interest doesn’t necessarily compare with the quality or success of the corresponding books or the production value, critical consensus or advertising of the film in question. Just ask the Divergent series which flopped whilst its 'flavour of the month' competitor The Hunger Games boomed (albeit a very worthy winner in this instance.) Steig Larsson’s Millennium series is an unluc

Bohemian Rhapsody is certainly rhapsodic but, unfortunately, not quite as bohemian as the story and man at its centre. The long-gestated project has finally come to screens documenting the rise and rise of Queen and their fallen legend Freddie Mercury. The story, like the press at the time, is enamoured with the lead singer but original Director Bryan Singer (credited despite Dexter Fletcher completing the unfinished film) is careful to give due credence to Messrs May, Deacon

Damien Chazelle cements his seat at the top table in stone with First Man and proves that he and Ryan Gosling are the movie industry’s current golden ticket. Following on from the wild success of Whiplash and La La Land, Chazelle dips into biopic waters with this unflinching portrait of a famous name without a famous story: Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon. Portraying the key years of his life throughout the sixties from his early days with NASA up to those fabled ‘o

It’s fair to say that Drew Goddard is a bit of a Quentin Tarantino acolyte if his latest: Bad Times at the El Royale, is anything to go by. The story of seven strangers who arrive at the titular hotel, crossing the border line between California and Nevada, on a stormy night in 1969 has more than a whiff of The Hateful Eight to it. Chuck in chapter cards from Inglourious Basterds, a Jackie Brown-esque ‘same-scene-from-a-different-perspective’ and even the font from Pulp Ficti

Sony come wading back into superhero waters, despite losing their prized asset, in what can only be described as an ill-conceived, petty rebuke to Marvel for setting the benchmark for Spider-Man. Venom is the first drop in a ‘new universe’ of Spidey friends and foes but would do well to earn itself a sequel as it’s a lazy and derivative example of superhero cliché delivered about ten years too late. Bloated and by-the-numbers origin set up? Check. A total lack of screen time

A Star Is Born might just be the best remake of a remake of a remake (not that it’s a hotly-contested category.) Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut is an intimate, soul-baring affair charting the upward trajectory of a pop-star-in-waiting whilst her Americana-playing husband’s own career slowly falters, in no small part thanks to his crippling alcoholism. This is one of those ‘authentic’ musicals with the music scenes acting as live performances or rehearsals rather than spon

Media saturation and Insta-fame mean it's difficult to release a truly meaningful and thought-provoking anything anymore. Those that do have to be extra special to stand out in the crowd and, fortunately, 2018 has been very kind to us when it comes to protest art. Childish Gambino's This Is America video perhaps is the biggest single and video with Idles' album Joy as an Act of Resistance set to join it as a landmark album. Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman stands tall next to these