And now with the year winding down we’re ready to countdown our top 10 films of 2018:

10. Maui’s Hook

Heart-wrenching and powerful, this impressive documentary focuses on one of the most raw issues affecting contemporary society today: suicide. Clinical psychologist turned director Paora Joseph focuses his camera on an issue that has torn apart so many families and undertakes a hikoi wairua (spiritual journey) to help a group of six families to come to terms with their loss and find a sense of healing through a journey across New Zealand’s upper North Island. At every stage you are moved by the stories you witness and Joseph presents his film with a unique narrative and style that is all its own. We can’t think of more essential needed viewing than Maui’s Hook this year.

9. Mary Poppins Returns

If you were looking for a film that was practically perfect in everyway then you need not look further than Mary Poppins Returns. This big, bold and colourful musical entertained from its very first note and took audiences on a fantastic adventure courtesy of the world’s favourite nanny Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt). Emily Blunt proved herself to be an eloquent song bird, and was the perfect choice to channel the magical enthusiasm of Mary Poppins, and add in an amazing collection of songs and a great message about the power of family and you had a film that was sure to enchant the whole family.

8. BlackKklansman

They say truth is sometimes stranger than fiction, and it didn’t get much stranger than the incredible true life story of Detective Ron Stallwell in BlackKklansman. Director Spike Lee is a filmmaker who always likes to push the boundaries and he really pushed them here with a film that packed together a hysterical narrative with scathing political commentary. Stars John David Washington and Adam Driver made a great team as two mismatched police officers, and Topher Grace stole the show as a racist with delusions of grandeur. Add in a funkadelic score and great 1970s stylings and we had ourselves a truly remarkable piece of cinema with BlackKklansman.

7. Tully

Motherhood 2018 was the theme of Tully and director Jason Reitman and star Charlize Theron made incredible magic together on this one. On Theron’s part it was commitment over and above anything else she’s done before as she brought the pain, sorrows, struggles and joys out of Marlo Moreau, a mother caught up in modern life. Packing a thoroughly clever screenplay by Diablo Cody, Tully really took audiences for a ride and was a great piece of character exploration for Theron. Rising star Mackenzie Davis also made a great impression as night nurse Tully, and both she and Theron had great chemistry together. Unflinchingly raw and hysterically funny all at the same time, Tully was definitely a film to savor this year.

6. Upgrade

Things got intense with this full-on science-fiction ride of an artificial intelligence gone haywire in Upgrade, and it really delivered one hell of a snap along the way. Boasting one of the most original screenplays we’ve ever had the pleasure to witness, Upgrade was packed out with jagged twists that you could never see coming. Thrust into the middle of all of it was star Logan Marshall-Green as Grey Trace, a technophobe who gets in touch with his superior side thanks to the power of A.I. STEM. Delivering brutal action and captured with a masterful eye, Upgrade seriously got your adrenaline going.

5. Christopher Robin

It didn’t get more adorable this year than Disney’s Christopher Robin and this sweet tale of friendship and imagination most definitely warmed your heart. Featuring Ewan McGregor as a now grown Christopher Robin who has seemingly lost his way, the adult Christopher gets a chance to reconnect with his imagination and the joys of his life once again thanks to the belief and power of his friends Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, Kanga, Roo, Rabbit and Owl. The beauty of the Hundred Acre Woods shone through here and the film had a perfectly polished English countryside aesthetic. Beautiful and heartfelt at every turn, Christopher Robin was sure to fill your heart with joy and set your imagination free.

4. Ready Player One

If you wanted pure escapism then there was no better way to experience it than through director Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster adaptation of cult classic novel Ready Player One. This digital extravaganza was a thrill from beginning to end and its pop culture treasure hunt was certain to make any cinema fan’s mind sparkle with amazing references to everything we loved about the 1980s. With magnificent special effects and a hard charging soundtrack of powerful rock ballads, Ready Player One took us to a far away universe of digital imagination that truly made us go WOW!

3. A Star Is Born

The full breadth of love was felt by all with Bradley Cooper’s masterful epic re-telling of A Star Is Born, and all who watched it were sure to feel their emotions run high here. Every moment of this film was presented with perfection and star Lady Gaga gave the performance of a lifetime as sheltered singer-songwriter Alley, who through the love and trust of volatile rocker Jackson Maine (Cooper) is finally able to set her voice free. Narrative and character drove this cinematic experience, and with the addition of its rocking soundtrack you found yourself embraced in a film of extraordinary vision and soul.

2. First Man

What is it to chase the impossible? That’s where director Damien Chazelle (La La Land, Whiplash) took us in this incredible true story of one man’s dream to push through the stars and reach the moon in First Man. With grand scope and incredible realism, Chazelle fully visualizes the incredible push it took to reach the moon and the toll that was exacted on those who set foot on it. Both Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy gave the performances of their lives as Neil Armstrong and his wife Janet, and the boundaries of their relationship were certainly pushed to the limit with this incredible tale. Bound by breathtaking visuals and the incredible willpower of the human spirit, First Man was a testament to the power of man’s endeavour to reach the extraordinary.

1. Mission: Impossible – Fallout

If you wanted blockbuster action than you need not look further than Mission: Impossible – Fallout and this colossal cinema experience was ready to give you the ride of your life! Tom Cruise once again returned to the role of intrepid superspy Ethan Hunt and this time it was go big or go home. With a narrative that cracked forward with a supercharged pace and action scenes which exploded with power, you found yourself pulled in every direction imaginable and the result was electrifying. And then there was the film’s epic third act extravaganza of a helicopter chase gone crazy which certainly left you needing a replacement adrenal gland after its wild thrills. To put it straight Mission: Impossible – Fallout was just AMAZING and this crazy rollercoaster of action was incredible to behold.

Images: Roadshow Films, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures, Studio Canal, Mad Man Films

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Marlo (Charlize Theron) is a New York suburbanite who’s about to give birth to her third child. Her husband, Ron (Ron Livingstone), is loving and works hard, but remains clueless about the demands that motherhood puts on his wife. When the baby is born, Marlo’s wealthy brother hires a nighttime nanny named Tully (Mackenzie Davis) to help his sister handle the workload. Hesitant at first, Marlo soon learns to appreciate all that Tully does — forming a special bond with her new, lifesaving friend.

Anytime you see the pairing of Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody you should start to get excited. The pair created magic with Juno and Young Adult and they continue this with their latest release.

Offering a raw and unflinching look at modern motherhood, Tully is a film that is equal parts loving and confronting at the same time. Cody documents both the love and the struggles of the modern day mother in unflinching detail and her clever narrative weaves in and out keeping audiences guessing at every turn.

While I can’t go into detail about the film’s narrative without risking any type of SPOILER, I will say that I was completely mesmerised by this film and kept wanting to know what happened next. This style of filmmaking is the result of a pair of master artists at work and along with it’s rich cinematography and artful soundtrack, Tully is a film that really touches on your senses.

Charlize Theron is rightly so one of the best actresses working in Hollywood today and her turn in Tully is one of complete commitment to her craft. Along with gaining fifty pounds of weight to portray a post-pregnancy Marlo she is most often seen as tired and worn out having been put through the ringer with raising three children, along with being married to a distant husband who loves her dearly, but has little knowledge of how to show it. The word honest is the best way to describe her performance and when she is not trying to stay awake and feed her new born infant she’s either binging the latest episode of Gigolos or trying to imagine what her life could have been.

That is until the spark of the carefree and flamboyant night nurse named Tully comes into her life and Marlo’s life begins to change of the better. This spark is provided by Mackenzie Davis who is simply a joy to watch on-screen and who is the light in Marlo’s darkest hour. Both Davis and Theron make a great pair of screen and complement each other well as both actresses and characters and watching them together is an engaging experience.

Tully truly is the complete package and I was very impressed with what was delivered on screen. Narrative, characters, cinematography and music all combined for a picture that was truly magnificent and which will end up on my top five list for 2018 for sure.

I implore you to go and see this film right away and to let its message wash over you which ultimately says that no matter what obstacle you might face there’s always something to be grateful for and sometimes all you need in life is to find your spark.

Image: Studio Canal NZ

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