2018’s standout movies and performances


It’s red carpet season – with the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild awards last month and the 91st Academy Awards later this month. No matter who actually wins, like you, we have our own take on who should take home the most prized statues in Hollywood. So here’s our list of favorites from 2018.

Standout villain: It’s possible no one will ever top Heath Ledger’s posthumous Oscar-winning performance as the Joker but Michael B. Jordan was electrifying as Killmonger in the landmark superhero movie Black Panther.

Standout actress: We’ve been a fan of Toni Colette since the classic Australian comedy Muriel’s Wedding and she hasn’t failed to disappoint since then. In 2018, her performance helped make Hereditary one of the scariest films since The Exorcist.

Standout actor: Ethan Hawke has been on our radar ever since he stood up on his desk and showed his reverence for “Captain, my Captain” Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society. His characters are always intense and memorable, no less so than in this year’s First Reformed.

Standout director: Mexican director and screenwriter Alfonso Cuaron has been wowing audiences and critics for more than 20 years with memorable films like Y Tu Mama Tambien, Children of Men and Gravity. This year he did it again with Roma, a Netflix film many are predicting will get the nod at one or more award ceremonies.

Standout movie: For nearly a decade, Netflix has proven Hollywood can make small screen movies and series that are just as good as those made for the big screen. While Roma has lots of buzz, another Netflix film is still keeping us up at night. Bird Box, starring Sandra Bullock is a smart horror thriller that proves that what you don’t see can be scarier than anything you imagine.

What are your favorite movies and performances of 2018? And what are you Oscar predictions for February 24? Share them with the Shop Talk blog forum now!

 

Did you know: Vice President Batman?

Christian Bale may be the last person you’d think of casting as Dick Cheney but he puts in an eerily spot-on performance of the former Veep in Vice.

44 thoughts on “2018’s standout movies and performances

  1. Yawn but even more of YAAAAWN! Crazy life changing machine’s that we build and probably destroy earth with but ya…. Hollywood, so importante!?? No, in Espanol… No!

  2. I loved Black Panther. It was a great movie with action and how team work can handle any situation. Not sure what movie will win the Oscars.

  3. Your choice were interesting but far from what I expect Hollywood will honor. The best doesn’t win necessarily.

  4. I would love to see Lady Gaga to receive an award for her role in A Star is Born and I would also like to see Rami Malek receive an award for his role as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. Those are my favorites as of now. I am so happy to see Freddie Mercury get his due in this movie. He was such a wonderful performer and he was great as a front man in Queen. Lady Gaga is a good performer too. Her voice is tremendous. A Star is Born was made a few times and even though I have yet to see this movie I believe she deserves to win for her role.

  5. Due to celebrities engaging controversies and making dumb speeches that sound more like scripted ego trips than actual acceptance speeches, I choose to largely ignore the Academy Awards and the presenters. If it’s not about “diversity” (meaning non-white to me) then it’s about politics or a plea to save the world. It is not about movies anymore but a stage show to see who will make the biggest fashion statement, dumbest idea or criticize another celebrity. Not worth watching.

  6. I’m not really interested in the awards shows anymore. I don’t like the political slant everything is taking. So I don’t support it. Plus, most of the movies I either haven’t heard of or have no interest in. I will say that I hope Black Panther wins a lot of awards!

  7. I don’t keep up with the movies any more. Use to go to the movies and came out disappointed. They seem to boost up movies and sometimes have your favorite actors in them but the movie itself wasn’t so good to me. Since movies are expensive to see, I’ll wait until it’s on TV and/or Netflix.

  8. Standout Villain Michael B. Jordan

    Standout Actress Toni Colette

    Standout Actor Christian Bale

  9. If the Oscar is given for merit and not being a ‘Hollywood insider’, Rami Malek will win the Best Actor Academy Award for his role of Freddy Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. He did not merely play a character as much as he BECAME Freddy Mercury. It was mesmerizing to watch him. I don’t go to the movies…it had been 2 yrs since I’d gone before seeing Bohemian Rhapsody. I not only saw it twice in the theatre but in a move that surprised everyone that knows me, I preordered the DVD.

    Casting, costuming, hair and make up did a masterful job of recreating not just the band members but the actors that portrayed Mary, Paul, Jim and Freddy’s mother are amazingly on point.

    They got it right on all fronts.

  10. Not bad but You forgot Actor for Bohemian The proxy Nicole Kisman Russell Crowe and Lycas Hedges for Boy Erased. Not just only dealing with GAY conversion but the character Lucas portrayed was actually based on truth. Scary. Ans PHENOMINAL performances.

  11. Who really cares about this any more? Just Hollywood lefties bashing our president and our country.

  12. I am not a moviegoer, I prefer to watch the classic movies at home. I have not seen any recent movies in a long time, so I can’t comment on any of the nominated films.

Comments are closed.