6 January 2019

This article is a look at the best films of 2018.

By Hemanth Kissoon

(For the worst films of 2018, click here.)

(For my favourite films of 2018, click here.)

THE FILMALUATION AWARDS

The following are listed alphabetically in each category for my nominations, with a runner-up, and then the very lucky winner!
 
Have you got your formal attire on? Okay, let’s begin…
​

Best Actress

​Nearly made the shortlist: A PRIVATE WAR - Rosamund Pike, ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD – Michelle Williams, BEAST - Jessie Buckley, COLD WAR - Joanna Kulig, JOY - Anwulika Alphonsus, PHANTOM THREAD – Vicky Krieps, PRIVATE LIFE – Kathryn Hahn, SHOPLIFTERS - Sakura Andô, SUPPORT THE GIRLS – Regina Hall, THE HATE U GIVE - Amandla Stenberg, THE WIFE - Glenn Close, UTØYA: JULY 22 – Andrea Berntzen, UNSANE – Claire Foy, WILDLIFE - Carey Mulligan, WONDER WHEEL – Kate Winslet
 
ASH IS PUREST WHITE - Tao Zhao
BORDER - Eva Melander
DESTROYER - Nicole Kidman
HUSBAND MATERIAL - Tapsee Pannu
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK - Kiki Layne
IN THE FADE – Diane Kruger
THE FAVOURITE - Olivia Colman
THE FAVOURITE - Emma Stone
VOX LUX - Natalie Portman
WIDOWS - Viola Davis
 
Runner-up: THE FAVOURITE - Emma Stone
 
Winner: VOX LUX - Natalie Portman

THE FAVOURITE - Emma Stone

VOX LUX - Natalie Portman

Best Actor​

​Nearly made the shortlist: COLD WAR - Tomasz Kot, DON’T WORRY, HE WON’T GET FAR ON FOOT – Joaquin Phoenix, GREEN BOOK - Mahershala Ali, GREEN BOOK - Viggo Mortensen, MUSEO – Gael García Bernal, NON-FICTION - Guillaume Canet, PHANTOM THREAD – Daniel Day-Lewis, PRIVATE LIFE – Paul Giamatti, THE SQUARE – Claes Bang
 
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY - Rami Malek
BURNING - Ah-In Yoo
HUSBAND MATERIAL – Abhishek Bachchan
HUSBAND MATERIAL - Vicky Kaushal
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK - Stephan James
PIG – Hasan Majuni
SHOPLIFTERS - Lily Franky
SICARIO: DAY OF THE SOLDADO – Benicio Del Toro
SORRY TO BOTHER YOU – Lakeith Stanfield
THE RIDER - Brady Jandreau

Runner-up: SORRY TO BOTHER YOU – Lakeith Stanfield
 
Winner: BURNING - Ah-In Yoo

SORRY TO BOTHER YOU – Lakeith Stanfield

BURNING - Ah-In Yoo

Best Supporting Actress

​3 FACES - Marziyeh Rezaei
BURNING - Jong-seo Jeon
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK - Regina King
PHANTOM THREAD – Lesley Manville
PRIVATE LIFE – Kayli Carter
SCHOOL’S OUT - Luàna Bajrami
SHOPLIFTERS - Kirin Kiki
SHOPLIFTERS - Mayu Matsuoka
SORRY TO BOTHER YOU – Tessa Thompson
THE FAVOURITE - Rachel Weisz
 
Runner-up: BURNING - Jong-seo Jeon
 
Winner: THE FAVOURITE - Rachel Weisz

BURNING - Jong-seo Jeon

THE FAVOURITE - Rachel Weisz

Best Supporting Actor

​BEAST - Johnny Flynn
BURNING - Steven Yeun
DON’T WORRY, HE WON’T GET FAR ON FOOT – Jonah Hill
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK - Colman Domingo
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK – Brian Tyree Henry
IN THE AISLES – Peter Kurth
SHOPLIFTERS - Jyo Kairi
THE FAVOURITE - Nicholas Hoult
THE SISTERS BROTHERS - John C. Reilly
WIDOWS - Daniel Kaluuya
 
Runner-up: BURNING - Steven Yeun
 
Winner: WIDOWS - Daniel Kaluuya

BURNING - Steven Yeun

WIDOWS - Daniel Kaluuya [left]

Best Animated Film

​COCO
INCREDIBLES 2
ISLE OF DOGS
MARY AND THE WITCH’S FLOWER
SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE
 
Runner-up: COCO
 
Winner: ISLE OF DOGS

COCO

ISLE OF DOGS

Best Cinematography

Nearly made the shortlist: HUSBAND MATERIAL - Sylvester Fonseca, MUSEO – Damian Garcia, NEWTON - Swapnil S. Sonawane, PETERLOO – Dick Pope, THE RIDER - Joshua James Richards, UTØYA: JULY 22 – Martin Otterbeck, WONDER WHEEL – Vittorio Storaro
 
CLIMAX - Benoît Debie
COCO – Matt Aspbury and Danielle Feinberg
COLD WAR - Lukasz Zal
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK - James Laxton
IN THE AISLES – Peter Matjasko
MANDY - Benjamin Loeb
ONE CUT OF THE DEAD – Takeshi Sone
UNSANE – Steven Soderbergh
THE FAVOURITE - Robbie Ryan
WIDOWS - Sean Bobbitt
 
Runner-up: MANDY - Benjamin Loeb
 
Winner: IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK - James Laxton

MANDY - Benjamin Loeb

IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK - James Laxton

Best Screenplay

​Nearly made the shortlist: 3 FACES, BEAST, BRAD’S STATUS, BURNING, COLD WAR, DESTROYER; DON’T WORRY, HE WON’T GET FAR ON FOOT; GREEN BOOK, IN THE FADE, ISLE OF DOGS, JOY, MUSEO, NEWTON, NON-FICTION, PETERLOO, PIG, PRIVATE LIFE, SHOPLIFTERS, THE FRONT RUNNER, THE HATE U GIVE, THE SISTERS BROTHERS, THE SQUARE, THE WEAK ONES, TRANSIT, TULLY, WIDOWS
 
BORDER
FIRST REFORMED
HUSBAND MATERIAL
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK
IN THE AISLES
ONE CUT OF THE DEAD
SORRY TO BOTHER YOU
THE FAVOURITE
VOX LUX
WOMAN AT WAR
 
Runner-up: VOX LUX
 
Winner: BORDER

VOX LUX

BORDER

Best Horror

Nearly made the shortlist: BIRD BOX, HEREDITARY, OVERLORD, THE LODGERS
 
A QUIET PLACE
APOSTLE
ASSASSINATION NATION
CLIMAX
DRAGGED ACROSS CONCRETE
ONE CUT OF THE DEAD
REVENGE
THE CANNIBAL CLUB
TUMBBAD
UNSANE
 
Runner-up: UNSANE
 
Winner: DRAGGED ACROSS CONCRETE

UNSANE

DRAGGED ACROSS CONCRETE

Best Score

Nearly made the shortlist: DESTROYER, MARY MAGDALENE, THE RIDER, THE SISTERS BROTHERS, THE SPY GONE NORTH
 
ASSASSINATION NATION
BLACK PANTHER
ISLE OF DOGS
HUSBAND MATERIAL
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK
MANDY
PHANTOM THREAD
TUMBBAD
WIDOWS
WOMAN AT WAR
 
Runner-up: WOMAN AT WAR
 
Winner: IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK

WOMAN AT WAR

IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK

Best Visual Effects

​ANT MAN AND THE WASP
BLEACH
​BORDER
BUMBLEBEE
RAMPAGE
ZERO
 
Runner-up: ZERO
 
Winner: ANT MAN AND THE WASP

ZERO

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP

Best Documentary

BISBEE ’17
FACES PLACES
FAHRENHEIT 11/9
FREE SOLO
HALF THE PICTURE
MATANGI / MAYA /M.I.A.
RUMBLE: THE INDIANS WHO ROCKED THE WORLD
THE RACHEL DIVIDE
THEY’LL LOVE ME WHEN I’M DEAD
UNSETTLING
 
Runner-up: HALF THE PICTURE
 
Winner: THE RACHEL DIVIDE

HALF THE PICTURE

THE RACHEL DIVIDE

Best Comedy

Nearly made the shortlist: A FUTILE AND STUPID GESTURE, DEADPOOL 2, I FEEL GOOD, ISLE OF DOGS, NEWTON, ONCE UPON A TIME IN VENICE, PETER RABBIT, THE FESTIVAL, THE SQUARE, THE WEAK ONES
 
BRAD’S STATUS
MUSEO
NEVER GOIN’ BACK
NON-FICTION
ONE CUT OF THE DEAD
PIG
PRIVATE LIFE
SORRY TO BOTHER YOU
THE BREAKER UPPERERS
THE FAVOURITE
 
Runner-up: SORRY TO BOTHER YOU
 
Winner: ONE CUT OF THE DEAD

SORRY TO BOTHER YOU

ONE CUT OF THE DEAD

Best Action Film

BLACK PANTHER
ILLANG: THE WOLF BRIGADE
INCREDIBLES 2
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT
RE: BORN
SHADOW
SICARIO: DAY OF THE SOLDADO
THE NIGHT COMES FOR US
WIDOWS
WOMAN AT WAR
 
Runner-up: SHADOW
 
Winner: WOMAN AT WAR

SHADOW

WOMAN AT WAR

Best Director

Nearly made the shortlist: ADRIFT - Baltasar Kormákur, CLIMAX - Gaspar Noé, COLD WAR - Pawel Pawlikowski, DAUGHTER OF MINE – Laura Bispuri, IN THE FADE – Fatih Akin, MUSEO – Alonso Ruizpalacios, SHOPLIFTERS - Hirokazu Koreeda, THE RIDER - Chloé Zhao, UTØYA: JULY 22 – Erik Poppe, UNSANE – Steven Soderbergh
 
BURNING - Lee Chang-dong
DESTROYER - Karyn Kusama
HUSBAND MATERIAL - Anurag Kashyap
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK - Barry Jenkins
IN THE AISLES – Thomas Stuber
ONE CUT OF THE DEAD - Shin'ichirô Ueda
THE FAVOURITE - Yorgos Lanthimos
VOX LUX – Brady Corbet
WIDOWS - Steve McQueen
WOMAN AT WAR – Benedikt Erlingsson
 
Runner-up: WIDOWS - Steve McQueen
 
Winner: IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK - Barry Jenkins

WIDOWS - Steve McQueen

IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK - Barry Jenkins

Best Film

Nearly made the shortlist: BLACKKKLANSMAN, BRAD’S STATUS, COLD WAR, FIRST REFORMED, IN THE FADE, JOY, MUSEO, NON-FICTION, ONE CUT OF THE DEAD, THE HATE U GIVE, THE RIDER, TRANSIT
 
BORDER
BURNING
HUSBAND MATERIAL
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK
IN THE AISLES
SHOPLIFTERS
THE FAVOURITE
VOX LUX
WIDOWS
WOMAN AT WAR
 
Runner-up: VOX LUX
 
Winner: IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK

VOX LUX

IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK

​

Congratulations to the award winners, dry your tears of victory.
 
So that’s it for another year folks! Bring on 2019!