Destroyer. Climax. Mid90s. The Sisters Brothers. The Favourite. Our New President. The Tale. Three Identical Strangers. Burning. The Rider. Minding The Gap. Wildlife. Blaze. Assassination Nation. Phew, and that’s just a few titles. For me, a good indicator that 2018 actually was a rad year for movies is that there still is a way too long list of flicks I need to get my hands on. From all the stuff I’ve seen this year, here’s the dirty dozen I liked the most in alphabetical order.

AN EVENING WITH BEVERLY LUFF LINN by Jim Hosking
Hosking’s follow-up to “The Greasy Strangler“ delivered just the right amount of absurdity and silliness to make you forget for two hours that 2018 actually was another rather shitty year.

ANNIHILATION by Alex Garland
Garland’s second exploration of modern sci-fi and bio-impossibilities as a director is a cerebral, poetic and deeply haunting affair, a weird hybrid of a movie - just like the ever changing lifeforms at its very center.

THE CLEANERS by H. Block & M. Riesewieck
The non-fiction debut of the two German directors isn’t only demonstrating that 2018 was a rad year for documentaries, but an urgent reminder why all things Internet suck these days as well.

EIGHT GRADE by Bo Burnham
Growing up sucks ass - but, wow, must it be tough to go through puberty these days . Bunham’s directorial debut is a heartbreaking study of teenage kicks and more terrifying than any horror movie I’ve seen this year.

HEREDITARY by Ari Aster
Totally lived up to the hype because it sure is original and unpleasant and scary as fuck. I even loved the controversial final act so many others experienced as a massive turn-off.

HOLD THE DARK by Jeremy Saulnier
Saulnier’s third feature is far from being a flawless film - but I was totally impressed by the deeply nihilistic and fucked-up worldview it offers.

MANDY by Panos Cosmatos
Of course, it’s great to see a maltreated Nic Cage in his underpants emptying a whole bottle of vodka while realizing what life is capable of - but that’s most definitely not the only reason why this film should be in everybody’s top ten.

ROMA by Alfonso Cuarón
Cuarón’s love-letter to his nanny is juxtaposing the banal with the extraordinary, proving that in the end there’s somebody loving you somewhere regardless of the harsh realities life is throwing at you.

SHOPLIFTERS by Hirokazu Koreda
The masterly Japanese director is deconstructing modern family life once again, but it actually never felt as beautiful, traumatic and devastating as in his latest gem.

SORRY TO BOTHER YOU by Boots Riley
Waving the middle finger at corporate America hardly ever felt as vivid and original as in Boots Riley’s - probably better known as the frontman of the Coup - unpredictable and pretty hilarious debut.

SUSPIRIA by Luca Guadagnino
For some strange reasons I tried my best to not like it, but in actuality it’s a pretty bold rework - and not necessarily a remake - of the cherished classic, confirming once and for all that  contemporary dance is pure evil.

WE THE ANIMALS by Jeremiah Zagar
I’m a sucker for coming-of-age stories and this one here - which feels a bit as if Terrence Malick did a remake of “Beasts of the Southern Wild“ - definitely is one of the outstanding ones in 2018.