Wednesday 19 December 2018

December 20th
Colette
TOP FILMS OF 2018


Almost at the day of major releases - Boxing Day - but not quite! So this week we have the stylish Colette, and I reckon it's time for a review of the filmic year with my "best of" lists.  

Colette
Dir: Wash Westmoreland
Length: 111 min 
© Transmission -   one of Keira's
more engaging performances 
Sidonie Gabrielle Colette (Keira Knightley) moved from rural France to Paris in the late 1800s, marrying much older Willy (Dominic West), a writer and libertine. He encouraged her to write her own saucy stories of schoolgirl Claudine, but under his name. Becoming more outrageous and flaunting lesbian relationships, Colette increasingly desired recognition for her own work. This story of one of France's most acclaimed writers is a handsome production, beautifully depicting  the literary and bohemian Parisian life. It is also very relevant to the ongoing "glass ceiling" battle for women, with Colette being a woman way ahead of her years, battling the sexism of her day. Knightley is suitably feisty, the story is never less than engaging making for an all-round entertaining and sexy period piece.
3.5 - well recommended! 

TOP FILMS 2018
It's that time of year again to ponder over spread-sheets of scores, and to soul search as to which films were the most entertaining, the most well made, the most artistic and so on. I don't want to rank them in order - how can you compare the vastly different genres, claiming one is better than another. How can I choose just ten??!!
So . . . here are those memorable films that really impressed me (or totally entertained me) this year. 
The date upon which my review was published is included so you can go back and check' em out if you wish. 
Top 10 (in no particular order)
A Star is Born (October 18)
Bohemian Rhapsody (November 2)
Leave No Trace (August 23)
A Fantastic Woman (no review - Spanish - marvellous)
Isle of Dogs (April 12)
They Shall Not Grow Old (December 16)
Shoplifters (November 15)
Ladies in Black (Sept 20)
Three Billboards in Ebbing Missouri (Jan 1)
The Last Note (from Greek Film Festival - Oct 11)

Almost in top 10:
Phantom Thread (Feb 1)
Black Klansman (Aug 16)
Can You Ever Forgive Me? (Dec 6)
Roma
Vice

Honorable mentions
Working Class Boy (Aug 23)
How They Got Over (May 10)
Geula (Nov 2)
The Shape of Water (Jan 18)
Custody (Sept 27)
The Interpreter (Nov 2)
An Ideal Home (May 24) - a rare comedy included
I Tonya (Jan 25) 

Now, if you're wondering why I don't have a "Worst of" list  it's because I tend to not see those films I think I will not enjoy. So my scores are usually skewed towards the high end, and I save many hours of my life by not watching films I could end up sinking the boots into. 







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