Marjorie Baumgarten’s Top 10 Films of 2018

1) Roma

A maid's story becomes an instant classic as a result of impeccable artistry in front of and behind the camera.

2) Leave No Trace

A father and daughter live apart from the world, but why?

3) The Rider

A young cowboy struggles with a pressing need to redefine what it means to be a man.

4) Private Life

Tamara Jenkins' groundbreaking dramedy about human-fertility issues finds perfect partners in Kathryn Hahn and Paul Giamatti.

5) Minding the Gap

Heartbreaking documentary by first-timer Bing Liu looks at the factors that turn boys into men.

6) Shoplifters

The great family portraitist Hirokazu Kore-eda shows that blood can be the least meaningful of human connections.

7) Happy as Lazzaro

A good-hearted peasant becomes a blank slate for others in this poetic, comedic, out-of-time tale.

8) The Favourite

A perfect triumvirate of Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, and Emma Stone enlivens this sharp tale of palace intrigue.

9) BlacKkKlansman

Spike Lee infuses this improbably true police procedural with delicious doses of humor and stinging justice.

10) Eighth Grade

If you ever forget the agonizing pain of your preteen years, check out Eighth Grade for an aching reminder.

Near Misses

Thunder Road, Sorry to Bother You, First Reformed

Most Overrated

Vice, Ben Is Back, Bohemian Rhapsody

Most Underrated

The Sisters Brothers, Hotel Artemis, Lean on Pete

Wild Card

88-year-old Clint Eastwood directed two, count them, two movies in 2018 and starred in one of them.

Acting Kudos (Male)

Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?), Willem Dafoe (At Eternity's Gate), Steve Buscemi (The Death of Stalin)

Acting Kudos (Female)

Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk); Regina Hall (Support the Girls); Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)

Best Director

Alfonso Cuarón (Roma), Debra Granik (Leave No Trace), Chloé Zhao (The Rider)

Best Original Screenplay

Tamara Jenkins (Private Life); Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara (The Favourite); Boots Riley (Sorry to Bother You)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Oh Jung-mi, Lee Chang-dong (Burning); Armando Iannucci, David Schneider, Ian Martin, Peter Fellows (The Death of Stalin); Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini (Leave No Trace)

TV Series/Event

Sharp Objects

Worst Film

Vox Lux: A pointless pop study in contemporary grotesqueries and garishness.