Latest Love // Favourite Films of 2018

Latest Love is a series of posts where I talk about a recent obsession. This could be a bookish obsession or otherwise - anything that has been making me happy recently that I feel like sharing. The important thing about this feature is that it isn't a review. This is just a way of me expressing a few reasons why I like something, and maybe find some more people to talk about it with. 😊

As 2018 comes to an end, I wanted to reflect on some of the amazing films I've watched this year. I've never been much of a film person, but this year I've come across so many wonderful movies that I couldn't help but fall in love with or obsess over.

1. The Greatest Showman (2017)

I was totally captivated by The Greatest Showman when I watched it at the start of this year, so much so that I wrote a Latest Love post all about it. I love musicals and even though this film had it's flaws it made me so happy, and I had the soundtrack on repeat for weeks.

2 + 3. Paddington (2015) and Paddington 2 (2018)

Last semester I took a film module which required me to watch the Paddington movies, and they completely warmed my heart. They were perfectly charming, and their British-ness was so genuine and homely to me. 

4. The Shape of Water (2018)

I watched this film on a flight in the summer, and was so moved by it's beauty. The Shape of Water is difficult to describe and do it justice without making the story sound like something that it's not, but it was executed in a way that was utterly gorgeous.

5. Love, Simon (2018)

I watched Love, Simon twice this year, purely because it filled me with so much joy. My friends and I first went to see it in the cinema together, and we were all cried a fair bit. I love Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, and there were parts from the book that I missed, but I still love this film and how it was able to reach and touch the hearts of so many people who needed it.

6. Labyrinth (1986)

I'm not sure what drove me to watch Labyrinth in bed at midnight one night, but I'm glad I did, because it's a film I would absolutely watch again. It was this perfect combination of dreamy and creepy and magical, and it whisked me away to a different world.

7. Spirited Away (2003)

I first watched Spirited Away when I think I was 9 or 10 years old, and it really stuck with me. It was my first Studio Ghibli movie and I remember never quite seeing anything like it before, and I finally decided it was time to watch it again. It was as sweet and beautiful as the first time I watched it, and I'm already thinking about watching it again.

8. Princess Mononoke (1997)

I watched this Ghibli movie with my friend, and once again my heart was stolen by the magic of these films. Princess Mononoke felt magical in a different way to Spirited Away, but was just as lovely. It made my friend and I both cry, and I am determined to watch more of the movies from this beautiful studio in 2019.

9. To All The Boys I've Loved Before (2018)

I watched To All The Boys with my sister the day it came out on Netflix, and we both adored it. I used to think I hated romance films, but before this and Love, Simon I don't think I'd ever seen a romance film that felt real to me. I'm so glad I decided to watch this with my little sis because it's such a sisterly movie, and we're now planning to read the books together.

10. The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018)

I watched Cameron Post in the cinema shortly after I finished the book, and it was really powerful. The story addresses the abusive nature of conversion therapy in a fascinatingly subtle way, and even though it feels quietly crushing, the ending is so liberating. There was a lot of the book that was cut out of the film which I did miss, but I feel as though the two fed into each other in a way that meant I still felt I hadn't lost anything. Different from what I usually watch, but so important.

11. The Prestige (2006)

We had this recorded on TV for ages, and finally my family decided to watch it together. This was a really long movie, but the twists it took were quite impressive, and had me hanging on to every second. The Presige is all about magic and vengance, two things I love in fiction, and the ending made me question everything and want to go back and watch it all over again.

12. The Hate U Give (2018)

I took my siblings to see this the week after it was released (my sister had read the book, my brother did not because he thinks reading isn't cool), and I think it's fair to say all three of us were moved by it. In fact, I'm certain the whole theatre was, but I was too absorbed in this film to notice that anyone other than myself was crying. The Hate U Give is true to Angie Thomas' incredible novel, and just as powerful. I don't even think I have the words to articulate how excellent this film was. Just thinking about it again has me shaking. I'm so glad I saw it. I'm so glad people are still seeing it. Probably my favourite film of this year.

13. American Beauty (1999)

For my film module this semester, I've had to watch a lot of things I thought sucked (sorry, Fight Club). But this? I actually thought was really clever. And not the trying-too-hard kind of clever (I retract my earlier sorry, I'm going to keep throwing Fight Club under the bus). This was actually kind of brilliant. It's all about how people see themselves vs. how they want to be seen, and the symbolism was on point. I had very conflicting feelings about watching this due to the synopsis and who it stars, and I think my view on the movie will forever be overshadowed by that fact. But based on the film alone, I was really impressed.

14. Thelma & Louise (1991)
This was another film module required watch, and I loved it a lot. Thelma & Lousie is equal parts road trip movie, action movie, crime movie, and epic feminist movie all wrapped into one. The dynamic between the two protagonists was beautiful to see unfold and I became so attached to them and their friendship. It's an exciting rollercoaster of a film, but also deals with the issue of how women aren't believed when they are assaulted which still feels so relevant 27 years later. Even though it has its dark moments, it is a genuinely very sweet film that made me smile a whole lot.

What are some of the best movies you have watched in 2018? Have you watched any of my favourites? What were your thoughts?