Express Reviews 2018: Film of The Year

As 2018 draws gently to a close and ‘Best of 2018’ lists are published across the country, we at the University Express thought that we would get in on the action. We asked our editors, contributors, and photographers and our friends at Motley Magazine to give us their own personal highlights of the year that was.In this article, we shall look at some of the films our writers enjoyed during 2018. From A Quiet Place and Isle of Dogs, to Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity wars, this has been one of the strongest years in cinema in recent memory. Any number of films could be considered highlights of the year. This is what we thought:BlackkklansmanAs I said on the radio, 2018 was such a let-down for me in terms of film quality. This film juxtaposed the hilarity of how idiotic the racists of America are with the reality of racism today.Cian McGrath, Gaming Editor (University Express)The Incredibles 2Purely for nostalgic reasons. Blackkklansman and Infinity War deserve mentions, as does HereditaryJoe Cunningham, Film Editor (University Express) Avengers: Infinity WarsIt f**ked me up in the best way. (RIP Loki). I love marvel and their last few movies have been awesome and it’s just shot and produced so well, I love it.Eve Harrington, Photographer (University Express)A Futile and Stupid GestureAdmittedly, I have not watched as many films as I would have liked this year, but 'A Futile and Stupid Gesture' was certainly a fun experience. Depicting the running of a comedic magazine with the humour of the real life National Lampoon, I was certainly hooked to its quirky comedy and insight into the realities of managing a media company.Lucas Brun, Editor-in-Chief (Motley Magazine)Avengers: Infinity WarI think this is actually the only movie I watched this year that was released this year, when I watched one marvel movie per evening like some extended TV series during the summer. I want to see Isle of Dogs though.Holly McGrath, Designer (University Express) Black ‘47If you look for any Irish famine films there are none to be found. There is one official documentary from the 90's on YouTube that consists of Irish people in remote locations, pointing at stones in a field and saying "yes...yes...this is a famine grave". I do feel we have done a disservice to our history by not attempting to tell the story of the Famine however it was an event that undoubtedly scarred the psyche of this country. It's fair to say Lance Daly had a huge amount of responsibility on his hands and I think he did an incredible job. But read my coverage of it in the Famine issue on the website to hear more about that. (Shameless self-promotion, I know!)Éadaoin Regan, Arts & Literature Editor (University Express)Dublin Oldschool Emmet Kirwan is a national treasure. Dublin Oldschool is like an Irish version of Trainspotting so obviously, it’s amazing.Caoimhe Coleman, Music Editor (University Express)Spider-Man: Into The SpiderverseInto The Spiderverse is a complete breath of fresh air. With its unique and pulpy comic book style animation. Its strong characters led by Miles Morales in his big screen debut and Lord and Millers tight production and writing. If you're a Spidey fan you won't want to miss this one.Dan Webb, Entertainment Editor (Motley Magazine)AnnihilationFor whatever reason, 2018 just wasn't a very big movie-watching year for me. One that definitely stuck out however was Alex Garland's "Annihilation". It's got all the nauseating tension and undercurrents of something not quite right as his last feature, "Ex-Machina" had, plus a massive expanse of setting to play with, and a brilliant female-led castFergal Smiddy, Features Editor (University Express)Black ‘47If you look for any Irish famine films there are none to be found. There is one official documentary from the 90's on YouTube that consists of Irish people in remote locations, pointing at stones in a field and saying "yes...yes...this is a famine grave". I do feel we have done a disservice to our history by not attempting to tell the story of the Famine however it was an event that undoubtedly scarred the psyche of this country. It's fair to say Lance Daly had a huge amount of responsibility on his hands and I think he did an incredible job. But read my coverage of it in the Famine issue on the website to hear more about that. (Shameless self-promotion, I know!)Éadaoin Regan, Arts & Literature Editor (University Express)Dublin Oldschool Emmet Kirwan is a national treasure. Dublin Oldschool is like an Irish version of Trainspotting so obviously, it’s amazing.Caoimhe Coleman, Music Editor (University Express)Black PantherA monumental movie! From its cast, to its incorporation of tech, badass female roles and poc representation, it was a desperately needed revelation in terms of super heroes movies, especially within the Marvel universe.Rían Browne O'Neill, Sexpress Editor (University Express)