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SPICYWATCH

The Best Viewing Experiences of 2018

2/1/2019

5 Comments

 
That time has rolled around again, the time for me to collate all of my viewing efforts and put forward my recommendations for the best viewing choices of 2018. As I have mentioned before, quality television really dominated my time this year and I gave more 5 Chilli Pepper ratings to TV series than I gave to movies this year. To be honest, overall I do feel that the quality of movies this year was not as strong as it was in 2017, and I feel like I watched a lot more mediocre movies than I did last year as well, but sometimes that happens. 
In total I viewed 253 movies in 2018 and 133 TV series (some of which had several seasons). I have watched programs across every genre, and I can honestly say that there were excellent offerings in all of those genres in both movies and television. This year I am not going to list my least favorite viewings for 2018 because I have made myself a new years resolution to be more positive and to not focus on the negative things, so to list the worst things I saw in 2018 would be counterproductive to that resolution. Besides, as I have said before, even if I didn't love it, doesn't mean that someone else won't or that it is rubbish. At the end of the day, even the movies that we don't really enjoy have required a lot of time, money and effort to be produced; to shit on someone else's dream or vision is a pretty lousy thing to do, so I am choosing not to go there. 
I hope that you find something on these lists that you have not seen yet and can hopefully now explore. For full reviews of all of the recommended movies below, just go to the appropriate genre tab at the top of the page.
So without any further ado, here are my TOP MOVIE CHOICES (2018 release):  
  • ROMA - Foreign 4.5 Chilli Peppers
  • Hereditary - Horror 4.5 Chilli Peppers 
  • Beautiful Boy - Drama 4.5 Chilli Peppers 
  • Isle of Dogs - Kid Friendly 4.5 Chilli Peppers
  • BlacKkKlannsman  - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers 
  • A Star in Born - Romance 4 Chilli Peppers 
  • The Tale - Gritty 4 Chilli Peppers 
  • Paddington 2 - Kid Friendly 4 Chilli Peppers 
  • Avengers: Infinity War -  Super 4 Chilli Peppers 
  • The Ballad of Buster Scruggs - Art House 4 Chilli Peppers 
  • Upgrade - Science Fiction/ Action 4 Chilli Peppers  
  • John Leguizamo: Latin History for Morons - Documentary 4 Chilli Peppers 
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
  • A Quiet Place - Sci-Fi/ Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers
  • Annihilation - Sci-Fi 3.5 Chilli Peppers
  • Black Panther - Super 3.5 Chilli Peppers
  • Ready Player One - Fantasy 3.5 Chilli Peppers
  • The Breaker Upperers - Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers
  • Searching - Crime 3.5 Chilli Peppers
  • Game Night - Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers
  • Love, Simon - Romance 3.5 Chilli Peppers
  • Bohemian Rhapsody - Drama 3.5 Chilli Peppers
  • Blockers - Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers
Here are my top recommendations for pre- 2018 releases that I didn't see until 2018: 
  • Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - Drama 5 Chilli Peppers (Hall of Fame)
  • Bright Star - Romance 4.5 Chilli Peppers
  • Wind River - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
  • Good Time - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers 
  • The Shape of Water - Fantasy 4 Chilli Peppers 
  • Coco - Kid Friendly 4 Chilli Peppers 
  • Mudbound - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
  • Call Me by Your Name  - Romance 4 Chilli Peppers 
  • Ingrid Goes West - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers 
  • Beasts of No Nation - Gritty 4 Chilli Peppers 
  • The Tunnel - Foreign 4 Chilli Peppers 
BEST TELEVISION SERIES of 2018: 
  • Master of None S2 - Comedy/ Drama 5 Chilli Peppers 
  • One Strange Rock - Documentary 5 Chilli Peppers
  • Atlanta S2 - Drama 5 Chilli Peppers
  • Sharp Objects - Crime 5 Chilli Peppers
  • Patrick Melrose - Drama 5 Chilli Peppers
  • Kidding - Drama 4.5 Chilli Peppers
  • Who is America? - Comedy/ Documentary 4.5 Chilli Peppers
  • Here and Now - Drama 4.5 Chilli Peppers
  • Maniac - Sci-Fi 4.5 Chilli Peppers
  • Lemony Snicket's a Series of Unfortunate Events S2 - Fantasy/ Kid Friendly 4.5 Chilli Peppers 
  • Mosaic - Crime 4 Chilli Peppers
  • The End of the Fucking World S1 - Crime 4 Chilli Peppers
  • Dirk Gently S2 - Fantasy 4 Chilli Peppers
  • Barry S1 - Crime/ Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
  • AHS - Apocalypse - Horror 4 Chilli Peppers
  • Mr Inbetween - Crime 4 Chilli Peppers
  • Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat - Documentary 4 Chilli Peppers
  • Just Another Immigrant - Comedy  4 Chilli Peppers
  • Mr Mercedes S1 - Crime  4 Chilli Peppers
  • Wanderlust - Drama  4 Chilli Peppers
  • The Miracle - Foreign  4 Chilli Peppers
  • Anne with an E S2 - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
  • Britannia S1 - Fantasy 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
  • Ash vs Evil Dead S3 - Horror/ Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
  • Swedish Dicks S2 - Comedy/ Crime 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
  • Future Man - Sci-Fi/Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
  • GLOW S2 - Drama 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
  • The Detectorists S2 - Comedy/ Drama 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
  • Sabrina the Teenage Witch - Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
  • Wellington Paranormal - Horror/Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
  • The Kominsky Method - Drama/ Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Picture
ROMA
Release Date: 2018
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 135 mins
 
A semi-biographical drama that was written, co-produced, co-edited and directed by Alfonso Cuarón who based the film on his personal experiences growing up in Mexico City. ROMA won the coveted Golden Lion award at the 75th Venice International Film Festival where it had its world premiere, and has since received unanimous praise, critical acclaim and many other award nominations. 
Set during the 1970's, we follow the daily experiences of Cleo, a young Mexican maid and nanny. Cleo works for Sofia and Antonio (a couple whose relationship is clearly in peril) in their home in Colonia Roma, a suburb of Mexico City.  She loving cares their four children and Sofia's elderly mother; sharing their lives, their triumphs and their hardships as together they navigate the turbulent and politically charged environment that they are living in. 
This film is so beautiful to watch, shot in moody black and white and full of lingering contemplative scenes, this is a film for true movie lovers and I adored it. Everything feels completely genuine and although this is just a movie about everyday people doing everyday things, it is absolutely engrossing and deeply affecting in every way.
Yalitza Aparicio is wonderful as Cleo and she is richly supported by a strong and capable cast here. I expect to hear a lot of Oscar and Golden Globe Award buzz around this film, and every bit of it would be deserved. This would be one of my favourite movies of the year and it should not be missed! 
FINAL SAY: We are alone. No matter what they tell you, we women are always alone. 
4.5 Chilli Peppers

5 Comments
Llewellyn AJ
5/1/2019 16:35:39

Looks like I've got some viewing to catch up on now thanks to you Spicywatch, I've not seen heaps of these, when do you sleep gurl?
Did see Hereditary though and didn't sleep for goddam days, messed me up big time!

Reply
Spicywatch
6/1/2019 15:44:36

I do sleep, but I am often guilty of burning the midnight oil. Glad to hear that i've given you some viewing ideas, and I concur about Hereditary - tough going but so worth it. Thanks for continually checking in Llewellyn AJ, I love hearing your thoughts about my blog entries.

Reply
Flip note Skip
19/1/2019 05:10:55

Saw Latin History for Morons on your recommendation Spicywatch, really liked it a lot and probably wouldn't have bothered if I'd not seen it on your list. Thanks.

Reply
Spicywatch
22/1/2019 16:57:05

Flip note Skip, I cannot tell you how much I love to hear that someone has watched one of my recommendations and enjoyed it, thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate your comment and your readership.

Reply
Velanteene
11/3/2019 15:03:14

ROMA - best move I have seen in years!

Reply



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    Hi, my name is Barb.
    I crave excellent, high quality viewing experiences. 
    ​Share in my addiction. 

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