This might be it. The film of 2018 that I love more than most people. It's been a great year for films that tackle racial injustices, police brutality and how that effects our communities today. It's also been interesting how unique many of these films have been. Despite having the exact same event to spark its action as THE HATE U GIVE, MONSTERS AND MEN could not be more different in approach. The two films have thematic parallels, but that's…

Between THE HATE U GIVE, MONSTERS AND MEN and now PRIVATE LIFE, the last few weeks have been a treasure chest of hidden gems that I hadn't heard of until recently. PRIVATE LIFE is somber and despondent, but emotionally raw and authentic as it explores the harsh realities of infertility. Kathryn Hahn and Paul Giamatti are great and give some of the best performances of their respective careers. Hahn is especially stunning. She's so emotionally vulnerable (her catharsis to Giamatti…

This is the Jake Gyllenhaal show. Or you could argue that it's the Louis Bloom show because Gyllenhaal just disappears. His performance is absolutely unreal and is arguably the best of his career. Louis is creepy, disturbing but also incredibly compelling from beginning to end.

Dan Gilroy's direction is immaculate. Incredible pacing, fantastic sound design and the cinematography is maybe the best I've seen all year. Robert Elswit is great utilizing LA's night light's, neon blares and illumination that almost…

The first half of A STAR IS BORN is damn near perfection. It's some of the best filmmaking I've seen all year, and of the last several years from a first-time director. It's stunning in every way. The way Cooper stages the music, the music itself, Cooper and Gaga's performances, the way Cooper lingers on Gaga's face - it's breathtaking.

The second half does lose some steam, but Cooper still does a great job of focusing less on narrative and…