Posted by You may have caught up with some of the big-budget movie releases such as Avengers: Infinity War, Mission: Impossible Fallout, Aquaman or Crazy Rich Asians in 2018. With so many successful movie releases, we are bound to miss out certain movies that are well received by critics and moviegoers alike. Below, we have handpicked some of the critically acclaimed movies that may have flown out from your radar that deserve your time to viewing experience before moving on to upcoming movies in 2019.
Upgrade
Unlike most revenge tale that we used to see in the big screen, Upgrade is a sci-fi vigilante flick about a man with an AI chip implanted turning him into a superhuman. Starring Logan Marshall-Green as the man controlled by artificial intelligence, delivered some of the best physical and comical performance while feeling detached from the body conducting a man-hunt for vengeance.
The movie premise is similar to Venom albeit having better action scenes, plenty of violence filled with blood and gore which something the latter lack. Alternatively, you could put it that this movie is mix-match of Robocop, John Wick and “Jarvis” the AI from Iron Man. Even the main actor was viewed as the budget version of Tom Hardy for his looks. Overall the movie rejuvenated the revenge trope and you will definitely have a good time watching it.
Searching
A movie premise that set entirely on a computer screen, tells the story about David Kim journey to find his missing 16-year-old daughter on one place that no one has looked yet, the social media. With an accurate representation of society on social media will get you hooked on the movie from the beginning. The movie is filled with easter eggs and great foreshadowing scenes which a single viewing is not enough if you wish to explore every scene in the movie.
A Quiet Place
Imagine yourself trying to survive in a world that is overrun by monsters that are easily susceptible to sounds with the slightest noise would draw them in and hunt you. This tragic situation has fallen to a family of four as they lived in silence to survive every day. This movie is pretty much a combination of the “Tremors” 90s monster film and the most recent thriller film “10 Cloverfield Lane” while being taken advantage by a talented cast to bring this movie to life.
There is barely any dialogue in this movie and that amps ups the tension as any noise will bring danger. As an audience, you will certainly be immersed into the world to the point you don’t even want to make any sound.
Won’t You Be My Neighbour?
A movie documentary that tells the life and guiding philosophy of Fred Rogers, the host and creator of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Even if you never heard of him or seen his shows, this a fascinating movie that portrays a man that did so much good by making huge impacts on a few generations of children. Children are largely shunned away from sensitive topics be it about death or a family divorce.
For Fred Rogers, he was deeply connected with kids on a personal level because he understands children cannot articulate their thoughts and adults as adults do. The messages that he has from the past is still relevant to this day when it comes to dealing with major problems in society be it about racism, inequality or even corruption.
Love Simon
Everyone deserves a great love story and it could even start during the high school years. In this movie, we follow the story about Simon living a simple life with a loving family and great friends, the only catch is that he has a little secret that he could not tell anyone else. Despite its twist, the movie is well written and directed where anyone can find themselves relating to Simon struggles in high school. Overall, the dialogues and performances are well paced out to retain its relevancy from a realism point of view.
The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl
If you’re a fan of animated films, this movie presents a unique art style and narrative voice. All the visuals are highly stylised and very postmodern surreal thanks to Masaaki Yuasa helming the film. If you have seen his previous works “Mind Games” you know what to expect from his films as it is unique from any anime movies releases out there.
The movie tells about a young man falling in love with a girl who does not notice him a lot. As we follow them through partying and experiencing Kyoto nightlife. Throughout the journey, we meet unique characters with their own backstory and motivation. Every little segment of the story has its own unique appeal and magic that you should definitely give it a try.
Eighth Grade
Ever been the shy kid or the unpopular student back in the school days? Eight Grade tells the story of an introverted teenage girl trying to survive the final week of her disastrous final year before moving on to start high school. Unlike your conventional movies or scenes that we saw in the theatres, some of the scenes adopt excellent commentary on modern-day social media. One of the biggest highlights in this film revolves a scene in a car and it’s highly nerve wrecking which is certainly worth the price of a movie ticket.
Burning
Based on a short story “Barn Burning” written by Haruki Murakami. Burning is a South Korean psychological drama mystery film directed by filmmaker auteur Lee Chang-Dong. The story centres around a writer struggling to find a purpose or a theme on his unwritten novel as his journey gradually unravel dark and terrible situations surrounding him. The movie is a tour de force of mood thanks to its great atmosphere setting and cinematography. From screen tone changes on sunset, sunrise, trees, dancing scene along with characters’ mood and emotions. The visuals that are captured in this movie will be a delight for thriller fans and any moviegoers alike.
Annihilation
From the director of Ex Machina, Alex Garland brings us another unique and ambitious sci-fi movie. The movie revolves around a biologist starring Natalie Portman as she signs up to be part of an expedition team to venture into an unknown area called “The Shimmer” as scientists are still trying to figure what is inside there and whether it is a hostile environment. You will find yourself seeing similar elements that are borrowed from other famous sci-fi films such as “Aliens” by James Cameron and “The Thing” by John Carpenter.
At its core, this movie is not your typical sci-fi movie as it centres about how people cope with their own mistake as it leads to a path towards self-destruction. This is a type of film that will get moviegoers to sit down together and discuss the movie for hours.
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You Jing is a content writer who writes career and lifestyle contents to inspire job seekers and employers alike on their journey to work-life balance, empowerment and transformation in their career path.
Reach me at youjing@jobstore.com