'Burning,' 'Cold War' top AP's best films of 2018

Associated Press Film Writers Jake Coyle and Lindsey Bahr name their choices for the best films of 2018.

JAKE COYLE

1. "Burning": It was, for sure, an extraordinary movie year. Little to nothing separates my favorite 10 films, or, for that matter, my top 20 or 30. Many of the year's best were found overseas, and none haunted me more than Lee Chang-dong's smoldering slow-burn thriller. An adaptation of a Haruki Murakami short story, "Burning" is about a triangle of young Koreans (Yoo Ah-in, Jeon Jong-seo, Steven Yeun — all astonishing) divided by class but united in heartache and rage. At sunset, with Miles Davis playing, it reaches an aching crescendo.

This image released by A24 shows Ethan Hawke in a scene from "First Reformed." (A24 via AP)

2. "Private Life": Tamara Jenkins' comic and compassionate fertility drama is like "Waiting for Godot" with two of the best actors around: Kathryn Hahn and Paul Giamatti. In a movie year where love that lasts was hard to find, the searching couple in "Private Life" made for an affectionate and indelible portrait of middle-aged marriage.

3. "First Reformed": Chiseled out of a lifetime of doubt, Paul Schrader's late-in-life masterpiece throbs with an existential despair that has hardened into a taut and tormented religious drama. It's a culmination for Schrader— an anguished bookend to "Taxi Driver," which he wrote — about a priest (a never-better Ethan Hawke) in desperate search for grace.

4. "Shoplifters": The films of Hirokazu Kore-eda unfold so nimbly and breezily that their profundity (and your tears) can come as a surprise. In this, a high-point for Kore-eda and the winner of Cannes' Palme d'Or, the Japanese master depicts the ragtag life of a makeshift, impoverished family that slowly, heartbreaking gnaws at the question: What makes a family? The answer is more than DNA.

This image released by Amazon Studios shows Joanna Kulig in a scene from "Cold War." (Amazon Studios via AP)

5. "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs." Take the Coen brothers for granted at your peril. In this, an anthology of six Western tales of death and storytelling, life is a Poker game where everyone's holding — like the two pair of black aces and eights that Scruggs (Tim Blake Nelson) refuses to play in the film's first chapter — a dead man's hand.

6. "Cold War" A stone-cold stunner, the second straight from Pawel Pawlikowski ("Ida"), about a romance torn between exile and home (and based on the director's parents). Pawlikowski's command is absolute. His smoky, shimmering images — dense with atmosphere, luminous with mystery — are what celluloid was made for.

7. "The Rider": Chloe Zhao's second feature, starring real-life rider Brady Jandreau as an injured South Dakota cowboy forced to give up the only life he knows, is so richly filled with the beauty and struggle of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation where it's set. Blending fiction with real life, Zhao achieves something spiritual.

This image released by Netflix shows Paul Giamatti, left, and Kathryn Hahn in a scene from "Private Life." (Jojo WhildenNetflix via AP)

8. "Paddington 2": In an endlessly dispiriting year, Paul King's charm overload was the go-to antidote, a salve of confectionary delight: marmalade for your maladies.

9. "The Favourite": It's just such an irresistible acting spectacle. Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone set a torch to the traditional historical drama in Yorgos Lanthimos' wild and caustic period romp.

10. "Zama": Argentine filmmaker Lucrecia Martel's elliptical tale of a Spanish magistrate in remote 18th century Argentina, adapted from Antonio di Benedetto's novel, casts a deliriously hypnotic spell. The vivid, formalist imagery unravels the pathetic absurdities of a colonist whose stature, tenuous from the start, is disappearing before his eyes.

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Bradley Cooper, left, and Lady Gaga in a scene from "A Star is Born." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

Honorable mentions: "You Were Never Really Here," ''The Hate U Give," ''Eighth Grade," ''Black Panther," ''Minding the Gap," ''Sorry to Bother You," ''Roma," ''Free Solo," "Support the Girls," ''Let the Sunshine In."

LINDSEY BAHR

1. "Cold War": Romantic, passionate, tragic and perfectly unsentimental, filmmaker Pawel Pawlikowski's "Cold War" is an intoxicating portrait of an impossible, cruel and undeniable love between a musician, Wiktor (Tomasz Kot) and a singer with an "it factor," Zula (Joanna Kulig). Shot in stunningly crisp black and white, Pawlikowski's film is a triumph in an 85-minute package.

This image released by Fox Searchlight Films shows Olivia Colman in a scene from the film "The Favourite." (Atsushi NishijimaFox Searchlight Films via AP)

2. "Can You Ever Forgive Me?": Lee Israel is not your typical leading lady, and that's what makes her so great. You can imagine one version of this movie, about a washed up biographer who starts a side hustle forging personal letters of some of wittiest literary minds of all time, relishing in and exploiting her unglamorous life. But director Marielle Heller and star Melissa McCarthy just let Lee Israel be: Sharp, unpleasant, infuriating, compelling, terrible and heroic. Heller's early '90s New York feels like the real thing too.

3. "Roma": Alfonso Cuaron's deeply personal ode to women who raised him, "Roma" is a film going experience like few others — tranquil but urgent, meditative but exciting, and told with pure love and humanity. Like "Cold War," ''Roma" is also shot in black and white, but it rarely feels like it. His images are so vivid and full of life you can almost feel the prism of colors peeking through.

4. "Wildlife": This adaptation of Richard Ford's novel about a family in 1960s Montana feels like it was made by someone much older and much more experienced than 30-something, first-time director Paul Dano. And yet he's made one of the most elegant and heart wrenching examinations of a nuclear American family (Carey Mulligan, Jake Gyllenhaal and Ed Oxenbould) that's dissolving under capitalist systems and gender essentialism.

This image released by Fox Searchlight Films shows Melissa McCarthy, left, and Richard E. Grant in a scene from "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" (Mary CybulskiFox Searchlight via AP)

5. "BlacKkKlansman": Ron Stallworth's story of infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan is a good one, but Spike Lee made it even better in "BlacKkKlansman, an explosive and essential treatise on racism in America with a rallying score, a surprising amount of humor, and some unforgettable performances (from John David Washington and Adam Driver).

6. "A Star Is Born": Bradley Cooper's achievement with "A Star Is Born" is hard to quantify. As an actor, he's never been better as the self-destructive rock star Jackson Maine, who has one gesture of love left in his pill and alcohol addled body — to help Lady Gaga's Ally reach the heights she deserves. And as a director? This is just the beginning, I'd imagine.

7. "Private Life": Tamara Jenkins found something novel, and wonderfully feminine, to say about middle-class New York intellectuals in this impeccably written and acted story about marriage, fertility and hope in middle age, that is humorous, precise and true, and a great spotlight for the equally excellent Kathryn Hahn and Paul Giamatti.

This image released by Netflix shows Yalitza Aparicio, center, in a scene from the film "Roma," by filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron. (Carlos SomonteNetflix via AP)

8. "The Favourite": This movie about power struggles in the court of Queen Anne is deliciously deranged, and wickedly cynical, but somehow more accessible and lighthearted than what we've typically come to expect from Yorgos Lanthimos. With fiercely fun and piercing performances from Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz and Nicholas Hoult, it's a fully engrossing experience that will leave you looking for some pearls to clutch (and then smash on the ground in devious glee).

9. "Juliet, Naked": I won't pretend like "Juliet, Naked" has the gravitas or prestige of most of the other films on this list, and yet it is quietly, unassumingly one of the more poignant, and straightforwardly enjoyable movies of the year about mid-life second chances, for those who have never made any mistakes (Rose Byrne's small-town character Annie), and those who've made all of them (Ethan Hawke's elusive, cult rock star Tucker Crowe).

10. "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs": The Coen brothers show off their best tricks in this deliriously entertaining Western anthology. It's the kind of film that feels new but familiar and nihilistic yet comforting, as you jump between a singing sharpshooter (Tim Blake Nelson), an old prospector (Tom Waits) and his "pocket," to a woman (Zoe Kazan) on a wagon trail getting her first glimmer of happiness.

This image released by Netflix shows Tim Blake Nelson in a scene from "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs," a film by Joel and Ethan Coen streaming on Netflix. (Netflix via AP)

Honorable Mentions: "First Reformed," ''Burning," ''Leave No Trace," ''If Beale Street Could Talk," ''A Simple Favor," ''Minding the Gap."

Follow Coyle at http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP and Bahr at http://twitter.com/ldbahr .

For more on the the biggest moments of 2018, visit: https://apnews.com/2018-TheYearinReview

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows the character Paddington, voiced by Ben Whishaw, in a scene from "Paddington 2." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

This image released by Focus Features shows Topher Grace in a scene from "BlacKkKlansman." (David LeeFocus Features via AP)

The Golden Globes bill themselves as Hollywood’s booziest bash. This year, is anyone ready to party?

Political tension and industrywide uncertainty are the prevailing moods heading into Sunday night's 83rd Golden Globes. Hollywood is coming off a disappointing box-office year and now anxiously awaits the fate of one of its most storied studios, Warner Bros.

A celebratory mood might be even more elusive given that the wide majority of the performers and filmmakers congregating at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, oppose the policies of President Donald Trump. Likely to be on the minds of many attendees: the recent U.S. involvement in Venezuela and the fatal shooting of 37-year-old mother Renee Good in Minneapolis by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

But through their ups and downs, the Globes have always tried to put pomp over politics. Host Nikki Glaser has vowed as much.

“You’d be surprised that half the room had no clue why I was saying ‘Venezuela,’” Glaser told The Associated Press earlier in the week, referring to her comedy-club warm-ups. “People aren’t getting the news like we all are.”

Glaser, a comic known for her roast appearances, has promised to go after A-listers in her second time hosting.

“We’re going to hit Leo,” Glaser said. “The icebergs are coming.”

Here’s what to look for at this year’s Globes:

The Golden Globes kick off at 8 p.m. EST on CBS while streaming live for Paramount+ premium subscribers. E!’s red carpet coverage begins at 6 p.m. EST.

The Associated Press will be have a livestream show beginning at 4:30 p.m. Eastern with a mix of stars' arrivals, fashion shots and celebrity interviews. It will be available on YouTube and APNews.

The overwhelming Oscar favorite “One Battle After Another” comes in with a leading nine nominations. It’s competing in the Globes’ musical or comedy category, which means the drama side might be more competitive. There, Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet” and Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value” are all in the mix.

But thus far, “One Battle After Another” has cleaned up just about everywhere. Much of Paul Thomas Anderson’s cast is nominated, including DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Sean Penn, Chase Infiniti and Benicio Del Toro.

If it and “Sinners” take home the two biggest prizes, it will be a banner night for Warner Bros. even as its future hangs in the balance. The studio has agreed to be acquired by Netflix is a deal worth $82.7 billion. Movie theaters have warned such a result would be “a direct and irreversible negative impact on movie theaters around the world.”

The merger awaits regulatory approval, while Paramount Skydance is still trying to convince Warner shareholders to accept its rival offer.

After an audacious promotional tour for “Marty Supreme,” Timothée Chalamet is poised to win his first Globe in five nominations. In best actor, comedy or musical, he’ll have to beat DiCaprio, a three-time Globe winner, and Ethan Hawke (“Blue Moon”).

In best actress, comedy or musical, Rose Byrne is the favorite for her performance in the not especially funny A24 indie “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.” One prominent nominee in the category, Cynthia Erivo (“Wicked: For Good”), won’t be attending due to her schedule in the West End production “Dracula.”

Jessie Buckley (“Hamnet”) is the clear front-runner in best actress, drama. In the star-studded best actor, drama, category, the Brazilian actor Wagner Moura (“The Secret Agent”) may win over Michael B. Jordan (“Sinners”) and Joel Edgerton (“Train Dreams”).

In the supporting categories, Teyana Taylor and Stellan Skarsgård come in the favorites.

The Globes, formerly presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, have no overlap or direct correlation with the Academy Awards. After being sold in 2023 to Todd Boehly’s Eldridge Industries and Dick Clark Productions, a part of Penske Media, the Globes are voted on by around 400 people. The Oscars are voted on by more than 10,500 professionals.

But in the fluctuating undulations of awards season, a good speech at the Globes can really boost an Oscar campaign. Last year, that seemed to be the case for Demi Moore, who won for “The Substance” and gave the night's most emotional speech. Mikey Madison (“Anora”), however, scored the upset win at the Oscars.

A few potentially good moments this year went instead in a Golden Eve ceremony earlier this week. There, the Cecil B. DeMille and Carol Burnett honorees, Helen Mirren and Sarah Jessica Parker, accepted their awards.

One to watch, if he wins, will be the Iranian director Jafar Panahi. His revenge drama “It Was Just an Accident” is up for four awards. Panahi has spent most of his career making films clandestinely, without approval of authorities, and was until recently banned from leaving the country. Last month, he was sentenced to a year in prison, which would be only his latest stint behind bars if Panahi returns home to serve it. This week, protests over Iran’s ailing economy have spread throughout the country in a new test to Iran's leaders.

For the first time, the Globes are trotting out a new podcast category. The nominees are: “Armchair Expert,” “Call Her Daddy,” “Good Hang With Amy Poehler,” “The Mel Robbins Podcast,” “SmartLess” and “Up First.”

In TV, HBO Max’s “The White Lotus” — another potential big winner for Warner Bros. — leads with six nominations. Netflix’s “Adolescence” comes in with five nods.

But the most closely watched nominee might be “The Studio.” The first season of Seth Rogen’s Hollywood satire memorably included an episode devoted to drama around a night at the Globes. (Sample line: “I remember when the red carpet of the Golden Globes actually stood for something.”) “The Studio” is up for three awards, giving three chances for life to imitate art.

For more coverage of this year’s Golden Globe Awards, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/golden-globe-awards

Amy Poehler, left, and Joel Lovell arrive at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Owen Cooper arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Teyana Taylor arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Teyana Taylor arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Stellan Skarsgård, left, and Megan Everett-Skarsgard arrive at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Colman Domingo arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Selena Gomez arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Nikki Glaser arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Maura Higgins, from ledt, Gayle King, and Mona Kosar Abdi arrive at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Derek Hough arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Tessa Thompson arrives at the Golden Globes Golden Eve on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, at The Beverly Hilton Hotel, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Nikki Glaser rolls out the red carpet during the 83rd Golden Globes press preview on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)