#featuring aiden stevens.

[marsmoran]

💞 REVOLVING HEARTS — who and/or what are you most grateful for in your life?

"Okay, you can never tell them I said this, but somehow I managed to adopt these three little fucking assholes and I like them more than I'll ever admit to 'em. Uly takes a year off my life every time he opens his goddamn mouth, Edie's a smartass, and Aiden...if you'd told me when I rolled into this town that I'd care this much about a ratty little rich kid from the Drive, I would've laughed in your fucking face. But I... love 'em, I guess. Sometimes it gets hard to tell the years apart from each other, but watching them grow up has given everything some...center. Meaning, kinda." "Ew. Gross, gross. That was disgusting. Forget I said any of that."

@ulyflynn / @edietello / @aiden-stevens

— character development q's | open.

[astridlius]

What advice would they give to their younger self?

"Don't be a dick to your mom. You definitely like girls more than you like guys, and the sooner you figure that out, the happier you'll be. And stay away from Aiden Stevens, probably."

@aiden-stevens

[noralevin]

🍻 + “ do you ever get scared ?” Aiden

"'Course I do," Nora said with a shrug, plucking Aiden's Lucky Strike out of his fingers to take a drag for herself. "But it's all, like, dumb existential shit that I won't bore you with." She waved a dismissive hand. It wasn't that she thought Aiden couldn't be trusted with that kind of information, or that she didn't think he was a good confidant, rather that she didn't want to ruin a good night by philosophizing. "But, like, fucking shit up with you? Spray painting the side of Ocean Crest? Smashing car windows? Nah. No reason to get scared. I know you've got me," she leaned over to press their shoulders together for a second. "And you know I've got you."

@aiden-stevens

— drunken confessions | open.

[cricketcampbell]

cricket campbell's finsta (@friendswholunch);

ft. her friends who lunch

[carmen-alamilla]

Carmen: Only long enough to drop off the cards and tequila Carmen: It won't. Carmen: Just don't tell me anything I don't need to know.

Aiden: nah you werent on the list but youre welcome to stop by if you want Aiden: as long as it doesnt reflect poorly on our boss employee relationship Aiden: yk? @carmen-alamilla

[srivas]

CUSTOM MADE FOR⦂ @itsjust-aiden LOCATION⦂ SOMEWHERE DOWNTOWN.

It's nights like these that she really could use a fix, and her brain is much too loud to remind her of all the reasons she can't. The Music Festival is wearing off in her system, coming down from the high that performances have always brought her, and she feels depleted. A void that lets its presence be felt, the maw gnashing against her insides and leaving her feeling slightly incongruent to the way her body is positioned around her soul. She just... hates. Everything. Anything. It's why she's milling around, outside the shopping district downtown with her hands in her pockets, the shadows of the evening rolling off her back when she presses her nose against the glass. Every so often, she's conscious of glancing at her surroundings, just to make sure she's alone in her bullshit. There's one moment, however, where she isn't. "Um..." she trails off when she spots Aiden, unsteadily stepping back from the window of Sprinkle Sweet Cakes. "Not what it looks like. Or — well, guess it is, but I'm not about to commit grand theft pastry or anything like that." She sighs internally. "What's got you out at this hour?"

[denimbex1986]

'It has been 10 years since Thomas Shelby (Cillian Murphy) rode the horse through Small Heath, Birmingham. So to celebrate Peaky Blinder’s 10th anniversary, the franchise has released fresh new merchandise consisting of mugs, posters, metal signs, and of course, caps — don’t worry, the caps do not have sewed-in razor blades. So unlike the show itself where everything happens by order of the Peaky Blinders, the tables have now turned — it’s your time to shine, and their job is to deliver.

The collection includes the iconic Peaky Blinders cap, a mug with Peaky Blinders art with themed packaging, nine new posters, and a framed Newspaper collector print for the 10-year anniversary. The poster designs range from black-and-white vintage art featuring Cillian Murphy and the rest of the gang to cheeky and bold quotes.

Creator Steven Knight Says There is More to Come for 'Peaky Blinders'

Steven Knight’s Peaky Blinders revolves around the Shelby family's rise to power in the criminal underworld as they navigate through a world of violence, political intrigue, and betrayals. Thomas Shelby is a war-traumatized and ambitious individual with one goal — to expand the family's influence and wealth while dealing with rivals, law enforcement, and other criminal organizations. Of course, Tommy is not alone in this and is accompanied by his three brothers — Arthur Shelby (Paul Anderson), John Shelby (Joe Cole), and Finn Shelby (Harry Kirton) — his aunt, Polly Gray (late Helen McCrory), and his sister, Ada Shelby (Sophie Rundle). The series ended after a six-season run. However, it seems as if Knight wants the fans to keep believing in Thomas Shelby’s words, “I will not stop until I can find a man I cannot defeat.”

Recently, Knight himself came forward to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the franchise on different social media platforms of the franchise and said:

“It hardly seems believable that it’s ten years since Tommy Shelby first rode that black horse through the streets of Birmingham. The phenomenal global success of the show is down to the brilliance and hard work of the loyal team that makes it happen. Ten years on and the story is not yet over. Watch this space."

Needless to say, the story is not yet over, though it may be a while before we return to the Peaky Blinders universe. The series also starred multiple more famous names on and off, including Tom Hardy, Sam Claflin, and Aiden Gillen...'

[donaldnobert]

Members of the Germantown Legends 2010s participating in ODP Winter Sub-Regional event featuring the top boys and girls representing each state for the 2012-2006 age groups at the LakePoint Sports Complex (Emerson, GA) Pic 1- Jack Hyden, Steven Marchand, Aiden Walker Pic 2 -Teddy Karol, Aiden Hoshell, Butler Wallis, Luke Papachristou, Hew Smith ⚽️ 💪 #LadyLegendsSoccer #LegendsSoccer #GermantownSoccer #LegendsFAMILY #YouthSoccer #HealthyGermantown #GermantownTENN #GtownParksAndRec #SoccerFUN #Soccer #TeamWORK #TSSA #TNSoccer #USYouthSoccer #USYS #Believe @GtownParksAndRec @GermantownChamber @USSoccer @USYouthSoccer @HealthyGermantown @TNStateSoccer @GermantownTENN #ODP #NextLevelExcellence @USYouthSoccerODP #BeDiscovered #TNODP (at LakePoint Sports Complex) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmVEnZzpQhl/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[castielli]

How to request:

Send your request featuring the character you want, the plot (+ANGST, FLUFF…) and anything I need to know about the reader. I write MALE READER only

MASTERLISTS:

MOVIES/TV SHOWS

KDRAMA/KPOP

OCs PROFILE:

@nathan-ocs

Fandoms I write for under the cut!

——————————————

(a -> z)

BARBIE

Allan

Ken (Ryan)

Ken (Simu)

BROOKLYN99

Jake Peralta

Terry Jeffords

All the others (platonic only)

CALL OF DUTY (MW/WWII)

Alejandro Vargas

Alex Keller

Drew Stiles

Frank Aiello

Gaz Garrick

Ghost Riley

John Price

Joseph Turner

Phillip Graves

Red Daniels

Robert Zussman

Rudy Parra

Soap MacTavish

Vladimir Makarov

William Pierson

CRIMINAL MINDS

Luke Alvez

Penelope Garcia (platonic🫶)

Spencer Reid

DETROIT BECOME HUMAN

Connor

Gavin

Hank

Josh

Luther

Markus

RK900

Simon

DIVERGENT

Caleb Prior

Four

Peter

FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM

Albus Dumbledore

Credence Barebone

Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen)

Newt Scamander

Theseus Scamander

FNAF (movie)

Mike Schmidt

Steve Raglan

HARRY POTTER

Cedric Diggory

Charlie Weasley

Draco Malfoy

Fred Weasley

George Weasley

Neville Longbottom

Oliver Wood

Percy Weasley

Remus Lupin

Ron Weasley

Seamus Finnigan

Sirius Black

Tom Riddle

Viktor Krum

HUNGER GAMES

Cato

Coriolanus Snow (young)

Finnick Odair

Gale Hawthorne

Haymitch Abernathy

Marvel

Peeta Mellark

Sejanus Plinth

LA CASA DE PAPEL

Berlín

Denver

El Profesor

Palermo

Río

MARVEL (Avengers/X-men)

Alex Summers

Bobby Drake

Bruce Banner

Bucky Barnes

Charles Xavier

Clint Barton

Deadpool

Druig

Eddie Brock

Erik Lehnsherr

Hank McCoy

Ikaris

Jake Lockey

Loki Laufeyson

Marc Spector

Matt Murdock

Mobius M. Mobius

Peter Maximoff

Peter Parker (Tom/Andrew/Tobey)

Peter Quill

Phil Coulson

Pietro Maximoff

Quentin Beck/Mysterio

Sam Wilson

Scott Lang

Scott Summers

Shang-chi

Stephen Strange

Steve Rogers

Steven Grant

Thor Odinson

Tony Stark

Wanda Maximoff

Wolverine

MAZE RUNNER

Gally

Minho

Newt

Thomas

NCIS

Jimmy Palmer

Nicholas Torres

Timothy McGee

NOW YOU SEE ME

Chase McKinney

Dylan Rhodes

Jack Wilder

J. Daniel Atlas

Merritt McKinney

RIVERDALE

Archie Andrews

Chic

Fangs Fogarty

FP Jones

Hiram Lodge

Jughead Jones

Kevin Keller

Moose Mason

Reggie Mantle

Sweet Pea

SCREAM

Billy Loomis

Casey Becker

Dewey Riley

Randy Meeks

Sidney Prescott

Stu Macher

Tatum Riley

SHAMELESS

Carl Gallagher

Ian Gallagher

Kevin Ball

Lip Gallagher

Mickey Milkovich

SHERLOCK

Greg Lestrade

Jim Moriarty

John Watson

Mycroft Holmes

Sherlock Holmes

STAR WARS

Anakin Skywalker

Finn

Kylo Ren

Luke Skywalker

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Poe Dameron

STRANGER THINGS

Billy Hargrove

Dimitri

Eddie Munson

Jason Carver

Jim Hopper

Jonathan Byers

Robin Buckley (platonic)

Steve Harrington

SUITS

Harvey Specter

Mike Ross

SUPERNATURAL

Bobby (platonic)

Castiel

Chuck

Crowley

Dean Winchester

Sam Winchester

TEEN WOLF

Aiden Steiner

Corey Bryant

Danny Mahealani

Derek Hale

Ethan Steiner

Isaac Lahey

Jackson Whittemore

Jordan Parrish

Liam Dunbar

Mason Hewitt

Peter Hale

Scott McCall

Stiles Stilinski

Theo Raeken

THE BOYS

Billy Butcher

Frenchie

Homelander

Hughie Campbell

MM

Soldier Boy

THE BOYS IN THE BAND

Alan McCarthy

Bernard

Cowboy

Donald

Emory

Hank

Harold

Larry

Michael

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY (I still need to finish the last seasons🥱)

Ben Hargreeves

Diego Hargreeves

Klaus Hargreeves

Luther Hargreeves

Number Five

Viktor Hargreeves

THE WALKING DEAD (+TELLTALE GAME)

Aaron Raleigh

Abraham Ford

Daryl Dixon

Doug

Dwight

Eugene Porter

Glenn Rhee

Kenny

Lee Everett

Mark

Morgan Jones

Negan Smith

Paul Jesus Rovia

Rick Grimes

Shane Walsh

Simon

Spencer Monroe

The Governor

WHITE COLLAR

Clinton Jones

Mozzie (platonic)

Neal Caffrey

Peter Burke

911 (and LONE STAR)

Bobby Nash

Carlos Reyes

Eddie Diaz

Evan Buckley (Buck)

Howie Han (Chimney)

Jud Ryder

Mateo Chavez

Owen Strand

Paul Strickland

TK Strand

CHRISTIAN BALE

Bruce Wayne (Batman)

Patrick Bateman (American Psycho)

PEDRO PASCAL

Agent Whiskey (Kingsman)

Dieter Bravo (The Bubble)

Din Djarin (The Mandalorian)

Francisco Morales (Triple Frontier)

Javi Gutierrez (The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent)

Javier Peña (Narcos)

Joel Miller (TLOU)

Marcus Moreno (We Can Be Heroes)

Oberyn Martell (Game of Thrones)

Silva (Strange Way of Life)

I WON’T WRITE:

-Smut (for anyone)

-R*pe

-Female readers/GN readers

-Suic*de

-inc*st

-Crossdressing

-Romantic/Suggestive stories for underage characters (only platonic, basically)

If the character you wanted to request is not on the list, you can try and ask me anyways.

[escriveine]

Every member of the Stargate Atlantis team knows that monsters are real, but they go out there anyway.

After working on this for longer than needs to be mentioned here, I just now realized it's getting posted at the outset of the Spooky Season(!) I hope you enjoy this early SGA Halloween offering.

Fandom: Stargate Atlantis

Characters:

Our heroes: Rodney McKay, Elizabeth Weir, John Sheppard, Carson Beckett, Steven Caldwell, Ronon Dex, Aiden Ford, Teyla Emmagan, Marshall Sumner, Dr Abrams, Dr Gall, Wex, Jinto, Halling, and the rest of the extended SGA family

Featured Monsters: Wraith, Wraith Queens, Michael, Todd, Iratus bugs, Bug!John, Enzyme-addled!Ford, Epiphany Beast, Unsettling Clown, Oberoth, Asurans

Warnings: Canon-typical Violence, Torture, Drug Use

Music: Monsters by Shinedown On AO3

[leseandbsavetheworld]

how many queer ships do you have in your stories? (or just list them out idk)

Hey everyone! oooookay, so I'm just going to do queer ships that are currently together, because otherwise these lists would be a mile long. Also, most of these ships are mlm, though there are a few wlw as well as one nblm and one mlmlw (poly ship) so yeah, heads up for that. You might've also seen some of these characters in past posts :)

THE SHORT BOOK OF MORTALS--15

Steven & Kaz Corry & Alex Jake, Mack, & Daniela Malcom & Jason Harry & Riley M. Leo & Verric Violet & Carla Ashleigh & Jancy Amber & Kensley Delsca & Devan Addison & Dean Samuel & Allistair (kinda) Brandon & Riley (forgot his last name, also they aren't official but yeah) Peter & Quinn Martin & Helix*

*I didn’t originally forget them, i literally just made them up lmao

THE WARRIORS OF AREGON--9

Simeon & Pantheos Jacob & Aiden Jamie & Jeremy Joe & Joey (don't ask, it just happened) Oliver & Alex Xavven & Jax (though this ship is dead, just like Jax :')) Zios & Osires* James & Kaydence Dean & James W. Delius & Steven**

*These two weren't originally going to be a couple, but when I first wrote a book with these two as some of the main characters they sounded SO FREAKING QUEERCODED that I decided to make it semi-canon :)

**I haven't actually decided if these two are going to be a couple or not, but they are super coupley. They were purposefully written in their story to act like a couple but never actually kiss/date/do other coupley things though they do live together, only have one bed, constantly slow dance together in full view of their neighbors- Oh, was I not supposed to share that bit? Anyway, the nature of these twos' relationship would make it my first story without a couple, queer or not (if you don't count Deneeos and Viktor being featured in chapter 1), though I think they would probably get together a year or two after the end of Delius and the Wonderbeasts so I included them even though I don't have any further plans on how to work their relationship

THE PENNYWISP MAFIA--1

Olive & Devain

AHILTA GON MODA/the underpass society--2

Vec & Brandon Demi & Maria

THE REALMS/THE CLOSET DOOR--2

Hitell & Marco Sofia & Afia

THE EONS/EON--1

Alex & Jamie

Alright, that's all for today! I have a lot of characters, and therefore, a lot of ships. (Mostly queer, as I said.) I do have a few straight ships throughout my stories, and there are even more queer ships between characters from past parts of the stories, but I figured it would be easier to just do ones that are currently happening in the stories :) Thanks for asking (& reading!) <3, Bat.V.

[founderscouncil]

𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐋 ;  an independent and highly selective multimuse roleplay blog featuring characters from the cw’s the vampire diaries universe.  low-activity and solely plot-based.  multi-ship, multi-verse, mutually exclusive.  will contain highly triggering content and mature themes.  not spoiler-free.  must be 21+ to interact, 18+ to follow.  written by arrow.

carrd  /  memes  /  promo  /  multi. /  hope.

TVD

Bonnie Bennett (Kat Graham)

Jeremy Gilbert (Steven R. McQueen)

Matt Donovan (Zach Roerig)

Regina Mills (Lana Parrilla)

The Originals

Aiden Landry (Colin Woodell)

Coda Phelps (Florence Pugh)

Elijah Mikaelson (Daniel Gillies)

Freya Mikaelson (Riley Voelkel)

Hayley Marshall (Phoebe Tonkin)

Josh Rosza (Steven Krueger)

Kaleb Westphall (Daniel Sharman)

Keelin Malraux (Christina Moses)

Klaus Mikaelson (Joseph Morgan) 

Vincent Griffith (Yusuf Gatewood)

Legacies

Alyssa Chang (Olivia Liang)

Cleo Sowande (Omono Okojie)

Ethan Machado (Leo Howard)

Finch Tarrayo (Courtney Bandeko)

Jed Tien (Ben Levin)

Josie Saltzman (Kaylee Bryant)

Kaleb Hawkins (Chris Lee)

Landon Kirby (Aria Shahghasemi)

Lizzie Saltzman (Jenny Boyd)

Loren Bennett (Toni Gentry)

Milton “MG” Greasley (Quincy Fouse)

Penelope Park (Natasha Liu Bordizzo)

Rafael Waithe (Peyton Alex Smith)

[noralevin]

😳 (aiden)

NORA: aiden NORA: check my location and come get me NORA: my car ran out of fucking gas while i was driving someone bc i THOUGHT i could make it 30 miles running on empty NORA: like why else do i have a lexus i thought they were supposed to be fuel efficient NORA: anyway the rider called another car and did NOT want to take me NORA: pls pick up some gas thanks u da best 🙏 @aiden-stevens

[carmen-alamilla]

"Easy on the doors, Aiden."

The phrase falls too easily from Carmen's lips, even though the doors weren't a real concern for her. She had done a total overhaul of the cantina building when she'd bought it, and spared little expense when the occasional repair was needed. She also knew that Aiden would ignore her request, it was simply a part of his nature.

She frowns deeply at his mention of the wasted meat; even starts muttering under her breath as she pinches the bridge of her nose. "They better pray that cut hours is all I do." Is all she musters for a moment, simply nodding at Aiden's statement about wasting food. His shared hatred in wasted food was one of the many reasons she trusted him more than any other cook in her employ.

"Toss it, put it down for spoilage. And feel free to wring those preps necks you see them pulling more than needed." Cause she'd just as likely start lobbing around those damned "cooks" like baseball bats to beat the other prep cooks.

@aiden-stevens

CLOSED STARTER for @carmen-alamilla

"Hey, Carmen!"

Aiden bursts through the kitchen doors like a man on a mission, as he often is when something or other grates on his nerves. This time, it's not so much a frustration he needs to express, but something that's caught his attention while taking quick stock of the ingredients in the walk-in cooler.

"We have too much thawed chicken that's gotta be tossed tomorrow, so you need to tell the preps to use their brains and pull less from the freezer to thaw. It's the slow season."

And for someone who takes pride in her restaurant, Aiden knows, and respects, that her decision will likely be to toss it. Write it down on the spoilage and pull more from the freezer. Carmen never skimped on quality, she wants nothing but the best to leave that kitchen. "And I hate wasting food."

"When we pick up during tourist heavy months, then yeah, they can pull more. But now it's just waste."

[scifigeneration]

History Channel’s UFO Drama Series “Project Blue Book” is worth watching

by Daryle Lockhart

This month, History Channel debuted a new series that revolves around secret U.S. Air Force investigations into UFO encounters and unexplained phenomenon.  It continues tonight.

These investigations into these strange events are taken on by Dr. Josef Allen Hynek in the 1950s and 1960s. Hynek, an astrophysicist, and eventually, a famous ufologist, is known to many in the UFO community, but even a casual fan will recognize him. He’s in Steven Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, in that fantastic final scene - that moment of first contact.

Hynek is played in this series by actor Aiden Gillen.

Hynek is engaged by Air Force Captain Michael Quinn (played by Michael Malarkey) to investigate UFO sightings around the country and while Hynek uses science to discover and attempt to explain what really happened, Captain Quinn is skeptical of the entire phenomenon. 

But when some encounters cannot be explained away and cases remain open, Hynek begins to suspect that he has been duped by the government into a larger conspiracy to cover up the truth. 

This show is either the greatest “X-Files” spinoff ever or a prequel series to “Close Encounters”. In any case, it’s a fascinating show to watch, whether you know these stories or are learning them for the first time.

Another part of the series is the backstory of Hynek’s wife and son, who may actually be as big a part of the conspiracies as he is.

What makes this series interesting is that the stories aren’t inspired by actual cases, each episode draws from the actual Project Blue Book case files, blending UFO theories with authentic historical events. But unlike “Mars” on NatGeo, “Project Blue Book” doesn’t feature interviews as part of each episode. It dramatizes each case. It encourages the viewer to research the events and even offers a summary of the investigation at the end of each episode. 

So far, the series has covered “The Fuller Dogfight”, the case where a military pilot survived a dogfight with an alien craft, “The Flatwoods Monster”, the West Virginia case where a family witnessed a flying  saucer crash on their farm, and “The Lubbock Lights”,  the strange case in Lubbock, Texas, where a triangular pattern of lights was seen by most of  an entire town at the same time as a series of unexplained blackouts. 

This is a limited ten-episode series, and tonight’s episode should pick the pace up a bit. A commercial airliner's closeup UFO encounter leads Hynek and Quinn to “Operation Paperclip”, a top-secret program involving ex-Nazi scientists in Huntsville, that has a mysterious agenda all its own.

“Project Blue Book” airs Tuesday nights at 10EST on History Channel and airs on the Histry  Channel’s app afterward. You can also buy episodes on YouTube and Amazon Prime Video.

[grigori77]

2018 in Movies - My Top 30 Fave Movies (Part 3)

10.  BLACK PANTHER – remember back in 1998, when Marvel had their first real cinematic success with Blade?  It was a big deal on two fronts, not just because they’d finally made a (sort of) superhero movie to be proud of, but also because it was, technically, the first ever truly successful superhero movie starring a black protagonist (the less said about the atrocious Steel movie the better, I say).  I find it telling that it took them almost twenty years to repeat the exercise – there have been plenty of great black superheroes on-screen since Wesley Snipes rocked the fangs and black leather, especially in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but they’ve always been in supporting roles to the main (so far universally WHITE) stars (the now-cancelled Luke Cage was a notable exception, but that’s on-demand TV on Netflix). All of this makes the latest feature to glide smoothly out of the MCU mould so significant – the standalone star vehicle for Civil War’s OTHER major new success story (after 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming), Prince T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) of Wakanda, finally redresses the balance … and then some. Picking up pretty much RIGHT where the third Captain America film left off, we see T’Challa return to the secretive, highly-advanced African kingdom of Wakanda to officially take up his new role as king and fully accept the mantle of protector of his people that his role as the Black Panther entails. Needless to say, just as he’s finally brought peace and unity to his homeland, an old threat reappears in the form of thuggish arms dealer and fugitive-from-Wakandan-justice Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis, gleefully returning to his blissful scenery-chewing Avengers: Age of Ultron role), leading T’Challa to travel to Busan, South Korea to bring him back for judgement, but this is merely a precursor to the arrival of the TRUE threat, Erik “Killmonger” Stevens (Michael B. Jordan), a mysterious former Special Forces assassin with a deeply personal agenda that threatens Wakanda’s future.  This marks the first major blockbuster feature for writer/director Ryan Coogler (co-penning the script with The People V. O.J. Simpson writer Joe Robert Cole), who won massive acclaim for his feature debut Fruitvale Station, but also has good form after sneaky little sleeper hit Rocky-saga spinoff Creed, so this progression ultimately just proves to be another one of those characteristic smart moves Marvel keeps making these days. Coogler’s command of the big budget, heavy-expectation material is certainly impressive, displaying impressive talent for spectacular action sequences (the Busan car chase is MAGNIFICENT, while the punishing fight sequences are as impressively staged and executed as anything we saw in the Captain America movies), wrangling the demanding visual effects work and getting the very best out of a top-notch ensemble cast of some of the finest black acting talent around.  Boseman brings more of that peerless class and charisma he showed in Civil War, but adds a humanising dose of self-doubt and vulnerability to the mix, making it even easier for us to invest in him, while Coogler’s regular collaborator, Jordan, is absolutely spell-binding, his ferociously focused, far-beyond-driven Killmonger proving to be one of the MCU’s most impressive villains to date, as well as its most sympathetic; Oscar darling Lupita Nyong’o is far more than a simple love interest as tough and resourceful Wakandan intelligence agent Nakia, The Walking Dead’s Danai Gurira is a veritable force of nature as Okoye, the head of the Dora Milaje, Wakanda’s elite all-female Special Forces, Get Out’s Daniel Kaluuya muddies the waters as T’Challa’s straight-talking best friend W’Kabi, and powerhouse veteran actors Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker and John Kani provide integrity and gravitas as, respectively, T’Challa’s mother Ramonda, Wakandan religious leader Zuri and T’Challa’s late father T’Chaka.  Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis have joked that they’re essentially the “Tolkien white guys” of the cast, but their presence is far from cosmetic – Freeman’s return as Civil War’s bureaucratic CIA agent Everett Ross is integral to the plot and also helps provide the audience with an accessible outsider’s POV into the unique and stunning land of Wakanda, while Serkis is clearly having the time of his life … and then there are the film’s TRUE scene-stealers – Letitia Wright is a brilliant bright ray of sunlight as T’Challa’s little sister Shuri, the curator of Wakanda’s massively advanced technology and OFFICIALLY the most intelligent person in the MCU, whose towering intellect is tempered by her cheeky sense of humour and sheer adorability, while Winston Duke is a towering presence throughout the film as M’Baku, the mighty chief of the reclusive Jabari mountain tribe, despite his relatively brief screen time, his larger-than-life performance making every appearance a joy.  This has been lauded as a true landmark film for its positive depiction of African culture and presentation of a whole raft of strong black role models, and it certainly feels like a major step forward both culturally and creatively – it’s so rewarding to see a positively-charged black intellectual property enjoying the almost ridiculous amount of success this film has so far enjoyed, both critically and financially, and it’s something I hope we see far more of in the future.  Like its predecessors, this is a fantastic superhero movie, but under the surface there are some very serious, challenging questions being asked and inherently powerful themes being addressed, making for a deeper, more intellectual film than we usually receive even from a big studio that’s grown so sophisticated as Marvel. That said, this IS another major hit for the MCU, and a further example of how consistently reliable they’ve become at delivering great cinema.  Very nearly the best of the Phase 3 standalone films (that honour still belongs to Captain America: Civil War), and it was certainly a spectacular kickoff for the year’s blockbusters.

9.  BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY – I’ve been waiting for this movie for YEARS.  Even before I knew this was actually going to happen I’d been hoping it would someday – Queen were my introduction to rock music, way back when I was wee, so they’ve been one of my very favourite bands FOREVER, and Freddie Mercury is one of my idols, the definition of sheer awesomeness and pure talent in music and an inspiration in life.  Needless to say I was RIDICULOUSLY excited once this finally lurched into view, and I’m so unbelievably happy it turned out to be a proper corker of a film, I could even tentatively consider it to be my new favourite musical biopic. Sure, it plays fast-and-loose with the historical facts, but remains true to the SPIRIT of the story, and you know what they say about biographical movies and their ilk: “if it’s a choice between the truth and the legend, print the legend.”  That’s a pretty good word to describe the man at the centre of this story – Queen frontman Freddie Mercury truly was a legend in his own lifetime, and watching the tale of his rise to fame alongside fellow musical geniuses Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon is a fascinating, intoxicating and deeply affecting experience, truthful or not, making the film an emotional rollercoaster from the humble beginnings with the formation of the band, through the trials and tribulations of life on the road and in the studio, the controversies of Mercury’s personal life and the volatile personal dynamics between the group themselves, to the astonishing, show-stopping climax of their near-mythic twenty-minute performance slot at 1985’s Live Aid charity concert at Wembley Stadium.  Needless to say it takes a truly astounding performance to capture the man that I consider to be the greatest singer, showman and stage-performer of all time, but Mr Robot­ star Rami Malek was equal to the task, not so much embodying the role as genuinely channelling Mercury’s spirit, perfectly recreating his every movement, quirk and mannerism to perfection, right down to his famously precise, deliberate diction, and he even LOOKS a hell of a lot like Mercury.  Sure, he’s come under fire for merely lip-syncing when it comes to the music, but seriously, there’s no other way he could have done it – Freddie had the greatest singing voice of all time, there’s NO WAY anyone could possibly recreate it, so better he didn’t even try.  (Honestly, if he doesn’t get an Oscar for this there’s no justice in the world.)  Malek’s not the only master-mimic in the cast, either – the rest of the band are perfectly portrayed, too, by Gwilym Lee as May, X-Men: Apocalypse’s Ben Hardy as Taylor and Joe Mazzello (yup, that kid from Jurassic Park, now all grown up) as Deacon, while there are equally strong supporting turns from Sing Street’s Lucy Boynton as Mercury’s lover and lifelong friend Mary Austin, Aiden Gillen as the band’s first manager John Reid, Tom Hollander as their lawyer and eventual manager Jim “Miami” Beach, Allen Leech as the Freddie’s scheming, toxic personal manager Paul Prenter, and New Street Law star Ace Bhatti as his stoic but proud father, Bomi Bulsara.  This is an enthralling film from start to finish, and while those new to Queen will find plenty fo enjoy and entertain, this is an absolute JOY for fans and geeks who actually know their stuff, factual niggles notwithstanding; it’s also frequently laugh-out-loud HILARIOUS, the sparky, quick-fire script from The Theory of Everything and Darkest Hour writer Anthony McCarten brimming with slick one-liners, splendid put-downs and precision-crafted character observation which perfectly captures the real life banter the band were famous for.  The film had a troubled production (original director Bryan Singer was replaced late in the shoot by Dexter Fletcher after clashes of personality and other difficulties) and has come in for plenty of stick, receiving mixed reviews from some quarters, but for me this is pretty close to a perfect film, chock-full of heart, emotional heft, laughter, fun and what was, for me, the best soundtrack of 2018, positively overflowing with some of the band’s very best material, making this one of the very best times I had at the cinema all year.  They were, indeed, the champions …

8.  MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT – while Bond may remain king of the spy movie, and Jason Bourne still casts a long shadow from the darker post 9-11 age of harder, grittier espionage shenanigans, I’ve always been a BIG fan of the Mission: Impossible movies.  This love became strong indeed when JJ Abrams established a kind of unifying blueprint with the third film, and the series has gone from strength to strength since, reaching new, thrilling heights when Jack Reacher writer-director Christopher McQuarrie crafted the pretty much PERFECT Rogue Nation.  He’s the first filmmaker to return for a second gig in the big chair, but he’s a good fit – he and star Tom Cruise have already proven they work EXTREMELY well together, and McQuarrie really is one of the very best screenwriters working in Hollywood today (well respected across the board since his early days co-writing The Usual Suspects), an undeniable MASTER at both crafting consistently surprising, thoroughly involving and razor-sharp thriller plots and engineering truly JAW-DROPPING action sequences (adrenaline-fuelled chases, bruising fight scenes, intense shootouts and a breathless dash across the rooftops of London all culminate in this film’s standout sequence, a death-defying helicopter dogfight that took the prize as the year’s BEST action beat), as well as penning some wonderful, wry dialogue.  Anything beyond the very simplest synopsis would drop some criminal spoilers – I’ll simply say that Ethan Hunt is faced with his deadliest mission to date after a botched op leaves three plutonium cores in the hands of some very bad people, leading CIA honcho Erica Sloane (a typically sophisticated turn from Angela Bassett) to attach her pet assassin, August Walker (current big-screen Superman Henry Cavill), to the team to make sure it all runs smoothly – a prospect made trickier by the resurfacing of Rogue Nation’s cracking villain Solomon Lane (Sean Harris).  Tom Cruise is, of course an old hand at this sort of thing by now, but even so I don’t think he’s EVER been more impressive at the physical stuff, and he delivers equally well in the more dramatic moments, taking superspy Ethan Hunt to darker, more desperate extremes than ever before.  Cavill similarly impresses in what’s easily his meatiest role to date, initially coming across as a rough, brutal thug but revealing deeper layers of complexity and sophistication as the film progresses, while Rebecca Ferguson makes a welcome return from RN as slippery, sexy and very complex former MI6 agent Ilsa Faust, and it’s great to see Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg back as series keystones Luther Stickell and Benji Dunn, who both get stuck into the action far more than in previous outings (Benji FINALLY gets to wear a mask!); Jeremy Renner’s absence this time could disappoint, but the balance is maintained because the effortlessly suave Alec Baldwin’s new IMF Secretary Alan Hunley gets a far more substantial role this time round, while Sean Harris tears things up with brutal relish as he expands on one of the series’ strongest villains – Lane is a thoroughly nasty piece of work, a monstrous zealot with a deeply twisted but strangely relatable agenda, and method man Harris mesmerises in every scene.  McQuarrie has cut another gem here, definitely his best film to date and likewise the best in the franchise so far, and strong arguments could be made for him staying on for a third stint – this is the best shape Mission: Impossible has been in for some time, an essentially PERFECT textbook example of an action-packed spy thriller that constantly surprises and never disappoints, from the atmospheric opening to the unbearably tense climax, and if ever there was a film to threaten the supremacy of Bond, it’s this one.

7.  THE SHAPE OF WATER – one of the most important things you have to remember about my own personal mythology (by which I mean the mishmash of 40 years of influences, genre-love and pure and simple COOL SHIT that’s informed and moulded the geek I am today) is that when it comes to my fictional heroes, I have a tendency to fall in love with the monsters.  It’s a philosophy shared by one of my very favourite directors, Guillermo Del Toro, whose own love affair with the weird, the freakish and the outcast has informed so much of his spectacular work, particularly the Hellboy movies – the monster as a tragic hero, and also the women who love them despite their appearance or origins.  Del Toro’s latest feature returns to this fascinating and compelling trope in magnificent style, and the end result is his best work since what remains his VERY BEST film, 2007’s exquisite grown-up fairytale Pan’s Labyrinth.  Comparisons with that masterpiece are not only welcome but also fitting – TSOW is definitely cut from the same cloth, a frequently dream-like cinematic allegory that takes place in something resembling the real world, but is never quite part of it.  It’s a beautiful, lyrical, sensual and deeply seductive film, but there’s brooding darkness and bitter tragedy that counters the sweet, Del Toro’s rich and exotic script – co-authored with Hope Springs writer Vanessa Taylor – mining precious ore from the fairytale ideas but also deeply invested with his own overwhelming love for the Golden Age of cinema itself.  This makes for what must be his most deeply personal film to date, so it’s fitting that it finally won him his first, LONG OVERDUE Best Director Oscar. Happy Go-Lucky’s Sally Hawkins thoroughly deserves her Oscar nomination for her turn as Elisa Esposito, a mute cleaning woman working in a top secret aerospace laboratory in Baltimore at the height of the Cold War, a sweet-natured dreamer who likes movies, music and her closeted artist neighbour Giles (the incomparable Richard Jenkins, delivering a performance of real sweetness and integrity). One night she discovers a new project in the facility, a strange, almost mythic amphibious humanoid (Del Toro regular Doug Jones) who has been captured for study and eventual vivisection to help create a means for men to survive in space.  In spite of his monstrous appearance and seemingly feral nature, Elisa feels a kinship to the creature, and as she begins to earn his trust she develops stronger feeling for him – feelings which are reciprocated.  So she hatches a plan to break him out and return him to the sea, enlisting the help of Giles, her only other real friend, fellow cleaner Zelda (The Help and Hidden Figures’ Octavia Spencer, as lovably prickly and sassy as ever), and sympathetic scientist (and secret Soviet agent) Dr. Robert Hoffstetler (a typically excellent and deeply complex performance from Boardwalk Empire’s Michael Stuhlbarg) to effect a desperate escape.  The biggest obstacle in their path, however, is Colonel Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon), the man in charge of security on the project – the rest of the cast are uniformly excellent, but the true, unstoppable scene-stealer here is Shannon, giving us 2018’s BEST screen villain in a man so amorally repellent, brutally focused and downright TERRIFYING it’s absolutely impossible to take your eyes off him – who has a personal hatred for the creature and would love nothing more than to kill it himself. He’s the TRUE monster of the film, Jones’ creature proving to be a noble being who, despite his (admittedly rather bloody) animal instincts, has a kind and gentle soul that mirrors Elisa’s own, which makes the seemingly bizarre love story that unfolds so easy to accept and fulfilling to witness.  This is a film of aching beauty and immense emotional power, the bittersweet and ultimately tragic romance sweeping you up in its warm embrace, resulting in the year’s most powerful and compelling fantasy, very nearly the finest work of a writer/director at the height of his considerable powers, and EASILY justifying its much-deserved Best Picture Oscar.  Love the monster? Yes indeed …

6.  DEADPOOL 2 – just as his first standalone finally banished the memory of his shameful treatment in the first X-Men Origins film, Marvel’s Merc With a Mouth had a new frustration to contend with – Wolverine riding his coattails into the R-rated superhero scene and outdoing his newfound success with the critically acclaimed and, frankly, f£$%ing AWESOME Logan.  It’s a fresh balance for him to redress, and bless him, he’s done it within the first five minutes of his own very first sequel … then again, Deadpool’s always at his best when dealing with adversity.  There’s plenty of that here – 2016’s original was a spectacular film, a true game-changer for both Marvel and the genre itself, unleashing a genuinely bankable non-PC superhero on the unsuspecting masses (and, of course, all us proper loyal fans) and earning one of their biggest hits in the process.  A sequel was inevitable, but the first film was a VERY tough act to follow – thankfully everyone involved proved equal to the task, not least the star, Ryan Reynolds, who was BORN to play former special forces operative-turned invulnerable but hideously scarred mutant antihero Wade Wilson, returning with even greater enthusiasm for the material and sheer determination to do things JUST RIGHT.  Working with returning co-writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, he’s suitably upped the ante while staying true to the source and doing right by the fans – the script’s another blinder, a side-splitting rib-tickler liberally peppered with copious swearing, rampant sexual and toilet humour, genuinely inspired bizarreness (a grown man with baby balls!) and an unapologetically irreverent tone nonetheless complimented by a f£$%load of heart. Original director Tim Miller jumped ship early in development, but the perfect replacement was found in the form of David Leitch, co-director of the first John Wick movie, who preceded this with a truly magnificent solo debut on summer 2017’s standout actioner Atomic Blonde.  Leitch is a perfect fit, a former stuntman with innate flair for top-notch action who also has plenty of stylistic flair and strong talents for engaging storytelling and handling a cast of strong personalities.  Reynolds is certainly one of those, again letting rip with gleeful comic abandon as Deadpool fights to overcome personal tragedy by trying to become a bona fide X-Man, at which he of course fails SPECTACULARLY, winding up in a special prison for super-powered individuals and becoming the unlikely and definitely unwilling protector of teenage mutant Russell Collins, aka Firefist (Hunt for the Wilderpeople’s Julian Dennison), who’s been targeted for assassination by time-travelling future warrior Cable (Josh Brolin) because he’s destined to become a monstrous supervillain when he grows up.  Deciding to listen to his “better” angel, Wade puts together his own superhero team in order to defeat Cable and start his own future franchise … yup, this is as much a platform to set up X-Force, the Marvel X-Verse’s next big money-maker, as it is a Deadpool sequel, but the film plays along to full comic effect, and the results are funny, explosive, blood-soaked and a magnificently anarchic joy.  Brolin is every inch the Cable we deserve, a world-weary, battered and utterly single-minded force of nature, entirely lacking a sense of humour but still managing to drive some of the film’s most side-splitting moments, while Atlanta star Zazie Beets, originally something of an outsider choice, proves similarly perfect for the role of fan favourite Domino, a wise-cracking mutant arse-kicker whose ability to manipulate luck in order to get the better of any situation makes her a kind of super-ninja; Dennison, meanwhile, is just as impressive as he was in HFTWP, turning in a performance of such irreverent charm he frequently steals the film, and the return of Stefan Kapicic and Briana Hildebrand as stoic metal-man Colossus and the world’s moodiest teen superhero, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, mean that the original X-Men get another loving (if also slightly middle-fingery) nod too.  But once again, this really is Reynolds’ movie, and he’s clearly having just as much fun as before, helping to make this the same kind of gut-busting riot the first was with his trademark twinkle, self-deprecating charm and shit-eating grin.  He’s the heart and soul of another great big fist up the backside of superhero cinema, blasting tropes with scattergun abandon but hitting every target lined up against him, and like everything else he helps make this some of the most fun I had at the pictures all year.  I honestly couldn’t think of ANYTHING that could make me piss myself laughing more than this … the future of the franchise may be up in the air until the first X-Force movie gets its time in the spotlight, but Reynolds, Leitch, Reese and Wernick are all game to return, so there’s plenty of life in the un-killable old lady yet ...

5.  BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE – my Number One thriller of 2018 is a cult classic in the making and the best work yet from Drew Goddard, co-writer/director (with Joss Whedon) of Cabin in the Woods (one of the best horror movies ever made, in my opinion) and screenwriter of Cloverfield and The Martian.  It’s an intoxicating, engrossing and somewhat unsettling experience (but in a very good way indeed), a gripping, slippery and absolutely FIENDISH suspense thriller to rival the heady best of Hitchcock or Kubrick, and, as his first completely original, personal creation, Goddard’s best opportunity to show us JUST what he’s truly capable of.  Wrapped up in multi-layered mystery and deftly paying with timelines and perspective, it artfully unveils the stories of four disparate strangers who book a night’s stay at the El Royale, a “bi-state” hotel (located on the California/Nevada border) that was once grand but, by the film’s setting of 1969, has fallen on hard times.  Each has a secret, some of which are genuinely deadly, and before the night’s through they’ll all come to light as a fateful chain of events brings them all crashing together.  Giving away any more is to invite criminal spoilers – suffice to say that it’s an unforgettable film, fully-laden with ingenious twists and consistently wrong-footing the viewer right up to the stirring, thought-provoking ending.  The small but potent ensemble cast are, to a man, absolutely perfect – Jeff Bridges delivers one of the best performances of his already illustrious career as seemingly harmless Catholic priest Father Daniel Flynn, Widows’ Cynthia Erivo makes a truly stunning impression as down-on-her-luck soul singer Darlene Sweet, John Hamm is garrulously sleazy as shifty travelling salesman Seymour Sullivan, Dakota Johnson is surly but also VERY sexy (certainly MUCH MORE than she EVER was in the 50 Shades movies) as “dirty hippy” Emily, Lewis Pullman (set to explode as the co-star of the incoming Top Gun sequel) is fantastically twitchy as the hotel’s troubled concierge Miles, and Cailee Spaeny (Pacific Rim: Uprising) delivers a creepy, haunting turn as Emily’s fundamentally broken runaway sister Rose.  The film is thoroughly and entirely stolen, however, by the arrival in the second half of Goddard’s Cabin leading man Chris Hemsworth as earthy, charismatic and darkly, dangerously seductive Charles Manson-esque cult leader Billy Lee, Thor himself thoroughly mesmerising as he swaggers into the heart of the story (particularly in a masterful moment where he cavorts, snake-hipped, to the strains of Deep Purple’s Rush in the lead-up to a brutal execution).  This is thriller-cinema at its most inspired and insidious, a flawless genre gem that’s sure to be held in high regard by connoisseurs for years to come, and an ELECTRIFYING statement of intent by one of the best creative minds working in Hollywood today.  One of 2018’s biggest and best surprises, it’s a bona fide MUST-SEE …

4.  AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR – is it possible there might be TOO MUCH coming out all at once in the Marvel Cinematic Universe right now?  What with THREE movies a year now becoming the norm, not to mention the ongoing saga of Agents of SHIELD and various other affiliated TV shows (it seems that Netflix are culling their Marvel shows but there’s still the likes of Runaways and the incoming Cloak & Dagger on other services, along with fresh, in-development stuff), could we be reaching saturation?  My head says … mmmmm … maybe … but my heart says HELL NO!  Not when those guys at Marvel have gotten so good at this job they could PROBABLY do it with their eyes closed.  That said, there were times in the run-up to this particular release that I couldn’t help wondering if, just maybe, they might have bitten off more than they could chew … thankfully, fraternal directing double act Antony and Joe Russo, putting in their THIRD MCU-helming gig after their enormous success on the second and third Captain America films, have pulled off one hell of a cinematic hat trick, presenting us with a third Avengers film that’s MORE than the equal of Joss Whedon’s offerings.  It’s also a painfully tricky film to properly review – the potential for spoilers is SO heavy I can’t say much of ANYTHING about the plot without giving away some MAJOR twists and turns (even if there’s surely hardly ANYONE who hasn’t already seen the film by now) – but I’ll try my best.  This is the film every die-hard fan has been waiting for, because the MCU’s Biggest Bad EVER, Thanos the Mad Titan (Josh Brolin), has finally come looking for those pesky Infinity Stones so he can Balance The Universe by killing half of its population and enslaving the rest, and the only ones standing in his way are the Avengers (both old and new) and the Guardians of the Galaxy, finally brought together after a decade and 18 movies.  Needless to say this is another precision-engineered product refined to near perfection, delivering on all the expected fronts – breathtaking visuals and environments, thrilling action, the now pre-requisite snarky, sassy sense of humour and TONS OF FEELS – but given the truly galactic scale of the adventure on offer this time the stakes have been raised to truly EPIC heights, so the rewards are as great as the potential pitfalls.  It’s not perfect – given the sheer size of the cast and the fact that there are THREE main storylines going on at once, it was INEVITABLE that some of our favourite characters would be handed frustratingly short shrift (or, in two notable cases, simply written out of the film altogether), while there are times when the mechanics of fate do seem to be getting stretched a little TOO far for credibility – but the niggles are largely overshadowed by the rich rewards of yet another MCU film done very well indeed. The cast (even those who drew the short straw on screen time) are all, as we’ve come to expect, excellent, the veterans – particularly Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man/Tony Stark), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/the Hulk), Chris Evans (Steve Rogers/Captain America), Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Stephen Strange), Chris Pratt (Peter Quill/Star Lord), Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Bradley Cooper (Rocket Racoon), and, of course, Tom Holland (Peter Parker/Spider-Man) – all falling back into their well-established roles and universally winning our hearts all over again, while two characters in particular, who have always been reduced to supporting duties until now, finally get to REALLY shine – Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen, as the Vision and Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, finally get to explore that comic-canon romance that was so prevalently teased in Civil War, with events lending their mutual character arcs particularly tragic resonance as the story progresses … and then there’s the new characters, interestingly this time ALL bad guys. The Children of Thanos (Gamora and Nebula’s adopted siblings, basically) are showcased throughout the action, although only two really make an impression here – Tom Vaughan-Lawlor is magnificently creepy as Ebony Maw, while Carrie Coon (and stuntwoman Monique Ganderton) is darkly sensual as Proxima Midnight … but of course the REAL new star here is Brolin, thoroughly inhabiting his motion capture role so Thanos GENUINELY lives up to his title as the greatest villain of the MCU, an unstoppable megalomaniac who’s nonetheless doing these monstrous things for what he perceives to be genuinely right and moral reasons, although he’s not above taking some deeply perverse pleasure from his most despicable actions. Finishing up with a painfully powerful climax that’s as shocking as it is audacious, this sets things up for an even more epic conclusion in 2019’s closer, and has already left even the most jaded viewers shell-shocked and baying for more, while the post-credits sting in particular had me drooling in anticipation for the long-awaited arrival of my own favourite Avenger, but in the meantime this is an immensely rewarding, massively entertaining and thoroughly exhausting cinematic adventure. Summer can’t come fast enough …

3.  UPGRADE – in a summer packed with sequels (many of them pretty damn awesome even so), it was a great pleasure my VERY FAVOURITE movie was something wholly original, an unaffiliated standalone that had nothing to follow or measure up to.  But Blumhouse’s best film of 2018 still had a lot riding on it – they’re a studio best known for creating bare-bones but effectively primal horror (even The Purge series is really more survival horror than dystopian thriller), so they’re not really known for branching out into science-fiction.  Going with one of their most trusted creative talents, then, was the kind of savvy move we’d expect from Jason Blum and co – Leigh Whannell is best known as the writer of the first three Saw movies (a fully-developed trilogy which I, along with several others, consider to be the series’ TRUE canon), the film phenomenon that truly kicked off the whole “torture porn” sub-genre, but he’s become one of Blumhouse’s most well-regarded writers thanks to his creation of Insidious, still one of their biggest earners.  Once again he wrote (and co-starred in) the first three films, even making his directorial debut on the third – admittedly that film wasn’t particularly spectacular, but there was nonetheless something about it, a real X-factor that definitely showed Whannell could do more than just write (and, act, of course).  Second time out he’s definitely made good on that potential promise – this is a proper f£$%ing masterpiece, not just the best thing I saw all summer but one of THE TOP movies of my cinematic year.  It’s also an interesting throwback to a once popular sci-fi trope that’s been overdue for a makeover – body horror, originally made popular by the cult-friendly likes of David Cronenberg and Paul Verhoeven, and the biggest influence on this film must to be the original Robocop.  Prometheus’ Logan Marshall-Green is an actor I’ve long considered to be criminally overlooked and underused, so I’m thrilled he finally found a role worthy of his underappreciated talents - Grey Trace, an unapologetically analogue blue-collar Joe living in an increasingly digital near future, a mechanic making his living restoring vintage muscle cars who doesn’t trust automated technology to run ANYTHING, so his life takes a particularly ironic turn when a tragic chain of events leads to his wife’s brutal murder while he’s left paralysed from the neck down.  Faced with a future dependent on computerised care-robots, he jumps at the chance offered by technological pioneer Eron Keen (Need For Speed’s Harrison Gilbertson), creator of a revolutionary biochip called STEM that, once implanted into his central nervous system, can help him regain COMPLETE control of his body, but in true body horror style things quickly take a dark and decidedly twisted turn.  STEM has a mind of its own (and a voice that only Trace can hear), and an agenda, convincing him to use newfound superhuman abilities to hunt down his wife’s killers and exact terrible, brutal vengeance upon them. There are really strong performances from the supporting cast – Gilbertson is great as a twitchy, socially awkward genius only capable of finding real connection with his technology, Get Out’s Bettie Gabriel is subtly brilliant as Detective Cortez, the cop doggedly pursuing Trace’s case and, eventually, him too, and there’s a cracking villainous turn from relative unknown Benedict Hardie as sadistic but charismatic cybernetically-enhanced contract killer Fisk – but this is very much Marhall-Green’s film; he’s an absolute revelation here, his effortlessly sympathetic hangdog demeanour dominating a fantastically nuanced and impressively physical performance that displays truly exceptional dramatic AND comedic talent.  Indeed, while it’s a VERY dark film, there’s a big streak of jet black humour shot right through it, Whannell amusing us in particularly uncomfortable ways whenever STEM takes control and wreaks appropriately inhuman havoc (it helps no end that voice-actor Simon Malden has basically turned STEM into a kind of sociopathic version of Big Hero 6’s Baymax, which is as hilariously twisted as it sounds), and he delivers in spades on the action front too, crafting the year’s most wince-inducing, downright SAVAGE fight sequences and a very exciting car chase. Altogether this is a simply astonishing achievement – at times weirdly beautiful in a scuzzy, decrepit kind of way, it’s visually arresting and fiendishly intelligent, but also, much as we’d expect from the creator of Saw and Hollywood’s PREMIER horror studio, dark, edgy and, at times, weirdly disturbing – in other words, it’s CLASSIC body horror.  Whannell is a talent I’ve been watching for a while now, and it’s SO GOOD to finally see him deliver on all that wonderful promise. Needless to say it was another runaway hit for Blumhouse, so there are already plans for a sequel, but for now I’m just happy to revel in the wonderful originality of what was the very peak of my cinematic summer …

2.  SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE – oh man, if ever there was a contender that could have ousted this year’s Number One, it’s this, it was SUCH a close-run thing.  Sure, with THREE major incarnations of Marvel’s most iconic superhero already hitting the big screen since the Millennium, we could AGAIN ask if we really need another Spider-Man “reboot”, but I must say his first ever blockbuster animated appearance leaves virtually all other versions in the dust – only Sam Raimi’s masterpiece second Spider-feature remains unbeaten, but I’ve certainly never seen another film that just totally GETS Stan Lee’s original web-slinger better than this one.  It’s directed by the motley but perfectly synced trio of Bob Perischetti (a veteran digital artist making his directorial debut here), Peter Ramsay (Rise of the Guardians) and Rodney Rothman (writer on 22 Jump Street), but the influence of producers Christopher Miller and Phil Lord (creators of The Lego Movie) is writ large across the entire film (then again, Lord did co-write the script with Rothman) – it’s a magnificent, majestic feast for the eyes, ears and soul, visually arresting and overflowing with effervescent, geeky charm and a deep, fundamental LOVE for the source material in all its varied guises.  Taking its lead from the recent Marvel comics crossover event from which the film gets its name, it revolves around an unprecedented collision of various incarnations of Spider-Man from across the varying alternate versions of Earth across the Marvel Multiverse, brought together though the dastardly machinations of criminal mastermind Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin (a typically excellent vocal turn from Liev Schreiber) and his secret supercollider.  There are two, equally brilliant, “old school” takes on the original web-slinger Peter Parker on offer here – Chris Pine impresses in his early scenes as the “perfect” version, youthful, dashing and thoroughly brilliant but never ruining it by being smug or full of himself, but the story is dominated by New Girl’s Jake Johnson as a more world-weary and self-deprecating blue-collar version, who can still do the job just as well but has never really been as comfortable a fit, and he’s all the more endearing because he’s SUCH a lovable slacker underdog.  The main “hero” of the film, however, is Dope’s Shameik Moore as Miles Morales, a teenager who’s literally JUST acquired his powers but must learn FAST if he’s to become this universe’s new Spider-Man, and he’s a perfect lead for the film, unsure of himself and struggling to bring his newfound abilities to bear, but determined to find his footing all the same.  There are other brilliant takes on the core character here – Nicolas Cage’s wonderfully overblown monochrome Spider-Man Noir is an absolute hoot, as is anthropomorphised fan-favourite Spider-Ham (voiced by popular stand-up comic John Mulaney) – and a variety of interesting, skewed twists on classic Spider-Man villains (particularly Liv, a gender-bent take on Doctor Octopus played by Bad Moms’ Kathryn Hahn), but my favourite character in this is, tellingly, also my very favourite Marvel web-slinger PERIOD – Earth-65’s Spider-Woman, aka Gwen Stacy (more commonly known as Spider Gwen), an alternative version where SHE got bit by the radioactive arachnid instead of Peter, very faithfully brought to life by a perfectly cast Hailee Steinfeld.  It may sound overblown but this is about as close to perfect as a superhero movie can get – the script is an ASTONISHING piece of work, tight as a drum with everything lined up with clockwork precision, and instead of getting bogged down in exposition it turns the whole origin story trope into a brilliant running joke that keeps getting funnier each time a new character gets introduced; it’s also INSANELY inventive and a completely unique visual experience, specifically designed to look like old school comic book art brought to vivid but intriguingly stylised life, right down to the ingenious use of word-bubbles and textured printing dots that add to the pop art feel.  This is a truly SPECTACULAR film, a gloriously appointed thrill-ride with all the adventure, excitement, humour and bountiful, powerful, heartbreaking emotional heft you could ever want from a superhero movie – this is (sorry MCU) the VERY BEST film Marvel made in 2018, and maybe one of their very best EVER.  There’s already sequel talk in the air (no surprise there, of course), and I can’t wait to see where it goes.  PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give me a Spider Gwen spinoff.  I’ll be good, I swear …

1.  A QUIET PLACE – the most unique and original film of 2018 was a true masterpiece of horror cinema and, for me, one of the best scary movies I’ve seen in A VERY LONG TIME INDEED. It’s a deceptively simply high-concept thriller built around a dynamite idea, one that writer/director/star John Krasinski (co-writing with up-and-coming creative duo Bryan Woods and Scott Beck) has mined for maximum effect … Krasinski (still probably best known for the US version of The Office but now also gaining fresh traction for killer Amazon Original series Jack Ryan) and his real life wife Emily Blunt are Lee and Evelyn Abbott, a mother and father who must protect their children and find a way to survive on an isolated farm in a world which has been decimated by an inexplicable invasion/infestation/whatever of mysterious and thoroughly lethal creatures that, while blind, use their incredibly sensitive hearing to hunt and kill ANYTHING that makes a sound.  As a result, the Abbotts have had to develop an intricately ordered lifestyle in order to gather, scavenge and rebuild while remaining completely silent, a discipline soon to be threatened by Evelyn’s very advanced pregnancy … there’s a truly fiendish level of genius to the way this film has been planned out and executed, the exquisitely thought-out mechanics of the Abbotts’ daily routines, survival methods and emergency procedures proving to be works of pure, unfettered genius – from communication through sign language and slow-dancing to music on shared headphones to walking on pathways created with heaped sand and painted spots to mark floorboards that don’t squeak, playing board games with soft fruit instead of plastic pieces and signalling danger with coloured light-bulbs – while the near total absence of spoken dialogue makes the use of sound and music essential and, here, almost revolutionary, with supervising sound editors Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn becoming as important as the director himself, while composer Marco Beltrami delivers some of his finest work to date with a score of insidious subtlety and brazen power in equal measure.  The small but potent cast are all excellent – Blunt has rarely been better in a performance of impressive honesty and a lack of vanity comparable to her work on The Girl On the Train, affecting and compelling as a fierce lioness of a mother, while Krasinski radiates both strength and vulnerability as he fights tooth and nail to keep his family alive, regardless of his own survival, and their real-life chemistry is a genuine boon to their performances, bringing a winning warmth to their relationship; elsewhere, deaf actress Millicent Simmonds (Wonderstruck) effortlessly captures our hearts as troubled, rebellious daughter Regan, delivering a performance of raw, heartbreaking honesty, while Suberbicon’s Noah Jupe impresses as awkward son Marcus, cripplingly unsure of himself and awfully scared of having to grow up in this terrifying new world.  There’s great power and heart in the family dynamic, which makes us even more invested in their survival as the screws tighten in what is a SERIOUSLY scary film, an exquisitely crafted exercise in sustained tension that deserves to be remembered alongside the true greats of horror cinema.  Krasinski displays a rare level of skill as a director, his grasp of atmosphere, pace and performance hinting at great things to come in the future, definitely making him one to watch – this is an astonishing film, a true gem I’m going to cherish for a long time to come.