By Danilo Castro
2018 has been a watershed year for Netflix when it comes to original content. What was once considered a hub for pre-existing films and TV has become one of the most exciting distributors in the medium, whether it be through cutting documentaries or delightful romantic comedies. Given the quality and range of entertainment that Netflix released this year in what is sure to go down as a banner year for them, we’ve decided to put together a list of the best feature-length films that you can currently check out from the comfort of your living room. Here are the ten best Netflix original films of 2018. 10. Apostle
“Apostle” was a welcome addition to the Netflix roster come Halloween. The film, directed by Gareth Evans, follows a man named Thomas Richardson (Dan Stevens) as he travels to a remote island to rescue his sister from a religious cult. What the skeptical Richardson finds, of course, is anything but a simple ransom case.
Anyone familiar with “The Wicker Man” (either version) will note the similarities in terms of plot, but Evans does well to distance his film with an emphasis on atmosphere and the sort of foreboding dread that stays with the viewer long after the jump scares have worn off. Nothing revelatory, but effective storytelling nonetheless. 9. Cam
While “Cam” may be another horror outing a la “Apostle”, the two films couldn’t be less alike. Where “Apostle” focused on buildup and dread, the engrossing “Cam” causes fear through psychological strain and isolation. The film takes us into the world of internet pornography, where Alice (Madeline Brewer) works as a “camgirl” with strict policies as to what she will and will not do.
Things get complicated, however, when a mysterious woman who looks just like Alice begins to take over her channel. Brewer gives a knockout performance, capturing the fear of a woman who gets sucked into the anonymity of the internet against her will. The writer/director duo of Isa Mazzei and Daniel Goldhaber also come through in a big way, leaving us with a glitchy fable for the millennial generation. 8. The Land Of Steady Habits
While Ben Mendelsohn has become the default hire for blockbuster villains (“Ready Player One”, “Robin Hood”, the upcoming “Captain Marvel”), Netflix’s “The Land of Steady Habits” is a reminder that he is at his best when playing the troubled everyman. Here he portrays a hapless businessman who decides to quit his job and leave his wife in the hopes that it will renew his zest for life.
In the process, he befriends a teenage drug addict and is faced with having to choose between the freedoms of his new life and the responsibilities of his old one. Mendelsohn underpins the tragedy of the character with flickers of charm that make him impossible to hate, while the supporting work done by Edie Falco and Thomas Mann effectively round things out. A mid-life crisis drama that is done right. 7. 6 Balloons
Though simple in its premise, “6 Balloons” is a surprisingly delicate tale of siblings bound by circumstance. The film takes place over a single night and focuses on the relationship between Katie (Abbi Jacobson) and her drug addict brother Seth (Dave Franco), who needs to be driven to a detox center. What follows is a string of brutally honest and at times darkly comedic take on the standard “road trip” flick.
Marja Lewis-Ryan’s direction is taut and lively, as is her tightly-wound script, but it is the lead performances by Jacobson and Franco that really enables “6 Balloons” to take off. Their chemistry together bears the annoyances and resentments that come with being real siblings, while their comedy chops break up the dreariness of the plot with streaks of genuine affection. 6. The Other Side Of The Wind
“The Other Side of the Wind” has the distinction of being the last film Orson Welles completed before his death. It collected dust for over forty years before Netflix bought the rights and completed it per Welles’ leftover notes. The result is a meta-experimental odyssey that can’t help but be intertwined with the bizarre nature of its own production.
“The Other Side of the Wind” tells the story of an aging director (John Huston) who struggles to get financing for his latest film and, in a darkly prophetic twist, dies before he gets a chance to finish it. The film repeatedly blurs the line between fantasy and reality, from the casting of Welles associates Peter Bogdanovich and Oja Kadar as sinister versions of themselves, to the deconstruction of the “great man” mythos that Welles himself pioneered with “Citizen Kane.” Trust me, one viewing won’t be enough to take it in. 5. Set It Up
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