Your eyes have gone bloodshot from staring at Microsoft Word while attempting to start a final paper that just won’t write itself. In need of a break, you look for something to take your mind off of the essay, even if it’s just for a few hours. To help give you that break, Limelight’s here with our picks for some of the best movies of 2018.  

“American Animals”

Based on the true story of the four college students who attempted a heist of extremely valuable books from their university library, “American Animals” is a story about giving life meaning. The narrative uniquely jumps between the real-life perpetrators of the heist and the actors portraying them.

Two students attending Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky find their lives are lacking importance. Spencer Reinhard, played by Barry Keoghan of “Dunkirk” and “The Killing of a Sacred Deer,” finds he needs a significant event to happen in his life life to inspire his work as an art student. His rebellious friend Warren Lipkais, played by Evan Peters of “American Horror Story,” has no motivation to pursue his own education and expresses the same feelings of an unimportant life. Together they devise a plan to steal John James Audubon’s “The Birds of America,” a massive book containing hundreds of paintings of birds, once they discover a single librarian is the only thing guarding the book. Enlisting the help of their friends, the students embark on a journey to do something life-changing, but ultimately results in disaster.

“American Animals” isn’t your typical heist film of expert criminals pulling off daring stunts and close calls. Rather the film brings a scary surrealness to committing a serious crime while exploring the innate human desire to make one’s life special.

The incredibly believable acting in the more intense scenes sells the movie’s approach to these themes and forces the viewer to put themselves in the shoes of the characters. The motivations and inner thoughts of the characters are brought to light by interviews of their real-life counterparts adding depth and authenticity rarely seen in “based on a true story” films.

“American Animals” is a brilliantly different gripping ride with lasting emotional impact.

“Incredibles 2”

“Incredibles 2” continued the story of the Incredible family and their crime fighting adventures as a family, picking up right where the first film ended in 2004. The movie contains much of the original Pixar humor and action, while also adding a twist of introducing new characters and crime fighting resources.

The film is very modernized with the satirical idea that Helen, Mrs. Incredible, leaves Bob home to take care of the kids while she goes to work, restoring the reputation of all superheroes that the media has tarnished. Mr. Incredible then must choose between applying his responsibility of saving the world or staying home with his kids and being a full-time father, a challenge that many might face in their non-superhero lives. Whether you’re brand new to the series or a life-long fan, “The Incredibles 2” is a must see for the year. 

“Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again”

Following the high expectations from the first movie, “Mamma Mia,” released in 2008, “Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again” acts as a musical, comedy, drama and love story, all in one. The film continues years after the first film to Sophie reopening the inn in honor of her mother. The film follows the challenges that Sophie must face, including being on the island without her mother and trying to keep her legacy going.

The numerous dance numbers keep the audience taping their toes along to the famous ABBA songs as they follow Donna, portrayed by Lily James, in her exploration of the world and herself, a concept that many may be trying to find themselves. The film explores many themes, including the importance of friendship during hard times. As if you need another reason to see the film, Cher is introduced as Sophie’s grandmother, joining Sophie on the journey of keeping Donna’s memory alive. “Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again” is a must see for the 2018 year.

“Hereditary”

Ari Aster’s horror/family drama, and directorial debut, is an instant classic. When the controlling matriarch of Annie Graham’s family passes away, she turns to the supernatural to cope with the loss. Chaos rips the Graham family a part in their struggle with grief and mental illness, reaching a breaking point in the explosively shocking third act.

Aster’s direction is superb, leaving subtle visual clues and hiding horror in plain sight, his efforts are capable of catching viewers off-guard. Toni Collette and Alex Wolff give career-defining performances, portraying raw, real emotion and selling viewers on the trauma they experience. Colin Stetson’s score adds to the feelings of tension and unease, with themes on par with horror classics like “Halloween.”

Those expecting jump scares or gruesome monsters won’t find that in “Hereditary.” Like A24’s other horror films, “Hereditary” is a slow burn in the same vein as “The Exorcist” or “The Shining,” building tension through mystery and dialogue. The payoff is worth the long build-up when we learn the truth behind the madness and all hell breaks loose in the finale.

“Sorry To Bother You”

In his directorial debut, Boots Riley hit a home run with “Sorry To Bother You.” Featuring “Get Out” actor, Lakeith Stanfield and Tessa Thompson, the movie follows the bizarre events of a down-on-his-luck Los Angeles resident, his girlfriend and his colleagues. The movie also enlists the help of multiple popular comedians, Terry Crews, Patton Oswalt and David Cross each having supporting roles in the film.

Cassius Green (Stanfield) takes a job at a call center while a company called “WorryFree,” which advertises a lifelong arrangement of free living and guaranteed work. The company is opposed by a group of activists called “The Left Eye.” The movie follows Green and his friends’ odd adventure into finding out what “WorryFree” really is.

Categorized as an absurdist dark comedy, the movie takes some interesting and definitely unexpected turns throughout, as well as tackling bigger issues like racism and workplace representation and safety. The movie delivers consistent laughs with an exceptionally clever and original script. Viewers beware though, this is a movie you will want to pay close attention to all throughout. “Sorry To Bother You” jumps from scene-to-scene with great speed and a lot can be missed in a short period. The originality of Riley’s script and the elite performances from the entire cast make this movie a late-night must watch.

“A Quiet Place”

It was clear “A Quiet Place” was going to be amazing as soon as it was announced John Krasinski was going to be the director. His decision on the film’s cinematography and dialogue, or lack thereof, makes it one that sticks with you. Due to the premise of this movie, there is a large amount of sign language used. This means it comes with a lot of subtitle reading, but, as a hard of hearing person, this made me ecstatic. While this was one of the main complaints by critics of this movie, it was refreshing to be able to fully understand a movie better due to the lack of dialogue and addition of subtitles.

“A Quiet Place” breaks the mold by casting Millicent Simmonds, a deaf actress, in a mainstream film. The movie not only provided an entertaining horror experience, but helped open up the movie-going experience to the community of deaf and hard of hearing people.

“Avengers: Infinity War”

The biggest film of the year, “Avengers: Infinity War” is just the first half of the climax to ten years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Expectations were rightfully high for the new “Avengers” film, it had the difficult task of being a satisfying pay-off to build-up from nearly 20 other movies spread across multiple series. It’s difficult to not enjoy yourself as “Infinity War” pulls Iron Man, Captain America, Spider-Man, Thor, Black Panther and the rest of the Marvel universe together into one jam-packed movie.

Thanos, portrayed by Josh Brolin, was the perfect antagonist for the movie. Even under layers of motion capture CGI, Brolin conveyed a wide range of emotion, at times getting the viewer to sympathize with the mad, genocidal titan.

The stakes are high “Infinity War,” as the Avengers fight to save half the universe from complete annihilation at the hands of Thanos. The massive action set pieces and jaw-dropping cliffhanger ending places “Avengers: Infinity War” as the best blockbuster of 2018.