Top 10 movies of the year so far

It's the end of June. The top 10 lists for the halfway mark of the year are arriving and they are full of films that were only ever shown in the IFI or The Lighthouse owned cinemas in Smithfield or Galway. It's rather annoying and a bit elitist. That said plenty of excellence has hit the cinema's outside the M50 and here's my ten best so far this year.

Diego Maradona

A documentary about a football player that even people who hate the sport will be able to enjoy. Starts off like a thriller and ends like a Shakespearian tragedy. Just magnificent. Review here.

Deadwood

One of the best TV shows of....well ever, finally gets the ending it deserved. A beautiful, upsetting and brilliant way to say goodbye to some of the best TV characters ever written. Review here.

Booksmart

Superbad but with women. So the reviews said but it's so much more than that. A funny and heartfelt look at the pitfalls and complexities of friendships with a leading pair for the ages. Review here.

Eighth Grade

A brutally honest and heartrending look at the realities of teenage life in an age where social media rules all and school shootings are a part of everyday existence. Review here.

Wild Rose

A life affirming watch about a young Scottish woman struggling to escape the humdrum deathly dullness of everyday life with an Oscar worthy lead performance from one of our own. Review here.

The Sisters Brothers

One of the best westerns I've seen in years. A tale of brotherhood that shakes up the genre while still managing to hit every beat you'd expect a western too. Fantastic acting. Review here.

Lords Of Chaos

The adaption of the infamous book about the rise and fall of Norwegian Black metal is a ludicrously violent one but at the same time a gripping, darkly amusing and very humane one. Review here.

The Curse Of La Llorona

A cliched Mexican set horror vaguely tied into the Conjuring universe but a combo of a very unsettling atmosphere, some wicked jump scares and a folklore rarely touched upon in mainstream cinema made it all work very well.

Can You Ever Forgive Me

Loneliness, alcohol and a new friendship combine in a tale of fraud and sadness carried along by some of the best acting so far this year. It sounds like a depressing watch and it's anything but. Review here.

Stan & Ollie

The story behind Laurel and Hardy is a beautiful & heartrending watch. 2 fantastic lead performances and some superb support will bring tears to your eyes. Review here.

Runners up

6 crackers that just missed out on the top spots. Reviews in titles.

The Favorite 
Captain Marvel
Departures
Piercing
Greta 
John Wick 3

The worst

Polar

Describing Polar as a septic turd is saying something nice about it. It's the kind of film that would make you reconsider your netflix direct debit.  Annoyingly directed by the man behind Lords Of Chaos. How can one be so bad and the other so good??? How? Review here.