At the halfway point of the 2018 movie season, it’s a good time to check in and see which movies were on the top of their game this year. It’s unlikely we’ll be talking about any of them come Award season but there was plenty of cinematic success to recognize. Here’s the best films and performances according to Movie Hot Take for the first half of 2018 that will probably not even be thought of come Awards season:

Best Picture

  • A Quiet Place
  • Hereditary
  • Avengers: Infinity War

And the winner is…

A Quiet Place

2018 is way ahead of 2017 in movie quality and the top 2 films are actually horror flicks. The best of the best, though, is A Quiet Place which quietly took the top spot when it was released in April and hasn’t let it go.

Best Actor

  • Ethan Hawke, First Reformed
  • Nick Robinson, Love, Simon
  • Chadwick Boseman, Black Panther

And the winner is…

Ethan Hawke

Hawke’s performance in First Reformed is the only performance that might be strong enough to make a list of overlooked performances once Awards season comes and goes and he fails to get nominated for Best Actor for his role.

Best Actress

  • Charlize Theron, Tully
  • Toni Collette, Hereditary
  • Natalie Portman, Annihilation 

And the winner is…

Charlize Theron

Theron’s performance in Tully was the highlight of the first half of 2018. Theron provided the most memorable acting role and outshines the movie itself.

Best Supporting Actor

  • Rob Riggle, Midnight Sun
  • Josh Brolin, Avengers: Infinity War
  • Josh Brolin, Sicario: Day of the Soldado

And the winner is…

Rob Riggle

Of all the categories, this one has the weakest trio of nominees. Technically, it’s really only 2 nominees since Brolin grabs 2 of the nominations for 2 difference roles. Riggle’s turn in the critically maligned Midnight Sun was the best of the bunch.

Best Supporting Actress

  • Anya Taylor-Joy, Thoroughbreds
  • Anne Hathaway, Ocean’s 8
  • Mackenzie Davis, Tully

And the winner is…

Anya Taylor-Joy

Taylor-Joy might belong in the Actress category but it feels like Olivia Cooke is the star of Thoroughbreds which throws Anya Taylor-Joy into the Supporting Actress category. 

Best Animated Movie

  • Isle of Dogs
  • Incredibles 2
  • Peter Rabbit

And the winner is…

Isle of Dogs

Wes Anderson’s animated film actually has a shot at being nominated for Best Animated Film (and winning) at the end of the year. There’s nothing on the radar that impresses which will could make its only competition something that doesn’t release wide in the U.S..

Best Screenplay

  • Wes Anderson, Isle of Dogs
  • Cory Finley, Thoroughbreds
  • Paul Schrader, First Reformed

And the winner is…

Wes Anderson

The dogs take on human characteristics and own some high profile acting voices but its Anderson’s script that makes Isle of Dogs work so well.

Best Director

  • Ari Aster, Hereditary
  • Paul Schrader, First Reformed
  • John Krasinski, A Quiet Place

And the winner is…

Ari Aster

Aster’s feature directorial debut still scares the hell out of me just thinking about it. Now I’m going to lose another day of sleep.

Best Cinematography

  • Hereditary
  • A Quiet Place
  • Sicario: Day of the Soldado

And the winner is…

Hereditary

Now I’m not sleeping for the next week!

Best Documentary

  • Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
  • Pop Francis – A Man of His Word
  • Whitney

And the winner is…

Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

Both documentaries dealing posthumously with its subject matter brought me to tears. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? though was the most moving and well done documentary of the first half of 2018.

Best Trailer For A Movie Coming Out In The Second Half of 2018

  • A Star Is Born
  • BlacKkKlansman
  • Bohemian Rhapsody

And the winner is…

A Star Is Born

These 3 left the most lasting impression but it’s A Star Is Born that can have all my money and likely all my praise, too, once it hits theaters in October.