As most of y'all know I was replaced as the film reviewer for the Crimson White this past year. I was super disappointed I didn't have an avenue to publish my thoughts on films anymore, it has been a nice break not having to worry about getting a review done every single week. That being said, I am here today with a list of my Top 10 films of the year (plus a few honorable mentions). I for one really hate reviews like this that force you to scroll all the way to the bottom of the review to see what is the number one film, so to fix that problem I'm just gonna list my Top 10 at the start of the article, then go into detail about each one and why it's on my list. Without anymore buildup, here's my Top 10 movies of 2018:
Honorable Mentions
- Avengers: Infinity War (I’ll explain don’t worry)
- BumbleBee
- Incredibles 2
- The Favourite
Top 10
10) Mandy
9) BlacKkKlansman
8) Vice
7) Upgrade
6) Annihilation
5) Sorry to Bother You
4) Spiderman: Into The Spiderverse
3) Hereditary
2) Mid 90s
1) Eighth Grade
If you wanna stop reading now, believe me I get it, you got shit to do, go do it. However, if you’re trying to avoid your life and wanna read some more in-depth analysis about some really great films, strap on in and keep reading.
Honorable Mentions
Avengers: Infinity War is not a movie. It’s an event. Which to me, is why I really feel like I can’t put it onto my top ten of the year. If it was, it was probably be my number 1 movie by far, but I really feel like most of the weight of this film is so heavily reliant on the 19 previous films and their characters development. Don’t get me wrong, I’m well aware that this film is really about Thanos more than any of the Avengers, but it just felt so unsatisfying knowing the impact of this movie probably won’t affect the overall world, the whole reason the film is around is to be setup for the next film. I still love this film, I think it had one of the most difficult to achieve expectations for any film in recent memory, and it nailed the landing all the way around, I just have a really tough time seeing this as just a movie and not something new, an event.
Bumblebee is way better than it deserves to be. I went into this film a skeptic and somehow they were even able to convince me that I liked a Transformers film. The movie is so simple in the plot department compared to the other Transformers movies, but it’s a real step in the right direction. The story feels more personal and I still can’t believe I’m saying this but there is actual character development, visual storytelling, and a kickass soundtrack all in a new Transformers movie. Would recommend to any fan of the cartoons or someone who wants just a good action film
Incredibles 2 was one film I thinking going into I had the highest expectation and lowest floor for greatness in my eyes, and when the film released with a good, but not great story I was a little skeptical. Thankfully, upon second viewing I really enjoyed this film a lot on its own merit, but unfortunately stacked up next to the nearly perfect original, this film falls on its face. A nearly paint by number re-tread of the original is not what I was expecting, and to be honest, if it wasn’t for the scene between Jack-Jack and a baby raccoon I don’t even know if this movie would be on my list.
The Favourite is one of the films I felt like I needed to see, the third film from Yorgos Lanthimos, one of the strangest but more interesting directors working today (director of The Lobster and Killing of a Sacred Deer). This film stars Emma Stone as a women previously of nobility in Early 18th Century France, who works her way up and eventually into the queens inner circle. The film has a surprising reveal in the first act that makes for a really intriguing premise, however the film really slows down to a halt near the end of the film, a slowdown so bad that I began to question if I even liked the film up to that point. This film is very well shot however, with Yorgos using wide angle lenses to really distort the Palace the characters live in. I really did want to like this movie more than I did.
Top 10
10) Mandy is the second film directed and co-written by Greek Filmmaker Panos Cosmatos, but it sure doesn’t feel like his second film. This film stars Nick Cage as Red, a man who’s life gets turned upside down into a life only made for revenge when his wife Mandy (Andrea Riseborough) catches the attention of cult leader Jeremiah (Linus Roache.) This film is Nick Cage’s Evil Dead. He gives one of the most unhinged performances to date, but one that doesn’t feel out of place within the context of the film. Cage’s performance, along with insanely creative lighting and a retro 80s B movie feeling are the main draws for this film. This movie should’ve been higher on my list, however thanks to the very slow first hour, plus some honestly gruesome imagery makes this a hard movie to recommend to anyone that’s not already a B Horror film fan, or someone who can appreciate the absolute beauty of the lighting.
9) I went into BlacKkKlansman with such unbelievably high expectations, and I’m so sad this film didn’t live up to the hopes I had for it. This is a sorta true story from director Spike Lee, about Detective Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in Colorado Springs in the 1970. This movie is so potent in today's society that watching the film made it feel like they we’re just holding up a mirror to our own society, which is a strength and weakness for the film. It’s a weakness because the film feels more like a political statement rather than a film with actual characters and more importantly character development, which BlacKkKlansman has neither. The movie is filled with characters that to me feel like caricatures of real people, with just enough truth to make them “feel” like real characters. This film is not poorly made in the slightest, however I think the choice to make a political statement, rather than a film really hurts this movie.
8) Vice is a film that should’ve swept every single award it was nominated for, however the film just fell slightly short of the lofty expectations set on it by myself and most of the film community. After the surprise success of The Big Short, I was so excited to see Director and Writer Adam McKay tackle the story of Vice President Dick Cheney (Christian Bale). I think the biggest problem I have with this film is the inconsistencies with the tone, which is brought out mainly by the director and editor. The film uses the same pseudo-documentary style that The Big Short followed, however that film felt like it needed the narrative device to explain and convey the complicated story to mass audiences. However, with Vice, I really don’t think this film needed that narrative device, the film is very well acted, written and shot, however the choices made in the editing room really sunk this once promising political film. I’d still highly recommend this movie, I was just disappointed with the final product because I just know it could’ve been so good if handled properly.
7) Upgrade is a film that should not have been good whatsoever. This film is a rare one in the industry that doesn’t cost 100 million dollars, and instead only costed 5 million dollars, which raised some red flags for me right away. Thankfully however, this is one of the most original and gruesome action film that feels like the “good” version of Sony's Venom. The film is written and directed by Leigh Whannell and stars Logan Marshall-Green as Gray; a man who is paralyzed in a shooting that kills his wife, but after a tech billionaire gives him the opportunity to implant an AI into his spine that allows him to walk again, he goes on a quest for revenge. This movie is worth seeing mainly for the relationship between Gray and Stem, the AI, as well as some truly unique actions scenes, in regards to camera work and fight choreography. I really loved the look of this film, the crew was able to create a more realistic world with less money than a lot of blockbusters, but a stylish world at that
6) Annihilation is one of the rare movies that I feel like shouldn’t even exist. The film bombed at the box office, mainly due to the film only getting a very short theater run before immediately going to Netflix, however this is one film from this year that should not be passed over. This is writer director Alex Garland's second film, following his masterpiece Ex Machina, and is a film that follows a group of female scientists, led by Lena (Natalie Portman) as they explore the mysterious “Shimmer.” This film has one of the single scariest scenes I’ve ever seen (the bear scene, trust me you know it when you see it,) as well as having a killer script that doubles as a strong metaphor for self destruction. This is more of a think piece than an action movie, however it never once gets boring thanks to the strong mystery surrounding the interesting characters. If you want more on this film, I would highly recommend this YouTube video by the channel Lessons from the Screenplay on this film- Lessons From the Screenplay: Annihilation
5) Sorry To Bother You is easily the weirdest film on this list, by a wide margin. This is the directorial debut for Boots Riley, and stars Lakeith Stanfield as Cassius Green, a man desperate for money that turns to telemarketing. The setup sounds simple, but this is easily the wildest film of the year, with a surreal world densely packed with satire. The style that director Boots Riley injects into the film is the best part besides the performances, specifically from Tessa Thompson as Detroit and Stanfield as Cash. This is one of those films I can gush all about, however I believe the less you know about this insane film the better off you are. All I’ll say is I can promise you, you have no idea where this film is going to end up at.
4) Spiderman: Into the SpiderVerse is a nearly perfect film, and no I’m not kidding. This is one of those rare films that I wish wasn’t a superhero movie, because I think more people need to see this original and inventive animated film. The voice cast is stellar for this film, but in all reality the draw for this film is really the character dynamics, as well as a story that isn’t the most original, but interjects enough new ideas and spins on existing spiderman lore that make the film feel fresh. I really love the animation style of this film, however I’m fairly certain it’s not for everyone. Due to this film being so new I don’t want to go too deep into the plot, all I can say about this film is please go see it.
3) Hereditary is scary as fuck
Honestly I feel like that’s all you need to know about this film, but if my glowing review isn’t enough to sell you, lemme try again. Hereditary is a film that explores, surprisingly, heritage. More specifically, it explores the idea of diseases and affliction passed down from parent to child, in one of the scariest ways possible. This is not a film filled with unnecessary jump-scares (thank God), it’s a film that is more interested in the slow burn and building tension as long as humanly possible. It’s a slow burn for a while, however I really feel like the performances, specially Toni Collette as Annie and Alex Wolf as Peter, really drive the narrative until the film really picks up. This is the feature directorial debut of Ari Aster, and I for one will be seeing every film he makes from this point on. Like Sorry To Bother You, this movie is far more effective the less you know about the plot, so all I’ll say is you’ll never be able to click your tongue without thinking about this film again.
2) Mid90s is so unbelievably good. Maybe this film is just made specifically for what I love about film, but I just cannot gush more about this film. This is the directorial debut for famed actor Jonah Hill, and he just absolutely crushes every aspect of the film, from aspect ratio, a great script and killer performances. The story revolves around Stevie, (Sunny Suljic), a 12 year old boy who starts hanging out with a group of 17 year old skaters, in the mid 1990s (I can’t believe it either.) That’s it. Well I mean sorta, there’s definitely more to the story than just that, but the film is entirely reliant on the excellent characters. Every one of the main boys you know their motivations, why they act like they do, which is a credit to both Hill and the great cast of younger actors. My favorite character had to be Fuckshit (Yes, that’s his name,) played by Olan Prenatt. This is a film about character and character growth, with a sprinkle of skateboarding throughout. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone.
1) Eighth Grade was the movie I was the most skeptical for going into this year, mainly due to it being the directorial and screenplay debut of one of my favorite stand up comics, Bo Burnham. I was so nervous going into this film that his style of humor wouldn’t translate from stage to screen, and I was technically right, but also so wrong at the same time. His humor didn’t translate because he really strayed from his usual standup style of humor, into a film that has so many laugh out loud moments it's impossible to count. However, what really puts this film over the edge for me was just how relatable the film felt. Burnham was somehow able to translate the uncomfortable, terrible year that Eighth Grade is into a heartfelt, hilarious film that I feel can really reach every person around my age. This is one of those rare films that I think I am too blinded by my love for it to acknowledge any faults with it. I just really love this movie, and I think everyone from the age of 30-10 should see this film. I was already going to see whatever Burnham puts out next, but now I’ll be there as early as humanly possible to see it.
Yeah, so that was a lot of writing. I’ve really missed doing these reviews and I’m gonna try to put out smaller reviews on new films I watch in 2019, but you know plans change so we’ll see. If you made it here, you’re a real one and I really thank you for reading my work. Nothing brings me more joy than when someone tells me they saw a film, or didn’t see one, thanks to one of my reviews. I put a lot of time and effort into these and that small amount of validation really keeps me going. So thank you, and go see yourself a good movie.
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