As the Academy Awards air tomorrow, another Oscar-calendar year comes to an end. I always try to make sure that I see everything I want to see prior to that deadline, just so I can have my genuinely unbiased reactions to those who win or get snubbed during the awards ceremony.
Out of all of the years since I started reviewing movies, I would say that 2018 was the most uneven of them. Granted I don’t think this past year was as dry as 2016, but I saw a high volume of films of contrasting quality. While there were a lot of excellent films, there were also a large number of stinkers. However, through it all, I was able to enjoy different movies that spoke to different parts of my film-loving self. So before we get into my top 10, let’s go over some of my honorable mentions:
Honorable Mentions:
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Sony surprised everyone when they released an animated Spider-Man film that had nothing to do with an established shared universe, but built one on its own in a vastly different style. Spider-Verse is one of the most creative and beautifully animated comic book films I’ve ever seen, and does a great job of introducing the lesser known Spider-Man character Miles Morales in a film that reminds us that there is a creative space in the movie industry for comic book movies to, well, look like comic books.
Eighth Grade
Move aside, A Quiet Place—no film in 2018 made me more uncomfortable and on the edge of my seat than Bo Burnham’s directorial debut film Eighth Grade. Taking place in everyone’s favorite stage of their lives, Eighth Grade presents an honest message about loving yourself in a time where you want to do anything but that.
Isle of Dogs
Wes Anderson continues to be Wes Anderson in his second stop-motion animated film, Isle of Dogs. Quirky and heartfelt, the story about a young boy and his dog(s) in a strange post-apocalyptic setting conjure some genuinely funny and awe-inspiring moments. Stop-motion animation is a genre that we do not have films enough of, and that’s a shame. Isle of Dogs not only shows off how wonderful the film can be from a technical standpoint, but also with its cast of charming characters.
Incredibles 2
The follow-up to my favorite Pixar film nearly 15 years in the making not only satisfies the fans waiting for a proper sequel, but also reminds us why Pixar is one of the best studios in the business. Standing on its own as one of the best superhero films of 2018, it’s also just a sheer delight to return to the Parr family and see what shenanigans they get up to in a movie that was well worth the wait.
Blindspotting
In a world that is so eager to point out the inadequacies and sins of our fellow brothers and sisters based on the color of their skin, no film presented the message of the growing up in a racially strained environment better than Blindspotting. Not only is the film incredibly hilarious, but it also touches on the gray areas of race relations in a way that is both subdued and poignant.
10. Ready Player One
I don’t care what people say about this movie—I genuinely had a good time with it. Based on Ernest Cline’s epic sci-fi novel, Spielberg’s adaptation of the book provided genuine thrills, pure fan service moments for all nerds, and ultimately made me realize how much I missed Spielberg’s blockbuster films. There is an inevitable charm in this flick, as flawed as it may be. This film was so evocative of its grand sense of adventure like in Spielberg’s earlier works, that it was easy to overlook the film’s many weaknesses in favor of just enjoying the ride for what it was. Please Steven, you still got the magic touch! Stop making Oscar-bait movies and capture our hearts and imaginations again with more films like these!
9. American Animals
American Animals is easily 2018’s most overlooked film of the year. Bart Layton’s newest docu-drama is an incredibly suspenseful and thrilling piece that proves you don’t need an epic heist premise to pull off being one of the best heist movies ever. This movie plays with our expectations and subverts them in a genuinely unique fashion, while satisfying all of the cravings we want in a heist film. You know that this movie is doing something right when the most intense and suspenseful moment happens between a sweet librarian lady and a bunch of misguided kids.
8. Searching
Aneesh Chaganty’s Searching is way better than it should have been. A film that takes place completely in the perspective of a computer screen? You’d think that the gimmick would overstay its welcome, until you realize how brilliantly it was used to generate suspense and mystery throughout the film. John Cho delivers what is easily his best performance in a movie that makes us second guess how well we truly know our kids, and vice versa. There is context for why this film is shot the way it is, and achieves its finest moments that are arguably only possible within this format.
7. Shoplifters
This year’s Cannes Film Festival winner came as a big surprise to me, as it was one of the last films I saw from 2018. Hirokazu Kore-eda’s intimate family drama depicting the struggles of the impoverished people in Japan cut deep for me. The characters are so well-realized and fleshed out, that you genuinely believe that these are real people with real problems, providing a voice for the more unfortunate in Japanese society. Sakura Ando may have given the standout performance of the film, but it’s the collective works of the incredibly talented cast of actors that really bring this film to life. Masterfully directed by Kore-eda, this movie challenges our preconceived notions about family dynamics and delivers an impactful message that is unfamiliar to our American sensibilities.
6. Hereditary
Imagine the greatest chef in the world cooking your least favorite food: that is Hereditary in a nutshell for me. Horror is a genre that I go back and forth with; I dislike cheap jump scares and many of the evil roots that the films in this genre are based on, but at the same time, the direction and cinematography of films in this genre are used to much greater and lasting effect. Hereditary‘s compelling family drama is turned on its head when everything goes absolutely insane in the third act, in what I think is the second scariest movie I’ve ever seen behind The Exorcist. Toni Collette gives one of the best performances of the year, and is obviously shut out of Oscar contention since the Academy doesn’t really award horror films with anything. Newcomer Ari Aster crafts a movie that makes you think it’s his tenth time around this genre, so the fact that this is his first movie ever is all the more impressive. Aster delivers near levels of perfection on all fronts as he teases you with the horrors of the unknown while subtly revealing the biggest twists in a painfully thrilling push-and-pull dynamic throughout.
5. Annihilation
Director Alex Garland continues to delve into the hard science fiction genre that focuses more on the science than it does the fiction. Based on Jeff VanderMeer’s trilogy of books that were once thought literally impossible to adapt onto the silver screen, Garland does what he does best—crafting deeply thought-provoking films that favor substance over style. Don’t get me wrong, this film was absolutely breathtaking to see in theaters, and is easily one of the most visually stunning films of 2018. However, it’s the journey that these group of scientists embark on that draw you into the dark and mysterious world that is the Shimmer. Natalie Portman is excellent as always, and the scientific concepts explored in this movie make you think more about the implications of the story as opposed to just enjoying the flashy lights and action set pieces that you would from a conventional sci-fi film.
4. Batman Ninja
Batman Ninja is my most shameless plug of 2018. I don’t care how stupid or ridiculous this movie is, I freaking LOVED this movie. I love the creative liberties that DC Comics gives to its movie studios, because the combination of feudal Japan and Batman is a dream come true. One of the coolest looking comic book movies ever, the manga style depiction of Batman going up against his greatest foes is unforgettable and pure cinema pleasure. I had so much fun watching this film because of how over the top it was in all its anime glory. Of course this goes without saying, viewing of this film in Japanese with English subtitles is required.
3. Roma
Alfonso Cuarón continues to show the world that he is one of the greatest directors currently working today with his most intimate film yet. The beautifully shot Roma not only delivers masterpiece-level cinematography and direction, but tells the powerfully heartfelt story of a live-in housekeeper in 1970’s Mexico City. Inspired by his own childhood and dedicated to Cuarón’s real-life nanny, this movie shows the growing pains of a city mired in political strife, and the inhabitants that live it. There were so many moments in this film where my jaw dropped just based on how amazing the shots were, and how brilliantly directed each sequence of scenes were. Major shout out to FIRST TIME ACTOR Yalitza Aparicio, who handles the lead role with grace and finesse. Cuarón takes all of the best parts of his blockbuster films and inserts it into his most personal piece, using his mastery over depth and perspective to tell so much in every single frame. This is easily Netflix’s best movie ever, and is the film I’m pushing to win most of the major awards in the Oscars tomorrow.
2. Cold War
Another black and white film! Who would’ve thought? I surely didn’t expect this, but Cold War was probably one of the biggest surprises of the year for me. While I’d say that Roma is a better shot film from a technical standpoint, Cold War is the best looking film I’ve seen all year. The smoky-cool atmosphere that the film oozes out of every frame is so irresistible to the eyes, and on top of that, it tells a painfully beautiful story that is inspired by Director Paweł Pawlikowski’s own parents’ marriage. This film breaks so many rules in the way it tells it story, it could have easily resulted in an absolute mess of a movie. Pawlikowski takes conventional romantic tropes and throws them out the window and instead delivers a refreshing and utterly mesmerizing look into a harrowing tale of ill-fated lovers trapped in Cold War Poland. Joanna Kulig gives my favorite performance of 2018, as the emotional weight of this film is carried by her and the magnificent Tomasz Kot. You can feel and sense the history of their love for each other in every scene, and it only gets better as the movie progresses. Just like Shoplifters, this film subverts American sensibilities and depicts its idea of romance from a different perspective that we may or may not be comfortable with seeing. Foreign films came out in full force this year, and Cold War to me was the best of the bunch.
1. Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Tom Cruise is 56 years old. No 56 year old should be jumping off of rooftops, jumping out of airplanes, jumping out of anything that can be jumped out of at the age of 56. But Tom Cruise does. Tom Cruise risks his life each and every day for the sake of our enjoyment. Tom Cruise wakes up in the morning and asks himself, “how can I nearly kill myself today?” so that we can have a small glimpse into his insane mind for about two hours every couple years or so. Regardless of what you think about Tom Cruise in real life, you cannot deny that he is arguably America’s greatest action hero, and if you do deny it, then you’re wrong. The Christopher McQuarrie/Tom Cruise relationship is one of the greatest gifts to the world of cinema, and I actually can’t believe that each installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise actually gets better and better (with the exception of MI2). This franchise is over 20 years old, and it’s still making other action films look like baby movies. The amount of talent that the McQruise team have put together for this blockbuster shows in its masterful action set pieces, it’s reliance on doing everything for real and without special effects, and the fearless leadership of real life superhero Thomas Mapother Cruise IV. This is not only one of the greatest action movies ever made, but it is evidence of how good a movie can be when the people behind it love what they do and dedicate themselves to go the extra mile to wow their audience. I forgot how many times I watched this movie in 2018, but I can honestly say I haven’t been this excited about a film in this genre that has been playing it safe for years. No movie has brought me more joy than Fallout in 2018, and it makes me all the more excited for when Cruise inevitably hangs from the side of a spaceship in the next film.
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