2018 is coming to an end and it comes time to reflect on the year in movies. It was a very great year for movies. There were some truly unique flicks (Sorry to Bother you, First Reformed), some incredibly strong documentaries (Three Identical Strangers, RBG, They Shall Not Grow Old, Won’t You Be my Neighbor?) and some awesome sequels (Avengers: Infinity War, Halloween). There were some movies this year that took me back to my childhood, Christopher Robin chief among them. I loved those two hour revisits to my younger years. 2018 also saw its fair share of disappointing movies (Mary Poppins Returns) but that comes standard with any year.
As in years past I had the privilege of seeing some old friends on the big screen. The Audrey Hepburn Sabrina, Mel Brooks’ comedy Young Frankenstein, The John Wayne classic True Grit, the classic Sunset Blvd, and horror flick The Changeling were just a few of the classic titles that flickered before my eyes.
Now the time comes to announce my top ten films of the year. As always I have included The Best of the Rest, which will include my favorite performances and screenplay. Over the years I’ve included “The One that Got Away”, a tradition I’ve become rather fond of. Again you’ll find it in The Best of the Rest. Without further ado, my top ten of 2018:
10. The Old Man & The Gun
I love Robert Redford and if this is truly his final bow on the big screen I will miss seeing him grace the silver screen. The movie is a simple story that is told simply. It’s got a lot of charm to it and is well worth paying the price for the ride.
9. Three Identical Strangers
2018 was a strong year for documentaries. RBG, They Shall Not Grow Old, Won’t You Be Neighbor are all worthy of being on this list as much as Three Identical Strangers. What makes this one stand out is an intriguing story, that I didn’t know anything about. I was floored that this sort of thing happened outside of 1930’s era Germany. After seeing this movie you’ll want to hug your sibling or someone you consider to be a sibling.
8. Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Melissa McCarthy oozes talent. She does great comedy (Bridesmaids, Ghostbusters) and does it well. Can You Ever Forgive Me? proves she can do great dramatic roles and do it well. The true story focuses on her character forging letters my celebrity literary figures and her obviously profiting from this talent. The story is intriguing and more than kept me hooked until the very end.
7. Green Book
Imaging a reverse Driving Miss Daisy and through in some great classical music and you’ll get Green Book. It’s suppose to be a feel good movie and it very much is. The movie is a great road trip movie through an important and uncomfortable part of American history. It shines a very bright light on that history. Plus it stars Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali, two great actors.
6. First Man
There are a lot of movies based on true events on this years top ten list. None of the events are more famous than those portrayed in First Man. The movie focuses on Neil Armstrong and his eventual giant leap for man kind on the moon. Ryan Gosling shines in the center role and is upstaged by Claire Foy as Neil Armstrong’s wife. I love human triumph stories and feel telling this one now is important. I may just be able to forgive director Damien Chazelle for La La Land.
5. Bohemian Rhapsody
In the court of greatest showmen ever to perform Freddy Mercury sits at the head of the table. The music in the movie is great, as it should be because it’s Queen. The performances in the film are great because they were performed by talented people. The climax of the movie, the Live Aid performance, is like being at a Queen concert. That alone is worth seeing the movie, especially in the theater with that movie theater surround sound.
4. BlackKklansman
Sometimes life is stranger than fiction. BlackKklansman is one of those movies. Spike Lee directed his best movie in years and in doing so created a truly special movie. It goes in every strange direction. The movie draws a few too many parallels to today’s political climate but considering the subject matter and films director I’d be disappointed if it didn’t. Don’t let the films almost two and a half hour runtime deter you from seeing a really special movie.
3. Sorry to Bother You
What a powerful and unique voice this movie had. The film started one way and about three quarters the way through took a very different, almost out of left field, turn. I loved this movie for that. In addition to the movies unique story telling the movie held a great since of unique humor through out. Truly one of the most unique films of the past few years.
2. Widows
Heists movies excel at either a really good story or really good characters. Widows is that rare exception that blends both those together perfectly. Viola Davis, one of my favorite actresses working today, leads an incredible ensemble. The film has some great twists and turns and is exciting to watch. Oceans 8 should see this as a reference point for what a female led and good heist movie in general should look like.
- First Reformed
It’s not number one because the word first appears in the title, this movie appears first because it’s a damn fine movie. I love movies that require me to think about it and create a debate around the events in the film. First Reformed did that to the finest. The brilliant performances of both Amanda Seyfried and Ethan Hawke top an incredible movie. Because of the subject matter this is a hard film to recommend but it doesn’t stop me from naming it the best film of 2018.
THE BEST OF THE REST:
Every year I publish this list around the New Year. However there are a handful of releases, from the listed year, that I did not get to see until after publication. I created the one that got away to honor a great film from the previous year that did not get a chance to be on the top ten list.
THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY: The Post
The Post is an incredible story backed by some incredible talent, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, & Steven Spielberg. The story this movie tells is an important story in any political climate, today especially. It looks at the responsibility, and struggles, of journalists to publish materials for the American people, much like the best picture winner Spotlight. I was captivated by the struggles that were laid before the protagonists and cheered when the final outcome was reached. That made for a strong movie.
ACTRESS (Lead or Supporting):
Melissa McCarthy Can You Ever Forgive Me?
ACTOR (Lead or Supporting):
Christian Bale Vice
SCREENPLAY (Original or adapted):
Sorry to Bother You
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