10 Films From 2018 That We Can’t Stop Talking About

At the end of every year, somebody out there will say “this was a terrible year for movies.” Though the 2018 catalogue had an incredible number of what were ultimately disappointing films (I’m looking at you, The Mule), calling it “terrible” would be, for lack of a better string of words, a terrible thing to do. With the ever-growing confidence and innovation of the television and streaming industries, good, impressive filmmaking and getting audiences inside the theaters have become a couple of pretty difficult tasks. And while there will always be duds among the gems, and while I won't pretend to be as excited for this year’s awards season as I was last year’s, I will also not squander the many achievements we saw this year with the arrogantly simple title, “terrible.” And so, with that in mind, here are my picks for the top 10 movies of 2018. 10) Bohemian Rhapsody (dir. Bryan Singer, kind of) Though the final result was far inferior to my expectations (thanks in large part to one of the best marketing campaigns in recent memory), Bohemian Rhapsody carries an unbelievably and unquestionably ecstatic energy that few films can pull off. While the journey there was a long and winding one – with director Bryan Singer’s firing late into production, among other things – an immersive performance by Rami Malek as Queen’s super singer, Freddie Mercury, dominates the otherwise tame and quirky screenplay. Whether it was the breathtaking reenactment of Live Aid or just the thrill of witnessing Mercury’s charisma on the big screen, there was a pep in my step walking out of Bohemian Rhapsody that no other movie this year gave me. 9) The Death Of Stalin (dir. Armando Iannucci) Writer/director Armando Iannucci’s injects one of the darkest corners of modern history with his own particular sense of dark humor to absolute perfection. The film, which follows the political scramble of Josef Stalin’s ministers following his death, is surprisingly quick with its wit, though several jokes are, at face value, not funny. But it's another great cast, which includes Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Jeffery Tambor and Michael Palin, that lets us laugh at waving corpses and dysfunctional and distasteful dictators. This movie is a riot. 8) A Quiet Place (dir. John Krasinski) The first movie on this list to be made by a first-time director, A Quiet Place is one of the more convincingly heartfelt productions of the year (certainly a strange title to give a horror film). With married stars Krasinski and Emily Blunt as the lead parents, and a remarkable performance by the young, deaf actress Millicent Simmonds, the pic feels genuine in its familial spirit and bond, and thus, has effective and endearing thrills. Following a family in the remnants of an apocalyptic invasion by sound-feasting creatures, Krasinski’s A Quiet Place is made all the more impressive in its usage of sound, or lack thereof. It's methodic, deeply thought out and frightening, as well as heartwarming. 7) Mary Poppins Returns (dir. Rob Marshall) I was going to rephrase some things here and there, but I found that this paragraph from my review does the job just as well, so give it a read: With little changes here and there, Mary Poppins Returns does a fair enough job making the classic’s formula its own. Though not one part of it surpasses the 1964 Julie Andrews film (which would certainly be no easy task), its electrifying song-and-dance numbers, a blend of tenderness and somberness from star Emily Blunt, and even a delightful display of old school animation, makes Mary Poppins Returns the most magical movie the Mickey Mouse company has put out in a long time. 6) A Star Is Born (dir. Bradley Cooper) Who would have thought that a story on its third or fourth go-around would be one of the year’s most touching? For a film whose tale is about an up-and-coming star, it's joyous to see similar stories in its production, specifically with its two leads. Bradley Cooper as a first-time director proves more than capable of carrying a tune, as well as delivering a series of electric concert sequences, AND getting the most out of his all-star cast (hopefully Sam Elliott will be getting some nominations soon). Then there's Lady Gaga, who steals the show as Ally, a show which in the end, seems perfectly suited for her. Hopefully we'll be seeing a lot more of Cooper behind the camera, and a lot more of Gaga in front of it in the future. 5) Mission: Impossible – Fallout (dir. Christopher McQuarrie) If we’re talking full picture of what an action movie could and should be (that is, a category combining stunts with execution, and thrills with joy, etc. etc.), Mission: Impossible – Fallout is the best action movie I’ve ever seen. It’s rare that a production with so many moving parts has hardly any faults. It was either the fourth or fifth time I saw it in a theater – which would have been well into its three-month-long run – that the audience I was a part of cheered and applauded after each of the film’s breathtaking, unbelievable, and dare I say, impossible stunts. Of course, that showing ended with a standing ovation and it was the greatest movie-going experience I’ve ever had. 4) The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs (dir. The Coen Brothers) The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, at face value, is an anthology film combining six practically separate Wild West tales into the binding of one, big storybook. Needless to say, the stories, which range from silly (Tim Blake Nelson as the headliner Scruggs duels foes behind his back) to poetic (get ready to listen to a limbless man hark “Ozymandias” over and over) to epic (the best tale takes place along the Oregon Trail), are all brilliantly written, each one glorifying a different aspect of the West. But these stories morph into one another perfectly, are aware of yet dodge tropes, and are each assigned a team of actors which bring them to life. It’s the best western since last year’s Hostiles, and while I have a list of favorites among the stories, all of them are fun. 3) Sorry To Bother You (dir. Boots Riley) Strange movies can be bad. But strange movies that are also as intelligent as they are original can be great. Sorry to Bother You is great. A strange surrealistic blend of some of our country’s social, economic, and racial tensions, it tells the story of Cassius Green (a magnificent Lakeith Stanfield) as he uses his “white voice” to move his way up the telemarketing company, Regal View. Admirably taking a hard right turn halfway through the film into an exaggerated and nonsensical business world, first-time director Boots Riley commands an all-star cast (which also includes Tessa Thompson and Armie Hammer) in a movie that will surely be talked about for a long time. 2) Isle Of Dogs (dir. Wes Anderson) When I heard in a behind the scenes segment that EVERYTHING in Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs was a product of stop-motion animation, I went back and saw it again. This time, an already amazing movie became as beautiful a piece of art as I'd ever seen. Among the already impressive design of and technology behind its many dogs, weather and water patterns solidify Anderson's flawless attention to detail, and make his and his team’s effort impossible to ignore. The story, following a Japanese boy trying to find his dog amidst a nationwide canine exile, is sweet, and the dogs, voiced with another Anderson-caliber cast including Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Jeff Goldblum, and Bill Murray, among others, are adorable. Isle of Dogs is like nothing you’ve ever seen before. 1) Won't You Be My Neighbor? (dir. Morgan Neville) Sometimes, all you need is a reminder that there are good people out there. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? reminds us not only that we once had one of the best good people out there in Fred Rogers (who died in 2003), but also that a little bit of kindness is the strongest ingredient in making a good person. The best part about that is that it doesn’t take much to be kind; this movie tells us such. A truly heartwarming experience, Morgan Neville’s documentary pays an immaculate tribute to the man behind the neighborhood, the man whose simple values continue to speak, even in the face of hatred, to the best of human capabilities. This was the best and most beautiful film of the year.