2018 Top Movies of the Year

With the Oscars this weekend, awards season is drawing to a close. All the critics, prognosticators, and podcasts are putting out their top 10 lists and betting on which films will win the top prizes this year. To date, I have seen more than 50 movies released during 2018, including nearly all the movies that are nominated for the Oscars. So, though I’m no highbrow critic (as you’ll see shortly), I thought I would put together a list of my top movies of the year.

With no further ado, in reverse order, here are my top 15 movies of the year:

#15. Incredibles 2

Fast-paced, beautifully animated, and witty as all get out, I thought this movie was even better than its 14-year-old predecessor. It brought back all of the elements I enjoyed from the previous (including the talents of Brad Bird and Michael Giacchino) but also added new elements that made me genuinely connect with the movie: Violet’s scene in the diner, seeing Bob get increasingly haggard taking care of Jack-Jack and helping with Dash’s homework, and watching ElastiGirl rock it as a superhero. I think this is a great movie to watch with your family or to throw on the tv pretty much any time.

#14. BlacKkKlansman

This movie worked for me, top to bottom. I thought that the production design and costuming did a great job of setting the scene in the 1970s without being too much, the performances of John David Washington, Adam Driver, and Laura Harrier were all great, and were backed up by killer supporting performances from the entire cast. The wild, true story is a great starting place for this film by Spike Lee, but the characters and performances are what makes it compelling, tense, funny, and all the other things that are rolled up into this movie. On top of that, the music and score in this movie helps carry viewers from one scene to the next and keeps you in the thick of the story, even when each scene is wildly different from the next.

#13. They Shall Not Grow Old

Spoilers: I am a history buff. Shocking for readers of this blog, I know. But man, oh man, I have have seen an absolute sh*tload of history documentaries. So when people started telling me that I haaaad to go watch this in a theater, I was like “uh, huh, sure. Will do.” But they’re right. This is a history documentary about WWI that is doing things technologically and cinematographically that no other history documentary has done before. Creator Peter Jackson (of Lord of the Rings and New Zealander fame) brings an astonishing level of obsession and care to this film, resurrecting the subjects our of 100+ year old archival footage. I suggest you see this on the big screen, preferably in 3D, and stay for the making-of featurette afterwards.

#12. Mary Queen of Scots

In any other year, I think that this biopic about the relationship between 16th century powerhouses Mary Stuart (aka Mary I of Scotland/ Mary Queen of Scots) and Queen Elizabeth I would be a shoe-in for awards season attention. Unfortunately, with The Favourite storming its way onto most people’s favorite lists, this film has ended up being largely overlooked. But I adore it. Margot Robbie and Saoirse Ronan are acting their damn asses off, and completely embody the two queens. The costuming and set design are both miles better than The Favourite, don’t @ me. The Elizabethan gowns and elaborate hairstyles are fascinating to see on screen, especially the details and attention paid to Queen Elizabeth herself. Margot Robbie ends up playing the least pretty and perhaps most complex version of Elizabeth that I think I’ve seen (and girl, I’ve watched a lot of iterations). I love that casting has taken care not to totally whitewash 16th century England and Scotland, and both royal courts have POC in the movie (as they should, because POC were all over Tudor-era Europe).

#11. Blindspotting

This movie had my stomach in knots worrying about its main character, Collin, for nearly the entire 95 minute running time. Daveed Diggs, who also co-wrote and co-produced the film, stars as its main character,  who is trying to finish off the last three days of his probation in Oakland, CA without getting into trouble. But trouble -and his best friend Miles, played by Rafael Casal (who also co-wrote and co-produced)- follows him and he struggles to get through those interminable three days without getting nto any trouble that would see him re-incarcerated. Daveed Diggs’ performance is so subtle and so powerful- he is able to convey a lot of complex emotion in minute looks. I honestly think his is one of the best performances of the year. With a small $1.2 million budget and a limited theatrical release (it premiered at Sundance), it doesn’t seem like this movie is going to get any attention from the awards shows. At times, it is so tense and you’re so stressed for the characters that it can be deeply uncomfortable and unsettling, but stick with it and you’ll be glad you watched this movie.

#10. Crazy Rich Asians

Take your mom, your dad, you grandma, your boyfriend, your bffl, I don’t care, take everyone you love to go see this. Everyone will love it. My dad even dragged my grandma and her sister to an empty midday showing of this so he could read the subtitles to them out loud, and all three of them loved it. It is colorful and gorg and full of fancy things. It’s heartfelt and funny. It’s the rom-com we’ve all been missing in the world. Michelle Yeoh scares me and yet and the same time I want to be her child, maybe? I loved Constance Wu’s depiction of Rachel Chu, and the adaptation of the book in general- even though *gasp* it is different from the book in some key ways. I am always worried when I hear that a movie is coming out which adapts a popular book, but Crazy Rich Asians does not disappoint. I’m not even mad about the ring being an emerald (it’s actually Michelle Yeoh’s real ring!). Also, that mahjong scene at the end is brilliant.

#9. First Man

The directing, editing, and sound design in this film is brilliant. Together, they give the viewer a really interesting (at time jarring, terrifying, isolating) look at the experience of visiting space. The combination of Damien Chazelle as director and Justin Hurwitz (who teamed up for almost-Best-Picture La La Land) writing the score is firing on all cylinders for this movie. The film hammers home the danger and insecurity of what these early astronauts were doing, and some of the pressure the you-could-die-at-any-time-ness puts on their families. Claire Foy deserves any and all attention she gets for this movie. They are doing really interesting things with the camerawork for scenes in space v. on the ground, which I think work well in tandem with all the other things happening in the movie to give the viewer a unique experience, even if it is packaged up in a more standard biopic format.

#8. Searching

I’m fairly certain that this tiny-budget thriller starring John Cho won’t make a lot of other folks’ top lists, but I think it deserves the top spot here. This is director Aneesh Chagarty’s debut feature film and it uses the screenlife style of filming. Meaning all of the action onscreen in the movie happens on a screen- whether that means a call or Skype/FaceTime, on Youtube or a livestreaming app, computer browser, etc. It could easily feel gimmicky, but for me it worked. I was right on board, staring at John Cho’s increasingly furrowed brow in a webcam window as he searched for his missing teenage daughter. I think that this style of storytelling raises interesting questions about the differences in how people in their 30s/40s see the world and younger people in their teens view the world- and the role technology plays in our lives. Heaven help me if I go missing and someone has to try and find me with only my internet history.

#7. Suspiria

This movie was bananas. It absolutely commits to being a period piece, dance-fueled, modern artsy, weird-as-hell, suspense/horror, pick-your-analogy think piece, and I cannot fault it for that for even a minute. If you’re gonna do it, then turn it to 11, and this Luca Guadagnino film does just that. Tilda Swinton is a tour de force as (spoilers) multiple characters, and Dakota Johnson is surprisingly good as the American ingenue who travels to Cold War era Berlin to audition for a role in the all-female Helena Marcos Dance Company.  Each scene had me on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what batsh*t thing might happen next. There’s so much going on in this movie, and I think that there’s a ton of material for viewers to read meaning into (personally I think you could read it as an analogy for the fight between of different types/waves of feminism, with old schools and new schools sometimes cooperating, sometimes getting in each other’s ways, etc. At some point, I might write a whole post on this movie. Also, there’s something to be said for having a nearly all-female cast (there’s some minor roles and extras running around in the background who are male, but that’s about it).

#6. Colette

Colette came out early enough in the year that I think it has mainly faded out of people’s minds for award consideration. Still, I think this indie period biopic about French author Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, played by Keira Knightley, checks all the boxes in what I’m looking for in this type of movie. I know, I know, Keira Knightley plays every historic lady in all period pieces, seriously what else does she do besides march around angrily in a fancy dress, but hear me out- this might be her best angry marching in a fancy frock. This movie has it all: an interesting plot, gorgeous historic French buildings, fantastic costuming (seriously, Keira Knightly is the ideal hanger for 19th century clothes, and we all know it), indignant shouting, intimacy (please contrast this with the absolutely dreadful Lizzie, which was released only a few weeks earlier).

#5. Game Night

A cheesy comedy starring Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams in my top five?! I thought this movie was going to be tacky and terrible, but it was rented and screened on a date night mid-Spring and oh my god, it’s hysterical. I laughed so hard I cried at times, and I barely stopped cackling until the movie was over. I swear there’s two times as much script as the average 100-minute film, because they are firing off jokes so fast. The whole ensemble makes this mile-a-minute comedy about a group of friends’ game night gone wrong something worth watching again and again. We were quoting this movie for weeks after watching it (the scene at the airfield! in the bar with the gun! Jesse Plemons’ dog!). I highly recommend you watch this movie with your SO or regular group of game night friends.

#4. The Favourite

I just have to say is that Olivia Coleman, Rachel Weisz, and Emma Stone should all be considered lead actresses in this film. I am thoroughly NOT a fan of Yorgos Lanthimos’ previous work (I loathed The Lobster), but this movie worked for me. The combination of true historical tale, feeling of genuine emotions, sexy intrigue, and absurd fun all work together to make something new. The unstodgy royal English biopic is here (think of The Favourite as the opposite of the dignified and moving Mary Queen of Scots). While I would not recommend this one to my grandmother, it is definitely cleaning up at award shows this year. I live for every time Olivia Coleman accepts an award and thanks “mah bitches!!”

#3. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Going into this movie, I did not think it was going to end up on my top list. I gave up on Spider-Man movies some time long ago in the mid-Tobey Maguire years (jeez, according to the internet, there’s seven Spider-Man movies, just counting the blockbuster feature films since 2002. Plus two more Marvel movies and two more coming out this year.) So I was wondering what possible new ground they could cover with this animated entry. After just a few minutes, I was rooting for middle school-aged Miles Morales and the team of unique Spider-People. The animation is stunning and is really doing something creative and new. There’s layers on layers of animation and different styles that bring it incredible depth and liveliness. It isn’t like any other superhero movie you’ve seen before. Also, I’m floored that the film’s original song, “Sunflower” by Post Malone and Swae Lee, isn’t up for an award.

#2. Tully

This movie is raw, eye-opening look at the challenges of motherhood. Starring Charlize Theron as Marlo, an exhausted middle-class mom of three -including a newborn- who is just barely hanging in there. Her wealthier brother offer to hire her a night nurse (Tully), who looks after mom and baby and seems to change everything for Marlo. I read a lot of critics’ reviews that basically boiled down to “lol this’ll scare ya off children forever,” but this movie is so much more than that. There’s much much empathy to be had for Marlo, and the story of her trying to manage the whole family without totally losing it feels so real for the viewers. And instead of being straight-up bleak, the movie is surprisingly funny. I don’t feel like there’s a lot of movies out there that are telling this story, and even fewer who are telling it as skillfully as Diablo Cody (screenwriter) and Jason Reitman (director).

#1. Minding the Gap

The documentary category is absolutely stacked at this year’s Academy Awards- there were so many fantastic documentaries that weren’t even nominated. So I was somewhat surprised when the high-profile Won’t You Be My Neighbor was snubbed, but Bing Liu’s debut Minding the Gap got the nod. Surprised, but really excited and happy. I originally decided to see this documentary because it made Obama’s top movie list of the year, and it was fairly easy to get my hands on (I believe that you can still stream it on Hulu). Ostensibly, the film is about Bing and his two friends, growing up as skateboarders in the economically-depressed town of Rockford, IL. Footage in the film covers twelve years of friendship and and the hardships of growing up, from the silly to the serious. As you watch, the film evolves from a coming of age story to something else, as Bing contemplates the role that the cycle of abuse has played in their lives, and worries that he may be witnessing that cycle continue. It started off about skater teens and then suddenly I’m so deeply emotionally invested that I’m practically on my feet cheering the first time Keire waits a table, or grabbing the tissues as Bing struggles to get through interviewing his mother, (or ready to go shout at Zack for being a self-absorbed asshole). I was openly weeping by the end, when the footage of each of the boys growing up over 12 years comes on screen. No question, Minding the Gap is definitely my film of the year for 2018.