So, especially this year, remember that my views on movies change over time just like everyone else’s. Don’t think of this list as a document chiseled in stone. Instead, consider these 10 films (and 10 honorable mentions) the ones that stayed with me and impacted me most over the past 12 months.
Perhaps the most unapologetically fun movie to hit theaters in 2018. Writer-director Christopher McQuarrie and star Tom Cruise reminded a generation of viewers who grew up on superhero flicks and bad CGI why practical stunts are far more effective and that the best special effects are the ones executed so seamlessly that the audience never notices them. Bonus points for a phenomenal Henry Cavill performance that proves he’s leading man material if he’s got a good script and the right director.
The Coen brothers’ bleak outlook and oddball sense of humor mean their films aren’t for everyone, which is further cemented by their latest effort. It’s a bleak, bitterly funny Western anthology highlighting the violence we often ignore when we mythologize that era. All the stories pack a punch, but the standouts are the titular vignette starring Tim Blake Nelson as a Gene Autry-style singing cowboy with a mean streak, and “The Gal Who Got Rattled,” a heartbreaking tale of a newly-independent young woman (Zoe Kazan) joining a wagon train.
Spike Lee roared back into the spotlight last summer with this angry drama – loosely based on a true story – about the first black detective (John David Washington) in the Colorado Springs Police Department infiltrating the KKK. He ends up becoming a member, with his white partner (Adam Driver) handling the in-person meetings. The synopsis (and the film’s misleading trailer) makes it seem like a comedy, but this is a searing commentary on race relations in America and how little we’ve progressed since the 1970s. The final sequence is a gut-punch that sent me out of the theater nauseous and reeling.
I’ve been a NASA junkie since I was a kid, so it was disappointing to see this powerful drama overlooked by audiences. Ryan Gosling is outstanding as Neil Armstrong and he’s supported by one of the year’s strongest ensemble casts. Director Damien Chazelle branches out from his two previous music-themed films, proving he’s got a talent for crafting epic narratives that still feel intimate.
I watched most of comedian Bo Burnham’s debut, about a young girl named Kayla (the incredible Elsie Fisher) preparing to make the leap from eighth grade to high school, through my fingers because it was so awkward and truthful. I’ve been calling it one of the year’s best horror movies and I’m only half-joking. Burnham perfectly captures that feeling of your entire existence hanging on an invite to a party or a smile from your crush. It’s not always a pleasant watch, but it’s real. It’s worth the painful journey for a conversation between Kayla and her dad (Josh Hamilton) that will melt your heart.
One of two movies on my list that attempt to battle cynicism and despair with pure kindness, this sequel about an adorable bear (voiced by Ben Whishaw) and his mission to buy his beloved aunt a pop-up book is a minor miracle. First, it manages to be as good – if not better – than its 2014 predecessor. Second, Hugh Grant is so fantastic as the villain that he should be in the Best Supporting Actor conversation (not even kidding). Honestly, we could all do worse than adopt Paddington’s mantra as our own: “if you’re kind and polite, the world will be right.”
Awards season buzz surrounding Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut has cooled somewhat, but a recent revisit reminded me this modern interpretation of a washed-up musician (Cooper) who discovers an incredible new talent (Lady Gaga) on his way down still packs a raw, painful punch. Melodrama is hard to do well, but Cooper – who also co-wrote the screenplay – pulls it off by putting in the time to make viewers care about these characters before shuttling them through the peaks and valleys of their lives. If nothing else, Sam Elliott seems destined for a Best Supporting Actor nomination for a single, silent reaction shot.
The Atlanta Film Critics Circle’s choice for 2018s best film, this dark comedy about an ailing Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) and the women (Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone) competing for her attention features some of the year’s best writing, cinematography and costume design. It’s not a CGI extravaganza, but it still deserves to be seen on the big screen. I’m usually not a “corset movie” guy, but I knew 10 minutes into this one that I loved it.
This indie drama debuted over the summer to rave reviews, but I didn’t see it until a couple of weeks ago. Now I can’t stop singing the praises of this small, powerful story of a veteran (Ben Foster, brilliantly understated) whose PTSD forces him to live off the grid with his remarkable daughter (Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie, who deserves to be a Best Supporting Actress frontrunner). Director and co-writer Debra Granik, who helped make Jennifer Lawrence a superstar with Winter’s Bone, has crafted a beautiful, heart-wrenching film. It’s quiet and methodically paced, but viewers who stick with it will be rewarded with an unforgettable experience.
This brilliant documentary (directed by Morgan Neville) chronicles the legacy of Fred Rogers and his beloved television program Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, demonstrating how a man with superhuman kindness lived out his belief that we should treat children with dignity and respect. Although I watched Rogers’ show all the time as a kid, I never realized how remarkable and quietly revolutionary he was. Thinking of children as actual people might seem obvious now, but in the era of “children should be seen and not heard,” acknowledging their problems and anxieties was a radical philosophy. Considering our toxic political climate, this doc should be required viewing for everyone in America. If you can make it through without weeping, you’re stronger than me.
Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order):
Annihilation
Black Panther
Blaze
Blindspotting
Crazy Rich Asians
First Reformed
Game Night
If Beale Street Could Talk
Roma
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
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