My Favorite Movies of 2018

Well, like a REAL movie fan, I have waited until the very first day of 2018 to write my Top Ten List, and there are still some I haven’t seen that might need to be on this list.

If Beale Street Could Talk, Destroyer, At Eternity’s Gate, and Ben is Back have not landed in Rhode Island yet, and one of them has Julia Roberts in it, so this list already feels pretty inauthentic, because it’s January 1st, so I’m going to go ahead with it anyway.

Time--the magazine, not the concept--had its list ready to go as soon as Thanksgiving was over, which is ridiculous, because more and more movies aren’t being screened early for critics, and some really good movies are kept locked up until the very last minute.  I know it’s tradition for year-end lists to come out in December, because we all want to leave the previous year behind as soon as we can, but it just doesn’t seem right.

But enough about all that, let’s get to the list.

Before we start though (fake-out) I should mention that this is a list of my FAVORITE movies from the year.  I’m not saying these are the BEST movies of the year--although many of them are--but these are the movies I would either put in a time capsule or go back and watch again in 2019 when I want a glimpse into the distant past, because by July these movies will seem like ancient history.  Such is the way time works now--the concept, not the magazine.

That’s my way of saying Roma is undoubtedly an incredible achievement, but it’s a foreign film that you can stream on Netflix, so I was on my phone half the time not paying attention and when I looked up, I missed a pregnancy and a war, and that’s not the movie’s fault, but it does make you wonder if all these filmmakers are right when they say it’s important we leave the really good stuff in the theaters.

There are some movies that ALMOST made the list, but like so many other things in 2018, they had some good pieces, but the overall puzzle was...kind of a dud.  That’s goes double for television, but we’ll get to that list on another day.

In the meantime, here are my Favorite Movies of 2018

28.  Set It Up

They haven’t made a 90’s romantic comedy this good since the 90’s.  The dialogue is crisp, the references land, and the chemistry is solid.  It’s not Citizen Kane, but it’s FUN.  You’re going to see that I leaned into FUN with this list, and I won’t apologize for it.  Never has escapism felt so essential than in 2018, but, like, essential escapism, if that’s a thing.  Here we get a little The Devil Wears Prada but with Lucy Liu, which makes you wish they would remake The Devil Wears Prada with Lucy Liu.  And you can stream it--right now.  Thank me later.

27.  A Simple Favor

An absolutely ridiculous film.  Totally unbelievable. Nonsense.  Utter nonsense. And again--so. Much.  Fun. Blake Lively has never been better.  Anna Kendrick is perfect. A dark comedy that’s both really dark and really funny, and juicy in an Aaron Spelling sort of way.  This movie is why they make popcorn and rainy afternoons at the theater. It’s a good time.

26.  The Kindergarten Teacher

This movie made it onto the list strictly on the back of Maggie Gyllenhaal--one of 2018 MVP’s.  Her performance is cringe-worthy, compelling, and should be on every Oscar shortlist. It isn’t, but you can make up for it by watching this now.  Again, it’s streaming. Bless you, Netflix.

25.  Crazy Rich Asians

Again--fun.  And yet also revolutionary.  The Mahjong scene is already iconic.  Constance Wu should be beating off movie offers with a stick (and the fact that she’s not means we still have a long way to go) but a blockbuster with a heart, universal acclaim, and two sequels on the way is still a good place to start.

24.  The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

This one is going to get me beat up, but I don’t care.  “Meal Ticket” is the most brilliant short film that’s been made this year, and “The Gal That Got Rattled” and “All Gold Canyon” aren’t far behind.  Are the others any good? Eh, who cares? YOU CAN STREAM IT. It opens with a singing cowboy, and it never gets any less weird--and thank goodness for that.

23.  Halloween

Let’s think about the degree of difficulty here.  A reboot of a franchise that scraps continuity by just...scrapping it.  No clever solutions. Just a full-on erasure of everything after the first movie.  Even my beloved H20 didn’t survive. I know some horror fans didn’t like it, but the steadicam shot was up there with the best and the Judy Greer “Gotcha” moment had me cheering.  Also, Jamie Lee Curtis can make these movies until she’s a hundred as far as I’m concerned.

22.  Hearts Beat Loud

A simple little movie that didn’t get much attention, but really should have.  Nick Offerman is wonderful, and the character reversal works beautifully. Also, I didn’t put Hereditary on my list, because--eh (although the parking lot scene is pretty fantastic).  But in the interest of always having Toni Collette on any list of my favorite things--here she is.  Watch it with your teenagers. You’ll be glad you did.

21.  Mission Impossible: Fallout

The best action movie of the year.  I’m in the camp that believes these movies have now surpassed the Bond movies.  For one thing, you can actually follow them, and once you get past the fact that all the love interests look exactly the same, you really have a blast.  Also, Henry Cavill doing that arm thing is one of the greatest moments of this or any year.

20.  Christopher Robin

I would actually put this movie higher on my list, but I know you’d all come after me for it, even though you probably didn’t see it.  Trust me, it was lovely. Sort of like a sentimental Return to Oz.  Eeyore stole every scene he was in, and if they want to give a donkey doll an Oscar, I won’t put up a fight.  I hate constantly rewarding Disney for pushing the nostalgia button, but in this case, they hit it right on the head.

19.  Ralph Breaks the Internet

While we’re talking about Disney, I should confess that I didn’t LOVE Wreck-It-Ralph.  It’s fine.  So I didn’t have high hopes for the sequel, but it is a truly fantastic animated film that never goes after the easy joke, never talks down, and has a complex and crucial message to give young children, especially young girls.  Another confession? I wasn’t crazy about Incredibles 2 (Probably because it’s a family about superheros and they spent two thirds of the movie not letting them be superheroes), but I still got the Disney sequel of my dreams this year in the form of a sarcastic princess and her friend named Ralph.

18.  BlacKkKlansman

My favorite movie in any movie this year was a short scene at a bar where everyone is singing and dancing to “Too Late to Turn Back Now.”  This movie reminds you that Quentin Tarrantino has always owed Spike Lee a debt of gratitude. The story is pretty wild, but you stay for the filmmaking.  This is how you handle a story from the past that’s still relevant without beating the audience over the head. A knockout.

17.  Eighth Grade

I don’t think we’ll ever get another movie that captures being young right now better than this movie does.  It’s also one of the best debuts for both director and lead actress you’re ever likely to see. Gentle, compassionate, heartbreaking, and ultimately, hopeful.

16.  Into the Spider-Verse

This movie had no business being as good as it is.  Ground-breaking animation. Confident storytelling that takes us places none of the other eighty-seven Spider-man movies ever have (Why haven’t we ever seen Spider-man in the snow?  In the forest? Why all the firsts? You know what? I don’t care.) and we got Nicolas Cage as a Noir Spider-man, which I believe is called “worth the price of admission.”

15.  Hold the Dark

You definitely haven’t seen this one and it is f****-ed up, but in the best possible way.  Make sure you’re in the right headspace before you watch, because it goes places other movies wouldn’t dare.  It didn’t get great reviews, but f*** the reviews, because I doubt you’ll be able to take your eyes off it. Here, I’ll get you going--a woman hires a man to kill the wolf she believes murdered her young son.  RIGHT? It’s WILD. And say it with me--Streaming.

14.  Blindspotting

This is one of those movies where you know you’re going to be hearing about it for years afterwards--including its two leads.  Daveed Diggs has already established himself as a talent to watch and cherish, but Rafael Casale more than holds his own, and the two of them together are the most dynamic duo of the year in one of the year’s most surprising films.  What other movie could fit in gentrification, racism, class, police violence, dating, gun violence, and make it all seem irreverent but not unimportant? Put it up there with Mean Streets.  It’s that good.

13.  Ready Player One

This movie did really well, but it sort of got lost in the 2018 shuffle, which is a shame.  Spielberg finally abandoned the boring dark blue color palette and finally rediscovered joy.  It reminded me of old Amblin movies, and how fun summer movies used to be before they were all expected to launch a cinematic Universe.  Bright, bold, and badass. The nine-year-old in my eighty-year-old soul was thrilled.

12.  Love, Simon

It’s not a perfect film.  Not by a long-shot. But as someone who grew up with John Hughes movies and wanted one of my own, I found this movie to be lovely.  Like Halloween and Mission Impossible: Fallout--it’s just a genre film, but by playing with the genre, it helped bring it back and improve it all at once.  Bravo, Simon.

11.  Sorry to Bother You

Innovative and evocative.  It’s like the cinematic equivalent of a needle to the heart.  Lakeith Stanley is incredible. Tessa Thompson is a mega-star waiting to happen.  The movie goes off the rails in the third act, but by then, you’re so enthralled by what you’ve been watching that you’re willing to follow the film anywhere.  It reminded me of the movies we were seeing in 1999 when people were saying “To hell with it, what do you think goes on inside John Malkovich’s head?” More of this, please.  Much more.

10.  Support the Girls

Slice-of-life movies are hard to pull off.  So if you do one, set it in a fictional “Hooters” and cast Regina Hall as your lead.  She is consistently great, but this is a crowning achievement. Over the course of one day, you see her paint a character so vivid that every other character around here is fleshed out and faceted as a result.  It’s a great performance in a great film, and that last part is important if you want to know why The Wife isn’t on this list.

9.  Black Panther

Another genre-at-its-best moment.  Black Panther took the superhero film to new heights with the best villain Marvel’s ever seen (Sorry Loki) and a cast that was firing on all cylinders.  And what’s that word I said earlier in the--oh right, FUN. It was fun. Was it also a major cultural moment? Yes. But that couldn’t have happened unless the film was stellar--and lucky for us, it was.  Now they just have to figure out a way to bring Michael B. Jordan back. And while we’re talking about Michael B. Jordan--

8.  Creed II

Oh, you didn’t hear that Creed II was good?  That it was better than the first one? That it’s truer to the original, more of a tearjerker, makes Dolph Lundgren look like a real actor, and makes another good case for Sly getting an Oscar?  Well, consider yourself told. Critics weren’t crazy about it because they felt it was making more of an effort to please the audience and not necessarily win awards. They’re right, but that’s what makes it work.  The Rocky franchise has always been about giving an audience something to cheer for, and I was cheering for Creed.

7.  The Death of Stalin

Can the genius behind Veep document all of world history?  The best part of this movie is looking up everything that happened in it to realize that nearly all of it is true.  It’s a comedy that’s actually laugh-out-loud funny and the best ensemble picture of the year. It creates a world within our world to tell a story that doubles as a cautionary tale in the form of a blistering satire.  In a year with lots of great movies that made us feel, this one made you think--and laugh. A lot.

6.  3 Identical Strangers

Up until now, The Imposter was the “Can you believe it?” documentary, but now, we have a new champion.  The story has twist after twist, and all three brothers have such distinct personalities, when you sense the dangers they’re going to face, you almost want to look away--almost.

5.  A Star is Born

An astounding directorial debut.  Gaga is luminous. The best soundtrack of the year by leaps and bounds.  Unabashedly vulnerable without ever being maudlin. Proof that you can make an unironic romance and get away with it as long as its impeccably done--and this one is.  Did anybody make it through the final song intact?

4.  Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Melissa McCarthy as a letter forger didn’t sound like anybody I would want to see, but it was riveting.  Richard E. Grant is fantastic, and if they gave Jane Curtin five more minutes, I’d be calling it the comeback of the year.  A movie about unlikeable people you can’t help but love and root for and invest in and forgive.

3.  The Favourite

Rachel Weisz, I don’t care if you already had an Oscar--I didn’t know you had it in you.  Olivia Colman is a revelation. Emma Stone is peak Emma Stone--and it works. You feel as though you’re watching the acting Olympics and everyone’s getting the gold.  Yorgos Lanthimos had my favorite movie of the year in 2015 with The Lobster, but I hated The Killing of a Sacred Deer.  Glad to see him back on his throne.

2.  Mary Poppins Returns

I know some of you don’t like it, and you’re wrong.  You’re wrong because you’re comparing it to the original, and that’s just unfair--even if it is a sequel.  As its own movie, it’s delightful, but more than that, it’s a gift. A wonderful, old-fashioned musical filled with so much love and care you could practically hear its heartbeat underneath the dance steps.  Some movies you enjoy, and some movies you need. I needed this movie. Much like I needed the number one film on my list--

1.  Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

There’s really not much to a documentary about Mr. Rogers.  He was a man with essentially no conflict, no skeletons, no deep dark secrets.  And yet, this movie felt like a wake-up call. It’s not The Godfather or Taxi Driver, but it is a reminder that kindness and decency are important.  It leaves you speechless with nothing but its own determination to spread the same message its subject did--Be good to each other.  What other movie could have been more desperately needed this year? It might not be the best film of the year, but it was my number one all the same.  Like a lot of other movies on this list, it’s aspirational. It shows us who we are, but it also tells us who we could be.

Feel free to argue with me in the comments.  I won’t respond except to call you names and insult your relatives, but give it your best shot.

Happy New Year!