2018 was an interesting year for movies, if not entirely satisfying on the whole. On the one hand, there were a few movies that directly reflected the chaos of the world in which we're currently living in, but on the other hand, the vast majority did not, instead offering up a whole lot of escapism, much as did the musical landscape of the year, often to its detriment.
Don't get me wrong: a lot of us- myself included, as evidenced by some of the more fanciful entries on this list- go to the movies for precisely that reason. But there are also those of us who seek to make sense of the state of the world through the art we take in- to seek meaning in a world that often seems to have lost its damn mind.
Though I wish there were a little more of that- and maybe there was, and I just haven't seen it yet- I did try to represent as much of it on this list as possible, especially the smaller movies that could maybe use all the help they can get. Overall, my main goal was to balance the purer entertainment out there with the more challenging material. Whether I succeeded or not is up to you, dear reader.
So, without further ado, let's get started!
Honorable(?) Mention: Bohemian Rhapsody
I've said it before and I'll say it again- sometimes it's possible for a movie to be good and bad all at once. Bohemian Rhapsody definitely qualifies as such a film. On the one hand, from those wonderfully joyous opening guitar salutations that are Queen's reworking of the 20th Century Fox theme to the rousing final sequence that is Queen's triumphant performance at Live Aid at the height of their power as a band, this is just a fun, entertaining movie from start to finish.
Rami Malek, who I was already a fan of via the excellent TV show Mr. Robot, so thoroughly vanishes himself into the role of a lifetime that is lead singer Freddie Mercury that even his fans could be forgiven for being more than a little taken aback by it. There have been few performances as night and day as this and Malek's name-making performance as Elliot, the introverted, guarded hacker on Robot. He fully deserved that Oscar, IMHO.
On the other hand, with the surviving members of the band directly involved, it's hard for a Queen fan to wrap their brains around all the easily avoidable factual mistakes made throughout the movie- after all, the band themselves had to sign off on everything concerned. So why include such an easily rectified thing as having "We Will Rock You" being shown as created in the 80's, when even a moderate fan knows it was made in the 70's? And that's just one of the dumber mistakes made.
There's also the scene in which Mercury quits the band to go solo- it never happened. Indeed, several band members did stuff on the side and it was never an issue. There's also the scene in which Mercury confesses he has AIDS to the band, right before Live Aid- also never happened. Mercury didn't actually tell the band until it was unavoidable and too noticeable to hide anymore.
And, as many have noted, the film downplays Mercury's homosexuality to the point of being borderline offensive- it's as if the film itself is a bit homophobic. (I'll leave you to explore the irony of the fact that it was directed by persona non grata Bryan Singer, a closeted homosexual for years that is currently under investigation for long-suspected charges of allegedly assaulting underage boys as an adult.)
Don't get me wrong- I completely get that the band themselves wanted the film to be rated PG-13, so that it could be seen by as many people as possible- a gambit that completely worked, BTW, as the film grossed a whopping $869 million at the box office worldwide on a budget of around $55 million- a hit by any standard. Given that the MPAA ratings board still blanches a bit at any sort of graphic homosexual behavior- or any sort of graphic sexual behavior period, really- the filmmakers didn't really have a choice but to tamper things down a little.
But it's the combination of the two things- the outright lies the films tells combined with the slight it does to Mercury himself by playing so fast and loose with the reality of his life- that conspire to keep the film from achieving true greatness, and that's too bad, as all the right elements were in place: the fantastic Queen tunes, the touching tale of an immigrant bucking the odds to achieve worldwide success, while at the same time coming to terms with his own sexuality and the varied reactions of his family... this should have been a knock-out all around, and newsflash (ah-ah!): Singer wasn't really the problem, as his oft-awe-inspiring direction, especially in the electric live sequences, is actually one of the film's greatest strengths, not among it's worst debits.
Rather the real problem here was a weird determination on behalf of the writers and perhaps Queen themselves to hit all the tried-and-true benchmarks of a typical biopic whether they were true or not. Isn't the truth of the matter enough on its own terms? I guess not. Either way, the film is well-worth a mention, if only for being incredibly entertaining in spite of these things, not because of them.
But I can't in good faith put it on the list proper with so many things going against it, so into the honorable mention pile it goes. On the plus side, at least one good thing has come out of it beyond it making Malek a household name- it put Queen on the radar of a whole new generation. And how could that NOT be a good thing?
25. A Quiet Place
I've already gone on at length about what I did and didn't like about this film, so I'll direct you to my review for a more thorough exploration of that, but suffice it to say that, just like Bohemian Rhapsody, it was one of those films that played like gangbusters in the theaters with the right crowd, and I was lucky enough to see it with one.
The film absolutely has its problems, to be sure, not the least of which is a lack of a decent ending and the ever-present "dumb characters doing dumb things" trope. But I felt compelled to include at least one more example of my favorite genre on the list, and this one was the most qualified, I suppose, primarily thanks to a clever concept and competent execution from, of all people, former "Office" man John Krakinski, an admitted non-fan of horror movies that nonetheless knew a good concept when he saw one and leapt at the chance to make it.
The gambit paid off: the film grossed a massive $340 million on a measly $21 million budget- proof positive that horror films continue to be one of the wisest bets a studio can make if they want high returns on a low investment- something they should have learned long before now. Now if we could only get them to make better ones, lol. 😉
24. Game Night
I didn't see this one in theaters, thinking it looked kind of stupid, but damned if it wasn't a pretty clever little movie in disguise behind a high-concept-if-a-little-unbelievable plot-line. I went into more detail here, in my previous review, but suffice it to say, the cast is great across the board (no pun intended), the story-line is just complex enough to keep you guessing and the end result is something like David Fincher's somewhat underrated The Game meets something like Very Bad Things (or a better version of Rough Night), all of which are very good things.
I don't doubt some of you will balk at its inclusion here, and I've no doubt that there almost certainly is a movie more worthy, but of the ones I have seen thus far, this was one of the most fun I had watching, so onto the list it goes, even if it proves to be more of a place-holder than anything else. One could do a lot worse, that's for sure, but we'll get to that later.
23. Mom and Dad
Given the insanity of the last few years, it's only right that cinema's former reigning king of crazy, Nicolas Cage, would return to prime form in two films that wisely implored him to bring back the wacky Cage of yore that made us fans fall in love with him in the first place. The first of them, Mom and Dad, keeps things simple, but effective, like a Night of the Living Dead for the Millennial Generation.
As with that film, you don't get a lot of explanation for why things happen the way they do, but you do get a lot of bang for your buck, as once this sucker starts going in earnest, it rarely lets up. You can read more about my thoughts about the film here, but suffice it to say, any film which features Cage going berserk to the "Hokey Pokey" is one that's readily going onto my list without hesitation.
Besides, it was good enough to make one of my all-time favorite directors, John Waters' Top Ten list, so if anything, I'm low-balling it by placing it so low on mine. Either way, any movie that begins with a homage to 70's opening credits (and melodramatic theme songs), features parents actively trying to kill their kids throughout (and often succeeding in spectacularly gory fashion) and ends with a wonderfully mental turn by B-movie legend Lance Henriksen is one I was going to love no matter what, anyway. Do yourself a favor and check it out, too.
22. Crazy Rich Asians
Let me be clear: I'm no fan of romantic comedies. They're often terrible, boiler-plate and soul-crushingly predictable. There's a reason they've become more the subject of ridicule (see I Feel Pretty and Isn't It Romantic? - if you must) and less one worth celebrating. But, as a longtime horror fan, I also kind of get it. They're comfort food to fans, even as most of us recognize a lot of them are just terrible.
That's why when one comes along that people love that they feel compelled to celebrate it, be it horror or romance- which, let's face it, can often be pretty similar, lol. I was prepared to cringe at Crazy Rich Asians, and indeed, actual Asians did, apparently, as the film didn't fare too well in China itself. Though, to be fair, it did solid business in Singapore, where much of the film is set, albeit nothing near the business it did here in the States. (Reportedly, this was due to some of the more controversial casting in the project, but we won't get into all that here.)
In a weird way, that sort of proves the film's point, which is that, oftentimes, Asian immigrants that grew up in America are treated as second-class citizens by their very own countrymen and women as being too "Westernized." It seems that xenophobia goes both ways. Go figure. And you thought it was an American thing.
Regardless, this is a fun movie with the crush-worthy leads, Constance Wu (Fresh Off the Boat) and Henry Golding (A Simple Favor), leading an impressive line-up of Asian actors that include a star-making turn from comedian/rapper Awkwafina (Ocean's 8), sexy, smart ladies Gemma Chan (Fantastic Beasts) and Sonoya Mizuno (Ex Machina), a fierce turn by action-movie royalty Michelle Yeoh (Star Trek: Discovery) and Ken Jeong (The Hangover), Ronny Chieng (The Daily Show), Jimmy O. Yang (Silicon Valley) and Nico Santos (Superstore) being their usual amusingly goofy selves.
Truth be told, this is every bit as predictable as any given typical American rom-com, but, in this case, filtering it through a viewpoint we rarely get to see in America makes all the difference in the world. (Admittedly, most of my Asian movie viewing consists of action and horror movies, save a few Wong Kar-wai dramas.)
And I'm sure it meant the world to the considerable Asian population here in America that rarely get to see themselves represented the way they do here in a big-time American film. In short, this was sort of their Black Panther moment of the year.
And, as a guy, I don't usually think about things like this, but seriously... that wedding? Holy shit! (Not to mention that after-party.) Indeed, the location shooting in general is to die for here, along with the costume design, set design, et. al. All in all, it seems that there's life in that old rom-com after all. Let's hope, as two (!) sequels are currently in development.
21. A Simple Favor
Comedic director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, Ghostbusters) shifts gears considerably to deliver this twisty mystery/thriller that's not without a sense of humor. But the comedy here is pitch black, to be sure, setting it way apart from his usual fare. It helps that he has a cast of total pros, chief among them stars Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively, perfectly cast as the less-naive-than-she-seems Stephanie and the upwardly mobile, cooler-than-thou Emily.
After befriending Stephanie, Emily goes missing unexpectedly, after asking Stephanie to pick up her kid at school. Stephanie then makes it her mission to find out what happened to Emily, come hell or high-water- and gets a little more than she bargained for when it becomes clear that things are not what they seemed.
The end result is a fun, smart thriller than recalls the likes of Charade or Hitchcock at his most playful. (You can read more of my thoughts on it here.) It also points the way forward for a more adventurous path for Feig, and none too soon, after the iffy reception of Ghostbusters. Here's hoping that he embraces his darker side more, at least if it continues to make for such entertaining flicks.
20. Avengers: Infinity War
I certainly don't envy those who write for Marvel right about now. At this point, there's so much stuff and so many characters to keep up with, it must be a constant headache trying to keep everything straight. And yet, damned if screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely don't make it feel effortless, and, as a direct result, relatively easy to keep up with, even for the fair-weather viewer.
I mean, don't get me wrong- newbies certainly wouldn't want to start with this one, that's for sure. But if you tend to space out viewings of these sort of movies, so long as you have a general idea of who most of these people are, you shouldn't have that hard of a time following along, and that's saying something, given how dense this stuff has become over the years. (For more of my thoughts on the film and the Marvel franchise in general, click here.)
That said, this is just an enjoyable film, even if you don't know your Iron Man from your Guardians of the Galaxy. About the worst thing I can say about it is that it lacks a concrete ending, but most people knew that going in, so you can't say it was a surprise. What was a surprise was what happened in that ending, in which- gasp! (and spoiler alert, in case you've been living under a rock) - evil actually triumphed over good for once.
Actually, calling Thanos evil isn't quite right, as, deep down, he really does mean well. It's just how he goes about things that are questionable, to put it mildly. Anyway, with things ending on a cliffhanger, I didn't quite feel right ranking this higher than I did- after all, I penalized A Quiet Place for the same damn thing. But for sheer blockbuster enjoyment, it absolutely belongs on the list, so here you go.
19. Searching
Now that it's clear that so-called "computer screen" thrillers are becoming a thing- see also The Den, the Unfriended series, Open Windows, etc.- it was only a matter of time before someone finally nailed one good and proper. Searching is that film.
It isn't just that the cast is rock-solid, tethered by a fierce, award-worthy performance by leading man John Cho, who anchors the entire film as a worried father desperate to find his missing daughter, and effective turns by Debra Messing (Will & Grace, decidedly cast against type) as a police detective and Joseph Lee (Lion) as Cho's character's hapless stoner brother.
It's that the idea is clever, the use of the computer actually makes sense for once, as does the person in question spending as much time on it as they do, unlike some of the other such thrillers in question, which face the age-old problem of most found footage-style films on how to justify someone not just putting down the camera- or in this case, getting off the computer- to take care of business or evade danger or what have you.
Here, it all makes sense, and the film side-steps any questionable stuff by incorporating news footage and YouTube videos and the like to fill in the blanks, instead of going out of its way to justify keeping the main characters on the computer like a lot of films might (and have) in the same position.
Just as important, it features a likable character at the core of the film- to say nothing of it being an Asian male lead (another nice step forward in the year of Crazy Rich Asians)- that you actually care about and root for, something a lot of these films tend to fumble. Add to it a clever mystery element that keeps the viewer guessing and a twisty denouement and you have a New Wave thriller that points the way forward to how to make these sorts of things work.
It might take a little getting used to the approach- some hated it for that very reason- but it's well-worth it in this case, believe me. It's always nice to see something original, but even more pleasing to see a relatively new approach succeed in a way that makes you want to see more of this sort of thing. Searching is that film- for me, at least.
18. Mid90s
TBH, I'm not a huge fan of Jonah Hill- his acting always felt a bit one-note to me, and that note is just this side of grating. But Jonah Hill, the director, might be something I could get behind, if this, his directorial debut, is any indication. It also shows where he might have picked up some of those bad habits as an actor.
The film, which revolves around a 13-year-old kid, Stevie (a winning turn from relative newcomer Sunny Suljic, of The Killing of a Sacred Deer), desperate to fit in with anyone, given his tumultuous home life, which includes a bullying, abusive brother (Lucas Hedges, on an acting roll for several years now with the likes of Manchester by the Sea and Lady Bird) and a somewhat absent mother (Katherine Waterston, Fantastic Beasts), taken to hooking up with randos. And when one of those randos is Harmony Korine (Kids, Spring Breakers), you know you're in trouble.
Spotting a group of older skateboarders, he starts to hang around, eventually finding his way into the group and slowly-but-surely getting himself in deeper into their world, which involves taunting security guards when they skate where they shouldn't, drinking and smoking weed, all the while trying to stay out of trouble with the law.
Parents are mostly absent, though Stevie's eventually wakes up to the danger hanging out with these older kids might pose to her son and tries to put a stop to it. But should she? The answer is somewhat ambiguous, but this slice-of-life rings true, and I should know, having been down with board weasels back in the day my own damn self. While we leaned a bit more towards skate-punk tunes (although there is some of that: Bad Brains and Misfits, for instance) than hip-hop, otherwise this is pretty dead-on to my own experiences.
I'm sure most parents who watch this will be properly horrified- it's not quite Kids-level bad, but it comes close- but I admire Hill's commitment to staying true to these kids as they are and not trying to smooth out the rough edges like other directors might. Like Korine before him, he's not judging, just trying to step back and let these kids be kids, even if it means them saying and doing stuff that isn't exactly politically correct by today's standards or royally fucking up in a massive way.
Great, eclectic soundtrack- probably the only one you'll hear where A Tribe Called Quest and Nirvana are right at home next to The Mamas and The Papas and The Smiths, to say nothing of Herbie Hancock and Philip Glass. For good measure, there's a score by none other than Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails fame.
And the cast, mostly made up of unknowns- which I do believe was intentional, so that the performances would be unaffected and real- pays off big-time, making this one of those "hang-out"-style movies that actually works, like Dazed and Confused or the like. You want to spend time with these guys even more, or at least I did, even as they say and do things you don't exactly agree with. At a somewhat slight 85 minutes (and that's including credits), it's a bit on the short side, but just long enough to leave you wanting more.
17. Unsane
Who'd have thought director Steven Soderbergh's best film in many a moon would be a low-tech horror-thriller shot on a freaking iPhone? In some ways, it's a full circle achievement, given that the film that put him on the map was the low-budget indie Sex, Lies and Videotape, which adopted similar techniques throughout. This one even more so, given that the whole thing has that queasy low-fi look that only adds to the disquieting nature of the story at hand.
The story revolves around a no-nonsense, but troubled young woman (Claire Foy, whose been making some interesting choices as of late, not the least of which was her surprisingly amusing SNL debut), who is still reeling after an unpleasant run-in with a stalker has left her feeling shaken-and-stirred. After relocating to get away from the devious man (Joshua Leonard, The Blair Witch Project), she finds herself still haunted by him, which is affecting her private life, so she seeks the help of a therapist.
Next thing she knows, she's been committed against her will, and held ostensibly for 24 hours, which is expanded after she gets into it with a staff member and a patient. Even worse, she sees- or thinks she does- her stalker working at the hospital, and thinks he might be doing everything he can to keep her there. But is he really there, or is she actually going crazy? Or possibly both?
The answer makes for a fantastic exploration of the often- nefarious ways in which men can traumatize women when they know the system is rigged against them and they have the upper hand. This one will both ring true for those directly affected by the #metoo movement and give those who haven't pause enough to wonder if something like this could actually happen in this day and age. (Hint: it totally could.)
Foy is nothing short of riveting, and she's ably assisted by a great cast that includes comedian Jay Pharoah in a rare dramatic turn (though not without some humor to it), Juno Temple in full-on crazy mode, and a most welcome Amy Irving (of the original Carrie) as Foy's mother. I can't recommend this one enough, and it puts most of the year's horror to shame, simply by feeling all too possible.
16. Mission Impossible: Fallout
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, we have this film, for which Unsane's entire $1.5 million budget probably wouldn't even cover this one's catering fees. Normally, I wouldn't say bigger is necessarily better, but damned if this series doesn't just keep upping the ante. That's good news for star Tom Cruise, who basically just has this going for him and little else, given the more dismal box office for his other offerings over the last decade or so. (Maybe the Top Gun reboot will change that... maybe not.)
That's kind of sad in a way, as Cruise has done some of his finest work when he was thinking outside of the box- i.e. Magnolia, Tropic Thunder, even Rock of Ages to a certain degree. But you can't blame the guy for sticking with what works, especially when it delivers the goods time and time again.
A big part of that is admittedly writer/director Christopher McQuarrie, whom the studio has wisely nailed down for the next two installments moving forward. Understandable, given that it was not only Cruise's highest grossing film to date, but a critical darling this past year. I'm of two minds when it comes to these big-budget blockbusters.
On the one hand, I do usually end up seeing a lot of them, simply because, if you're going to see them, the big screen is obviously the way to go, unless you happen to have a massive screening room at home, which I decidedly do not. On the other hand, I'd be lying if I said I didn't prefer to give more of my cash to the smaller films out there that could actually use it.
But let's face it- until the day comes where low-budget films start out-grossing the bigger ones, Hollywood isn't going to stop making them, and there just aren't enough smaller films that can hang with the likes of this movie. It's too bad, but it's also not entirely surprising, as, with the cost of movie tickets through the roof these days, it's completely understandable that audiences want more bang for their buck.
To that end, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better version of the action movie this year that wasn't comic-book or fantasy-driven than this one, and a large part of that is admittedly the dedication of McQuarrie and Cruise to entertaining their audiences at all costs. So, I say let them keep doing what they do and doing it well, and I'll keep going to see them. It really is as simple as that.
15. Ready Player One
There was a time in which few people did blockbusters better than director Steven Spielberg. I mean, hell, he practically invented the term, with the ginormous success of Jaws back in the day. Only he kept churning them out, success after success, with no end in sight. Indeed, it wasn't until after the whole Jurassic Park franchise was up-and-running that the seams started to show in earnest, and that was well into the 2000's, so around three decades is a pretty good run by anyone's standards.
And at over $10 billion dollars at the box office, he remains the King- that's nearly $4 billion higher that the blockbuster runner-up, Peter Jackson. Why do former geniuses lose it? Who can say? And it's not as if Spielberg can't occasionally still deliver the goods- witness the perfectly entertaining likes of Minority Report, Catch Me If You Can, Munich and even something like the timely The Post. But somewhere along the way, Spielberg lost the ability to transfix audiences in quite the way he used to, which is too bad.
Of course, it could always be as simple a matter as matching the Master with the right material. With Ready Player One, he finally got a hold of one that was tailor made for someone of his specific talents, and he more than rose to the occasion, with a film that rewards multiple viewings for eagle-eyed viewers who are paying close attention, especially if they are kids at heart that haven't quite lost touch with their inner geek.
I just loved the book by Ernest Cline, who also co-wrote the screenplay here, along with Zak Penn, who worked on some of the X-Men movies and the first Avengers. While the two had to jettison some of the book's best moments, which might not have translated well on the big screen- sorry, War Games fans, but your movie has been replaced, but with something I can't imagine most people complaining about (or at least us horror fans out there)- but they also improved on some of the source material as well, making for a rousing finale in particular that 12-year-old me would have been out of his seat in excitement with back in the day.
While the end result will admittedly maybe only appeal to those whose inner geeks are still going strong after all these years, I think it's safe to say that a lot of us fit that bill, anyway, what with all the superhero/comic-book movies cluttering the screens these days. But if there was a movie that nailed geekdom harder this year, I didn't see it, and I still get chills a bit when I see all those iconic characters and the like cluttering the screen.
It's basically the Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (which Spielberg also produced) of the new Millennium, and I can't say I have a problem with that, even if there's little of real substance here. Still, it's not as if every movie has to have it- and there's something to be said for this film's tale of a low man on the totem pole banding together with his fellow outcasts to beat the big bad corporations at their own game- literally- even if it was made by precisely one of those big bad conglomerates and fine-tuned in a lab to achieve maximum geek fantasy mode. I knew it going in, but it didn't make me love it any less.
14. A Star is Born
While Bohemian Rhapsody might have nailed the spectacle of rock stardom, it didn't quite get there with the human drama. For an ideal combination of the two, look no further than this film, which got both right and then some. Who'd have thought actor-turned-director Bradley Cooper would turn out to be such an impressionistic, natural director?
And yet, thanks to years of planning, and special care taken to get the wholly original soundtrack just right- even the songs that are meant to be disposable pop are pretty damn good (it helps to have an expert in such things in Lady Gaga on-board)- this film, no less than the fourth iteration of the story to hit the big screen, works like gangbusters.
I'd be hard-pressed to name another rock musical that so successfully nails the whole "you are there" vibe of this film's highly effective concert sequences, much less the cringe-inducing moments of the film's latter half: looking at you, Grammys scene. 😨
Factor in a first-rate cast that, in addition to a never-better Cooper himself, who also does his own singing (who knew?), and Gaga ably managing to convince us that she never made it in the first place, also includes solid turns by comedians Dave Chappelle and, of all people, Andrew "Dice" Clay, to say nothing of the always-great Sam Elliott, and you have a modern classic for the ages.
I'll allow that I've never seen any of the other versions of the tale- my mom swears by the Streisand version- but I'd venture a guess that a whole lot of other people out there, especially the younger audiences, haven't either. Maybe whether or not you've seen any of the others makes a difference, but I'm quite sure some of the critics reviewing it had, and it didn't stop them from giving this one rave reviews, so I'm standing by my admiration of the film.
Somewhat sadly, this one peaked a bit too early, resulting in it not garnering a lot of award show love- or as much as it maybe should have, at least- but no matter. People will be watching and enjoying this version (and that winning soundtrack) for years to come... at least until the inevitable fifth reboot comes along, I guess.
Well, that about does it for our first installment! Be sure to join me in a few days for the second and likely final installment- I decided a genre breakdown in this case would be somewhat redundant- and thanks for reading, as always!
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