Welp, I’m a little late.
I told myself so many times that I’d eventually do an in-depth writing for
this post and each film, but I had twins at the beginning of 2019, and it just
isn’t happening. An interesting thing about waiting so long to write this, is
that I’ve had a lot of time to sit with 2018 movies. Films that I fully
expected to be in my top 5 aren’t even on this list anymore. It was fun to see
what stuck. Also, the lead up to the twins resulted in me missing a lot of
films, so if you find yourself asking “where’s _____?” there’s a chance I
didn’t see it. I’ve got more gaps than usual.
15. Sorry to Bother You
·
It’ll take
you places you’ll never expect.
14. Thoroughbreds
·
Simultaneously
feels cinematic and like a small play.
·
Pleasing
eccentric style.
13. The Favourite
·
The best
movie nominated for Best Picture at 91st Oscars.
·
Great/unique
cinematography.
12. Tomb Raider
·
Such a
good/bad movie
·
Strong 90s
vibes
11. Solo: A Star Wars
Story
·
Answered too
many questions better left as mystery.
·
Answered too
many questions that should have been answered in sequels
·
!!! CHEWY
DURING THE TRAIN HEIST !!!
·
I hope they
make more.
10. BlackKklansman
·
Important
social commentaries.
·
Strong
formal qualities.
·
Great scene
of characters discussing film.
·
My second
choice for who I was rooting to win Best Picture at the Oscars.
9. Hereditary
·
As I was
watching this movie, I took the armrest to my left, raised it up and swung my
legs over, so that no ghosts, no spirits, no demons, no anything could grab my
legs, pull me under, and get me.
8. Annihilation
·
It’s been so
long since I’ve seen this that its placement is based quite a bit on gut. I
just remember it being visually stunning and fully captivating.
7. American Animals
·
Stressful
·
Unconventional
(maybe even pretentious) storytelling modes.
·
Even if it
is pretentious, I was impressed.
6. Avengers: Infinity
War
·
***SPOILERS***
·
The bad guy
wins. It was cool to see that.
5. Won’t You Be My
Neighbor
·
I spent over
half the movie wiping tears from my eyes, trying to hold in guttural cries from
exiting my mouth.
·
I think the
nostalgia viewers feel while watching this movie is less for the show and the
man, and more towards a life before the constant vitriol we’re exposed to on
the Internet and in politics.
4. Spider-Man: Into the
Spider-Verse
·
Honestly,
I’m amazed this movie happened. It’s so high-concept, so complex. How was it
green lit? The pitch would’ve been so obscure that I’d assume it would’ve been
shut down immediately. I’m so happy that Sony had faith in fans, faith in
audiences, faith that people would go out and watch something so out there.
·
A strong tie
between the story and the art.
·
Some of the
greatest visual storytelling of the year
3. A Star is Born
·
A high
quality studio film
· I feel like
they fixed a lot of issues when compared to some of the earlier versions. Where
previous relationships felt surface-level toxic, this one taps into some deeper
struggles.
·
My favorite
Best Picture nominee of the year.
2. First Man
·
I love that
this film goes beyond telling the story of mankind’s greatest achievement, and
moves into a story of perseverance, persistence in the face of great obstacles,
and great tragedy; much of it personal. Neil Armstrong was surrounded by so
much death during this time, and leading up to it. An overall beautiful movie.
·
Deserved a
Best Picture nomination.
·
Deserved a
Best Original Score nomination (and maybe the win?)
1. A Quiet Place
·
The best M. Night
Shyamalan movie not made by M. Night Shyamalan.
·
Entertaining,
thrilling, and emotional.
·
I find it
interesting that the two movies at the top of my list center around a father
and his relationship with his daughter. Had I not seen these leading up to the
birth of my daughters, would they be as high as they are?
Thanks for reading!