10. Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
Directors: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rotham Starring: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali Starting the countdown, we have what may just be the most unique movie on this list, and a wholly entertaining one to boot. I had absolutely no interest in a Sony-produced, animated Spider-Man movie, but after hearing nothing but positive reviews I decided to give it a chance. And it paid off. This movie is a stylistic masterpiece, it’s absolutely hilarious, and it has some of the best voice performances I’ve seen in awhile. The manically menacing "Spider-Man: Noir" and the "Incredible Spider-Ham," voiced by Nic Cage & John Mulaney respectively, do so much with so little screen time and absolutely steal the show for me. Sure, the villain, Kingpin, is a little underwritten, but who cares? The Spider-Squad is where it’s at. |
9. A Star Is Born
Director: Bradley Cooper Starring: Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Sam Elliot, Andrew Dice Clay At number nine we have a movie that proved to be both a commercial and critical darling. I know people who went to see this thing as many as four times, so of course I had to check out the musical drama featuring Lady Gaga in her first major acting role, co-starring and directed by Bradley Cooper (a.k.a. “McConaughey Jr. a.k.a. “That one guy who voices Rocket”) And it’s really good! The performances are all spot-on (shoutout to Sam Elliot for being killer in a relatively minor role), and the music (especially that of Cooper’s “Jackson Maine”) is surprisingly enjoyable. Even though the pacing does kinda drag towards the end of the second act, and I think the story goes a little to “Million Dollar Baby” for my liking before all is said & done, A Star Is Born is totally enjoyable and I’m sure the Oscars will have a field day with it. |
8. Hereditary
Director: Ari Aster Starring: Toni Collette, Milly Shapiro, Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff Horror movies are back in a big way, and Hereditary is case-and-point of that. This movie is goddamn terrifying. There are horror movies designed to keep you entertained, make you jump a few times, and keep things all in good fun. Hereditary is not that. Everything about this movie - the cinematography, the lighting, sound design, performances, is designed to make you uncomfortable. Hereditary legitimately freaked me out; I think I was up until 4 A.M. after I got back from the cinema. And hey, if that’s your thing, more power to you. I’m probably never gonna watch this movie again, but with such stellar performances and behind-the-camera work, it’s hard not to include it on this list. |
7. A Quiet Place
Director: John Krasinski Starring: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe A much more accessible horror flick than Hereditary, John Kraskinski’s A Quiet Place takes what could’ve been a dull, by-the-number thriller (see: Birdbox - kidding, I haven’t seen it), and crafts that into an excellently designed, emotionally impacting story. The most impressive thing about A Quiet Place is probably the sound design - I was afraid to reach for my M&M’s for fear of inciting a mob of angry film-goers. But while it’s not as soul-shakingly terrifying as Hereditary, A Quiet Place does a lot with a little and shows that Jim from The Office can really direct the hell out of a movie. |
6. Bad Times at the El Royale
Director: Drew Goddard Starring: Jeff Bridges, Cyntia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Chris Hemsworth A movie I really wanted to write a full review on but couldn’t find the time to, Bad Times at the El Royale brings together a great ensemble cast into a captivating thriller/period piece that really does some unexpected things. It’s one of those Clue-esque, “everyone’s got a secret” movies that’s designed to keep you guessing, and while not all the twists land 100%, I had a really good time with this one and found myself actually caring for those involved. Plus, it looks gorgeous and features some of the best juxtaposition between upbeat music and sinister circumstances that I’ve seen in awhile. *Note to self: bonus points for using the word “juxtaposition” in a review! |
5. Mission: Impossible - Fallout
Director: Christopher McQuarrie Starring: The Immortal Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Rebecca Ferguson, Sean Harris I've got some mixed feelings on this movie. As a longtime fan of the M: I franchise, this was one of my most anticipated movies of 2018; unfortunately, I didn't love it on my first viewing - which I mostly chalked up to the fact that I was having a really sh!tty day when I saw it. Now, after just rewatching it on Blu-Ray, I think I know why the film didn't entirely land for me: it's just a constant barrage of action set-pieces. Now, they're all fantastic set pieces - but the plot behind this one is somehow both the most complicated & most underwritten the series has to offer. Still, the action is truly spectacular, the cinematography is excellent, and the performances are all on point, even if the plot sometimes asks the viewer to pay a little too much attention. But I’ll see these movies forever, and Fallout certainly lives up to its predecessors. |
4. Game Night
Directors: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein Starring: Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Kyle Chandler, Jesse Plemons What an absolute delight this movie is. I saw Game Night in April, over a month after its release, directly after watching another big comedy from this year, Blockers. And while that movie is by no means unenjoyable, Game Night is on another level. By far the most inventive comedy I’ve seen in a long time, this has Edgar Wright levels of creativity in terms of things like editing and quirky humor (and we all know how much I love that guy). Jason Bateman leads as the ever-underrated straightman to balance the wackiness of literally everyone else onscreen, least of all the delightful Rachel McAdams. Jesse Plemons steals every scene he gets as a creepy, if well-intentioned police officer. The cinematography is surprisingly excellent, with a tracking shot through a mansion being the cream of the metaphorical crop. Game Night didn’t need to be this good; it’s rare you see this much care put into a relatively low-budget comedy. But it is that good, and so it takes number four from me. I’ve got the DVD, and I plan on watching in with some friends soon… after a game of Clue, of course. |
3. Creed II
Director: Steven Caple Jr. Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad Not a whole lot to say about this one, as I did just write a full review on the film a month ago. It’s just a solid follow up to Creed, and shows that this franchise that’s given us now eight movies since the 1970’s still has a few interesting stories to tell. With such fleshed out characters so full of pathos - least of all Ivan Drago & his son Viktor, whose last appearance amounted to that of a cartoon villain - I still think I enjoyed this movie slightly more than its predecessor. Plus, the action is great, with hard-hitting punches among the best the franchise has to offer. "Yo Adrian!" |
2. Avengers: Infinity War
Directors: Joe & Anthony Russo Starring: Just About Everyone Who's Ever Been In A Movie With something like 752 lead characters and starring everyone from RDJ to a Hugo Weaving impersonator, it’s frankly a miracle this movie works on any level. And while I’ll admit that I fell just shy of loving it, Infinity War is a damn good time and a cinematic wonder ten years in the making. We all had to run the full gamut of emotions, from awe and delight to heartbreak and terror as Thanos ultimately took the day. But now that many of the players have left the field, I’m incredibly psyched to see what can be done in Avengers: Endgame with a tighter cast of characters. |
1. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Director: Joel & Ethan Coen Starring: Tim Blake Nelson, James Franco, Liam Neeson, Tom Waits That's right, I didn't even see my favorite movie of 2018 in theaters. The Coen Brothers' Ballad of Buster Scruggs, which hit Netflix in November, is an anthology movie comprised of six short vignettes taking place in the Old West. They vary drastically in tone and style, and there's no overarching narrative; hell, not a single character appears in more than one chapter of the anthology. But the Coens, gifted filmmakers as they are, manage to weave several common themes throughout the movie - the most common being death and coming to grips with one's own mortality. By the time the third sketch ends, you start to see the common threads in each, and it all comes full circle by the final chapter. The titular opening starring Tim Blake Nelson as the cheerfully devious Buster Scruggs is probably the single best piece of media 2018 had to offer, and while the pacing slows wayyyyy down after the "San Saba Songbird" has shuffled off this mortal coil, each subsequent chapter provides a new, unique take on the western. Plus, the film is goddamn gorgeous, with beautiful, sweeping landscape shots and a truly incredible musical scene. Buster Scruggs not only stuck in my head more than any other film of the year, it prompted me to rewatch several of the Coen's greatest hits - Lebowski, No Country, and my first viewing of Fargo - and for that, it takes the title as the Best Film of 2018. |
Honorable Mentions
- Overlord
Director: Julius Avery Starring: Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell, Mathilde Ollivier, Pilou Asbaek Pulpy, gory, and surprisingly grounded, the J. Jonah Abrams produced war-horror flick Overlord was everything I wanted it to be and then some. That’s right, a movie about Nazi zombies in the Normandy invasion was relatively grounded, and it caught a lot of flak for that from reviewers. “There’s only like, three zombies . . .” Yeah, but the movie masterfully weaves together the horrors and tribulations of war with the horrors and tribulations of, well . . . running from zombies in an underground laboratory. So hats off to you, Overlord, for being so good you had to distance yourself from the Cloverfield franchise. Still a shame we couldn’t get a movie called "Cloverlord," though . . . |
Image & Info SOurces
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Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse IMDb: www.imdb.com/title/tt4633694/?ref_=nv_sr_1
A Star Is Born poster:
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A Star Is Born IMDb: www.imdb.com/title/tt1517451/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Hereditary poster:
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Hereditary IMDb: www.imdb.com/title/tt7784604/?ref_=nv_sr_1
A Quiet Place poster:
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A Quiet Place IMDb: www.imdb.com/title/tt6644200/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Bad Times at the El Royale poster:
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Bad Times at the El Royal IMDb: www.imdb.com/title/tt6628394/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Mission: Impossible - Fallout poster:
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Mission: Impossible - Fallout IMDb: www.imdb.com/title/tt4912910/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Game Night poster:
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Game Night IMDb: www.imdb.com/title/tt2704998/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Avengers: Infinity War poster:
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Avengers: Infinity War IMDb: www.imdb.com/title/tt4154756/
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs poster:
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The Ballad of Buster Scruggs IMDb: www.imdb.com/title/tt6412452/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Overlord poster:
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Overlord IMDb: www.imdb.com/title/tt4530422/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Overlord/Cloverfield article: screenrant.com/overlord-movie-cloverfield-connection-retcon/