The Top 20 Movies of 2018

Originally published February 24, 2019.

2018 was a great year for movies. Unusually so. Either that, or I’ve gotten better at avoiding absolute shit. So with Hollywood’s biggest annual travesty happening today, I thought I’d provide an alternative by listing my Top 20 (Yes, 20! It’s two Top 10 lists for the price of one!) films of 2018 as well as what awards they should win, if any.

20. Avengers: Infinity War

It’s one hell of a mixed bag, alternating between boring talking scenes and insanely fun action schlock. The story is predictable, idiotic, and full of holes and lousy dialogue, but the fights are creative and visually splendid. The Russo brothers and their team have done a great job putting together action sequences that feel the way a massive superhero team-fight should feel. The CGI will age horribly in the years to come, I’m sure, but it was a fun theater experience. Also watching all the annoying Avengers (Doctor Strange, Spiderman, Star Lord) die at the end sure did put a mile on my face.
Awards:
Best Visual Effects

19. Deadpool 2

It’s like Deadpool 1, but with less charm. Also, Stephen Lang should’ve played Cable.

18. The Favourite

After seeing The Lobster, I’ve been a big fan of Yorgos Lanthimos and his mannerist, alienating style of filmmaking. The Favourite is by far the weakest of his English-language entries however. While the core actresses all deliver great performances and the film is full of stylistic flourish, it lacks much of the baffling humor, transcendent weirdness, and thematic depth that made The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer such excellent movies.

17. Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

It’s the Pixar movie of documentaries. Designed to jerk tears and not much else. It’s good, but often finds itself brushing up against more serious, complex, and interesting subjects only to turn away and go back to being essentially a hagiography of Fred Rogers. 2018 seems to be a big year for whitewashing the lives of famous people, but it seems strangely unnecessary here considering how squeaky-clean Rogers already was in real life.

16. The Sisters Brothers

I was very excited for Jacques Audiard’s English debut, considering that A Prophet is one of the greatest films ever made and Rust and Bone is almost equally stellar. The Sisters Brothers is still quite good but doesn’t nearly live up to those expectations. Elevated by dark humor and an excellent cast, the film suffers from a pretty underwhelming story that feels a lot like most “literary” novels I’ve read that were published in the past decade: just a lot of needless convolutions and disappointment. Bonus points for the 5 second Rutger Hauer cameo.

15. The Death of Stalin

Few movies use their disturbing subject matter to generate laughs as well as The Death of Stalin. Aided by a massive, all-star cast, this comedy provides plenty of laughs until an oddly somber ending. It was good while it lasted, but this is one of those movies that no one will remember in a few years.

14. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

It’s nice to see the Coen Brothers get the opportunity to do whatever they want, even if the results aren’t spectacular. It’s a mixed bag, as is to be expected from an anthology film, but the style and sensibilities of the Coens make even the weakest parts stronger and even the worst vignettes have their moments that make them worth watching. The first story about Buster Scruggs is a 10/10, which makes the rest of the ride downhill, but each subsequent piece brings its own mix of humor, cinematic flair, and emotional depth. The biggest problem is they all end the same way, more or less, making the whole thing way too predictable.

13. You Were Never Really Here

See the full review here. In short, high expectations were missed by this thriller low on thrills.
Awards:
Best Original Score – Johnny Greenwood

12. Black Panther

This movie is essentially a reverse of Infinity War. The story and characters are all great but the action is absolutely terrible. It’s worth someone taking the time to contrast the weighty, dynamic action scenes of Infinity War with the frustratingly bad sequences in Black Panther that look like lousy video game cutscenes. A blockbuster with such strong characters and such interesting themes deserves better in the action department. Some critics have pointed out that the movie is a bit ideologically muddled, but that’s fine given that it’s really just a big dumb superhero flick at the end of the day. Any attempt to be serious is welcome in my view. I’d put the movie higher if it wasn’t so formulaic, but all Disney films are essentially narrative algebra: you have your formula, just plug in the variables and run the equation.
Awards:
Best Supporting Actor – Michael B. Jordan

11. Isle of Dogs

Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Isle of Dogs came out in 2018?” Yes, yes it did. I love pretty much every Wes Anderson movie except for Fantastic Mr. Fox, but I was happy to see that Isle of Dogs is as poignant and hilarious as his live action entries, if not more so. It’s a fun adventure-comedy full of great visual gags, puns, and just the right amount of darkness and those animated dogs are cute as hell.

10. Eighth Grade

I didn’t know it was possible to perfectly capture how horrible it feels being 13 years old, but somehow Bo Burnham did it. Also, props for putting Future Club in there.

9. Widows

Widows is an incredibly boilerplate heist-thriller on paper, but co-writer Gillian Flynn and writer/director Steve McQueen take things to another level entirely. Few heist movies are so thoughtful, so politically charged, so violent, so exquisitely miserable, or so technically masterful as this. Steve McQueen is one of the best filmmakers alive and seeing his talent applied to the heist genre is a real treat. Every shot and every cut feels just right and does an enormous amount of work to elevate the movie. The performances are also great throughout. Widows is the grim/dark sibling to Soderberg’s breezy Ocean’s Eleven, and both should be viewed as the pillars of excellence of the genre.
Awards:
Best Supporting Actress – Elizabeth Debicki

8. Incredibles 2

The sequel was nearly 15 years too late, but in a world where superheroes rule the box office and life is becoming more and more simulated, it couldn’t be more relevant. It’s everything that’s great about the first: action, clever humor, drama, social commentary, and all-around family fun revamped for a new decade. The Incredibles is one of the best superhero movies ever, and this is a worthy sequel.
Awards:
Best Animated Feature

7. Mission Impossible: Fallout

It’s the best action movie of the year. Period. Everything about it is good, if not great. Everything that’s great about action movies, this film does well and then some.
Awards:
Best Editing – Eddie Hamilton

6. If Beale Street Could Talk

2018 was a year where artists shoved politics in people’s faces simply because it was the thing to do. What makes Beale Street special is that its story is inherently political, but instead of focusing on messaging, writer/director Barry Jenkins makes the very universal, human story at its center come alive. While not as technically flashy as Moonlight, Beale Street is tender, moving, and sweet in ways that Moonlight tried and failed to be. Not much really happens, but it’s a testament to the talent of all those involved that all the quiet and varied moments of life depicted herein feel so electric and that the story feels so urgent and real. Also, who knew Dave Franco could act?
Awards:
Best Director – Barry Jenkins
Best Adapted Screenplay – Barry Jenkins

5. First Reformed

Speaking of politics, ladies and gentlemen: First Reformed. While a bit on the nose at times, First Reformed is great. In contrast to Beale Street’s sweeping, operatic style, First Reformed is puritanically austere and simple, which perfectly suits the inner life of its lead character and helps sell his methodical and deliberate descent into madness. The script does a great job of weaving its themes into the dialogue of its characters as conversation and philosophical debate become indistinguishable. It’s a gripping and strange film that is one of the best surprises of the year.
Awards:
Best Cinematography – Alexander Dynan

4. Mandy

Mandy is everything that’s great about movies in one movie. Equal parts drama/horror/thriller/action, it’s fantastic to see a filmmaker push the limits of style and narrative into the realm of pure delirium. Mandy is an absolute must watch. You can also read my colleague’s review for more info.
Awards:
Best Actor – Nick Cage
Best Production Design
Best Costume Design

3. Hereditary

No “Best of” list is complete without at least one criminally overlooked prestige horror movie so here’s my two cents on Hereditary: it’s awesome. It delivers plenty of tension and thrills to be sure but it’s rare for a horror movie to so expertly layer its hints, clues, and metaphors and rarer still to have such a permeating undercurrent of pitch-dark humor. Everything is sad, violent, and unpleasant, but it’s also pretty funny. Perhaps rarest of all is just how fun it is. The level of creativity, inventiveness, and general insanity in the moments where the film allows itself to go wild is really commendable. There’s something so enjoyable about watching someone who is good at what they do find ways to thrill and surprise you as an audience member, which happens plenty in this film especially in the latter half.
Awards:
Best Lead Actress – Toni Collette

2. Sorry to Bother You

I don’t want to recycle superlatives, so check out the full review here. It’s #2 on this list which should speak for itself.
Awards:
Best Original Screenplay – Boots Riley

And now, without further ado…

 

1. Annihilation

This is easily the best movie of the year. If you’re curious why, go here. Needless to say, I won’t forget how I felt as I staggered out of the theater for a long time.
Awards:
Best Picture
Best Sound Mixing
Best Sound Editing

Caveats: I tried watching Roma. I really did. It’s just so boring; I could only last an hour. I really admire Alfonso Cuaron as a filmmaker and I appreciate a lot of what he does in his movies, especially the level dedication to his personal variety of stylized naturalism. That said, I don’t really love any of them. I also haven’t gotten to seeing Into the Spider-Verse, in spite of the fact that everyone seems to be losing their damn minds over it, nor have I seen Vice, which is odd considering I’ll see just about anything that Christian Bale is in.

I also haven’t seen and don’t wish to see A Star is Born, Green Book, or Bohemian Rhapsody because fuck all that.