This is my eighth
year doing this and it remains the same. I've taken every 2018 movie I saw in
the last year and ranked them all. This is not a definitive list. It will change
over time. It always does. The discussion of a movie never ends on December 31 (or
January 2 in this case). Some movies stick with me. Others fade away. I've had
11 months to digest some films and only few days for others. All the awards
buzz is hard to ignore right now. But, this is when people make and pay
attention to Top 10 lists, so I'm going to follow suit with this snapshot of my
current opinion.
I take this list seriously. Too seriously probably. It means a lot to me that I get the lists
ordered honestly and accurately. This is my list though. I'm not picking the
most important movies or the best technical achievements. Roughly speaking, I'm
asking myself "What movie provided more value added to my
year?" I absolutely think you should see all the movies that I put at the
top, because I hope that you can get out of them what I did. This doesn't
necessarily mean that my top 10 movies are the 10 I think the most people would
like. Check Rotten Tomatoes if you just want the least objectionable movies of
the year. It's also worth noting that the further into the middle of the list
you go, the less you should read into a specific ranking. Depending on how the
wind blew, what's at 57 now could've been 72.
This is the year I really pushed the limits the number of new movies I could see. With an assist from MoviePass for 8 months, I saw 102 movies in theaters in 2018; up a whopping 18 movies from the year before. A 21% year-to-year increase. That's damn near 2 movies per week. I'm not sure how I did that. I saw a nearly identical increase in the number 2018 movies (in theaters or at home) I saw. From 98 to 119 movies (another 21% increase). I know I say it every year, but don't expect that to increase next year.
Two things are immediately striking about my 2018 in movies. The first is that there aren't any clear candidates for my All-Time favorite list. I love the movies in my top 10, but it's not the Murderers' Row that 2015 or 2011 had. I was surprised (pleasantly in some cases) how high some of the movies ended up. The second striking thing about this year is how happy so many of the films made me. The longer that I've kept this blog up, the more I get worried that I'm sucking all the fun out of watching movies. I worry that I'm the guy who complains about everything and enjoys nothing. Not in 2018. I can't remember a year in which I came out of so many movies refreshed and reinvigorated. Even some of the movies with depressing stories excited me because they did something I haven't seen before or genuinely surprised me. While my top 10 may not be as strong as past years, 2018 as a whole is every bit as good as any year in recent memory. It's left me more motivated to continue than ever.
The further down
the list I get, the less I'll justify why I place it there. Check out the
linked Reaction if you really want to know how I feel about it. I promise you,
I'm annoyingly consistent. I know this because I will often write a blurb about
a movie and forget that I wrote the exact same thing about it 10 months ago.
It's a kick in the balls for the part of me that believes in personal growth.
Finally, a couple
clerical notes as always. I define the release year by its year on
BoxOfficeMojo. If the film or release date isn't listed there, then I go with
the IMDB year. So, even though I saw I Tonya
in 2018, it doesn't count toward my 2018 list. I'm keeping my comments about
the movies brief for most of the list. I'll link to my more thorough Reactions
if you want my more complete thoughts.
I do my best to own
up to my own biases in movies. I know I have some unrecognized blindspots. One
weakness I know I have is for anything in a "found footage" style. I
love the puzzle of it: telling a narrative while not appearing to be
consciously doing it. At its best, there isn't a more immediate style of
filmmaking. The problem is, "found footage" is rarely done at a high
level. More often, it's seen as a cost saving measure for horror movies. Searching
is a little different. It's a thriller told entirely through computer
screens as a father (John Cho) tries to find his missing daughter. That may
sound dry, but I promise you it isn't Simply put, I came out of Searching more
satisfied than after any movie this year. It was exactly what I wanted to see.
I still can't
believe I have this so high. I assume some of it is recency bias, but I really
did love this movie. The animation style is nice. The voice acting is really
good. The writing is what sets the movie apart. I love how it plays with the
worn out superhero origin story to make something fresh but familiar. The story
hides in plain sight. It's a superhero movie disguising itself as a superhero
movie. It's the closest thing to having your cake and eating it too. It
deconstructs the superhero narrative as a way to play right into it. I think
I'm trying to intellectualize this too much. It's funny. It's exciting. It's
sad and inspiring. It's everything I want from a superhero movie.
One of the
recurring themes of 2018 was the unreliable narrator. A lot of films tackled
the idea that the way a story gets told isn't that same as what really
happened. No film did this better than American Animals. It's the story
of an infamous rare book heist in 2004. As the movie plays out with actors
playing the parts, the actual guys who committed the crime are mixed in for
interviews to narrate the events. It really embraces the idea that they all
have different accounts of the same events but it doesn't try to get too cute
about it. The movie embraces the discrepancies and doesn't push too hard to get
a single, unified answer to things. It found a way to combine two things I love
- clever heist film, thoughtful documentary - in a really entertaining way.
The last thing I
want my top movie list to be is pretentious. In that spirit, there's no way I'm
leaving out this technically brilliant action movie. Tom Cruise is insane. I
don't know what drives him to do things no other Hollywood actor would dare do
himself, but he's a culture driver for this franchise. The set pieces in this
are complex, big, and efficient. There's art in something this entertaining.
This is the kind of
depressing indie movie I have a hard time recommending to people. It's the
story of a self-proclaimed sociopath (Olivia Cooke) who rekindles her
friendship with a wealthy classmate (Anya Taylor-Joy) and, together, they plot
to kill her stepfather. It's very much a "bored rich people problems"
movie, but I love the dark wit of it. It also has one of the endings I've
thought the most this year.
I have Star Wars
blinders. I know I'm supposed to call the movie a box office and creative
disappointment (I have many thoughts
about its box office performance), but I don't agree with that. It's certainly
misguided and highly imperfect, but I still enjoyed watching it. I'll take any
excuse to visit the Star Wars galaxy for a couple hours, and if it
happens to have Donald Glover playing Lando Calrissian, then all the better.
Armando Ianucci
applies his profane comic mastery to the actual power struggle in 1950s Soviet
Russia. In addition to being petty and hilarious, the movie pauses just often
enough to remind the audience of the sad reality behind the events.
8. Love, Simon
I love a good
coming of age high school story. This has a terrific young cast. Ultimately
what I liked the most about it is that it's a good spirited movie. It's not
about Simon losing his friends and family or facing the worst in people. He's
allowed to have a happy ending. So many movies about homosexual characters are
about the ugliness they see from the world. I like seeing something that's able
to focus on the sweetness of first love and the relief of being able to be who
you really are.
I don't even hold
the original movie that dear. I just love the good-spirited story-telling and
the cast of charming performers. Emily Blunt somehow shines despite the enormous
pressure to live up to what Julie Andrews did half a century ago. Everyone just
seems happy to be in this movie. That goes a long way with me.
10. Black Panther
I'm trying to keep
these blurbs brief, but not here. I need to apologize to Black Panther. I've
been weirdly combative about the movie all year. I've been annoyed by the way
that people talk about Black Panther like it's the only superhero movie
with any artistic merit. Black Panther shouldn't be the first movie that
deserves real Oscar consideration.That is all I've ever meant to say. I hate
the notion that crowd-pleasing entertainment is somehow lesser to
"serious" movies. I would love if Black Panther started a
reconsideration of the genre, but I suspect that people will call Black
Panther the exception to the rule rather than just admit that they liked a
superhero movie.
Oh well, here's my
attempt to make up for lost time. Black Panther is a great movie, worthy
of its phenomenon status. Ryan Coogler is in the top tier of directors who know
how to apply auteur filmmaking to big budget entertainment. Michael B. Jordan's
Killmonger is the best villain in any Marvel movie by a healthy margin. Letitia
Wright's Shuri is a singular character in the Marvel Universe. This cast has an
embarrassment of riches. The world-building, even within the already
established MCU, is tremendous. I love that I can enjoy this movie as pure
entertainment or drill down for thematic heft.
It's so nice to
finally like a Yorgos Lanthimos movie. Having Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, and
Olivia Colman at their darkly comedic best certainly helps.
I know I'm supposed
to love this movie for the fact that it's the first movie with a predominantly
Asian or Asian-American cast in an embarrassingly long time. If I'm being honest
though, that's just a bonus benefit. Really, what I love is that it was a great
showcase for a lot of actors I either already loved or love now. Seriously, I'm
so happy that people know Constance Wu now. She is a star who shouldn't only be
known to fans of ABC family sitcoms. And I just like RomComs.
13. Widows
The combination of
Steve McQueen (directing and co-writing) and Gillian Flynn (co-writing) has
produced a rather remarkable failed attempt at "popular" filmaking. I
mean that with nothing but respect. This is what you get if you ask McQueen to
make a heist movie. Sure, there is a
heist, but it's surrounded by a movie about social inequality, race in
American, grief, and loss with a massively overqualified cast. This movie have
a lot on its mind and juggles it all well.
14. Ocean's 8
Ocean's 11 is one of
my favorite movies. Swap those men out with 8 of my favorite actresses and keep
the rest the same. What could I possibly dislike about that? No, the movie
isn't perfect, but if I'm playing the game of what I'm likely to see again or
what gave me the most pleasure watching it, Ocean's 8 ranks highly.
15. Never Goin' Back
How did this get up
here? I mean, it's light on plot. Light on stakes. Hardly any recognizable
actors. And I don't care. Angela and Jessie are two friends I just want to be
around. This movie could've been 3 hours long and I would've happily watched to
see what dumb adventure that went on next. Maia Mitchell and Camila Morrone
have more chemistry than any two actors I saw this year.
16. Paddington 2
I heard a lot of
critics try too hard to justify what they liked this movie by offering a lot of
high minded comparisons. I'm not going to do that. All I'll say is that Paddington
2 is the most universally unhateable movie of the year and put me in the
best mood. This is my 2018 winner of the "if you dislike this movie,
there's probably something wrong with you" award.
17. First Man
Let's see. I love
Ryan Gosling. I love Claire Foy. Damien Chazelle has yet let me down. Of course
I'm going to like this movie. I don't really need another movie about the
American space race, but Chazelle proves that if something is done well enough,
there's always room for another.
18. A Star Is Born (2018)
The third remake of
an 80 year old movie really shouldn't be this good. And maybe it's not even
that good. Maybe Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper are just that good. And the
music. I really love the music. That has sold me on more than a few films over
the years.
19. Lean on Pete
Every year, there's
at least one movie that I didn't think I liked that much at first, but I still
can't shake it after several months. This year, that is Lean on Pete.
This is a emotionally punishing movie. I was completely exhausted by the end.
But it really stuck with me. Andrew Haigh's direction is extraordinarily
patient and Charlie Plummer holds it all together with preternatural poise.
The world needs to
be reminded of how great Fred Rogers was. This documentary does exactly that.
Everything In Between
21. Minding the Gap
What starts as a
simple skateboarding turns into a gripping look into how the sins of the father
can inform the actions of the son.
If I'm ever too
jaded to appreciate the pure joy of this movie, please shoot me dead. After
watching this, I went home and immediately rewatched the first Mamma Mia.
After that, I bought ABBA's greatest hits. I feel like that's all you need to
know about the movie. I'm always chasing the high that this movie gave me.
23. Instant Family
I suspect that
unless you were in the theater on the same night and in the same head-space
that I was when I watched this, I won't be able to sell you on why I liked this
movie so much. I left this movie beaming for some reason. Maybe it's because
I'm hopelessly in love with Rose Byrne. Or it could be that Tig Notaro and
Octavia Spencer prove to be an amazing comic duo. I might just be a sucker for
sappy stories about family. Whatever the reason, I really enjoyed this movie
more than I ever expected.
24. BlacKkKlansman
Spike Lee is one of
our greatest living directors. He has a bit of a Woody Allen problem though. He
works too much. He's always thinking about his next project. Rather than
tinkering with a movie until it's right, he moves on to what's next. As a
result, I end up more impressed by his body of work than by any individual
movie. Occasionally though, it all comes together despite the quick turnaround
time. More specifically, BlacKkKlansman is both very funny and deeply incisive.
25. Suspiria (2018)
It's a shame that
my love for the original
Suspiria
gets in the way of my ability to fully appreciate this version, even through
the movies are so different. This Suspiria is patient, artsy, and
absolutely bonkers by the end.
26. Eighth Grade
I hate all eighth
graders but I still like this movie. That should tell you everything you need
to know. It gets that awkwardness right. So brutally right. Maybe it's a sign
that I'm getting old, but that campfire speech with Kayla's dad is heartbreaking
and sweet and one of the standout moments of the year in cinema.
27. The Front Runner
This is the highest
ranked movie that I like entirely for the filmmaking. The story and even the
performances are just fine. What I love is Jason Reitman's direction, the
camera work, and the sound mixing. I love how 20 things are happening in a
given scene and a shift in focus of the camera or change in the levels of the
sound are all it takes to maneuver between at all.
28. Incredibles 2
I say it every
year. We, collectively as a society, take Pixar for granted. Without Pixar to
set the bar, animation would be in a dire place by now, I fear. This Brad Bird
sequel just gets everything right.
This is another one
that I can't explain my love for. Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon are a great duo.
That friendship feels very real. This is a very silly movie that hits comedic
beats it ways that I don't see in every other comedy movie. It's the rare
studio comedy that feels like it was developed outside the studio comedy
system.
The Coen brothers
make a six part anthology western with two stories I love, three that I like,
and one that I could do without. I'll let you figure out which is which.
Regardless, they are all beautifully shot and pack great variety.
31. The Wife
Two things that
will keep me thinking about a movie long after I see it are a strong lead
performance and an ending that close one door and opens another. The Wife
has both of these things.
32. Juliet, Naked
In the middle is a
pretty charming RomCom is a pretty profound scene about who a piece of art
really belongs to: the fan or the artist. But the majority of it is a RomCom
about unlikely pen pals played by Rose Byrne and Ethan Hawke. I do have trouble
buying that Chris O'Dowd could ever take Rose Byrne for granted though.
33. Science Fair
This should be
required viewing for anyone who thinks the world is going to shit. This
documentary about the international high school science competition was the
greatest jolt of optimism for the future that I've seen in quite a long time.
34. Hearts Beat Loud
I don't have any
kids, but I hope that one day I can be as torn up by the idea of my daughter
going to college as Nick Offerman in this sweet little indie movie. Also, this
reminds me that I need to find the titular song on iTunes.
35. Blockers
Look,I despise the
title. It gives the wrong impression about what the movie really is. It's not
about three parents stopping their daughters from having sex on prom night.
It's about three parents coming to terms with their daughters growing up. It's
not the sex comedy the trailers make it
look like. Leslie Man is a national treasure*. John Cena is so determined to be
funny that he makes it work. Ike Barinholtz surprised the hell out of me with
how sincere he could be. And the young cast is really solid too. Compared to the
trailers, I don't think any movie this year would surprise as many people with
how good and thoughtful it actually is.
*I really try to be
discriminate about who I call a national treasure. Leslie Mann is one of the
most underutilized comedic talents we have. Her ability to milk a laugh out of
dialogue that doesn't deserve one is almost unparalleled.
Yeah,. it's too
long and overstuffed. I don't care. It's too long and overstuffed because, over
the last decade, Marvel has created too many great characters that all need
attention. In a few years, maybe we'll appreciate the logistical impossibility
of this movie. I do my best to realize that this is a special thing, even if it
doesn't seem like it right now.
Disney Animation is
unparalleled in its ability to make me laugh my ass off for 70 minutes then
destroy me with some poignant revelation in the third act. This film skillfully
handles a truth rarely covered in other movies but never sacrifices humor along
the away.
38. Ready Player One
I believe in
Spielberg magic. I know this is a highly imperfect film. It's a lot of fun
though. Seeing a massive battle of pop cultural references with the Iron Giant
and Gundams slaying is a pleasure that I really can't express. Olivia Cooke is
slowly supplanting Aubrey Plaza as the crown princess of sarcasm. Or maybe
she's getting old enough to be the queen.
This is Melissa
McCarthy's finest work since Bridesmaids. She uses her comic timing to
build a prickly but [almost] lovable character. Richard E. Grant gives one of
the more unexpected Oscar-caliber performances in years as well. The stakes of
the story just don't line up with the amount that I care about the main
character.
The surest sign
that I'm advancing my countdown to receiving AAPR newsletters is how much I love Westerns now.
This is a very episodic character piece about two brothers (played by John C.
Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix). I really enjoyed spending a couple hours in this
world. It wasn't quite the comedy I thought it would be, but I still liked it.
The scene in which everything goes the most wrong is one I haven't been able to
shake for some reason.
41. Creed II
I adore Michael B.
Jordan. Sylvester Stallone never looks as comfortable as when he's playing
Rocky Balboa. This sequel brings the franchise in the only direction it could
go and does the most it can with it. With all due respect though, Steven Caple
Jr. is no Ryan Coogler, and there was a drop off in the sequel. The emotional
beats hit a little less hard and the fights didn't have the same technical
brilliance.
42. Roma
I'm still angry
that I didn't get a chance to see this in theaters. I fully believe that it's
an entirely different experience in theaters. Netflix didn't give me a choice
though. On my TV, I see that Roma is a technical achievement, but I didn't see
the brilliance that so many others have describe. Or maybe I just didn't love the movie. I'd believe that too.
43. Tag
Funny people being
funny will always be something I want to see. This definitely benefited from
me seeing it with friends rather than alone. I also wasn't aware of Jeremy
Renner's CGI-repaired broken arms beforehand. So, I liked the movie. I laughed
a decent amount. It had the right balance of actors known for comedy and less
experienced ones grounding it.
I love that
Deadpool 2 has the rebellious streak of a British Invasion band in 1971. The
world has adjusted around the success of the first movie, and the punk rock
attitude of the first movie can't help but gravitate back to the more
traditional superhero movie structure. Still, I laughed a lot They are still
amazing at trolling an audience. While it wasn't the same surprise as the
original, I like that this installment didn't completely exhaust me by the end.
45. Set It Up
I've been waiting
for people to realize Zoey Deutch was a RomCom idol for a couple years now.
Glen Powell is a pretty obvious leading man in hindsight too. 2018 will go
down as the year when Netflix movies became hits that actually drove the pop
culture discussion. Set It Up was the first true word-of-mouth movie hit
they had. Almost no one knows how many people actually saw the movie, but it
was worthy of the affection regardless. It's a terrific throwback RomCom. The
only problem I had with it (other than the fact that Lucy Liu's job doesn't
exist) is that Deutch and Powell have no romantic chemistry (as friends, they
are amazing together).
Yes, yet another
superhero movie. Paul Rudd is hilarious, as expected. Evangeline Lilly really
earns her spot in the title. She's a more convincing ass-kicker than Rudd.
Michael Pena continues to be the gold standard for supporting actors. I just
didn't think the villain was very good this time.
47. Green Book
Is it possible to
be too crowd pleasing? I enjoyed this movie in the least challenging way
possible. There's plenty of room for that in my movie diet. Viggo Mortensen and
Mahershala Ali are a fine road duo.
48. Boy Erased
We all need to get
the hell out of Lucas Hedges' way. He's barely 22 and is giving performances
like this already. I'd say he's going places, but he's been in four Best
Picture nominees and has a Supporting Actor nomination of his own. He's not
going places. He's already there.
49. A Simple Favor
This movie isn't a
natural fit for anyone in it. Not star Anna Kendrick. Not director Paul Feig.
Not even Blake Lively. The thing is, that actually adds to the movie. Feig
makes a thriller with the instincts of a comedy director. Everything is a
little off about the movie and makes it stand out from the crowd.
This is a perfect
example of how a documentary doesn't need to be that well made if the story it
interesting enough. This story is one that a screenwriter couldn't get away
with making up. It has to be true to believe it.
51. Hereditary
It didn't quite
live up to the huge hype, but it is a confident debut for writer/director Ari
Aster. Toni Collette gives a great lead performance and there were a few good
scares. Unlike my favorite horror movies though, there wasn't anything that
lingered with me afterwards.
By far, the best
thing about the movie was the cast and how eagerly they played all the people
from the early days of the National Lampoon. Will Forte as the eternal
prankster Douglas Kenney almost makes too much sense. Domhnall Gleeson
underplays Henry Beard with incredible precision. The movie tries too hard to
prove how smart it is though and undercuts itself by trying to stay ahead of
the audience too much.
53. Leave No Trace
Thomasin McKenzie
and Ben Forster are so good in this. Debra Granik's direction is so patient.
Maybe too patient. Even though I liked watching the movie, I left it a little
empty. I wanted something else to happen. I'm not sure what.
54. A Quiet Place
I'm all for a
gimmick as long as it works. In terms of execution, the screenplay and John
Krazinski's direction of it is really damn impressive. Emily Blunt carries the
film as a performer. However, I had a lot of issues with the logic of the movie
and a lot of the decision toward the end.
Speaking of Emily
Blunt, not having her or director Denis Villeneuve for this sequel did hurt my
enjoyment of it some. That left room for Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin to
really flex. It turns out that the Sicario universe is one that I'm
happy to revisit every couple years.
56. The Tale
I love this
screenplay and there are many great performances in this. This is such an
emotionally brutal movie to watch though.
David Lowery is
really good at making movies that feel like they'll keep happening whether you
are watching them or not. Nothing about this movie feels urgent. It's just 90
minutes of Robert Redford movie star charisma.
58. Game Night
Rachel McAdams,
Jesse Plemons, and Kyle Chandler have some of the best line reads of anyone
this year. There are a bunch of great jokes in this and John Francis Daley and
Jonathan Goldstein are really developing as comedy directors. There's something
about the story I could never get on board with though.
Unlike Black
Panther, I'm not going to apologize for how often I've challenged people's
assessment of this movie. Bohemian Rhapsody is a paint-by-numbers music
biopic that plays it way too safe. There is nothing about the storytelling that
isn't in every single music biopic you've ever seen. Rami Malek is really good
in it though and it employs Queen's catalogue of music excellently. Luckily,
that's what everyone remembers about the movie. Otherwise, this would be a kind
of dreadful movie.
60. Tomb Raider
Alicia Vikander is
a movie star. I had my doubts before this. I knew she could do dramas. She has
an Oscar already. I knew she could be slick. Something like The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
confirmed that. I didn't know she had "action movie star" in her. I
kind of figured she was too small for that. I was wrong. She put in the work
for this and came out looking great even though the rest of the movie was
decidedly average.
61. Annihilation
This movie was a
bit of an enigma to me when I first saw it in theaters and it still is months
later. We're at the point in my list where I'm looking at the movies that I
haven't given a second thought to since I finished my Reaction for them, and
that lack of motivation to reconsider it is why it's fallen so far. Alex
Garland is still a filmmaker who I'm excited to see what he'll do next. For
now, I'd rather just rewatch Ex Machina.
62. Peter Rabbit
Good luck getting
me to speak ill of a movie staring Domhnall Gleeson and Rose Byrne with voice
performances by Margot Robbie and Daisy Ridley. That kind of casting is
unfairly targeted to me. (The movie is only OK though)
Sure, Goodbye Christopher Robin took some
of the fun out of this movie. This movie is certainly the version of things I
want to be true. It's a sweet, good-natured, simple movie.
64. Bumblebee
The Transformers
movies have set a low bar lately, so it doesn't take much to be the best one
in several years. I appreciate the decreased scale of the movie, and Hailee
Steinfeld is good in everything.
65. Isle of Dogs
I'm just not on the
same wave length as Wes Anderson. Even at his best, I respond to his movies
with polite amusement rather than laughter. Then again, this one was all about
dogs. I like dogs. And they're voiced by people I like. Well played, Wes.
I love the game of
the movie and a lot of the performances. It just really doesn't add up to that
much. I hope this doesn't get in the way of Drew Goddard's next job. I'll be
sad if we have to wait another seven years for him to direct a movie.
67. Halloween (2018)
Slasher movies
aren't my favorite brand of horror, so there was always going to be a ceiling
to my enjoyment of this. I liked it as much as I reasonably could. The
logistics of the story didn't make sense too often for me to forgive.
68. Venom
Earlier in the
year, Upgrade disappointed me so much that I ended up enjoying Venom
more than I expected.
69. Disobedience
Rachel Weisz and
Rachel McAdams give a pair of great, restrained performances. By the end, I
just didn't think there was enough payoff for all the great setup.
This was a bad movie
inside a cinematic world that I enjoy being in. I'll probably always overrate a
Wizarding World movie, just because I like being in the Wizarding World. The
major problem is that this plays too much like a novel and not enough like a
movie.
71. Hotel Artemis
This is a great
wind-up premise in an enclosed space. It builds a world I'd like to see again.
It was great to see Jodie Foster in such a different kind of role. The tone and
plotting were just a little too hectic.
I wish I cared
about the story as much as Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie's performances. It
sure looked great though.
73. Beautiful Boy
The story was too
slanted to Steve Carell's end of things to appreciate what the movie was trying
to do. It's been surprising to see Timothee Chalamet's Oscar hopes disappear
for this, because he gives a very big performance.
74. Aquaman
Having the silliest
of silly superhero premises always made this an uphill battle. Director James
Wan mostly makes it work by amping everything up as much as possible. It lags
way behind the other options in a tremendous year for superhero movies.
I came away more
convinced of Claire Foy's star credentials, but there's something safe about
this movie that directly conflicts with the premise.
76. Face 2 Face
I really do love
the potential of webcam storytelling and it's nice to see it being used for
non-horror purposes. This is a pretty generic teen drama that feels fresh
because of how the story it told. There are a lot of logistical problems and
annoying misdirects that sink the movie, but, for what it's worth, it's
probably the most interesting movie in this range on my list for.
77. First Reformed
It's a patient
movie with Ethan Hawke giving a tremendous, worn-down lead performance. A lot
of people much smarter than me rave about the movie. I didn't really care for
it. Some people love the ending. I thought it didn't make much sense.
78. Apostle
This is a wild spin
on The Wicker Man and a fine example of Gothic horror. It didn't stick
much with me afterwards, so I can't put it much higher than this.
79. The Grinch
I don't need
another Grinch movie and I'm not a big fan of Illumination Entertainment (Death
to the Minions!). This was fine though. A perfectly harmless take on the
classic story.
Apparently, this
was a big hit with the kids. This and Set It Up led to many stories
about how Netflix resurrected the RomCom. Lana Condor is a really appealing
lead. There's a familiar tone to the movie that threw me off in a good way.
However, at its best, this is an alternative to high school movies that I love
a lot more.
I can see how this
won the audience award at Sundance. It''s practically reverse-engineered for
that festival. Chloe Grace Moretz gives a restrained performance and lets
everyone else drive things. I couldn't get on board with how it mixed the
absurdity of the situation with the danger of it. Something like Boy Erased
did that much better.
All I really
remember about this movie anymore is that it had bigger robots fighting bigger
monster and it was about 80% as good as the Guillermo del Toro movie.
83. Mortal Engines
It has enough big
adventure fun that I did enjoy watching it, but there were too many story and
world building elements that made no sense for me to embrace it.
Still the most
baffled I've been by a movie ending all year. I keep waiting for someone else
to champion this movie and explain what I missed, because I feel like I missed
something. Maybe I didn't miss something and the mystery really is as
disappointing as I suspected. The fact that the studio buried this release
(despite the director's last movie earning a Best Picture nomination) kind of
confirms that my read of it is pretty common.
This is a really
dumb supernatural RomCom. But, I love RomComs like Alex & Emma that
let a bunch of different storylines play out. I recognize that there's
something fundamentally sleazy about the premise, but I'd also probably watch
this again if someone else suggested it.
86. Andre the Giant
The biggest problem
with this documentary is that I repeatedly found myself more interested in the
side stories (Andre's relationship with his daughter, the evolution of regional
professional wrestling into national federations) than the main story.
The title is awful.
Otherwise, this is a perfectly charming - albeit a little dull - period romance
movie and Lily James is lovely in the lead role.
88. RBG
This felt more like
a product of Ruth Bader Ginsberg's Public Relations team than a genuinely
interesting documentary that came from a place of curiosity. It's nice to know
a little more about RBG, but I would've preferred something that was a little
more focused.
This is a fine
Christmas fantasy that was crushed by the weight of its production budget.
There was too much storytelling, not enough time, and too many ideas that were
done better in other similar movies.
90. Mid90s
What can I say? Minding
the Gap was better, and the ending of this movie is such nonsense that it
soured me on everything that came before it.
I guess a
documentary on Britney Spears wasn't violent enough, so Brady Corbet made this
instead.
92. Outlaw King
I just watched this
a couple weeks ago and I already can't remember much about it. It's a well-made
albeit overly familiar historical drama.
93. Tully
As soon as I
realized what the movie was doing, I lost most interest in it. I do give
Charlize Theron credit for giving such a deglamorized performance.
This is a style of
social commentary that I really don't care far. I appreciate the inventiveness,
even though it isn't as visionary as it thinks it is. (Didn't Idiocracy caution
us about a massively popular TV show about someone getting beat up for no
reason a dozen years ago?)
95. Please Stand By
This is a very
small, somewhat sweet movie. Dakota Fanning gives a committed performance. I
like the connections to Star Trek. And there's a cute little dog who is the
star of the movie by the end. There just wasn't much to the movie.
96. Malevolent
Please. Can someone
explain what was going on with the accents in this movie?
I don't think I
wrestled with why I couldn't like a movie this year more than A Wrinkle in
Time. I just plain didn't. I still think it comes down to if you haven't
read the book, it doesn't make much sense. I wish there was a way to give
the movie another chance without actually having to watch it again.
98. Red Sparrow
I sound like a
creep complaining about this movie, but here it is. What's the point of making
a movie about a spy who is trained to use sex as a weapon and then not having
her use sex as a weapon? Even more than The Girl in the Spider's Web,
this felt way too safe.
99. Wildlife
I don't like movies
that are designed to make me deeply uncomfortable unless the payoff is worth
it. The payoff of this wasn't worth all the squirming, even though Carey
Mulligan was very good.
100. On Chesil Beach
I'm always happy to
support Saoirse Ronan whenever I can. This movie spends a lot of time asking
some really interesting questions then either never answers them or answers
them in deeply unsatisfying ways.
I'll be honest, I
just don't care about this franchise by now. I mainly showed up for
completionism. If I had any investment in the story, I'd probably put this a
little higher, because there really wasn't anything wrong with this. I just
didn't care.
102. Unsane
Claire Foy is very
good, except for her accent. I like the experimental way Steven Soderbergh shot
the film. After a killer premise, the movie plays out in the least interesting
way possible.
103. Beirut
Wait...what evened
happened in this movie? I remember watching it. I have the ticket stub...Even
after reading my Reaction to this, I don't recall much. If any movie in 2018
merely existed and nothing else, it's Beirut.
104. Dude
This would've made
a splendid hang-out comedy. Lucy Hale, Kathryn Prescott, Alexandra Shipp, and
Awkwafina are a foursome I'd love to watch going on misadventures for a couple
hours. Dude tries to mix stoner, hang-out comedy with melodrama and the
two don't mix at all.
105. Rampage (2018)
I think the Rock
punched a giant winged crocodile in the face. I remember the movie embraced how
campy it was. I'm sure if I remembered much of the movie at all, I'd rate it
higher for embracing the silliness and delivering exactly what it promised.
Since I don't remember it that well, I remember all the campy moments as bad
moments, and that's how it ended up here.
106. The Meg
If I'm picking
between a campy giant monster movie with The Rock and a giant campy monster
movie with Jason Statham, the one with The Rock wins.
107. Fahrenheit 451
I so thoroughly
rejected the world that this movie built and the rules of that world, that not
even Michael B. Jordan and Michael Shannon could save it.
108. Vice
No movie in 2018
pissed me off more. And to clarify, I'm pissed off at the movie. I'm only
keeping it out of my bottom 10 misses the point. It's not a bad movie. It's an
insulting one.
I'm keeping this
out of my bottom 10 only because, at the end of the day, all it wanted to do
was delivery dinosaur mayhem and it did that. This movie really was a mess
all-around. It's about as sloppy a blockbuster as I've even seen.
Bottom 10
110. Welcome to Marwen
Zemeckis and
company simply don't know how to turn this inventive true story into something
that functions as an interesting movie. There are a lot of cool visuals in
service of nothing and the scattered ideas of a story that don't amount to a
cohesive whole.
111. Flower
I love this indie
movie cast. Zoey Deutch really excels in this kind of role (emotionally young
but with the poise of someone much older). This just tries too hard to be edgy
and where the story ends up makes no sense.
112. Gringo
On paper, this is a
movie I should've found really funny. Instead, I was bored by it and struggled
to pay attention to it.
113. Ibiza
I just wasn't on
the same page as this movie. I should never be this mentally checked out when
Gillian Jacobs is on screen. Something went wrong.
114. Upgrade
Someone forgot to
remind the people working on this movie how fun it's supposed to be. It
underwhelmed me all around.
115. Fifty Shades Freed
These movies are
pretty bad. I don't think that's a hot take.
116. Mile 22
That's a lot of
deeply unlikable characters for only one movie. I disliked nearly every minute
of this despite my love of Peter Berg as a director.
117. Life of the Party
The Melissa
McCarthy/Ben Falcone partnership has yielded three movies so far and I've hated
them all.
118. Life Itself (2018)
This is the most
pretentious movie I saw this year. The screenplay is an absolute mess but it's
under the impression that it's actually brilliant. I know this, because a
character delivers a speech about how clever the theme of the movie is. There
are probably more incompetently made movies above this on my list, but none of
those made me as angry as watching this did.
119. The Mule
I don't think this
movie does anything right. I'm genuinely stunned that the Rotten Tomatoes and
Metacritic ratings aren't in the single digits. For many movies I worry that
there's something I'm missing about them that other people are seeing. Not for
this one. I'm confident that this is bad and anyone who disagrees is wrong or,
at the very least, confusing their indifference with decent filmmaking.
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