Zack's Top Ten Movies of 2018

Another year in the books, and another year of films behind us. Thanks to the terrible business plan of Moviepass, I saw a lot of smaller films in theaters (before they got millions of dollars in debt and changed the plan). When putting this list together, there were a lot of movies I had to cut that could’ve been here. And in a few years, who knows what this list would look like. There are still some movies I wanted to see but haven’t gotten to yet. But I set the week the Oscar nominations come out as my cut off. But I will definitely see them in the coming months. But here we go!

10. Paddington 2 - There is something to be said about a movie that is so earnest in its cheeriness and pure hopefulness. Both Paddington movies are just pure joyful entertainment that everyone can enjoy. Where Paddington 2 improves upon its predecessor, is the larger focus on making your own family. Paddington gets framed and sent to jail, and while in prison finds a new family to love and support, while also never giving up hope The Brown family will come and rescue him. With a stellar villainous performance by Hugh Grant, Paddington 2 will be a go to movie for years to cheer me up when I’m in a bad mood.

9. The Favourite - I honestly didn’t expect to laugh in this movie as much as I did. From director Yorgos Lanthimos, whose previous movies The Lobster, Dogtooth, and The Killing of a Sacred Deer, are not nearly as funny. The Favourite is a high energy romp through the lives of three powerful women who are fighting for what they want. All three leads, Olivia Coleman, Rachel Weisz, and Emma Stone, deliver some of the best performances of their respective careers. They are so sharp and biting and fierce, that you’ll be laughing to cover up how uncomfortable what they are saying and doing makes you. It starts as a simple comedy of manners period piece, but it takes a hard left turn and will take you on a journey you are not expecting.

8. Mandy - This. Movie. Rules. Its so incredible outlandish and over the top, and violent, and totally bonkers. At its core, it is a fairly simple horror revenge film, but everything around it is so creative and original. Nicolas Cage delivers one of his greatest performances, but its so different from his other great performances. Cage is still pulling from his energy and what makes Cage great, but he does it with much less dialogue. So many great Cage rolls use his energy and great motor mouthing (Matchstick Men, Bad Lieutenant, Adaptation, etc), but here he is relying more on his physical performance, and reacting to the insanity around him. With an incredible villain performance by Linus Roache, and Andrea Riseborough as the title character, Mandy will take you on a ride like no other film has done in a long time.

7. Mission Impossible: Fallout - This may not be the greatest action movie ever made, but it might be the most action movie ever made. Tom Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie have turned up this franchise way bast 11. They went so hard with the action that they shot a real HALO jump with Tom Cruise actually jumping out of a plane and wrestling with a stuntman. And after that insanely intense sequence that will make it hard to breath, its immediately followed by one of the most brutal hand to hand fight scenes I’ve ever seen. This film moves so fast and has so much going on, that you will feel exhausted at the end. No action film has made me feel this way since Mad Max: Fury Road. McQuarrie has signed on to make 2 more films, but I honestly have no idea where they go from here. Is Cruise going to make McQuarrie go to space?

6. If Beale Street Could Talk - Director Barry Jenkins’ follow up to his Oscar winning Moonlight, is just as powerful and moving. Beale Street is one of the most beautiful and moving love stories I’ve seen in a long time. The central relationship between Fonny and Tish is the driving force that carries you as the film just from their courtship to the present day as the film builds up to why they are in the situation they are. With Tish’s narration guiding the film as she tells this tragic love story, you get swept up in their lives and the lives of their family and friends. New York Times film critic Manohla Dargis said that this is a film about trusting love in a world of hate, and I can think of nothing that summarizes this film better than that.

5. Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse - Sony has had a rough time with the Spider-Man property. Their interference killed Raimi’s series. They also were so hands on with the Amazing Spider-Man films that they were dead on arrival. They needed a partnership with Marvel Studios to make Homecoming be as fun as it was. So when it was announced that Sony was making an animated Spider-Man film separate from Marvel Studios, I was concerned. When it was announced that the creative minds behind The Lego Movie would be producing and co-writing this, and that it would focus on Miles Morales as the web crawler, I felt a little more relieved, but still some slight hesitation. Would Sony let this creative team do what they think is best, or will they muck it up with too many studio notes? Well this movie rules. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a film this visually striking. This is one of the most uniquely animated films ever made. There is so much color and pop, that when I saw the trailer for the upcoming Spider-Man: Far From Home, I asked “But where is all the color at?” And on top of all the visual power, the story and characters are all incredibly three dimensional. With a great message about anyone can be a hero, and for kids to be able to see that anyone can be under the mask, Spider-Verse will be talked about for a long time.

4. Shoplifters - The 2018 Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or winner is truly a moving film about family. This slice of life film follows this poor family in Tokyo who has to steal to survive. This film’s story is like a puzzle. Slowly a new piece of these people’s lives is added to make the picture more clear. We see as they’re raising their youngest child how they teach her the ins and outs of their lives. When all the pieces are in place at the end of the film, the picture laid out is one of sadness and honesty. Sadly, I’m the only one I know who saw it, so I need more of you to seek it out so I can talk to you about it.

3. BlacKkKlansman - Spike Lee is one of our country’s greatest filmmakers, and this is one of his best films. It is so sharp and funny and pointed. He is pulling no punches and going straight for the gut. John David Washington and Adam Driver work so well together in this buddy cop adventure to infiltrate the KKK and take them down. Topher Grace plays David Duke with no attempt to “see the good in him”, and makes him a truly great villain in this movie. This film has a lot to say, and needs to be heard by all.

2. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? - Mr. Rogers Neighborhood had an impact on so many children for decades, but I never really thought about all the ins and outs that went into making his show over the years. If you are expecting a hard hitting documentary that digs deep into Fred Rogers and uncovers all these skeletons, well this isn’t that movie. He was exactly the man we all thought he was. He challenged the norms of children’s entertainment, and created a safe place for children to learn life lessons, and help become comfortable with who they are. This beautiful film about a beautiful soul needs to be seen my everyone.

1. Sorry To Bother You - I saw this film over the summer, and I haven’t been the same since. This biting satire shook me too the bone. I went into this movie blind, and every time I thought the movie couldn’t get crazier, it did. And again, and again. First time director Boots Riley has created one of the most shocking and original films I’ve ever seen. In a time when the theaters are filled with sequels and remakes, this film was the beacon to guide me home. Rarely has a movie taken me by surprise as many times as this one did, and I welcomed it. Led by Lakeith Stanfield and Tessa Thompson, the cast is uniformly incredible, including Thompson’s earring collection. I encourage you to go in as blind as possible, but I do know this film is not for everybody. It will definitely be a turn off for some. But if you can handle some shock and awe, definitely give this a chance. Whether you like it or not, I know you won’t forget this experience.