My Favorite Movies of 2018
2018 was an absurdly good year for film. While I still haven’t seen every movie I wanted from the last year, here are the best eight that I could.
8. Eighth Grade
Completely coincidental placement. Bo Burnham’s debut was an uncomfortably honest depiction of growing up in the social media age. It reminded my of all the experiences I had in middle school that I’ve tried to forget. Beautiful, funny, and filled with great acting and writing, Eighth Grade reminded me that being 13 is a terrible time we all get to go through together.
7. Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse
Easily one of the best comic book movies to ever come out. Great humor and excellent characters help make it a standout in a year filled with superheroes. Not to mention the incredible animation that was a breath of originality compared to the other 3D animated movies we usually see. Into the Spiderverse makes a poignant superhero origin story that the world needs right now.
6. Mission Impossible: Fallout
Easily the best action franchise going on right now, fight me. Fallout is the best installment yet, with stunts and fight sequences that made me laugh and smile with joy. Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie are a great duo together and created an exceptional summer action hit. Not many movies give me a rush of adrenaline, but this one did.
5. If Beale Street Could Talk
Barry Jenkins delivers again with a beautiful and emotional adaptation of James Baldwin’s novel. The greatest parts of If Beale Street Could Talk come in the details. Every element, the editing, cinematography, acting, and especially the score, come together in an incredible film. I felt consumed by the movie and its story in a way not many other dramas can achieve. The film somehow feels both intimate and personal yet the themes and atmosphere are consuming.
4. Searching
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It would be easy for Searching to just be a gimmick, the latest film to use the new Screen Life technique. Instead, Searching is an intense thriller as well as an emotional journey of a desperate father. John Cho’s performance drives the film and was an intensely realistic portrayal of a dad at his limit. With genuine twists and an engaging story told through characters you truly care about, Searching is a masterpiece in telling so much with the details of life.
3. Leave No Trace
The latest of these movies that I saw, Leave No Trace blew me away. The color palette and direction brought such a beautiful sense of calm. The story at its heart was touching, personal, and painful. Also one of the best child actor performances of the year by far. Like its title suggests, the movie shows the lives of people we will never really see but proves that the impact of a life is about the people you’re around.
2. Annihilation
Ambition is alive and well in 2018. Annihilation is one of those movies you’re amazed got made. Bearing very little resemblance to its source material of the same name (which is also excellent in different ways) the movie manages to carve out its own meanings. Visually stunning and filled with scenes that will stick around in your brain for a long time, Annihilation is a testament that a film can be more than just a film. I hope in a couple years this will be thought of as an under appreciated gem that can be discovered again.
1. American Animals
I don’t think I can put into words how much I loved this movie, but I’ll try. American Animals is a Sundance film which got buried in a busy summer. The plot is the true story of four college age students who try to rob a university library of valuable books. I wanted to watch this movie because of my love of art theft but came out with so much more. The movie was magnetic and pulled me in. I didn’t want to blink so I wouldn’t miss a single movement. The score is beautiful, the editing superb, and the cinematography and direction are excellent. The film is, in a way, a film about stories themselves and how they influence our lives. It’s about ambition, the mundanes of life, and the consequences our actions have on the world around us. This movie was so good that I abandoned one of my writing projects because it said everything I ever dreamed I could. It’s an honest and messy depiction of crime you won’t find anywhere else. If I can only ever recommend one more movie, it’s this one. The opening words tell you all you need to know: This isn’t based on a true story, this is a true story.
Honorable Mentions
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
You Were Never Really Here
The Favorite
The Death of Stalin
