2018 may have been the year of "it's fine" but amid the mediocrity and drama there were some greatness to behold. Oakland was the main city for many of the biggest and most talked about films of the year. Netflix continued their ascension into being America's favorite movie distributor, thanks to its easy-access streaming platform, expanding their acquisition of critical and festival favorites, and producing several titles that had America buzzing up a storm. Documentaries were all the rage, focusing on a variety of subjects including showbiz personalities, forgotten film footage, and a curious case of crossing paths. Several prominent coming-of-age stories revolved around the joy and agony of skateboarding. Two indie directors runged all of the tears and emotions out of their audiences by exploring the lives of damaged men and their relationship to horses. Film scores greatly outshone song-filled soundtracks. And despite the quick effort of trying to turn it into an online joke, the movie-going public was still traumatized all year by a single finger snap. From all of these movies and more, I rounded up the twenty films that stayed with me for days, played with my emotions so elegantly and made me want to watch them again and again.
These are the films I have deemed the best of 2018. Though I put them in list format, I was equally entertained and moved by all of these films.
Now comes the usual disclaimer that everyone forgets to remember: This list is of my own opinion, not the general public nor the Internet consensus. If I didn't see the film at all or in its entirety, it isn't counted or considered to be included.
(EDIT: I didn't get this article up in time on 1/7/2019 nor did I completely fully. I apologize for it not being up to my usual standard for a Best Films list. As much as I'm mad at myself for it, I still want to preserve it as a time capsule rather than toss the entire article out. Please enjoy.)
TOP TEN BEST FILMS
1. Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
I said during the opening statements of my Worst of list that 2018 essentially didn't effect me as much as 2017. But really I'm only human, of flesh and blood and made, and throughout last year I was often emotionally crushed by the cynicism, the horrors, the corruption, and all of the blind eyes. If I need any proof of this, I can just look at my writing input on this very website. Despite these setbacks, I still pursued my love for film and even ventured out more often to my local cinemas, including one movie that took a toll on me even when the trailer was playing on the big screen. Morgan Neville's documentary on beloved television icon Fred Rogers perfectly encapsulate what 2018 really was while also crafting a never-cloying, always fair examination at a modern man that could very well have been a real angel in disguise. The movie turned me into a sobbing mess even before the halfway point; all of the love, compassion, and honest discourse he gave to the people around him and the kids watching at home during troubling times (whether personal or societal) made my heart grow like a beanstalk and broke the control wheel off of my tear ducts. And to cap it all off, Neville uses Roger's last college commencement speech to weave an unbelievably immaculate conclusion.
2. Upgrade
Leigh Whannell certainly hasn't been one of my recent favorites, often squandering the goodwill he had with writing the original Insidious. I honestly sneered when I first saw this sleeper being advertised. But holy shit, he made me eat my hat, shoe, and words with this excellent cyberpunk thriller.
3. The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl
4. Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
5. Roma
6. Let The Corpses Tan
7. Game Night
8. BlackKkKlansman
9. Whitney
10. Sorry To Bother You
THE NEXT TEN
11. Hereditary
12. Widows
13. A Quiet Place
14. Mirai
15. Deadpool 2
It may not be as great as the first one but I had so much fun with its vulgar superhero hilarity. And dig that mid-credits stinger that absolutely slays the audience.
16. The Death Of Stalin
17. Padmaavat
In a vast sea of cinema where nearly every movie has a running time of two and a half hours, none of them can fly by faster than this Bollywood epic. Extravagant production design and a brilliant lead performance by Ranveer Singh.
18. Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us
19. Avengers: Infinity War
20. Isle Of Dogs
Next Up: The Worst Performances of 2018
TOP TEN BEST FILMS
1. Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
I said during the opening statements of my Worst of list that 2018 essentially didn't effect me as much as 2017. But really I'm only human, of flesh and blood and made, and throughout last year I was often emotionally crushed by the cynicism, the horrors, the corruption, and all of the blind eyes. If I need any proof of this, I can just look at my writing input on this very website. Despite these setbacks, I still pursued my love for film and even ventured out more often to my local cinemas, including one movie that took a toll on me even when the trailer was playing on the big screen. Morgan Neville's documentary on beloved television icon Fred Rogers perfectly encapsulate what 2018 really was while also crafting a never-cloying, always fair examination at a modern man that could very well have been a real angel in disguise. The movie turned me into a sobbing mess even before the halfway point; all of the love, compassion, and honest discourse he gave to the people around him and the kids watching at home during troubling times (whether personal or societal) made my heart grow like a beanstalk and broke the control wheel off of my tear ducts. And to cap it all off, Neville uses Roger's last college commencement speech to weave an unbelievably immaculate conclusion.
2. Upgrade
Leigh Whannell certainly hasn't been one of my recent favorites, often squandering the goodwill he had with writing the original Insidious. I honestly sneered when I first saw this sleeper being advertised. But holy shit, he made me eat my hat, shoe, and words with this excellent cyberpunk thriller.
3. The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl
4. Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
5. Roma
6. Let The Corpses Tan
7. Game Night
8. BlackKkKlansman
9. Whitney
10. Sorry To Bother You
THE NEXT TEN
11. Hereditary
12. Widows
13. A Quiet Place
14. Mirai
15. Deadpool 2
It may not be as great as the first one but I had so much fun with its vulgar superhero hilarity. And dig that mid-credits stinger that absolutely slays the audience.
16. The Death Of Stalin
17. Padmaavat
In a vast sea of cinema where nearly every movie has a running time of two and a half hours, none of them can fly by faster than this Bollywood epic. Extravagant production design and a brilliant lead performance by Ranveer Singh.
18. Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us
19. Avengers: Infinity War
20. Isle Of Dogs
Next Up: The Worst Performances of 2018
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