2018 Film Favorites: Reflecting on the Year

Let's not get into it here, but am I ever glad to see 2018 behind us. Looking back at last January's 2018 preview, I'd say I batted a little better than 500. Some films I didn't give a thought to made huge impacts. Others I was eager for barely made a ripple - and some (like Alita) got bumped and are still waiting to be released.

But it's always nice to reflect, and recollect which films we connected with the most over the year we just experienced. Full disclosure, there are still quite a few 2018 contenders I still haven't seen - as of this writing, I have yet to catch Bohemian Rhapsody, Halloween, Green Book, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, The Favourite, Roma, The Old Man and The Gun, Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse, or Vice. So my dance card may change, once I've caught up a bit more.

But for me so far, these (links to full reviews below) were the ones that made me smile the widest, and gave me that unmistakable, "Now that was a movie!" feeling:

Paddington 2 (2017) - Technically a 2017 film, but it wasn't released in the states until 2018, so there you go. An incredibly perfect and restorative family film that is so fresh and full of whimsy, I just can't recommend it enough. If you have a bad day where you're worried that innocence and good are slipping away from this world, do yourself a favor and see this movie. 

Black Panther - Expectations redefined - Marvel created a full-blown cultural phenomenon that gave an audience too-often ignored, a champion that new generations could embrace and revel in. Michael B. Jordan took what could have been a stock villain role and pushed it into a revolutionary dimension that felt Shakespearean. All pistons firing and then some. Phenomenal filmmaking. 

A Quiet Place - Never saw it coming, my favorite kind. Sneaked in under the radar and grabbed the audience by the lapels. A virtually dialogue-free experience that became the suspense hit of the year. 

Avengers: Infinity War - Hot on the heels of Black Panther, Marvel's weaving together of a decade's worth of story threads thrilled audiences - and broke their hearts - in epic fashion. A watershed moment for the superhero universe, and beyond. 

Annihilation - Noodle-twisting, intelligent science fiction that combines intimacy and alien grandeur. Unlike anything else, and hard to shake. More visionary work from Alex Garland.

Won't You Be My Neighbor? - A strong candidate for favorite movie of the year. I had no idea it was coming and was completely unprepared for it. The antidote for all the bile and toxic hate that tainted so much of the world last year. A small miracle you can't see and be unchanged by. 

Mission: Impossible –Fallout - Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie keep pushing the envelope and fraying nerves with each new outing. The best James Bond film in ages, and a master class on what stunts can still achieve without benefit of a digital assist.

First Man - Easily in my top five, and possibly the most viscerally enthralling film about spaceflight ever made. Contrasting the stress and pressures that both machines and emotions can endure, it made for an unforgettable piece of pure cinema. Failed to find its audience, do not miss this when it hits home theater. 

BlacKkKlansman - Spike Lee knocks the cover off the ball, using the past to hold up a terrifyingly unflinching mirror to the hate of the present. Hilarious and suspenseful, a must-see for many reasons and incredibly well made. 

Overlord - A pulp horror hybrid that wreaks delicious havoc every step of the way. Fighting Nazi Evil with a capital E, a tight cast and a sensational new director happy to tighten the tourniquet for those who don't mind a little supernatural gore with their action.  

A Star Is Born - An astonishing debut from director/actor/musician Bradley Cooper, a simply stunning film on every level, also likely the most heart-wrenching film about addiction you're likely to see for a while. Easily the best love story of the year.

Honorable mentions go out to: Solo: A Star Wars Story, Deadpool 2, Hereditary, Mary Poppins Returns and Aquaman. They were all terrifically entertaining in their own way, but for whatever reasons they haven't (yet) resonated with me as personally as the others listed above. Though the older I get, the more often those initial reactions seem to like to change, so who knows? 

Up next, we'll gaze into the crystal ball and see what 2019's got cooking, in what promises to be a powerhouse, potentially legendary year at the movies.