The 20 Best Movies of 2018
There are a lot of trends that you can point to when you reflect on the year in film for 2018. For one, a lot of actors turned into writers and directors, whether it was Jonah Hill with mid90s, Ike Barinholtz with The Oath, Joel Edgerton with Boy Erased, John Krasinski with A Quiet Place, Bradley Cooper with A Star Is Born, Paul Dano with Wildlife, Bo Burnham with Eighth Grade, Danny McBride with Halloween, Rashida Jones with Quincy, and you get the picture. For another, it seemed like hopefully musicals and rom-coms might again be on the rise. Netflix seemed to be treated with more reverence and so did Marvel. Movies about quaint, British childhood characters were massively successful both critically and commercially (Christopher Robin, Paddington 2, Peter Rabbit) Films with non-straight, white, male leads proved (though they never should have had to) that they can open big and grow strong legs at the box office. The Red Sox won the World Series (hey, there was a championship documentary so it counts!). Mindy Kaling was in two movies! And…okay, it seems like these have become Dave trends more than anything else.
But regardless, 2018 was a wonderful year for movies. It wasn’t as top-to-bottom consistent as other years (there were a lot more movies that were just, let’s say, not for me), but it was an extremely top-heavy year. And yes, I know that top-heaviness comes with a lot of Disney. It was a big Disney year for me! Is it so wrong to have a list that is emblematic of the year that was?
Honorable Mentions
These are films that did not make my top twenty, but were thoroughly enjoyable in 2018!
Best First Half of a Movie: The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
Seriously, the second half of this movie was a disaster, but the first half was everything I could have ever hoped for in a Nutcracker film.
Best Reinvention of an Actor: A Simple Favor
Blake Lively in A Simple Favor is a revelation that I never saw coming. She’s been reinventing herself for a while, but this was the true breakthrough.
Best Direct Superhero Sequels: Incredibles 2 and Ant-Man and the Wasp
Two great superhero movies that were lighthearted, fun, funny, and small-scale, but there just wasn’t enough room for them in the top twenty. Besides, there’s a lot of superhero films there already.
Best Movie Where Joel McHale Plays Chevy Chase: A Futile and Stupid Gesture
The best. Thank you, David Wain.
Best Evidence That a Veep Movie Would Be Great: The Death of Stalin
It’s gotta be right up there as one of the best political comedies of the modern era. Armando Iannucci is the best and the only one I would trust with a Trump film.
Best Music Documentary: Have It All — The Movie
Jason Mraz is so lovely and philosophic and his music is a treat. This is available on Amazon and you should watch it and Love, Gilda back to back (it’s revelatory).
Best Ethan Hawke Movie I Liked More Than First Reformed: Juliet, Naked
Sorry, film fans who will certainly hate this category.
Best Movie Everyone Hated That I Will Stand By: A Wrinkle in Time
I mean, Mindy Kaling quoted Hamilton. I really shouldn’t have to explain myself any further than that.
The List
20. Wildlife
2018 was a great year for movies, but I continue to get the sneaking suspicion that it is not going to be such a great year for award shows. After the Golden Globes celebrated Bohemian Rhapsody (which gets brownie points from me because it made my best friend so, so happy) and Green Book, I started to come to terms with the fact that some of my favorites from the year might not get the love they so desperately deserved. No movie is a better microcosm for this sentiment than Wildlife. It should be one of the strongest players in the 2018–19 awards season, especially in the acting categories for Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan, but unfortunately, the directorial near-masterpiece from Paul Dano has been pushed to the side and is instead an extreme, extreme dark horse. It’s a pity, too, because this was a masterclass in how to make a compelling drama about a family at a crossroads.
19. Paddington 2
I am well aware of the fact that nothing I’m going to write here is going to be news to anyone about one of the best reviewed movies of the year. (All 216 of its reviews on RottenTomatoes are fresh.) In fact, this is probably doubly true because I included it on my Best of 2018 list when, for many, it was released in 2017. So yes, I’m coming up as one of the last people to sing the praises of Paddington 2, but I’m going to do it anyway. It’s a much better, lovelier, more rewatchable movie than its predecessor and I was not expecting this. Not because it’s a children’s sequel about a British bear, but because its concept was one I’d grown tired of since it was never really played out well enough (most recently in Muppets Most Wanted). But it bucked all of my expectations because of how unabashedly sweet and polite it all was. It didn’t shy away from cynicism. Instead, cynicism was a major part of the movie. But Paddington was stronger than it. We can be, too.
18. Searching
At the outset of every year, I try to map out the movies I want to see during the year. Usually this includes the big Marvel and Star Wars tentpoles, whatever movie Disney or Pixar is releasing, and some of the more obvious Oscar bait. Searching is the best argument in favor of abandoning this process of curating a watchlist altogether and just letting the movies come as they may. It’s one I never saw coming and never would have pegged as a must watch for me. Even when I heard about it, I still brushed it off as a gimmick and how I had trouble buying John Cho in a non-comedic role. News flash, Dave, Cho can do whatever he wants! Including captivating thrillers that make their gimmicks into their best assets! If you want a good mystery thriller, Searching is 2018’s best entry into the genre.
17. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
The reason this isn’t much higher is because Tobey Maguire didn’t actually come back to play Peter Parker! Jokes aside (kind of), Into the Spider-Verse is the best non-MCU superhero movie I have seen in some time. One downside is that it was so hyped up before its release that I knew it would never be able to live up those colossal expectations once I was actually able to see it. But it still came pretty damn close and I obviously can’t fault the actual movie for that. It’s not the fault of Phil Lord, Chris Miller, and Rodney Rothman that the hype train left the station and careened across the globe. But they are responsible for how this story gets to the core of superheroism and rebukes every sentiment against comic book traditionalism while probably being one of the closest creations that resembles a comic book come to life. And if The Lego Movie is going to continue to spawn spin-offs of their characters, I’m more than okay with Spider-Noir and Spider-Ham and Spider-Gwen receiving their own spin-off movies from the Spider-Verse-verse.
16. Roma
A Spanish language, black and white, period movie released exclusively on Netflix and in some movie theaters (maybe). I never would have expected this to make my top twenty. Not because I don’t appreciate foreign movies. And not because I don’t like movies in black and white (I love It’s a Wonderful Life!). And certainly not because I don’t take Netflix seriously (see number seven). But because I’m not smart enough to enjoy a movie like Roma more than I enjoy a big budget superhero movie or a tentpole musical sequel. And yet, Roma transcended that. But look, I know Alfonso Cuaron and everyone involved and everyone who loves this movie and everyone who it was made for could not give less of a shit about whether or not it resonated with some dumb fuck twenty year old white guy from liberal Massachusetts, but it did. When I think of Roma, I think of texture. How fully realized the movie is (probably because it came directly from Cuaron’s memory) and how fully lived-in the culture is. Because of this, the moments of heavy drama grab you and don’t let go and they feel so, so real.
15. Game Night
To go from waxing poetic about one of the year’s best dramas one of our best working directors to then putting a studio comedy above it would seem almost sacrilegious if Game Night wasn’t so fucking funny. In an era where studio comedies don’t dominate like they used to and some of the funniest movies are actually action movies, Game Night brought us back to high-budget comedy, mainly because it relied on an actual, cohesive script and solid direction. It wasn’t an improvisational love fest and it didn’t coast on actors we love just screaming and talking loudly. It was smart, sharp, and it was rich with layered jokes and meta symbolism. I was most excited for Tag going into 2018, in terms of comedies, but Game Night came out ahead. By a long shot. (And I liked Tag!)
14. Ralph Breaks the Internet
Even more sacrilegious than the above is probably saying that Ralph Breaks the Internet was my favorite animated movie of the year. But you know what? I’m not ashamed of it. I loved this movie. And I admit that, as a total Disney nerd, it was completely made for me and I’m so fine with that. Because it stood out well enough from the Disney pack in terms of its thematic teachings on how to be a good friend and its condemnation on toxic masculinity. And then on top of that, it threw in one of the best scenes in the history of Disney animation: the scene where Vanellope von Schweetz meets the entire canon of Disney princesses. It’s hilarious, it’s nostalgic, it’s heart-warming. One of my absolute favorite scenes of the year. I am more than happy with Disney making an Avengers-esque princess movie!
13. A Star Is Born
Hey, girl. Tell me something. Are you happy in this modern world? Or is it time to let the old ways die? Jokes aside, A Star Is Born answers a lot of heavy, imperative questions to an audience that might not have been ready for them. But it is a towering achievement when you consider all the elements that went into it, nonetheless! The directorial debut of Bradley Cooper isn’t a small Indie drama or a reliable property. Instead, he makes a fourth remake as melodramatic as possible and puts his heart directly onto his sleeve and casts one of the biggest pop stars of the century and he compares himself to Clint Eastwood and it’s just like…damn. Shoot your fucking shot, Cooper. And he is easily the best part of the movie. Lady Gaga is great, don’t get me wrong, and “Shallow” doesn’t hit if she’s not a part of it. But Cooper carries this movie all the way through, even when it does stumble towards the finish line. He is the beating heart of the whole damn thing and a bona fide, eternal movie star after a time where it seemed like his last, great, non-Rocket Raccoon stand would have been Burnt.
12. Bad Times at the El Royale
From the moment when Jon Hamm walked through the hallway and explored each of the hotel rooms occupied by the mysterious guests while Cynthia Erivo belted out one of the best musical moments in any 2018 movie, Bad Times had a spot in this top twenty. Combining the aesthetic of pulp movies with a hotel setting and the “stranger(s) come(s) to town” story, it is utterly riveting and devastatingly fun from start to finish. From the way it plays with perspective to a slew of incredibly well-written characters to allowing Chris Hemsworth to dance strangely with his shirt unbuttoned, I was in awe of Drew Goddard’s efforts to tell a story about salvation in recognition of the talents of many different actors who have spent recent years trying desperately not to be type cast. (See: Hemsworth, Hamm, and Dakota Johnson.)
11. First Man
Ryan Gosling has a damn good argument as the best actor of his generation. I would say that Damien Chazelle has a damn good argument as the best young filmmaker on the scene, but there’s no argument that needs to be made. Chazelle is already there. (And I haven’t even seen Whiplash yet!) Because what do you do when you cap off a torrid awards run for one of the most overtly “Hollywood” type, love letter to classic musical movies with the bright colors of Gosling and Emma Stone tap dancing their way across the Los Angeles sunset? Obviously, you craft a biopic about one of the icons of American history. But Chazelle pulls it off because it’s so easy for him to make movies about talented people and it shows, because he is so talented, too. This wasn’t a big hit at the box office when you compare it to other space and science movies from past years like Gravity, Interstellar, The Martian, and even Arrival, but we should not let that be its legacy. We must remember First Man for being one of the most compelling biopics of the decade.
10. Ocean’s Eight
“Leave me alone!” I scream as I use a broom to bat away all the film critics on Letterboxd climbing up my wall to tell me why Ocean’s Eight pales in comparison to the Soderbergh trilogy. Look, when I first saw this, I was so obsessed with Mindy Kaling and her Met Gala dress and the incredible performance of Anne Hathaway (seriously one of my favorite performances ever), that I proclaimed it to be better than George Clooney’s Ocean’s Eleven from eighteen years ago. Now that the dust has settled, I realize that that movie is probably untouchable in the Ocean’s franchise, but this one still comes super fucking close. It’s a hell of a lot of fun to watch these actors all chew scenery together and add layers upon layers of mystery onto their schemes. It’s breezy, yet sleek. Fun, yet driven. Ocean’s Nine is welcome at any time. Literally, any time.
9. Black Panther
There are certain movies that came out in your lifetime where you always remember where you were when you saw them and what the moments were like leading up to that moment. For me, I remember walking over the bridge to Disney Springs, listening to “All the Stars,” the amazing song on the Black Panther soundtrack from Kendrick Lamar and SZA to hype myself up for the Marvel movie that everyone proclaimed to be the towering achievement of the cinematic universe. I grabbed a Cuban sandwich from Bongos and prepared to be enthralled in Marvel and Wakanda and all things Black Panther. The atmosphere was truly electric throughout the opening night of what proved to be my favorite solo superhero movie ever made. Black Panther was a big superhero action movie, to be sure, but it had some truly jaw-dropping setpieces along the way. And above it all, there were themes about isolationism and culture and legacy and tradition and balance. It was incredible and it shows that movies like this are the way forward for superhero movies. Creative directors know more than studios do. Thank you, Coogs!
8. A Quiet Place
Plot holes be damned, these are movies, man! Who cares? We’re supposed to suspend disbelief. Wakanda isn’t even a real country, gin joints are hard to walk into at random, and burglars would eventually evaluate their surroundings when a child sets booby traps for them. Belief is irrelevant in the best of films and that’s kind of what you have to do when you make a horror movie that literally came about from the thought, What if you couldn’t talk? And it shows that, sometimes, the best idea for movies are the ones that are very easily described. Like The Martian. A guy is stick on Mars. Simple concept. Tell the story from there. A Quiet Place. You talk, you die. You’re immediately engaged with the story from there. But credit where credit is due, John Krasinski did not waste his chance. He used the story that would assuredly capture the attention of audiences and intertwined stories of parentage and what it means to raise a family in a society like this. But still, no one would care without characters to root for. And something about seeing Krasinski and Emily Blunt as the main relationship of the film makes that happen easily? Hmm. What could that be?
7. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
I told you I respected Netflix’s original movies! The Ballad of Buster Scruggs was meant to be a miniseries from Joel and Ethan Coen, two of the best working film creators alive today, but it eventually evolved into a movie of western vignettes that all have to do with themes of death. And even though this movie is hard to evaluate because of the disparate tones of the stories, that might be one of its biggest strengths. For every story that I thought was depressing and moribund, there were ones that were jubilant and absurd and quick-witted, too. I’ve already rewatched some of my favorite vignettes since it was released in November (“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” might just be my favorite, but “All Gold Canyon” is quite the stunning accomplishment, as well. And oh how lovely it is to see Dudley Dursley again. At least, I thought it was?) and, like every Coen brothers movie, it gets so much better the more you think about it.
6. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
The movie that I have probably been the most wrong about ever is Mamma Mia! When I first saw it, I tried to evaluate it as I had evaluated some of my favorite movies ever made. I missed the point. Mamma Mia! is supposed to be a fun musical with beautiful clothing and drool-worthy scenery with fun, recognizable actors singing catchy ABBA music. They never tried to hide this. It was part of the fun. It was me who missed that. Which is why my two star rating flipped to and a four and a half star rating when I saw the sequel (which is also part-prequel) to the 2008 jukebox musical and it finally clicked for me. These movies were cultivating some of the most fun moments in musical history by using the form of film to just have fun. Watching all of these beautiful people sing covers of the best Swedish pop music ever is some of the best money you could ever spend on a movie ticket. Just relax and enjoy.
5. Mary Poppins Returns
Yes, it pretty much follows the exact same rhythm as the original Mary Poppins movie did. Yes, Disney exploited the death of P.L. Travers to finally wrestle their way into a sequel for one of the most beloved films in the history of their canon (and probably the best live action movie Disney ever made). Yes, the Colin Firth subplot is weird and hard to care about when all of the fun, joyous musical numbers are going on. But that’s just why I loved it. Exactly like Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, evaluating musicals has to come with the perceptions of the music and the dancing first and foremost. And Mary Poppins doesn’t just knock these elements out of the park. It hits a whole-ass fucking grand slam. Going into the year, many projected that Josh Brolin would have the best year of any actor with Avengers: Infinity War and Deadpool 2 coming out. But no. 2018 belonged to Emily Blunt. The duplicitous nature of her performances this year is nothing short of stunning. Portraying a horror movie bad ass in A Quiet Place and then taking on the iconic role of Mary Poppins is nothing short of breathtaking. But she’s perfect as Mary. Not even practically perfect, she’s straight up perfect. The costumes are to die for, the songs will get stuck in your head, Emily Mortimer was born to play Jane Banks (interesting!), Dick Van Dyke is back, and Lin-Manuel Miranda just has the most adorable smile, doesn’t he? What a jolly holiday with Mary.
4. Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
I know I’ve probably spoken with hyperbole a lot in this piece. I probably used way too many superlatives in place of adjectives. And I’m sorry about that. I just get so excited about the movies that I love. But I mean it when I say this next part. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? is my favorite documentary ever made. It is so perfect in every way. It paints a beautiful picture of Mr. Rogers while not being afraid to also challenge some aspects of his character and what he brought to Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. Feeling like a living, breathing testament and advocacy for all things beautiful and lovely in the world, the entire documentary won’t just tug on your heartstrings, it will rip them out and play them like a ukulele. 2018 was a dark year in a lot of ways and the more I write about the movies I loved from it, the more I realized that I was just looking for things to fill my heart. I was looking for things to smile about. Fred Rogers has never failed to do that throughout my life. And he didn’t fail now.
3. Christopher Robin
Go with me on this one. You know what? Fuck it. This one’s just gonna be a Dave pick and we’re all just going to have to be okay with that! Directed by Marc Forster and written by an all-star team comprised of Alex Ross Perry, Tom McCarthy, and Allison Schroeder, Christopher Robin was exactly what I wanted out of a live action Winnie the Pooh movie. Tugging on many of the same nostalgia and loveliness heartstrings that Won’t You Be My Neighbor? found its way to (this process began with its immaculate first trailer!), Christopher Robin is a perfect distillation of what has always drawn readers and watchers to the character of Winnie the Pooh. The dialogue and the stories are sweet and simple, but hilariously underrated, too. Christopher Robin employs the talents of Ewan McGregor as the titular character, now grown, who has a run in with Pooh, still charmingly portrayed by Jim Cummings, doing double duty as Tigger, and the entire gang from the Hundred Acre Wood, including Piglet who looks positively adorable with his green sweater. The same lovely Pooh sentiments are all here as they pit the simple philosophies of Pooh against the worn, tired, desperate-to-be-young-again philosophies of Robin. The result is a beautiful combination that puts some of the most stunning moments of the year to screen. Life-affirming and charming all the same, Christopher Robin will always stay with me.
2. Avengers: Infinity War
Speaking of immaculate first trailer, Avengers: Infinity War had one of the best ever and will probably forever hold the record as the trailer I rewatched the most. And when it’s all said and done, Avengers: Infinity War could become one of my most rewatched movies. It was the incredible. My love for this movie, one of the greatest Marvel movies ever made and undoubtedly the current pinnacle of superhero crossover films, can be broken down into two distinct factions of reasons. For one, the fact that Infinity War even worked at all in the first place is reason enough for it to be this high on the list. The culmination of a cinematic franchise that had to also work as the first half of a larger story (see: Avengers: Endgame) and have complete character arcs for roughly thirty characters, each of whom was portrayed by a different A-list Hollywood actor, would be a challenge enough. But when you have to chronicle Thanos and his quest to collect the Infinity Stones and integrate the character development left over from movies like Captain America: Civil War, Iron Man 3, Thor: Ragnarok, both Guardians of the Galaxy films, Black Panther, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Doctor-Strange, while also juggling half a dozen different settings with a two-part simultaneous action-packed climax and a conclusion that would blow the entire audience away and potentially risk alienating some of them, and it all somehow works? That’s impressive enough to be this high on the list. But my love also comes from how Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Christopher Markus, and Stephen McFeely did this. They made Thanos the main protagonist (and compelling!) and allowed the story to revolve around him with all of our beloved heroes playing supporting roles and they did it with creative action setpieces that thoroughly satisfy the needs of every comic book movie nerd to see how the classic characters interact with one another. It was the Marvel movie that couldn’t afford to fail. And it didn’t even come close. Instead, it soared, as one of the crown jewels of blockbuster filmmaking.
- The Old Man and the Gun
It might seem strange to conclude a list that was filled with musicals and superhero movies and horror movies and heists and space epics with a quiet, contemplative character drama that was based on an article. But when I really think about the year in film for 2018, none of the movies seem as close to touching my heart as The Old Man and the Gun was. A lot of the love for The Old Man and the Gun seems to stem from people who found it very charming and pleasant. Don’t get me wrong, it was definitely those things. But I also feel like those reviews seem almost sort of reductive to the true beauty that exudes from every character beat and every bit of texture that so gorgeously fills every frame of this film. First, I want to mention David Lowery, the director of the picture. Lowery’s filmography began with 2013’s Ain’t Them Bodies Saints a creative, interestingly-shot two-hander with Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara. He followed this up by becoming a studio hand for Disney with 2016’s Pete’s Dragon, which starred Robert Redford and Bryce Dallas Howard. Then, just last year, Lowery released a thought-provoking, supernatural story that really goes easy on the “super” in A Ghost Story, which starred, again, Affleck and Mara. These three movies definitely put Lowery onto my radar as one of my favorite new directors, but he now has finally achieved the number one spot on my list this year with The Old Man and the Gun. It’s hard to believe this is Lowery’s fourth feature because of how much beauty and experience and emotion seems to have gone into it. It’ll forever be one of my favorite movies because of the touch he put into it. He is masterful. But so is Redford. Portraying Forrest Tucker, a man who robs banks because it makes him feel alive, Redford is so perfectly cast. You can feel the weight of this role because of the weight of Redford’s career. As one of the best actors who ever lived and definitely one of my favorites, Redford announced that this movie would be the last one he would ever act in. Devastating, sure, but what a perfect movie to go out on. Not a lot of actors get to call their shot that way. And still, his legacy is felt throughout this movie. So many moments still stick with me, from the moment when Redford goes out of his way to meet Affleck’s officer character to the montage of escapes from prison that really lets you feel Redford’s legacy to Redford taking one last ride on a horse, as if Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was just yesterday. This is the one. This is the best movie of 2018.
