Top Ten Tuesdays! Woohoo. As we approach the end of the month, we are going to give you the top 10 movies of the year so far! 6 months have gone by. But what’s the best? Can any films “Get Out” their way to an Oscar campaign? Only time will tell.
Honorable Mentions: Blockers, The Tale, Ready Player One, The Director and the Jedi
10. Won’t You Be My Neighbor?- This is a documentary about the life of Fred Rogers from Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. My face hurt from smiling. Every generation deserves a Fred Rogers, and I hope that I can pass along his sincerity, his warmth, and his thoughtfulness down to my own children someday. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was for the kids, and Won’t You Be My Neighbor? is for the adults. It’s up to us to make a change. And it starts with tolerance. And tolerance starts with watching films like this. A must watch.
9. Annihilation- Following his big breakout with Ex Machina, Alex Garland takes us into a world where a group of women go into an uncharted territory to find a missing group of travelers. Alex Garland is a bold son of a bitch. Ex Machina was bold in its subtlety, and Annihilation is bold in its extravagance. Two polar opposite films in style, but sharing so many of the same high points of Garland’s work. The writing is spot on, staying true to the characters and their stories while delving deep into the rich sci-fi world laid out in front of us. The performances are also great, with Natalie Portman leading the pack, establishing herself amongst the Ellen Ripleys, Sarah Conners, and other great science fiction heroines of our time. The true highlight here is the design of both visuals and sound. Engulfed by a soapy bubble of purple, each shot is rich in color and texture, creating more stunning landscapes and breathtaking worlds to explore. The tension created by the sound design, while not reaching horror fire in extremity, is quite impactful. Though it isn’t a horror film, there are so many tense, soul shattering sequences throughout that will send the butterflies soaring throughout your stomach. There is a sequence in the middle that may be the scariest thing I’ve seen in years...(it’s almost unBEARable *wink*). As he did in Ex Machina, Garland finishes his film in a striking third act, never holding back and staying true to the boldness of his craft through and through. While the plot is a bit less focused and more intellectually challenging than Ex Machina, audiences should still get something out of it. The visuals alone are enough to compensate for the ticket price. I prefer Garland’s debut Ex Machina (one of my all-time personal favorites of the genre) but Annihilation is still another slam dunk on Alex Garland’s part, exciting me for what is next in store for this sci-fi aficionado.
8. Disobedience- A Lesbian romance between two childhood best friends played by Rachel McAdams and Rachel Weisz, surrounded by the pressures of Judaism and broken trust. Oozing with passion, Disobedience is one of 2018’s most daring, sensuous, and lustful love stories. The themes it tackles regarding choice and desire in a lifestyle filled with rules and restrictions are certainly heavy...but they are portrayed beautifully through masterclass acting by Rachel McAdams and Rachel Weisz. Rachel-squared (if you will) establish themselves as big screen legends as each scene progresses, leaving behind goldmines of rich emotion for the audience to take in.
7. Isle of Dogs- Wes Anderson has never been one to hold back on his creativity and imagination. Here is his most ambitious film yet, and it is delightful. Oozing with stunning imagery and artistry, Isle of Dogs catches your eye from the first shot to the last. The animation is truly gorgeous (never before have kidney transplants or sushi making been so captivating to the eye), and the attention to detail is wildly impressive. It takes a while to truly get on board with the narrative, but once the true love story between man and man’s best friend emerges, it will be irresistible to not fall in love with each canine and their stories. These dogs may not be alive, but they are by all means real, as these animators, voice actors, and Anderson himself breathe so much life into them. The passion is evident, and makes the film going experience that much richer. Also, let it be known that I will always side with Greta Gerwig.
6. Incredibles 2- Fourteen years. Since 2004, we’ve gotten nineteen MCU films, five DCEU films, two new Spider-Men, lots of LEGOs, and R-rated X-Men films. But none have captured the sheer level of creativity and imagination that Brad Bird captures with his red suited family of supers, providing adrenaline rushes through audiences of all ages. Here we are, fourteen years later, and the feeling is still fresh, exuberant, and even more appealing to the eyes. While this one certainly doesn’t hit all the emotional highs that the original supplied, the animation is miles more impressive, the humor hits all the right notes, and the action is electrifyingly addicting. All of the new characters don’t live up to the likes of our original heroes and their supporting friends, but the voice acting from franchise newcomers Sophia Bush, Catherine Keener, and Bob Odenkirk is a notable high. It’s undeniable that PIXAR hasn’t nailed the sequel game since Toy Story 3, but Bird does just enough to make this a solid chunk of summer entertainment, and well worth the wait. And Jack-Jack is just a star.
5. A Quiet Place- Here’s some math for you: The famous kitchen scene in Spielberg’s Jurassic Park is approximately 6 and a half minutes long. A Quiet Place is 95 minutes long. 95 / 6.5 = 14.6. Imagine watching the kitchen scene from Jurassic Park 15 times. That’s this film in a nutshell. God bless John Krasinski for giving us one of the most tense, stressful, anxiety-inducing horror films of our generation. Emily Blunt kicks ass, and like Spielberg, Krasinski has a knack for working with child actors, as Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe hold their own the entire time. If you’re looking to go on a diet, this film will do the trick...you won’t eat a single bite of your popcorn from the time the lights dim to the moment the credits roll. *crunch*
4. Black Panther- After Doctor Strange, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Thor: Ragnarok got the MCU trapped in a slog of predictablity, underdeveloped characters, and unnecessary humor, Ryan Coogler came along to not only save the MCU, but put it on a whole new level. The visual of Wakanda itself is the most beautiful thing we’ve seen since Asgard (and since Thor: Ragnarok totally demolished that, this is pretty much the most stunning thing in the MCU’s existence period). Each character feels fully recognized and relatable, right down to Sterling K. Brown’s flashback role or Michael B. Jordan’s ferocious villain. We care for these people, and understand their struggles, something we rarely see in side characters and especially in villains. The entire ensemble gives it their all, and it truly shows. Each line of dialogue is purposeful (save for the “vegetarians” line that is only forgiven because of Winston Duke’s scene stealing charisma), and humor feels natural and never forced. As for action, it’s a bit of the same, just with cooler technology and armor that kicks everything up a notch. The true hero is Coogler, for he brings his own style to the film without forgetting the universe it accompanies. This feels like a standalone Coogler flick, while also feeling like a solid comic book origin film, making this a slam dunk for this franchise.
3. Hereditary- Unsettling, unpredictable, unnerving, agitating, troubling, startling, flustering madness. A24 has another classic on its hands in what is easily the scariest two hours of the year thus far. It will take a few more viewings to put all the pieces together, but a first impression is one of complete unease in the best possible way. The cherry on top was the girl across the aisle from me having a coughing fit during the “cake” scene. Oy. The amount of typos I had to correct because my hands are still shaking writing this review is uncanny. For those who say they weren’t scared or at least a little disturbed, I call bullcrap.
2. Paddington 2- Wow. The best family film since “Toy Story 3,” the Best British film since “The Theory of Everything” and the best prison film since “The Shawshank Redemption.” Not kidding. There is nothing but pure delight and warmth filling the theatre by the time this is over. The first half gives you all you loved about the first film, and the second half takes you on an even deeper, funnier, more emotional ride. The jokes are spot on, the casting is perfect (especially Hugh Grant’s wildly entertaining villain), and every single detail is precisely placed to create an astounding pay-off in the end. Every plot detail established early on comes full circle by the end, providing many “aha” moments and surprises throughout, and also making the film stand complete on its own. I believe the world is a better place because Pattington exists, and this sequel shows us that imagination, heart, and an open-mind can lead to remarkable adventures.
1. Avengers: Infinity War- Months later and I still can’t come up with words. This was superhero genre at its best. Great action, amazing character development, and well written villains. And it still felt like a comic book movie and a realistic film all at once. Thanos is a great villain and the many deaths were incredibly felt and impactful. Best MCU movie to date, and my favorite film of 2018….so far.
zorbo678 Here is my full ranking for the year thus far (Love, Simon isn't that much further behind):
1. Avengers: Infinity War
2. Paddington 2
3. Hereditary
4. Black Panther
5. A Quiet Place
6. Incredibles 2
7. Isle of Dogs
8. Disobedience
9. Annihilation
10. Won't You Be My Neighbor?
11. The Tale
12. Ready Player One
13. The Director and the Jedi
14. Blockers
15. Adrift
16. Love, Simon
17. Game Night
18. Ocean's 8
19. Peter Rabbit
20. Deadpool 2
21. Tully
22. Maze Runner: Death Cure
23. The Last Movie Star
24. Tag
25. Tomb Raider
26. 12 Strong
27. Solo: A Star Wars Story
28. A Wrinkle in Time
29. Fahrenheit 451
30. The Cloverfield Paradox
31. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
32. Flower
33. The Week Of
34. The 15:17 to Paris
35. Best F(r)iends Part I
Top Ten Tuesdays! Woohoo. As we approach the end of the month, we are going to give you the top 10 movies of the year so far! 6 months have gone by. But what’s the best? Can any films “Get Out” their way to an Oscar campaign? Only time will tell.