Best of 2018: Part 1

It's that time of this year where we talk about last year.

This time, I'll spare the usual Auld Lang Syne claptrap in favor of jumping right to the point. Without going into major details, I think that the hardest lesson 2018 taught me is that the more energy you put into tradition, the more it will inevitably disappoint you.

I don't know if 2019 will be a better year than 2018, for me personally or the world itself. What I do know is, it's the now and we all have to live in it.

What I do know is that 2018 was actually a fairly solid little year for film of all interests and that accomplishment deserves celebration. Although celebrating everything that was truly great may require more than a mere 10 slots could fill, these were my absolute cream of the crop. 

10. Paddington 2

That’s right, in a year that featured the most onscreen superheroes ever at once, the impact of diversity firing on all cylinders, and arthouse slowly bleeding into blockbusters, one of the most inspiring things that I have ever seen in theaters is this little bear trying to work to buy his Aunt a birthday gift.

As the world throws its “Alvin and the Chipmunks” and “Peter Rabbit” styled children’s movies out to the public, the sheer notion that something as sincere and genuinely endearing as “Paddington 2” can see the light of day and maintain that sincerity from start to finish evokes a level of surprise and shock that is almost worth mentioning as memorable alone.

The way that the film manages to weave that lesson of putting one’s best foot forward to make the world around you just a little bit better for impact that may go beyond what you can possibly comprehend in a metatextual fashion so comprehensive and effective that it ostensibly makes you root for criminals by the time the movie nears its climax is a testament to just how charming this character and franchise is across the short cinematic lifespan of 2 utterly phenomenal entries.

“Paddington 2” may be as simple and straightforward as it gets but it is also a true testament to how far charm, sincerity, wholesomeness, and a downright mastery of storytelling basics can carry something before any notion of factoring in gimmicks or edge.

9. The Hate U Give

I can’t recall the rise of a piece of media being quite as meteoric as Angie Thomas’ Young Adult novel and subsequent film adaptation about the timely tragedies of modern prejudices in society but it couldn’t have happened to something more worthy.

In a landscape dominated by floundering genre faire and teen dramas slowly losing bite, “The Hate U Give” is a powerful cinematic reminder of the clarity younger and fresher perspectives can provide complex issues in a manner that more adult dramas even struggle to properly execute.

Digging beyond the frustrations of double standards and institutionally backed injustices, the issues of identity duality, cultural osmosis, and code swapping are almost painfully authentic to anybody that has ever needed to put on a face that separates them from what they know they fundamentally are.

It’s a film that manages to thoroughly cover many aspects of bleak and uncomfortable concepts through a powerful and relatable drama that never gets bogged down by the weight of its undertaking, nor cops out to a schmaltzy sugarcoated reality denigrating the impact of its story.

The notion that future generations may be learning this material in school is something I find to be downright heartwarming.

8. Avengers: Infinity War

I honestly don’t know if there’s anything that I can say about the Marvel Cinematic Universe that hasn’t been said already.

Nearly 11 years ago when I walked into a theater to watch “Iron Man,” I never in a million years would have dreamed that single movie would branch as far as it has across several different forms of media, culminating into a movie as dense with developed lore and mythology as the comic books that it’s based on.

“Avengers: Infinity War” is a decent science fantasy action romp in its own right but as the culmination of a decade of franchise building for not one series of films but several, I honestly can’t imagine what cinematic accomplishment I’ll see in my life time that rivals it as a success of epic genre storytelling, transmedia narrative, world building, character development, and production planning. All of this is before its story has even hit a conclusion.

If you told me I would be anticipating that conclusion more than the ending of a “Star Wars” saga trilogy, I’d have laughed you out of the room.

7. A Star is Born

As if the man’s physical attractiveness, acting capabilities, and ability to speak French weren’t enough, apparently Bradley Cooper needs to suck up all of the talent in the world by being a great filmmaker as well.

“A Star is Born (2018)” takes a tale that could have easily been hollow and self-indulgent and crafts a resonating human drama through the power of 2 incredible lead performances that centerpiece a technical marvel of a production that sells the authenticity of its subject matter.

The resulting romance is beautiful, which makes the tragedy more biting and vice versa. Between Lady Gaga's excellent role and Cooper's deft direction, it is hopefully the kickoff of 2 strong Hollywood careers.

6. Isle of Dogs

Wes Anderson returns to stop motion animation following the criminally underappreciated “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” and the landscape of animation is genuinely better for it.

Blending aspects of social science fiction and samurai/westerns with the skin of a family film into a fine puree of trope play “Isle of Dogs” is just a blast of inventiveness and creativity from start to finish.

Anderson’s characteristic sharp wit and dry deadpan sense of humor are all in full force in a movie that can go back and forth between political satire and family film hijinks that consistently dares to be one of the most visually creative animated movies produced by an American studio in quite some time.

From its cast to its setting, the movie oozes a sense of character more unique than a lot of what 2018 has seen, animated or otherwise.

The list keeps on ticking with more sociopolitical commentaries, super shenanigans, and feel good flicks. Come back for the top 5 movies of 2018, later this week.