In a year where Blockbusters took back the box office, there is no telling how award season will truly pan out. With Oscar-worthy films and performances coming out of the spring and summer seasons just as much as the fall and winter, there is a wide variety of films, actors, and filmmakers that deserve recognition in 2018. Below is mxdwn Movies’ Top Ten favorite films of the year.
10. WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?
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For nearly fifty years, Fred Rogers was a household name for children everywhere thanks to the timely messages of his program Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. Won’t You Be My Neighbor revisits the highs and lows of his public influence on television in an era where someone of Mr. Rogers’ nature- genuinely kind-hearted- feels like a rarity nowadays. It’s slow and honest in the exact way Rogers spoke to kids through his show, making you want a neighbor like him even more. I can’t guarantee when you’ll cry watching this documentary, but believe me: you will cry.
Ben Wasserman
9. THE FAVOURITE
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The Favourite might be a period drama, but it plays like a dark comedy- a mix of British wit and Wes Anderson-style quirkiness. Embedded within its many laughs and surreal moments is a scathing critique of aristocratic corruption, dialing up the one percent’s lavish infatuations at the expense of their political duties. Such wealth, however, is no substitute for true happiness, as Director Yorgos Lanthimos frames the side-effects of this lifestyle on its pitiful, ailing Queen. He also provides the most tragic use of rabbits I’ve seen from a film in recent memory.
Ben Wasserman
8. ROMA
Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma will likely be the most beautiful film you will see all year. From the cinematography, to the sound design, Cuaron fully immerses his audience in his world. Aside from cinematic pleasure, this film will also break your heart to pieces. The story of Cleo, a live-in nanny in the opulent neighborhood of 1970s Mexico City, we see an intimate love letter both to a time and a woman not readily built to sustain the constant turmoil surrounding her.
Rachel Lutack
7. ANNIHILATION
Annihilation impressed as a colorful, mysterious, women-driven addition to the sci-fi genre. The visuals are stunning and bright, combining the beautiful and the disturbing to create an absorbing, hypnotic viewing experience.
Leilani Reyes
6. EIGHTH GRADE
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Probably the sweetest and most personally heartfelt movie, Eighth Grade is the first movie to handle the current generation of memes and technology, without making absurdist comedy out of contempt for it, similar to what John Hughes did for the 80s.
Robert Thornson
Eighth Grade is a coming-of-age story, but one that goes beyond the typical plotline of girl becoming woman or young adult. Kayla matures in this film and comes into her own, in a sense; however, Burnham has created a sort of microaggression coming-of-age, a flash in the pan of experience, one so small that has the power to change someone forever, even if in small ways.
Rachel Lutack
5. PADDINGTON 2
This film is filled with charm and enjoyable for all ages with important themes against xenophobia and emphasizing friendliness. This perfect example of how to do a sequel and handle an iconic figure of pop culture with care, refurnishing his legacy for a new generation.
Robert Thornson
The Paddington Bear films are better than they have any right to be. They’re simply delightful films to watch. Paddington 2 improves on the original, creating a beautifully realized world of magical realism. The script by Paul King and Simon Farnaby is nearly flawless, the performances are spectacular and the animation is stunning. I can’t imagine anyone not enjoying this film.
John Wedemeyer
4. BLACKKKLANSMAN
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BlacKkKlansman excels investigating a story largely unknown to the modern public. It also features some of Spike Lee’s finest directly in nearly decades, skillfully exploring socio-political themes without ever veering into corniness or unnecessary diatribes.
Raymond Flotat
Part historical drama and part uncomfortable satire, BlacKkKlansman is a much needed return to form for Spike Lee. Taking the absurdly true story of officer Ron Stallworth’s infiltration of the Ku Klux Klan, Lee tackles this exploration of American racism as an extension of our nation’s lineage and why it’s so hard to silence. No matter how often it dares you to laugh, the film’s final shots reinforce just how eerily these dark themes have resurfaced in our modern political climate.
Ben Wasserman
3. AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR
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Avengers: Infinity War managed to accomplish the unthinkable, taking a gigantic cast, a difficult to understand premise and weave into 2.5 hour plus thrill ride that never lost an ounce of emotional weight or madcap fun. Simultaneously the apex and defining moment of the unparalleled success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Infinity War might just be on par with The Dark Knight for the finest comic book movie ever made.
Raymond Flotat
Avengers: Infinity War was a perfect continuation of the Avengers film and was the first time fans saw the elite squad lose. It is an excellent transition film leading out of Phase 3 of MCU.
Haley Newlin
2. SPIDER-MAN INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE
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Somehow, in an industry oversaturated with superhero films, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse stood out as a breath of fresh air. From both a visual and narrative perspective, it perfectly pays homage to the legacy of Spider-Man in regards to both the Marvel universe and long-time Marvel readers. It’s meta but never satirical, with Phil Lord’s writing breathing life into Miles Morales’ arc and the wacky variations of Spider men, women and pigs he encounters along the way. As a final tribute to Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s legacy following their deaths this year, Spider-Verse is almost perfect.
Ben Wasserman
Best movie of 2018 belongs to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse for being a movie that is literally for everyone. It is a movie that has drama, comedy and superhero fun that anyone could get into. But more so that than that, it is a tribute to animation and definite proof that Animation is one of the most artistic and expressive mediums out there and should never be ignored ever.
Ryan Pineda
1. BLACK PANTHER
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Black Panther was unlike any superhero film ever made. It was visually aesthetic, with a well-rounded plot that immediately hooked fans on this Phase 3 Avenger. Also, REPRESENTATION.
Haley Newlin
While conventional wisdom would expect some form of world-threatening destruction in a superhero film, Black Panther wisely eschews the trappings of tropes for a deeper pondering unlike anything yet seen in this genre. This film has a ghostly thread underpinning all that the story unfurls: the unmitigated evil of African colonization and the continued plight of repressed black people worldwide.
Raymond Flotat
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