With it being the last day of 2018, I am sad to say that I won’t be able to squeeze in any more movies, new or old. It was a wild ride for me – 146 films! Quick math, that means I would have watched one movie per day this year, but let’s be real, sometimes I crammed five or six into one weekend 🙂 Below are my top 10 for best and worst films I watched this year along with some worthy runner-ups.
WORST
- Acrimony – Starring Taraji P Henson, and just so, so terrible. She’s a woman with rage, and is hell-bent on her life being the worst. Oh, and she’s crazy.
- Brad’s Status – Super lame, and I’m not even sure I could tell you the plot at this point. Either way, just don’t waste your time on this Ben Stiller flick.
- Phantom Thread – Obscenely boring. So boring that I fell asleep through the middle of it, and that almost never happens! I know this got a ton of Oscar nominations and some wins this year, but it was not my cup of tea. Way to NOT go out with a bang Daniel Day Lewis.
- All I See is You – I already don’t care for Blake Lively, so this sure didn’t help. It had a great premise, just a really poor execution. Basically, a blind woman is suddenly made to see, but she got to physically see a side of her marriage she didn’t want to.
- Flower – Super freaking weird! Zoey Deutch and Adam Scott should have meant this would be good, but it was just not.
- Sorry to Bother You – Hands down the strangest movie I saw this year. I love Armie Hammer, but some parts of this movie are better left to be unseen. I can’t get those half horse people out of my head!
- Assassination Nation – The second strangest movie I saw this year! It was a mix of The Purge and Spring Breakers…so you do the math there.
- Outlaw King – Even the promise of full-frontal Chris Pine could not make finish watching this almost two and a half hour movie about Robert the Bruce of Scotland. I’m not a history buff either, so that probably didn’t help.
- Cam – So, so weird, and really graphic for a Netflix film!
- Hot Summer Nights – The comment I have in my brief review file sums it up “weak Timmy T, weak.”
BEST
- Call Me By Your Name – I know technically this came out in November of 2017, but my home state didn’t get it until January! So there! This film is so beautiful and wonderfully acted. Deserved all the awards it won and got nominated for.
- Upgrade – I freaking loved this movie! It was a very close call on making this my #1 of 2018. This film was so cathartic and very original. It had love, sadness, violence (lots of violence), and futuristic science and technology. Oh yeah, did I mention it only had a budget $3 million?! – visually stunning.
- Tully – Holy plot twists Batman! My sister and I were the only ones in the theater to watch this, but let’s just say it rocked my world. Honestly never saw the plot twist coming!
- Molly’s Game – The dialogue alone was enough to sell me on this movie, but add in underground celebrity high-stakes poker to the mix and I’m all in (no pun intended). I know she’s paying for it now, but am extremely jealous of her former job.
- American Animals – Not a story I would have normally been interested in, but Evan Peters caught my attention, and then the execution solidified it for me. Very unique filming technique – I don’t want to spoil it!
- Eighth Grade – So awkwardly hilarious. My sister was literally squirming in her seat. That’s how well it was done.
- To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before – I never knew how much I needed a new cushy rom-com in my life (since 13 Going on 30, of course) until I watched this Netflix original. It is so cute. That is all.
- Searching – Also holy plot twists! Shot all through Face Time and other social media outlets, I really thought I wasn’t going to be a fan of how this movie played out, but it very much drew you into the story!
- Bohemian Rhapsody – Like I said in my Golden Globes post, Rami Malek totally nails it as Freddie Mercury, and you get a bunch of Queen songs! What else could a person ask for?!
- 1985 – I know I just reviewed this the other day, but what an impact it had. It was shot beautifully in black and white, and just lovely.
WORST: RUNNER-UPS
Wanted to provide the brief commentary I made here. These would be my honest, gut reactions to these films.
- Damsel – Went on forever, not enough Robert Pattinson with a southern accent.
- All Summers End – Just like I wished this movie would.
- The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter – Only funny thing was Josh Brolin’s deer call.
- The First Purge – 3rd best (out of 4).
- Blockers – Gary. Cole.
- Crash Pad – Domhnall Gleeson is just so great that I can overlook this.
- How It Ends – As long as it ends with Theo James, I don’t care!
- Little Italy – So cheesey, and I’m not just talking about the pizza.
- Izzy Gets the F*** Across Town – Izzy is an emotionally unstable person.
- Don’t Worry He Won’t Get Far on Foot – Jonah Hill disco dancing. That is all.
BEST: RUNNER-UPS
Once again, this is my initial commentary right after watching these. Enjoy 🙂
- I, Tonya – Very strong performances (even Keith!).
- The Shape of Water – Strange, fairy tale-esque.
- The Commuter – Crazy pants! But not on the level of Split.
- Unsane – Paranoia at its finest (and filmed on a iPhone!).
- Borg vs. McEnroe – Best tennis movie I’ve ever seen – A+ for Shia LeBeouf as McEnroe!
- BlacKkKlansman – Ending gave me goosebumps.
- A Star is Born – So good, so sad.
- Boy Erased – I want Nicole Kidman to be my mom!
- Mary, Queen of Scots – Mary, Queen of Thots
- Instant Family – Adorable and funny!