Friends! Family! Random internet strangers! Lend me your eyeballs as we break-down this past film season and applaud some favorites.
Black Panther - this film was great for lots of reasons (not least of which was costume design) but I still think most people missed the truly glorious moment of DANIEL KALUUYA RIDING INTO BATTLE ATOP A RHINO. a top. cinematic. moment.
BlacKkKlansman - yes, I know Do the Right Thing exists, but I maintain that this was Spike Lee's best work. he confronts police brutality, reclaims the blacksploitation genre, and gives the world Adam Driver in all the flannel. #blessed
The Favourite - absolutely one of my favorites of the year. Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, and Emma Stone are magnificent and hilarious, vulnerable and hardened, and not a little bit crazy, in the best way. and I want to hear all your theories about what that ending means.
If Beale Street Could Talk - truly lovely in every sense. the images flow along with the beautiful score and the story breathes deeply in every scene. Baldwin's voice is present and felt. exquisitely crafted film.
Widows - the latest from one of my favorite filmmakers, Steve McQueen, and while not his best, still thrilling and fun. an outstanding cast. Miss Viola kills it, as always.
Sorry to Bother You - both my most anticipated and ultimately my top pick of the lot. this film, like all of my favorites of the season, really went there and while I was initially bothered by the lack of subtlety in the big twist, I haven't been able to stop thinking about this movie since I saw it in the cinema over six months ago.
Venom - unlike Aquaman, Venom was not a disappointment! (maybe because I'm much less invested in the character, maybe because it was better. discuss.) I enjoyed the VFX and thought Tom Hardy did a good job capturing the two characters and their symbiotic relationship. it was fun! it's ok to have fun at the cinema!
Halloween - it paid all the proper homage to the original, had a twist I didn't see coming, and featured three awesome ladies kicking serial killer butt. queue the heavy breathing.
Ocean's 8 - another franchise revitalized by ladies kicking butt, although the butt-kicking is more metaphorical in this case. a totally joyful cinematic experience. I want every single piece of Cate Blanchett's wardrobe.
Unsane - Steven Soderbergh is not, in fact, retired and instead, shot a feature film with an iPhone. a revelation in film-making that highlights some real anxieties of the digital age.
Searching - another film about the anxieties of the digital age with another cool film-making device. this one uses both cell phone and computer cameras and validates the continued #StarringJohnCho campaign.
First Reformed - one of those films that really went for it and one of my favorites. 80% of it is a quiet, tense stage drama and 20% of it is outside reality, but 100% of it hangs on the brilliance of Ethan Hawke.
A Simple Favor - I was ready to buy this on DVD as I was leaving the cinema. it's out there and dark and funny and stylish and I loved it. Anna Kendrick and Henry Golding are great and lovely and talented, but Blake Lively completely overshadows them. she is stunning in every way.
The Front Runner - this was my favorite of the political dramas this year (sorry, Christian Bale). the characters are complex and relateable. the story is highly relevant. Vera Farmiga is excellent, if underused. Jason Reitman > Adam McKay.
On the Basis of Sex - this movie made me both incredibly happy as the notorious RBG triumphs over all the naysaying men in her life and incredibly nervous as she's had a couple health scares recently. also, Kesha's anthem "Here Comes the Change" was robbed of an Oscar nom.
To All the Boys I've Loved Before - a Netflix movie makes the list! it was a banner year for the romantic comedy genre, but this one topped my list. (I bought all the books!) it's sweet, funny, heartfelt, and entertaining as all get out. Noah Centineo is the boycrush of 2018.
The Wife - Glenn Close deserves all the awards for her starring turn as a brilliant woman who finally takes control of her own life. also, the hair, make-up, and costume staff managed to severely blunt Max Irons's attractiveness and that is no easy feat.
honorable mentions: Bohemian Rhapsody (as a film, it's got issues, but the Live Aid scene is transportive and Rami Malek is a beautiful angel who deserves everything), Love, Simon and Crazy Rich Asians (both delightfully inclusive rom-coms), Game Night (so fun! I just cannot take Jason Bateman seriously), Bad Samaritan (it's not reinventing the wheel, but David Tennant is deliciously bad), and The Seagull (one of my favorite plays of all time. I just wanted more from the titular monologue "I am the seagull.")
agree? disagree? what did I miss? as always, I look forward to your letters! xx
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