2018 has been a pretty rough year, not just for movies, but for me personally. My father passing away threw a huge monkey wrench in to a lot of things that I wanted to do on this website, so I had to take time to deal with that. There were also a lot of movies that came out this year that really weren’t so hot. I was also planning to do more for The Best of 2018, but I think I’m just going to wrap it up here with this post. That’s the problem with plans, they rarely go the way you want. But I’m not going to focus on the negative aspects of this year. Instead, I want to take a look back at some of the finest movies this year has had to offer, and there were surprisingly a large amount, be it a theatrical production or a direct to video indie film. If you look hard enough, there’s quite a bit of good movies that were released in 2018. Let’s end this year on a positive note, shall we? Here we go!!
Avengers: Infinity War
Marvel has had a huge year in 2018: Deadpool 2, Black Panther, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and the biggest event of the year: Avengers: Infinity War. While Marvel and Disney have had a pretty good track record with their comic book movies, Avengers: Infinity War was the one film they needed to get right. Not only did they get it right, it blew everybody’s expectations out of the water. Infinity War is the culmination of 10 years of the MCU building up to this moment when the stakes have never been higher for Captain America and company. Comparisons will be made to The Empire Strikes Back, and for good reason. This is the MCU equivalent of the 1980s Star Wars film. The fact that Marvel had the guts to end the movie the way they did speaks volumes about how much they actually care about crafting a good story. It’s not just a spectacle for the sake of spectacle. This film has some of the strongest character moments in the entire MCU, and a lot of that also goes to the film’s villain, Thanos, who doesn’t come across as a mustache-twirling 2-dimensional character. There are moments when you could actually agree with him about why he’s doing what he’s doing. That is very solid writing.
Paradox
While Paradox was released in China back in 2016/17, we didn’t get the film until it was released on Blu-Ray/DVD earlier this year. This is a serious powerhouse of a thriller. The story revolves around a Hong Kong cop who goes to Thailand to find his daughter who was kidnapped by organ traffickers. Yeah, the action is fantastic and hard-hitting, but there is an underlying emotional core that is anchored by Louis Koo’s performance. Paradox is basically the Hong Kong equivalent of Taken, but with greater consequences, and I really love the fact that the film pulled no punches. It’s a pretty compelling film, because the stuff that happens in the film, happens every day in real-life, so crafting a story around all that makes for an extremely intense film. If you can find it, definitely check it out.
The Debt Collector
While I haven’t given The Debt Collector a proper review that it deserves, that’s not going to stop me from recommending this movie. This is the third collaboration between Scott Adkins and director Jesse V. Johnson. While I saw it initially when it was released on DVD here in the States, I did get to see the UK premiere in London. It was quite an experience. This is actually a pretty damn good time. I’ve always been a fan of Scott Adkins, but he is definitely at his best, not just in terms of his physicality, but acting as well. His character’s relationship with Louis Mandylor’s character is fantastic and ends up being one of the coolest on-screen duos in years. While the film is definitely funny at times, it also a surprising emotional core that comes from Mr. Mandylor’s character. I was not expecting that and I think the film is all the better for it. The action is top-notch and the humor is spot-on. Definitely collect this one.
Hereditary
This is a horror movie that really blew me away at how powerful it is. Toni Collett delivers the performance of a lifetime in her role as a mother that’s dealing with multiple tragedies that may have some supernatural underpinnings. It’s a slow-burner of a film, so you need patience for it, but when it really goes bat-shit crazy, it goes all the way, and it’s an emotional wrecker. While the film is bleak, it deals with people that have to cope with internal demons like grief and mental illness, and I think Hereditary tackles those subjects very well. This was the first film directed by Ari Aster, and it really feels like it was directed by someone with more experience, so I can’t wait to see what Aster has up his sleeves. If you appreciate slow-burn horror movies, this is a must-see.
Mandy
Mandy could have an alternate title called Acid Trip: The Movie, and it still wouldn’t prepare for the insanity that ensues. Nicolas Cage steals the show, as he usually does, but here he just gives in to the madness. The visual aspects of the film are incredible with unique colors and hues that give the film an other-worldly vibe. Linus Roache is also fantastic as an insane cult leader that abducts Red’s girlfriend. Said girlfriend is played Andrea Riseborough, and it is one of the most unique and tragic performances in the film. It’s a revenge thriller, but it takes you on such a visual journey, it’s kind of hard to tell where reality ends and the fantasy begins. You don’t need drugs for a trip. All you need is Mandy.
Black Panther
The second Marvel film on this list, Black Panther takes a break from the global events of the previous films and focus on a much smaller part of the world: The fictional country of Wakanda, the birthplace of King T’Challa or the Black Panther. What separates this film from the other Marvel entries is the look and feel. This is a far more serious film than previous MCU movies, and that’s a good thing. The film takes place in a completely different culture, and it really pays homage to the different kinds of tribes and peoples scattered throughout the African continent. The film doesn’t talk down to its audience and tries to get them to invest in how amazing some of these different cultures are. It’s still an action movie, so there’s plenty of that, but none of that would happen if it wasn’t for the strong cast featuring Chadwick Boseman, Martin Freeman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita N’Yongo and others. It’s an incredible film that I think anybody could enjoy, even people who aren’t fans of Marvel. It’s the Marvel film that doesn’t feel like a Marvel movie, and that is an accomplishment all its own.
A Quiet Place
The next time somebody tells you that a PG-13 horror movie doesn’t work, show them A Quiet Place. Like Hereditary, A Quiet Place is one of my favorite horror movies of the year and certainly one of the best PG-13 horror movies in the last 20+ years. The film takes place in a world that’s been ravaged by creatures that hunt by sound, so even an accidental pin drop can prove fatal. Trying to build a film around a plot where you can’t have any sound is a very tricky thing to pull off, and John Krasinski does a marvelous job. Not only does he star in the film, he also co-wrote the screenplay, produced and directed the film. That’s something that only a truly talented individual can do well, and he nails it. His performance in the film along with Emily Blunt’s is amazing and truly heart-wrenching at times. Definitely check it out.
While there were a lot of really good movies that came out in 2018, these are the ones that truly stuck with me. I hope everybody enjoyed reading this, because I enjoyed writing it. I also hope most people have had a relatively decent 2018 in spite of everything that’s happened in terms of politics and social issues. What say we put 2018 behind us and look to what promises that 2019 may hold? With that, this is my last post of 2018. This is Major Tom signing off for the last time in 2018, so I will see you all next year! Drink responsibly and have a Happy New Year!