The PDC Staff Gives You Their Picks for the Best Films of 2018!

Another year is wrapped ladies and gentleman so, of course, it's time to look back! 2018 was a year that, by most accounts...you know what, no quipy remarks here, 2018 sucked. Thankfully when the world outside sucks we always have the warm embrace of a good movie to retreat to. I'm sure that, at least partially, due to the craptastic nature of the real world the movie industry had a record breaking year pulling in over 41 BILLON dollars around the world and 11 Billion in the US alone. Outside of the business end of things, 2018 was a year that saw diversity in film surge and prove that you could be plenty profitable without a white guy in the lead or behind the camera with Black Panther grabbing the #1 spot of the year and Crazy Rich Asians bringing in over $150 million. It wasn't just confined to live action either as the long awaited sequel Incredibles 2 focused almost solely on a female lead in Elastigirl and Miles Morales became the defacto Spider-Man for a whole new generation of kids (Sorry Tom Holland) when we all entered the Spider-verse. Star Wars had it's first miss with Solo: A Star Wars Story (though that's debatable, the movie was good and it made PLENTY of cash), Ryan Reynolds shook off the one-hit wonder thinkers with Deadpool 2. And finally, it was the year where the words "I don't feel so good..." picked up a whole new, heart-breaking meaning as Avengers faced off against the Mad Titan, Thanos, and left us all slacked-jawed in the wake of "The Snap"..........dammit Quill.

Be sure to check out all of our end-of-year coverage, including Travis' top 20 picks, right here!

John Nolan

Honorable Mention: Venom

It’s a cop out but I had to add the honorable mention for Venom which I know will discredit me with plenty of people, but what can I say I had a TON of fun with this flick and at the end of the day that’s why I go to the movies. Obviously, there’s 100 things you can pick apart about this movie…the CGI was hit or miss (but decidedly more hit and way better then most DCEU flicks) and the story was far from logical, but it had one thing right and that’s all that mattered, Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock. His dynamic with the symbiote coupled with the way he threw himself headfirst into the role took something that really should have been forgettable at best and turned it into a blockbuster comic book flick and the start of a new franchise.

3. Halloween

David Gordon Green’s sequel/reboot of the iconic horror franchise had a BIG hill to climb for the respect and admiration of fans old and new. But damned if he and Danny McBride didn’t do it. The casting of Jamie Lee Curtis back in the role of Laurie Strode was a good step in the right direction but was far from a guarantee of success, after all she’s come back for a few of the less then stellar sequels (though I loved H2O). No, it was their obvious love of the source material and reverence for the mythology that put this one through the uprights for fans. Everything about it felt perfect and while it was depressing to see Laurie Strode so many years later still traumatized by the events of the original film it did make sense. Not many films can reproduce the magic of an original film a year later, much less 40 but that is exactly what they did with Halloween.

2. Bad Times at the El Royale

There’s always been something about movies involving a bunch of different storylines colliding in a shared space that I’ve loved. I also find old “Route 66” type motels fascinating, there’s a real aura about them. That being said I was kind of a mark for this flick, when you add in the charisma and sheer talent of Jeff Bridges, Chris Hemsworth and newcomer Cynthia Erivo you have a movie that keeps you glued to the screen. Every thing about the flick had me hooked but above all it was the atmosphere, the allure of this decked out but out of date motel, like a time capsule from the days of Sinatra, the secret rooms, the shadowy “off the books” functions taking place within, all of it mixed together for a flick that didn’t just entertain but kept you guessing every moment right up until the bloody end.

1. Avengers: Infinity War

At this point there is literally nothing new I could say about this movie…. but I’m going to say some stuff anyway. The culmination of 10 year’s worth of blockbuster filmmaking Avengers: Infinity War took our expectations and blew them out of the water. Even past the obvious spectacle of it all the movie was a masterclass in storytelling. The simple fact that they were able to cram SO much story and SO many characters and keep the film moving at a lightning pace while at the same time keeping it from feeling rushed deserves praise on its own. The snap heard round the world (or at least round the MCU) was a moment that will make lists of most iconic moments for years to come. 

Roxana Hadadi

3. WIDOWS

I remain so confused by the lack of love, either commercially or in year-end awards, for Steve McQueen's and Gillian Flynn's "Widows." Here is a movie that tackles modern issues of race, sex, and class; that features stellar performances from a pitch-perfect ensemble led by Viola Davis and populated by Elizabeth Debicki, Colin Farrell, Daniel Kaluuya, Cynthia Erivo, Brian Tyree Henry, and Michelle Rodriguez; and that considers the different ways we lie to each other and to ourselves, and the moments that inspire us to change. It was very heavy! It was very good! It had a great moment where Colin Farrell basically tells Robert Duvall that he's hoping for his death, and then Viola Davis tells Colin Farrell that she is hoping for his death! I don't understand why more people didn't care for this film when it was absolutely one of the year's best.

2. PADDINGTON 2

Believing in goodness was very hard this year, and "Paddington 2" was like a soothing balm. Ben Whishaw's continuously excellent performance as Paddington, the bear who believes that "If we're kind and polite the world will be right," remains flawless, and the film built around it -- the gorgeous production design, the hilarious turn from a villainous Hugh Grant, and the delightful nature of Paddington's time in prison and his friendship with Brendan Gleeson's stern-faced baker Nuckle's -- was equally exceptional. When I wanted to believe the world can get better, "Paddington 2" provided all the hope I needed.

1. ANNIHILATION 

No film haunted me this year like Alex Garland's "Annihilation," adapted from the first novel in the Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer. This was a movie that seemed misunderstood by everyone from the beginning -- the studio didn't know how to market it, international rights were dumped to Netflix, and the box office was nothing to talk about. But oh my, what a sci-fi spectacle -- what an exploration of trauma and transformation, what a menagerie of nightmarish images (that goddamn bear!), what a consideration of how the world we thought we know can turn into something decidedly other. It's the movie I've thought about most this year and that I will continue considering over and over again in my mind for years to come.

Khalil Johnson

3. BLINDSPOTTING 

This seems to be the Oakland's year as three young bay area filmmakers made films authentically black, and absolutely Oakland!  We'll get to the obvious one later on but an exceptional film that kinda slipped under the radar earlier this year was Blindspotting.  Life-long friends Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal wrote and starred in a movie that centers on the two as one is nearing the end of his probation in a rapidly gentrifying Oakland, and a police shooting of an unarmed black man just occurred.  Of course, Diggs is expected to shine.  I was surprised by Casal's performance as Collin's hot-tempered friend Miles as the two's friendship changed through the film.  Casal manages to give us the movie version of Tommy from Power as the film headed towards its explosion ending.  The weird mix of incorporating spoken word rapping/poetry in crucial moments was an interesting experiment as well.  While they make this film Oakland-specific, this is really about folks from the hood dealing with the hood being stripped of its "hood" as property values increase, juice shops pop up, and wannabes start acting like it's "their city."

2. SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE

As we are in the era of superhero movies as the modern blockbuster, it's nice for a movie in this genre to come in and completely nail everything it is supposed to in a few, fresh creative way.  I'll admit, I was not expecting to like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.  For one, I like the MCUs rendition of one of my favorite comic characters (as movies finally got Spider-Man and Peter Parker right with Spider-Man: Homecoming after so many years).  I also didn't want Miles Morales to be reduced to an animated movie as I think the first African-American/Latino webslinger deserves to be seen in a live action movie.  I thought Sony could not do these characters right as I have not been a fan of just about all of their movies (Spider-Man 2 was good though).  Boy was I WRONG in my worries and Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is an outstanding movie!!

It's easily the best animated movie of the year, and possibly one of the best films of the year.  As soon as I saw the comics code authority logo at the beginning of the film, I know this movie was "for me."  We should also differentiate between other movies surrounding superheroes.  They are "superhero" movies, this is a "comic book" movie.  This movie is essentially a comic book brought to life as we not only see thought bubbles but Spidey's famous "thwip" and even a moment when a bagel is thrown and the word "bagel" pops up on the screen.  With so many Easter Eggs moving 1000 miles a minute, this is a movie made by geeks for geeks.  The film has such heart and soul and shouldn't be as good as it is, but it is.  I was surprised by how "black" the movie ended up being: graffiti while playing "This Or That" on a boombox, code-switching, and countless other things I didn't expect in a comic book movie.  The always needed (but soon will be missed) Stan Lee cameo is one that will touch at your heartstrings and I'm more than happy with how Miles was presented, authentically Miles.  Ya did good Sony, very good!

1. BLACK PANTHER

I tried to be "neutral" when it comes to Black Panther, but screw that.  One of my favorite characters got his own big screen movie after his impressive cameo in Captain America: Civil War, and suffice to say, Black Panther took over the world delivering not only one of Marvel's best films over the past decade, but most important ones.  

The movie does a superb job building the world of Wakanda.  Unlike most MCU movies, this is a complete film that really doesn't depend on all the others and you don't have to play catchup.  Ryan Coogler and the production team made the fictitious advanced African country a living, breathing character and introduces to audiences the concept of Afro-futurism.  Black Panther was unlike most superhero movies as it isn't just bad guys destroying the world and heroes come and save the day.  This movie speaks to the idea of colonialism, isolationism, the effects of slavery and white supremacy, and because it's Coogler, he made sure to sprinkle a little bit of Oakland in it.

Marvel's also had somewhat of a "villain problem" for most of their movies over the past 10 years.  For the most part, they are one and done and mostly forgetable.  However, Erik Kilmonger (and Thanos) proves to be the exception to the rule.  A young black man, raised in Oakland after being abandoned just wants to use Wakandan technology to right the wrongs that have happened to black people all over the world.  He was so sympathetic that many started saying #kilmongerwasright, and in the end, he proves to be the best type of villain: one who forever changes the hero as T'Challa ends up opening Wakanda to the rest of the world.  You can't talk about Black Panther without discussing the women of Wakanda as this movie is all about how strong black women run things in a society that treats them as equals.  The king's bodyguards, the Dora Milaje are all badass warrior women and T'Challa's sister Shuri is easily the scene stealer of the year.  Keep your eyes on actress Leticia Wright as she's gonna be a power player for years.  Black Panther wasn't just a superhero movie, it was a cultural event that captivated the world by storm and had people across the globe shouting "Wakanda Forever!"

MAE ABDULBAKI

3. BLACK PANTHER/SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE
Black Panther is one of those superhero films that comes along and changes things up a bit. As much as the MCU has a good amount of strong films, Ryan Coogler’s first venture into the shared universe welcomed us into Wakanda with open arms. It was a superhero movie with amazing characters, a rich world, a fantastic villain, and, besides being the first Marvel film to be led by a Black lead, it was also layered with sociopolitical commentary that rang so strongly throughout the film. In addition, Black Panther so seamlessly included its female characters so that they were a part of the story and powerful on their own. They led, they questioned, they fought, and it was beautiful to watch because it was something no other MCU film had ever done before.

I know I'm cheating, but I couldn't keep Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse off my top 3 list, so it's being paired with Black Panther. This film is a breakthrough in so many ways. It's probably one of the best Spider-Man movies ever and its various animation styles add to its uniqueness. Miles Morales is the representation we all deserve to see more of and the film is able to so easily blend in all the verses together. It was a fresh take on a superhero film that broke boundaries while still having pathos and its own individuality, while maintaining its place within the larger and established Spider-Man universe. Besides all that and gifting us with Miles and his family, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is also a gorgeous film and you'd be remiss to miss out on watching it.

2. IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK
There's something about Barry Jenkins’ film-making that is truly poetic. His focus on characters and the weight of their emotions on the narrative is wonderfully nuanced and striking. Jenkins’ use of close-ups and the way James Baldwin's words were woven throughout the film so rhythmically was exceptionally beautiful and thoughtful, adding in a sense of deep intimacy that brought out the best in the story even when some of the characters were at their lowest. If Beale Street Could Talk is like a lovely portrait, visually stunning at first sight, but much deeper and richer the longer you look at it. Its ability to tell a detailed and still very relevant story, paired with fantastic performances by its cast, is what made it a standout in 2018.

1. WIDOWS
Steve McQueen’s film is practically flawless and no matter how many times I think about Widows, there’s always something new to analyze, a new aspect to uncover, and another layer of depth to think about. It’s as much of a heist movie as it is a sociopolitical drama and a feminist journey that details women breaking free, discovering themselves, and learning to come into their own and relying on their strength without being held back. It’s been severely overlooked on so many best of lists for 2018 and not given as much attention by audiences either, and it’s deserving of so much praise for the way it handles all of the film’s characters and plots. Plus, it has the best ensemble cast of 2018, led by the phenomenal Viola Davis. Widows is thrilling, suspenseful, empowering, and deserves to be seen.

Jake Sokolsky

3. A SIMPLE FAVOR

Paul Feig’s modern-day film noir starts off my list of the best movies from 2018. I found this movie to be a devilish good time. A Simple Favor has many different levels, and I really enjoyed all of them. Feig successfully takes a murder mystery and adds his usual comedic mastery to it.  While A Simple Favor does have its fair share of ridiculous moments, somehow Feig has you go along for the ride and not bother looking back or questioning it. The film is carried by the stellar performances of both leading ladies in Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively. Lively looks like she is having a blast playing Emily, the foul-mouthed, no bullshit taking, head of PR for a popular fashion magazine. Kendrick’s Stephanie is an outwardly innocent mom of the year candidate whose son happens to be friends with Emily’s son, leading to a very unlikely friendship amongst two seemingly opposite people. Yet as time goes on, Stephanie may be a little more like Emily than anyone – maybe even herself – realized. When Emily disappears, Stephanie pulls out all the stops to figure out what happened to her best friend - updating all of the viewers on her Mommy Vlog of her progress along the way. 

2. SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE

Last year’s Spider-Man: Homecoming was a breath of fresh air to one of my favorite childhood Superheroes, but Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse took that to an entirely new level. In the name of full transparency, I did not know much about Miles Morales and his backstory – which only made some parts of the film even better in my mind. I grew up with the Spiderman animated series, a few of the comics, and of course Tobey Maguire – but when it came to Mile’s Spidey, I was out of the loop. Well I am all-in now.

The crazy thing is, I was legitimately excited for Spider-Verse after seeing the first round of trailers. Then I saw the post-credits scene after Venom and I was honestly not impressed. I thought it was trending to be too childish and wouldn’t be my cup of tea. Well I couldn’t have been more wrong. The film works on every level. It is a fun ride that is full of laughs, awesome action, a compelling story, characters you actually care about, and the growth and development of a new hero that everyone can embrace. Not to mention even with all those core cinematic elements in place, the animation is second to none. Great job all around here. 

1. A QUIET PLACE

A film’s ability to pull you into its world is such a difficult feat to accomplish and A Quiet Place is able to do so as well as any film in recent memory. The whole film is a tense, and almost silent, thrill ride. Seeing A Quiet Place in theaters was a blast and a truly unique experience. The entire audience was so drawn into the film that any slight noise in the theater turned heads. It seemed like everyone just forgot about their snacks and popcorn, adapting to the character’s desperation to keep quiet for fear of the monsters that may be lurking around any corner.

I could not have been more impressed with Krasinski, whose fingerprints are all over the movie from directing, starring, and helping pen the screenplay. Working with his real-life wife Emily Blunt, the two make you feel legitimately invested in the well-being of their family. A Quiet Place doesn’t waste any time, it has no real backstory or explanation of how the world got to the state that it is in, we’re just thrown right into this hellish reality. The film keeps you on the edge of your seat from the jump until the credits begin to roll. There is a sequel in the works, which I am a little weary of, but as long as the same creative minds are behind it – I have no reason to not go in with high hopes. 

HONORABLE MENTION: OVERLORD

Overlord was a mix of a tense WWII war film with a high-octane zombie movie. Throw in some crazy Nazis, some honorable soldiers, a local villager as a possible love interest and you have yourself a damn good time. 

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18 Great Overlooked Films Of 2018

So what makes for a great overlooked film, or a hidden gem as I like to call them? For me, it's simple. Any movie that resonated with me, that I found some connection with, and feel others will find a similar connection if they give it a chance. As with any year, there are so many movies that it's easy for a lot of great ones to simply fly under the radar. Fantastic performances go unnoticed, unique storylines sit waiting to be discovered (or copied), and as usual I struggled to find just 15 to put down here.

That's why I cheated and made it 18. Not that it's cheating when it's my list, right?

I went with films that surprised me with their spirit, like the Kodi Smit-Mcphee survival thriller Alpha, or spoke my language politically like The Oath did. Some of these movies spoke to my baser instincts, as the giallo-inspired Let the Corpses Tan did,  while Ibiza put both of my favorite actresses together for a silly international comedy. And that Brett Haley; I think he has a movie on my list every single year. There's a lot of good to be found in each of these movies, so check 'em out below and then check 'em out at home!

And when you're done, be sure to follow all of our end of the year coverage here!

The Mercy (review)
Director: James Marsh
Cast: Colin Firth, Rachel Weisz, David Thewlis, Simon McBurney



Jonathan (review)
Director: Bill Oliver
Cast: Ansel Elgort, Suki Waterhouse, Patricia  Clarkson, Matt Bomer



The Oath (review)
Director: Ike Barinholtz
Cast: Ike Barinholtz, Tiffany Haddish, John Cho, Billy Magnussen, Carrie Brownstein



Final Score (review)
Director: Scott Mann
Cast: Dave Bautista, Pierce Brosnan



Let the Corpses Tan (review)
Directors: Helene Cattet and Bruno Forzani



Alpha (review)
Director: Albert Hughes
Cast: Kodi Smit-McPhee,  Johannes Haukur Johannesson



Night Comes On (review)
Director: Jordana Spiro
Cast: Dominique Fishback, Tatum Marilyn Hall



Hearts Beat Loud (review)
Director: Brett Haley
Cast: Nick Offerman, Kiersey Clemons, Blythe Danner, Sasha Lane, Toni Collette, Ted Danson



Ibiza 
Director: Alex Richanbach
Cast: Gillian Jacobs, Vanessa Bayer, Phoebe Robinson, Richard Madden



Revenge (review)
Director: Coralie Fargeat
Cast: Matilda Lutz



Marrowbone (review)
Director: Matthew Stagg
Cast: George MacKay, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Mia Goth



I Kill Giants (review)
Director: Anders Walter
Cast: Madison Wolfe, Imogen Poots, Zoe Saldana, Sydney Wade



Thoroughbreds (review)
Director: Cory Finley
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Anya Taylor-Joy, Anton Yelchin



Monsters and Men (review)
Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green
Cast: John David Washington, Anthony Ramos, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Rob Morgan



Assassination Nation (review)
Director: Sam Levinson
Cast: Suki Waterhouse, Odessa Young, Hari Nef, Abra, Joel McHale, Bill Skarsgard, Bella Thorne



Mom and Dad (review)
Director: Brian Taylor
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Selma Blair, Anne Winters, Zackary Arthur



Kickboxer: Retaliation (review)
Director: Dmitri Logothetis
Cast: Alain Moussi, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mike Tyson, Christopher Lambert



Never Goin' Back
Director: Augustine Frizzell
Cast: Maia Mitchell, Camila Morrone, Kyle Mooney

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Travis Hopson's 20 Best Movies Of 2018

It was just two years ago that Rogue One was my top movie, then in 2017 The Last Jedi was narrowly edged out by The Florida Project. And to think in 2018 there won't be a single Star Wars movie on the list, as Solo: A Star Wars Story was merely...well, it was okay. I didn't even write it down as a consideration, and the number of movies I could've put on here is quite lengthy.

This was another great year of film, and I think my picks reflect the diversity we saw as Hollywood tried to make up for past failures. We saw arthouse films and blockbusters alike take up high-minded themes, John Krasinski emerge as one of our top horror directors, and Sony step up to challenge the big boys at Marvel...using Marvel characters.  I've said it before, but there's no such thing as a bad year in film. There is always something for everyone to choose from and enjoy, and 2018 gave me plenty of entertainment in a wide array of genres. I even learned to love the rom-com again. Thanks, Netflix.

But this year I found myself pretty much bowing down to my fandoms. This was one of the best years I can remember for superhero movies, nostalgia, everything that brought out the kid in me.

Anyway, my list is both subjective and superfluous. Ask me tomorrow and it'll probably be different. Spare me your emails asking why a certain movie isn't anywhere to be found. Plenty of movies I liked a lot failed to make the cut. Sorry, Spike, you know how I feel about you but BlacKkKlansman was #21.

20. At Eternity's Gate
Willem Dafoe captures the mystique, genius, and deep sadness of Vincent Van Gogh in Julian Schnabel's lovely At Eternity's Gate, a film as rich and layered as one of the artist's cherished paintings.
19. Assassination Nation
With maniacal, violent glee Assassination Nation shoves everything wrong in America dead in our faces and dares us to be better. Those who are easily triggered need not fucking apply.
18. Bodied
Almost a companion piece to Assassination Nation, Joseph Kahn's rap battle comedy Bodied spits uncomfortable truths about racism while dropping some sick rhymes.
17. The Hate U Give
A YA adaptation that isn't about a white girl savior in a post-apocalyptic world, but a serious, important film about a black girl dealing with the reality of racism and injustice. The Hate U Give should be seen by everyone, regardless of age or race, and Amandla Stenberg has the performance I think will take her career to the next level.
16. Burning
Class resentment, loneliness, repressed violence, and ego make for a toxic but fascinating brew in Lee Chang-dong's Burning, a slow burn thriller that features The Walking Dead's Steven Yeun as you've never seen him before. You'll never think of him as Glenn again.
15. Never Goin' Back
A spiritual companion to Spring Breakers, Augustine Frizzell's unrelentingly raunchy Never Goin' Back features brazen performances by Maia Mitchell and Jessie Camila Morrone as drug-addled young women who will do anything for a beach vacation. They're both morons, often high on coke, but somehow they got this world figured out in a way nobody else does. I could watch this movie all day. And have.
14. Annihilation
I still can't tell you what the Hell is really going on in Alex Garland's weird, beautiful,  surreal sci-fi film, but I think that's kind of the point? As Natalie Portman and her team venture beyond the veil to explore a strange phenomenon, the experience is wholly sensory and defies easy explanation.
13. Support the Girls
You might think that a film set at a Hooters-esque sports bar promoting "brews, boobs, and big screens" by a wait staff in crop tops and booty shorts wouldn't be the most feminist movie of the year. But that is just part of the quiet brilliance of Andrew Bujalski's Support the Girls, which keeps its girl power ideals close to the vest while acknowledging the daily struggle women go through, whether it be economic or casual workplace harassment.
12. Shoplifters
Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda's Shoplifters finds him once again exploring the idea of family, and whether the bonds we choose to forge are stronger than those we are born into. The close-knit group of struggling thieves live in the shadows, but step into the light to bring in a troubled young girl and make her a part of their family. The experience changes them all in profound ways, but the open-hearted example they set has the potential of changing us, as well.
11. A Star is Born
The first half of Bradley Cooper's A Star is Born is basically one long extended first date between his alcoholic singer and Lady Gaga's aspiring star. I haven't wanted so badly to be the lame wingman just hanging out with them as they slowly fall in love over the course of a revelatory evening. It's all just setup for Cooper's surprisingly assured direction, which shows him skillfully capturing a swooning romance, a concert drama, and sobering tragedy all at once. Brilliantly done.

10. Deadpool 2
I feel like Deadpool 2 isn't getting the love of the first movie and that's unfortunate because this one's better. It actually has a story, an actual hero arc for Ryan Reynolds' foul-mouthed merc, and the God damned friggin' Juggeranut! Plus the best cameo by the X-Men...well, ever.

9. Mission: Impossible-Fallout
Tom Cruise gave up an ankle for you people! He leaped from a freakin' plane for you people! Henry Cavill kept his mustache for you people! Christopher McQuarrie transformed Abu Dhabi into Paris for you people! And the result? Not only the best movie of this two-decade-long franchise but one of the best action movies, from start to incredible finish, that we've had in years.

8. Bumblebee
As Optimus Prime, Soundwave, Shockwave, and Starscream battled in the awesome Cybertronian sequence in Bumblebee, I squealed with joy in a way that I haven't since I was an 8-year-old kid seeing Transformers: The Movie for the first time. My only hope is the guy sitting two seats away didn't hear it, and that he doesn't recognize me.

7. Green Book
By all rights I should've hated Green Book. I pretty much expected to. A Hollywood-ized look at racism, identity, and the overcoming of prejudice, the Peter Farrelly-directed (!!!) film is also a buddy comedy and road trip movie that's practically begging for some Oscars love. And yet I can't deny the sheer pleasure in Viggo Mortensen's gruff Italian driver teaching Mahershala Ali's refined classical pianist the delicate art of eating fried chicken. Sometimes it's the simple things that hook me.

6. A Quiet Place
The movie I saw most this year had the least amount of audience chatter. John Krasinski's A Quiet Place stunned audiences into a bond of silent fear with its terrorized family. I've never experienced anything like that before, and it could only happen in the theatrical experience. If there's ever a movie that demands to be seen in a crowded multiplex, this was it.

5. Black Panther
Any movie that can make millions of people attend dressed like extras from Coming to America gets a thumbs up from me. The baddest, blackest movie of the year was Marvel's Black Panther, which brought kickass superhero action, diversity, and social conscience to the MCU. This was a tough call for me, choosing between this and Avengers: Infinity War, especially since both feature incredible villains, and I'm all about the villains. Michael B. Jordan's Erik Killmonger is a revolutionary with a warrior heart, a Malcolm X to T'Challa's Martin Luther King. The ideological war between them is just as exciting as the physical one, and I hope Marvel realizes they can make smart comic book movies and people will respond enthusiastically.

4. Avengers: Infinity War
Like I said above, this was a tough call, but in the end I had to go with the movie that was completely dedicated to the villain's journey. Josh Brolin's Thanos is so much more than he has ever been in the comics. There's a soulfulness to his genocidal quest that is both perplexing and captivating. Granted, I almost always root for the heel to win, but in this case I actively cheered on Thanos' mad quest to wipe out the universe and smiled with glee when the snap of his fingers wiped away everybody's heroes. He'll get his comeuppance in a few months, but for now I'll continue to savor his victory as the greatest pulled by any bad guy in the history of cinema. Who can claim to have accomplished more?

3. First Reformed
I had no idea what to expect with First Reformed, but it wasn't much. Paul Schrader hadn't made a movie worth seeing in years, Ethan Hawke is hit 'n miss with me, and the religious subject matter isn't at all up my alley. And yet I was hooked right from the start, as Hawke's troubled Protestant minister grapples with his faith both in private, where he keeps a journal of his most sacrilegious thoughts, and in public where he can hardly hide his disdain for the world. It's a fascinating, complex descent into spiritual oblivion that Hawke carries on him like the entire weight of the universe is on his shoulders.  One of the few movies I saw this year that you could show to a dozen different people and get a dozen different opinions about.

2. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
The best Marvel movie of 2018 wasn't by Marvel Studios, but by Sony Pictures. The most diverse year in comic book movie history was led by a black/Latino kid named Miles Morales, and through him we are reminded of all the things that make Spider-Man the greatest of Stan Lee's creations. He's just a regular kid, and while he doesn't have an Uncle Ben level tragedy in his life, Miles has his own problems to deal with having to do with his mixed-race heritage. That's something we've never seen in a Spider-Man story on the big screen before. With an array of colorful characters, terrific humor, and kinetic animation, Spider-Man has never been this good cinematically and I hope it's just the beginning.

1. Roma
As the soapy water washes away across the opening credits of Alfonso Cuaron's Roma, for about 5 straight minutes, you instantly understand this is the kind of deeply personal movie that a filmmaker gets to make once in a career. For Cuaron, who is notoriously obsessive about every shot, he holds every frame of Roma so tight it's like he can barely stand to let them go. A love letter to the era of his childhood and the women who inspired him, Roma is both intimate and profound, with gorgeous black & white cinematography that Cuaron, naturally, shot himself. It comes across less like a movie, and more as if we're walking through a flipbook of Cuaron's fondest memories. When we so often complain that originality is gone from Hollywood, Roma is truly a film that could only have been made by Cuaron.

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The 15 Best TV Episodes of 2018

As stated before, this has been one hell of a year for TV.  As much as we love going to the multiplexes, we are also getting our best fix for entertaining complex characters while sitting on the couch.  While we already gave you the list of the best new TV shows, there have been episodes from both existing shows and some the new shows that have completely immersed us in the characters and have been buzzed about either in social media (our new watercooler), or in person the next day at work.

It’s almost impossible to nail down any specific order for which is “the best,” many of these are just too good to fairly quantify, so this is by no means a list counting down to the best episode, just a full list of what was without a doubt the best TV offered us in 2018.

Here are the 15 best TV shows in 2018:

The X-Files: “The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat”

While the new season of The X-Files show that the cult classic is completely past its prime, that doesn’t mean that it still can’t produce standalone “Monster of the Week” episodes that knock it out of the park.  Instead of a monster, “The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat” tells us about "The Mandela Effect."  For those who don’t know, the Mandela Effect is a weird collective False Memory that we all have, like for example: many people stated that they distinctly remember Nelson Mandela’s funeral in the 1980s, even though he died in 2013.  For one, I did not know about The Mandela Effect, so after watching the episode, I was going crazy on YouTube and Wikipedia for a few days, completely floored by what I thought I knew and The X-Files managed to once again be engaging in their weird comedic way.

The Good Place: “Janet(s)”

The Good Place is a show that has continued to be inventive episode by episode.  First off, it turns out Elanor and her friends were not in The God Place, but in The Bad Place after all at the end of the first season.  The second season had them managing to try and stay out of the Bad Place and actually lure their demon friend Michael (a criminally underrated performance by Ted Danson) on the side of the angels through friendship.  This season, they are in the real world after a reset.  Each episode this season has been fantastic.  None more than the latest episode “Janet(s), where they all had to go into “intelligent personal assistant” (“Not A Robot”) Janet’s “void.”  The only catch is that Janet is the only being in this realm.  This leads actress D'Arcy Carden to deliver a tour de force performance as she assumes the personalities of all the other characters and plays off against each other with perfection.

The Handmaid’s Tale: “Smart Power”

The Handmaid’s Tale in bleak and often depressing, but that doesn’t mean it’s not some damn fine television!  As The Commander and the evil people of Gilead through their systematic rape and control of all fertile women in what was the United States pretty much make every episode awful, the episode “Smart Power” finally allowed June and the good guys to have a moment to shine.  On a diplomatic trip to Canada, The Commander finally is in a place where they aren’t on top of things.  Once letters from Handmaids are released to the public, all diplomatic ties are cut, June’s husband almost beats the Commander, and he even comes face to face with Moira, as she reminds him he’s a rapist.  Nothing’s better than seeing a bully quietly run away.

Daredevil: “Blindsided”

Netflix is still crazy for canceling Daredevil after the outstanding third season.  Not only did the show return to season one form (complete with the black mask), but they managed to outdo themselves once more.  Daredevil is famous for their single take hallway fight that was awesome technical filmmaking.  Season two upped the ante with one that went through multiple floors.  However, season three said, “hold my beer” as they filmed an eleven-minute single take fight scene as Matt faced off guard and prisoners bought off by The Kingpin.  How they were able to do that sequence in one take, who knows?  But it was damned impressive.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: “I Never Want To See Josh Again”

Why more people don’t watch this show is a travesty.  I’ll admit, a show about white millennials as they go through their relationships in Southern California in a weekly musical is not something that I would imagine as on my to-do list, but Crazy Ex-Girlfriend manages to be a very well done, entertaining, and complex television show.  While Rebecca brings the comic chops for her “crazy” antics (like flying from New York to West Covina (Caaalllliiiiffffoooorrrrnnnniiiiiaaaaa) for a man), the show does a great job also highlighting very serious issues.  And no issue is more on the table than mental illness, especially in “I Never Want to See Josh Again” as Rebecca had had it with her life and her illness and tries to commit suicide.  The episode centered on her spending time with her mother, who she found out was slipping her some antidepressants, so she heads back to California.  While on the plane ride home, she thinks about her life and all her problems and decides just to end it by taking the whole bottle of antidepressants.  The episode ends with her ringing the flight attendant button and just before passing out tells the flight attendant “I need help” as the episode fades to black.  It was dark and real, and no happy songs could remove that.

This Is Us: “Superbowl Sunday

We all knew Jack was going to die on This Is Us.  After all, he’s not been any of the present day timeline episodes and all the characters have talked about his legacy.  It’s been teased for a whole season, but now we finally get to see the episode where Jack dies.  In the present, it’s the 20th anniversary of Jack’s death, so it’s a somber Superbowl Sunday for the Big Three.  In the past, we finally get to see what happened.  While we all thought he was going to have burned in a fire, it wasn’t the fire that killed him, but the smoke inhalation triggered a heart attack.  The entire sequence is tense since we know something bad is going to happen.  Mandy Moore gives one hell of a performance as Rebecca when she finds out her husband died when they thought everything was fine.  In addition to Jack’s death, the episode introduces a third timeline, one that’s in the future in a very clever way.

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia: “Mac Finds His Pride”

Throughout its many, many seasons, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia has always joked about Ronald “Mac” Macdonald’s sexuality.  The season twelve episode “Hero or Hate Crime” finally had Mac come out of the closet.  At first, it was as a joke, but then Mac finally came to terms with it.  For much of the rest of the twelfth and thirteenth season, his sexuality was not on the forefront though.  That all changed in “Mac Finds His Pride.” Where Frank wants to use Mac for his Gay Pride Parade float to promote their bar.  Mac just doesn’t want to do it.  Frank makes it his mission to help Mac “find his pride,” hence the title.  Mac describes being gay as dancing with God, and God is a woman, which Frank doesn’t get.  Frank tries to get him to at least come out to his father in jail.  Mac tried, but doesn’t have the courage, so he instead shows his father (and all the prisoners) a dance rendition with a woman (who is God), in the most beautifully shot and choreographed dance numbers.

Kudos to Rob McElhenney for busting his ass on the dance number as it was beautiful.  At the end of the episode, while his father doesn’t accept him, Frank through tears in his eyes says “now I get it.”  We all do.

The Walking Dead: “What Comes After”

While I’m one of the true believers of The Walking Dead, who will never leave the show, even I can admit that it had been lagging for the last two seasons.  Ever since the introduction of Negan and The Saviors, the show has just been cruising and needed some sort of reset to bring it back to its greatness.  It was announced last summer than actor Andrew Lincoln would be leaving the show, so many fans were really not looking forward to the new season.  While the season has been better than most, Rick leaving was sure to leave a black mark on the show, after all, he was the main character.  However, his departure was handled with care.  A near death Rick managed to reminisce about his past, complete with guest stars from past fan favorites in Rick’s hallucinations.  The big twist was that Rick didn’t die though.  Instead, he was saved by Jadis/Anne to be taken to who knows where (will surely be revealed in one of the three planned Walking Dead movies AMC has in store for us), allowing Rick to go off into the sunset to fight another day.  The even bigger twist is that after Ricks departure, we have a time jump, meet a new group of people (who are awesome in the comics), and now baby Judith is a colt shooting, katana-wielding preteen “Lil Ass Kicker.”  This opened up so much for The Walking Dead to go forward with…. And we’re just starting the Whisper War!

Westworld: “Kiksuya/Akane no Mai"

The second season of Westworld was uneven at best.  While we are still on board with the machine uprising of the western theme park.  However, something just felt “off” in the show’s second season.  That doesn’t mean that it didn’t have outstanding episodes.  It’s ironic that the two best episodes from the second season didn’t have to take place in the wild, wild west part of the theme park (well, sort of).  Instead, the two episodes “Kiksuya” and “Akane no Mai” take place in a different part of the park (or with different characters.  “Akane no Mai” introduces us to “Shogun World” another theme park where the super-rich can exist in the world of ancient feudal Japan.  The episode continued to move character development for Mauve and her “administrator” abilities continued to grow and also introduced Rinko Kikuchi as the robot Akane who had her own story.  While “Kiksuya” spent time in the Westworld theme park, it instead focused on the Native Americans of the Ghost Nation, who at this point were just “bad guy” robots thanks to how the “narratives” play out.  The show stands out as is focuses on Zahn McClarnon as Akecheta and just about all his scenes are done in the Lakota language, a first time for a TV show to give such a prominent role and almost exclusively feature Native Americans.

Doctor Who: “Rosa”

The new Doctor Who, while met with skepticism by some fans (with The Doctor being a woman), it has been a breath of fresh air.  Not only is The Doctor a woman, but her companions are also equally diverse.  And old white man, his adoptive black disabled grandson, and a Pakistani woman tag along with a female Time Lord throughout space and time: don’t get more diverse than that.  This opened the door for Doctor Who to tackle more diverse storylines, and of course, race could be tackled in a smart way.  Whenever Doctor Who has tried to approach the subject before, it wasn’t done as well as it should be, so I was skeptic about an episode focusing on Rosa Parks done by a bunch of British folks.  However, the episode was exceptional.  Going back in time to Alabama in 1955, the Doctor and her companions are trying to stop a time-traveling white supremacist from stopping Rosa Parks famous moment in Civil Rights history.  While sometimes to ensure that history plays out the way it’s supposed to in previous episodes, The Doctor will try to “steer” history to be the way it’s supposed to.  Instead, this time in the pivotal scene, the Doctor and her companions have to do nothing.  It’s not up to them to change history, they just have to let Rosa Park’s courage run its natural course  They even want to help Rosa not endure the humiliation and abuse by white people when ordered to get to the back of the bus, but to ensure that everything plays out, they have to just sit there and let Rosa Park take a stand and change history all by herself.  

Bojack Horseman: “Free Churro”

Netflix’s Bojack Horseman continues to be some damn fine television.  Who knew a show about anthropomorphic animals in “Hollywoo” could be so engaging and showing the dark side of alcoholism and loneliness.  Has-been actor making a comeback Bojack Horseman has gone through the motions throughout its five seasons, and many of his issues can be summed up to his relationship with his parents.  While his father has been out of the picture for years, his relationship with his mother was explored this season and completed with her death.  The episode “Free Churro” is almost entirely Bojack delivering his mother’s eulogy at her funeral and is pretty much a half hour or Will Arnett delivering a rambling eulogy for his mother her either loves or hates depending on where he is in his ad-libbed speech.  Bojack’s stream of consciousness covers many issues he’s been dealing with ranging from freedom, empathy, to even the television show Becker (how it had all the right pieces, but never got better).  The climax of the episode in true Bojack Horseman fashion, is that he was at the wrong funeral!

Castle Rock: “The Queen”

Hulu’s Castle Rock provides a plethora of Easter Eggs in the Stephen King universe as it focuses on the fictitious town where so many of the great horror writer’s stories have been in.  While it’s great for fans, the show stands on its own with rich characters and great writing.  No episode is stronger than “The Queen” which focuses on Ruth (Sissy Spacek), the adoptive mother of protagonist Henry, who has been suffering from dementia in her age.  This episode shows us events from Ruth’s perspective, and adds to it as her disability is frightening to experience.  Many of us young viewers just don’t understand dementia because we (hopefully) won’t have to deal with it until we are old.  Sissy Spacek carries the episode in an Emmy-worthy performance as she travels through time within her mind and tries to make sense of her life as she remembers (or misremembers) things and we can’t help but feel for her and afterward have a new appreciation for people who go through this disease.  

The Haunting of Hill House: “The Bent-Neck Lady”

Netflix gave us one hell of a show with The Haunting of Hill House, a show we didn’t even know we wanted.  Each episode is laced with great writing, excellent drama, and even more scares.  In a year where horror is making a comeback, this show delivers across the board.  The fifth episode “The Bent-Neck Lady” gives us the origins of the scary ghost that has been terrorizing Nell her whole life.  While Nell died in the first episode offscreen by committing suicide (all the Crain children have problems), this episode gives us an extensive background as we learn all about her life up until her death when she went back to the haunted house that psychologically damaged her and her family.  Nell has been seeing this figure of a woman with a crooked neck her whole life, which has led to her having sleep paralysis.  Not all is bad, we get to see her wedding and temporary time where she was happy.  But ultimately, Hill House has been calling her, which leads to her suicide back at the house.  Turns out, Nell IS the Bent-Neck Lady and after hanging herself, her spirit has been “falling” all this time from the hanging (hence the broken neck) and trying to warn her younger self, therefore terrorizing her and continuing the cycle.

Atlanta: “Teddy Perkins”

The thing with Atlanta, is you can’t place it in a box.  The show is supposed to be a comedy, but it has so many great moments of pure drama as it focuses on Earn as he tries to take his cousin “Paper Boi” to the next level of a rap career along with friend Darius.  The episode “Teddy Perkins” takes a departure from the departure from the comedic moments of the show and instead, delves into psychological horror.  Darius (Lakeith Stanfield), responding to a message board advertisement to purchase a piano goes to a mansion owned by a famous musician named Benny Hope.  He is immediately greeted by Teddy Perkins (Donald Glover in Michael Jackson face), who is suffice to say, “weird.”  Teddy is basically a mirror-verse version of Michael Jackson, unhinged, needy, and at any minute could snap.  While warned to leave by his friends, Darius stays because he wants the piano.  Teddy Perkins shows us the dark side of how Michael Jackson achieved stardom, being forced by an abusive father to achieve greatness, he’s a maniac you are afraid for but feel sorry for at the same time.  Darius even says to Teddy when talking about pain and greatness, “Not all great things come from great pain.  Sometimes it’s love. Not everything is a sacrifice… Your dad should’ve said sorry… [but] it’s not an excuse to repeat the same shit over and over.”  The episode, filmed with no commercial interruptions, gave Stanfield a chance to show off his dramatic chops, and also allowed Donald Glover to uniquely terrify us.

The Haunting of Hill House: “The Two Storms”

It’s kind of a cheat to have two episodes of The Haunting of Hill House, but “Two Storms” is an outstanding episode that has to be on this list.  Not only is this episode dialogue and character development heavy as we deal with two different moments in the Crain Family (a power outage in the past and Nell’s wake in the present), in which the Crain family have some big issues to deal with, but the technical filmmaking and cinematography of the episode is outstanding.  If you through the Daredevil single-take mentioned early was good, “Two Storms” had a seventeen-minute tracking shot that not only changed timelines, but also set changes, ghosts appearing and disappearing, and extensive drama carried all during that time.  Just to watch it was marvelous and you will want to watch it two or three times to try and figure out who it got pulled off.  Series creator Mike Flanagan shared a behind-the-scenes featurette on how they were able to pull it off, and even seeing how the sauce is made, it’s still outstanding.  The cast brings their A-game in this episode because the family fighting is done with exquisite acting for the present episodes and once again the child actors are able to deliver some solid performances as they search for their missing sibling in the past.  I still wanted to see that giant wolf they spoke of seeing offscreen though…

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15 Underrated Actor Performances Of 2018

As we enter the final week of 2018, we're starting to see the Oscars frontrunners emerge. Unfortunately, that means there is very little room for surprises, especially in the acting categories where it remains five nominees, rather than the 8-10 or whatever it is for Best Picture. And that, sadly, means that a lot of performances are going to get overlooked. It happens every year that sometimes a movie flies under the radar and that means terrific work by the cast goes unrecognized. Just as there are more great movies out there than people sometimes know, there's a lot of great acting out there that deserves some love.

Just as with the year's most underrated actresses, there was an embarrassment of riches to choose from, so many that I finally got to include Tom Cruise on the list! I don't think I've ever put Cruise on anything but damn he's incredible in Mission: Impossible-Fallout, literally breaking his own foot in the process. Dude deserves some love for that.  I also found myself leaning towards roles in films that deal heavily with social justice, as that issue grows in importance to me and in the country as a whole. And I managed to keep it duo free for once, although I seriously considered both John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix for The Sisters Brothers.

So here you go, check out my picks for the most underrated male performances of 2018. You can find all of our End of Year coverage here!

Daveed Diggs, Blindspotting (review)

Anthony Ramos, Monsters and Men (review)

Jonah Hill, Don't Worry He Won't Get Far on Foot (review)

Nick Robinson, Love, Simon (review)

Shia LaBeouf, Borg/McEnroe (review)

Jason Clarke, Chappaquiddick (review)

Ben Kingsley, An Ordinary Man (review)

Tom Cruise, Mission: Impossible-Fallout (review)

Irrfan Khan, Puzzle (review)

Charlie Hunnam, Papillon (review)

John C. Reilly, The Sisters Brothers (review)

Yoo Ah-in, Burning (review)

Michael B. Jordan, Creed II (review)

Colin Firth, The Mercy

Russell Hornsby, The Hate U Give

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