The First Entry Concerning the Best Films of 2018 - Worth Mentioning

Bienvenue, here's where I start talking about the best films of 2018.

There will be three lists.

First one, this list right here, is for films which are more than worth mentioning, but didn't happen to make it on the Top Ten or Runners-Up lists. Good but not damn good enough. But seriously, these are great films.

The second list will be dedicated to the runners up, the films which are worthy of the Top Ten but because ten is a finite number, some just had to go.

Then, the climax of it all – The TOP TEN films of 2018. (Pause for cheers, pause for applause.)

There seems some confusion regarding some films some films, usually those that have been on the festival circuit, regarding the official year of release. So don't be distressed when you don't find either "The Death of Stalin" or "The House that Jack Built." one any of these lists. " (See footnote.)*

Got it? Good.

So here's the first of the three lists – Films From 2018 That Were More Than Worth Mentioning.             

"Wildlife" shows us the truly devastating divorce has on children. I haven't seen a film brave enough to examine this problem in quite some time.
 

"Vice" has been called a cheap political parody comparing the performances to that of the cartoonish farce one would see in an SNL sketch and I will say it's a sneaky film. That is an unfair example to make. You'll see that "Vice" is much more than that when you watch it. It's an (dare I say?) important film, required viewing for anyone interested in politics.

"Halloween" is a more than capable return to the classic horror franchise. Michael Meyers is back, but so is Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) with a vengeance. It's wonderful to see how prepared she is now and how she matches him blow-for-blow and pain-for-pain.

The description of "The Tale" may sound like a high-financed Lifetime TV movie. It follows a woman (Laura Dern) on her journey to confront the man who sexually abused her as a teen. The plot sounds trite but "The Tale" goes deeply inside of the long-lasting psychological effects of sexual abuse blowing past any other I've seen. It's damning and dares you to look away. It's harsh and sickening, just as it should be.

 "Bohemian Rhapsody " really surprised the hell out of me. I don't normally enjoy bio-pics and I've never been much of a Queen fan, but this movie was just explosive. It made me feel connected to Freddy Mercury. 

"Mary Poppins Returns" is not as good as the original, how could it be? So let's not compare and just talk about "Mary Poppins Returns" on its own merits. Aside from the fantastic direction, choreography and score, this film essentially works because of the charm of Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

 "Soni" is more than heartbreaking, it brings to light a relatively downplayed human rights issue in a country that claims to be the "world's largest democracy." Soni (Geetika Vidya Ohyan) is a detective in India persecuted for pushing back too hard against sexual assault crime. When attacked, her superior officer tells her how reckless it is to fight off a potential rapist. The sexual politics in India desperately needs to change. Watch this movie and I assure you, you'll agree.

 

_________________________________________________________________

*I should make a note about what films qualify for which year. For example, last year I had "The Death of Stalin" on my list for one of the best films of 2017. Then this year, many critics had it on their top ten lists from this year. Imagine my surprise. I saw it in 2017 and IMDb has it listed it to have it been released in 2017. (And yes, this lovely and disturbing black comedy was on last year's list.)

Confusion yes but there's an easy explanation. The official dates listed are when the films were released in the US. So, another film I have in my top ten, (not telling – spoilers) is listed as released in 2017 but actually came out in theatres in 2018. So my rule of thumb now is to go by the US. release date and not a festival showing or an international release date.

Conversely, I ought to tell you about another film, Lars von Trier's bloody and profound "The House That Jack Built." I thought about putting it on my list this year because it was released in US theatres in December. However, as you may know, the film was quickly pulled on account of the shock and offensiveness felt by normal people. So since the wide release has been moved to this June, I'm going to treat it as if it were released in 2019.