President Barack Obama and I are so far the only ones I've seen to include Alex Garland's sophomore picture on our best-of-the-year lists. I'm going one step further and putting it on the top of mine. "Annihilation" is nothing short of a masterpiece, one that it feels like Garland has been working toward for a while. I've been a fan of his since he first made a name for himself as a screenwriter in collaboration with Danny Boyle in "28 Days Later" and "Sunshine," even loving the underrated comic book adaption "Dredd." With "Ex-Machina," Garland proved himself as capable a film maker as writer, and after "Annihilation" I'm tempted to brandish that often overused and sometimes misused epithet genius. Netflix has gotten into the habit of releasing some interesting works of sci-fi and horror over the past couple of years, but this outshines them all. Amongst many other things, "Annihilation" feels like a modern take on Tarkovsky's psychological and trippy sci-fi classic "Stalker," only creepier and amazingly enough, even trippier. The fact that it also contains such profound conceptual layers doesn't hurt either.
Aquaman
Marvel's "Black Panther" rightly got the most attention in 2018, and it was our favorite of the year also, until "Aquaman" was released and knocked it off the list. Like the previous year's "Wonder Woman," James Wan's "Aquaman" benefits from a healthy dose of humor and an appetite for globetrotting adventure and otherworldly thrills. It is also helped along by having Jason Momoa as its hero, the most charismatic action movie star in the world right now, perfectly suited for the role, inhabiting Arthur Curry with a twinkle in the eye and graceful strength. Along with a great supporting cast, some truly eye-popping visuals and a richness to the worlds the story presents to us (just consider that a spin-off is already in the works) also help to make this the superhero movie of the year. If DC keeps this up, their cinematic universe is in danger of surpassing the Marvel cinematic universe and become our new preference.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
A new Coen brothers picture is always a highlight for film nerds, and when that also happens to be a Western, that's even more of a treat. The second Netflix movie on this list, "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs" is an anthology movie that covers all aspects of that most classic of American film genres. There is music, comedy, the darker side of humanity, thought-provoking tragedy and even room for poetry. I usually don't like anthology movies, but this is how they would all be in a perfect world, where even though some episodes do not make as much of an impression as others do, they all feel like they belong and contribute someting worthwhile in the end. To speak truthfully, this is sort of a return to form for the Coen brothers, the kind of smart and funny film they used to make back in the day. It may even be their best film since "O Brother, Where Are Thou?".
Widows
After the incredibly dull and overrated "12 Years a Slave" five years ago it was quite a joyous surprise to see Steve McQueen once again show what a master film maker he really is with the wonderful heist drama "Widows". Of course, he has something quite remarkable to work from with Gillian Flynn's plot and dialogue that is as strong as iron, as tough as nails and as endlessly charismatic as its leading ladies Viola Davies, Michelle Rodrigues and Elizabeth Debicki. The film has been lauded enough without needing my praise for its blend of smart plot points, thrilling heist elements, depiction of crime and corruption in all its intricacies and its many funny aspects, and it should be viewed again for it has so much to offer besides all that in McQueen's assured direction and the juicy acting contributions (for example, what Daniel Kaluuya ("Get Out") does with his bad guy role is amazing to watch).
Solo: A Star Wars Story
I've often heard that the ambition George Lucas had with "Star Wars" back in the day was to create a space Western for the ages. Han Solo has to me always been the prime example of that notion (with his futuristic six shooter and his frontiersman sensibility) and in the experienced hands of Ron Howard, "Solo: A Star Wars Story" is the first time a Star Wars movie really lives up to that potential. There is even a thrilling train robbery to meet your Western standards. Alden Ehrenreich as a young Han is quite a masterstroke of casting, there are moments when I temporarily forget that I'm not looking at a younger, shorter Harrison Ford. It's been fun to see Disney expand the Star Wars experience into other stories and since Han was always the best character, this feels like a given. Unfortunately, the outcome was less than expected, financially speaking, which I guess means we will have to make do with this one standalone feature.
The Favourite
The bizarre and somewhat true story of two noble women's catty battle for the affection of 18th century regent Queen Anne may be Yorgos Lanthimos' most accessible feature to date, but not to worry, "The Favourite" is still all a fan of the macabre greek auteur could want. The creepiness and cringe factor has been toned down, the acting is a little looser and more natural, but "The Favourite" nevertheless delivers absurdity in abundance, in everything from characters to music to costume design to camera work. It may be a period drama peopled with actual historical characters, but it should not be viewed as a serious attempt at a history lesson or a biopic. It may not be an idea that originated with Lanthimos, which is a first, but it can definitely be viewed as a legitimate Lanthimos picture. It's also that rare thing, both a crowd-pleaser, scooping up multiple awards, and a critical success that is as artistically satisfying as it is entertaining.
Stan & Ollie
I've always had a soft spot for Laurel & Hardy, and judging by the love and admiration that Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly imbue their dramatization of the comedy duo's final years of performing during their legendary stage tour of Britain, I'd say everyone involved in the making of "Stan & Ollie" do too. Usually, biopics are uninteresting or sometimes downright infuriating, but even if one is as familiar with the real thing as I am, one quickly overcomes the differences and just submits to the sheer pleasure that it obviously took in bringing this story to life. On a side note, keeping his role in the little masterpiece Western "The Sisters Brothers" in mind, Reilly has had a great film year, but then again being one half of a talented acting team has always been his forte. 2018 was a year full of biopics, but whereas the underwhelming "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Vice" got most of the attention, "Stan & Ollie" (along with Damien Chazelle's wonderful film about Neil Armstrong, "First Man" and Julian Schnabel's beautiful "At Eternity's Gate" about van Gogh) should have been the winners.
Mid90s
After his small part in "Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot" and the excellent Netflix show "Maniac," Jonah Hill has really made me do a one-eighty in regards to my opinion about him. Then he goes and fulfills a lifelong ambition to direct an indie movie and the end result was one of the biggest surprises of the year. I may have nothing in common with the young teen Stevie at the center of the story and his day-to-day life in L.A., but I am the same age as Jonah Hill and his sweetly sensitive coming-of-age story looks exactly like the kind of indie drama that I would have seen at some point in the mid-1990s. It may not be a towering intellectual colossus, but I don't think that's the point of "Mid90s," which I think is more about creating a little time capsule that is also timeless because there will always been boys growing up kind of lonely and scared like Stevie, and there will always been a gang of older boys like Ray, Fuckshit and Fourth Grade that will make a huge impact on a young malleable man's life. I'm on tenterhooks to see where Jonah Hill ventures next.
Roma
Alfonso Cuarón's eighth feature film is an amazing combination of a very personal, domestic and intimate story done with the epic quality of a big budget arty drama by a world-renowned film master. Based in part on his own childhood in Mexico City during the 1970s, "Roma" is made as a tribute to the unsung heroes of the middle classes, the housemaids, who at their best are integral members of the family they work for. Cuarón at times also intriguingly hints at larger political turmoil and world events at the periphery of the story, details that bolster the viewing experience and gives it the feel of a documentary, or like looking through a living, moving family photo album. Every great director has that movie which will eventually be regarded as their crowning achievement, and "Roma" is Alfonso Cuarón's.
The Death of Stalin
The panic and paranoia that surely (or at least, presumably) must have erupted at the death of Josef Stalin in 1953 amongst his own ranks is a perfect set-up for Scottish political satirist Armando Iannucci, mastermind behind BBC's "The Thick of It" and HBO's "Veep." The highly fictionalized "The Death of Stalin" is full of funny actors (I never thought I'd get to see Michael Palin and Steve Buscemi share the same screen, for instance) and a lot of outrageously entertaining "walking-and-plotting" (that's a reference to Aaron Sorkin and "The West Wing," fyi). A must for fans of shows just like "Veep," but also for viewers who simply appreciate properly intelligent, cultured and provocative comedy.
