As has become customary at the end of each year, the slew of best and worst lists allows people to reflect on the previous twelve months across various media by highlighting works that enriched our lives, along with delivering a final blow to the content that wasted the valuable commodity that is our time.
Before settling on a list of the Best Films of 2018 (that will invariably change order moments after posting), take this opportunity to look back on some of the moments from film this year that left a lasting impression.
Note: I haven’t seen everything released in 2018. The films mentioned aren’t inherently good or bad – I just had a strong reaction to them. The list order is completely arbitrary.
Best opening to a film: The heist gone wrong in Widows
Working alongside Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn to adapt the 1983 British TV series of the same name, acclaimed artist/director Steve McQueen left an immediate impression unmatched by any other this year with Widows. Cutting between an ill-fated heist orchestrated by Liam Neeson, while introducing the titular women of the film with minimal details revealing the various relationship dynamics, the thrilling atmosphere established by McQueen laid the groundwork for a truly great film that showed Ocean’s 8 how it’s done.
Oh god, this character is frighteningly real: Anna Kendrick in A Simple Favour
On-screen depictions of the internet being integrated into our lives have moved away from dystopian fears in recent times towards recognition and exploration of how people present a specific version of themselves online. Drawing upon the wealth of ‘mommy b/vloggers’ dealing out parenting advice, the opening moments of Paul Feig’s A Simple Favour sent chills down my spine that no horror film could hope to emulate. Watching Anna Kendrick’s portrayal of a suburban housewife sharing recipes on how to get kids to unknowingly eat a full serving of veggies was unnervingly accurate, not only in establishing so much about the character of Stephanie Smothers, but in embodying the overenthusiasm of an aspiring online personality.
Biggest unintentional laugh: Christian Grey’s piano serenade in Fifty Shades Freed
For as titillating as the Fifty Shades series would claim to be, the overwhelming legacy left is a combination of boredom and blandness. There is of course one notable exception from the third (and thankfully final) instalment, Fifty Shades Freed when out of nowhere Jamie Dornan serenades Dakota Johnson with a piano rendition of Paul McCartney’s ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’. I’m sure the filmmakers intended the scene to be taken seriously, however my reaction of bursting into hysterical laughter, much to the embarrassment of my friend and annoyance from the packed audience, ensured I was provided with at least one instance of pleasure from the otherwise flavourless trilogy.
I wish this had been the whole movie: The restaurant scene in Venom
In reviewing Venom back in October I referred to it as “a perfectly fine, if not completely disposable comic book film”. Lacking much of the visual and comedic flair that made Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse a sheer delight, the cinematic symbiote wanting to be unleashed manifested itself during a bizarre sequence at a restaurant wherein Tom Hardy jumps into a lobster tank to eat raw crustaceans, all the while Michelle Williams looks on in horror. Had director Ruben Fleischer allowed the film to stay on that zany wavelength throughout, Venom may have taken over the reign of The Book of Henry as the WTF! film of recent years.
Too close to home: Chris O’Dowd’s music blog in Juliet, Naked
One of the hidden gems of 2018 was undoubtedly Juliet, Naked, the latest adaptation of English author Nick Hornby’s work. Having vividly captured the role being a sporting fan plays in a person’s life in Fever Pitch, Hornby’s take on the way musicians are placed on pedestals is simultaneously empathetic to the importance music plays in providing meaning to people’s lives, while also shattering the illusion of the individual as a creative genius. As someone who has spent hundreds of dollars purchasing merchandise, seeking out live recordings and discussing the music of Australian rock band Gang of Youths online, I found Chris O’Dowd’s character to arouse the type of nervous laughter that comes from being dead on in its depiction.
Favourite Death: Malin Akerman being eaten alive by a genetically mutated gorilla in Rampage
For as gloriously violent as The Night Comes For Us is in continuing the inventive body counts of Indonesian action films, the manner in which the ridiculously entertaining Rampage offed Malin Akerman proved the most satisfying demise of a character in 2018. Having indulged in cartoonish villainy as a nefarious CEO responsible for genetically engineering various animals for biological warfare, the sight of Akerman being picked up and swallowed whole by a giant gorilla allowed audiences to unashamedly feel good about applauding the death of someone who had it coming.
The most unexpectedly inappropriate line of 2018: The Cave of Forgotten Dreams in Book Club
In a year that saw John Cena chug a beer through his anus, the dirtiest moment came by way of four senior citizens making the type of joke usually reserved for Judd Apatow and Kevin Smith. While Book Club remains a bland comedy uninterested in exploring the emotional and physical desires of mature adults, hearing Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton and Mary Steenburgen refer to Candice Bergen’s vagina as ‘the cave of forgotten dreams’ evoked the type of shocked laughter to be wholeheartedly endorsed.
Most uncomfortable scene of 2018: The car ride home in Eighth Grade
What makes something uncomfortable when watching a film isn’t always the act itself, but the dread of being helpless to prevent it. Similar to last year’s emotionally wrecking Algiers Motel sequence in Detroit, the tension of seeing Kayla (Elsie Fisher) being driven home by an older male acquaintance in Eighth Grade elicited the same feeling as seeing Han Solo reunite with his son – instinctively I knew something very bad was about to unfold. Taking on additional impact given the current cultural climate, the all too real horror of Kayla’s trauma makes the eventual compassion shown towards her by another peer vitally reassuring.
I am my father’s son: “I am Prin” in The Commuter
In the decade since its release the succession of Taken-copycats have maintained a reasonable degree of quality while giving fans a reliable source of Liam Neeson being a badass. Teaming up with Jaume Collet-Serra for a fourth collaboration, The Commuter is familiar to a fault, but in a third-act cliché that is both played out and beloved, the response shared with my father left no doubt that I am his son. With the film’s MacGuffin revolving around which train passenger is Prin – the witness to a murder – the Spartacus routine taken by the passengers elicited mutual memories of the crucifixion scene from Life of Brian – “I’m Brian and so is my wife”.
I wasn’t expecting to shed tears: Ivan Drago throwing in the towel in Creed II
Having first seen Rocky IV as an 11-year-old, the over-the-top villain Ivan Drago instantly represented the silliest departure from the working class tone of the original film, while being immensely entertaining in its divorced from reality style. Viewing Dolph Lundgren’s character as a punch line known only for delivering menacing one-liners – “I must break you” – the manner in which Drago is recontextualised as a tragic figure in Creed II proved to be the film’s most emotionally affecting aspect. Seeking redemption through his son having been exiled three decades earlier, the sight of Drago throwing in the towel as a sign of love for his son brought tears to my eyes and I am not ashamed to admit it.
The dumbest moment of 2018: Darth Maul’s appearance in Solo: A Star Wars Story
As a child who grew up on the Star Wars prequels my perceptions of George Lucas’ films have changed dramatically as I have aged and been immersed in popular culture. Having enjoyed the largely reviled The Phantom Menace during my primary school years, I have come to recognise the flaws present (especially in comparison with the originals), but even as an adult I am comfortable in maintaining that the Duel of the Fates lightsaber scene ranks among the best of the entire saga. Part of what makes that showdown so satisfying is the technical craft involved in choreographing the action, as well as the emotional heft in unexpectedly killing off and avenging a major character. Better episodes have allowed heroes to be sacrificed, but only the death of Qui Gon-Jinn allows evil to triumph over good in such a shocking manner. In resurrecting Darth Maul for a cameo in Solo: A Star Wars Story, the result “is an unnecessary justification to be up to date on 10 seasons of appendices”, while robbing the catharsis of his demise in an undeniably iconic moment from the prequels. As someone who found Solo to be an enjoyable time at the movies, the inclusion of Maul irks me as an example of the worst form of appeasing fans at the expense of quality.
Favourite Scene of 2018: The Dance Scene in BlacKkKlansman
For a film filled with moments to confront, amuse and provoke thought, the enduring feeling left by the dance sequence in BlacKkKlansman is of complete joy. Set to the soulful sounds of Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose’s ‘Too Late to Turn Back Now’, the sight of John David Washington and Laura Harrier falling in love on the dance floor acts as much-needed respite from the horrors of white supremacy depicted on-screen that remain uncomfortably relevant in the time of agent orange.
Robert Crosby 