Words On Flicks 2018: Top Ten Picks of the Year

Here are my top 2018 movie picks, in no particular order:

1.Black Panther: Everything that could be said about this movie has been said. It’s got so much in terms of originality, an infusion of African cultures showing up in the tribes united in Wakanda, strong female characters, a great hero’s journey, a thoughtful commentary on today’s politics, a fascinating villain in Killmonger, and so much more. It's on most viewers' top ten lists as well.

2.Amazing Grace: To see a young Aretha Franklin at the height of her powers perform live in a Baptist church is to undergo your own spiritual conversion. It’s just revelatory.

3.The Wife: I just saw this, and Glenn Close and Jonathan Pryce are amazing as a long-married couple whose close association and unequal working partnership is cracked in the glare of the husband’s winning the Nobel in Literature.

4.Blindspotting: An eye-level take on a young black man’s struggle to overcome a prison bid, racism, and apathy in Oakland. Kudos to lead Daveed Diggs.

5.The Hate U Give: This is both a story of what it is to straddle cultures for young black people today, and a textbook in how to rise up and speak out against institutional racism.

6.Widows: Viola Davis gives a great performance as a complicated woman who must test her mental and physical mettle when her criminal husband’s apparent death leaves her vulnerable to a local gang.

7.A Star Is Born: The twin siren songs of celebrity and love intertwine in Bradley Cooper’s take on this classic story. Lady Gaga is refreshing and Cooper stretches out in their roles as we see a true love connection blossom then weaken in the spotlight of fame.

8.Bad Times At the El Royale: Two names: Jeff Bridges and Cynthia Erivo. They are amazing performers, and together they are the soul of this movie.

9.BlackkKlansman – This is a straightforward movie about a brave brother who not only integrated a police force, but stared down racism of a more insidious and organized nature in cracking the KKK. One of Spike Lee’s most mature and fully developed films.

10.The Favourite: Women take the lead in this amusing but sobering contemporary take on an internecine power struggle to be English Queen Anne's bestie. Deception, sex, poison, ass-kissing, it's all there, as are incredible performances from the leads.

ALSO:
Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again: This movie was FUN and I just enjoyed every minute of it. It wasn’t as good as the first Mamma Mia film, but it had its moments, including a cameo by Cher.

Crazy Rich Asians: Great premise, breakthrough casting, and everyone loves a good Cinderella story.

Green Book: Despite the controversy, Viggo Mortenson and Mahershala Ali are two of the best actors in film today and they do the most with the script they were given, which tries to stress that We’re All Brothers Under the Skin, Kumbaya, feel-good vibe.

Isle of Dogs: A clever premise, though it had a somewhat complicated plot and most of the human characters spoke Japanese. The animation was so well done, and the characterizations of the dogs -- by Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Bob Balaban, Scarlett Johanssen and others – was so fun. The film runs into problems by having a young white American girl become the character who saves the day, against the wisdom of a whole slew of Japanese adults. But the overall execution of this Wes Anderson-directed film is just amazing.

The Girl In The Spider's Web: Claire Foy nails the character in the latest adaptation in the book series, which finds super hacker Lisbeth Salander at the center of a botched hacking gig. Nice to see LaKeith Stanfield in a serious role here as well.

What can I say? I’m forgiving and eclectic in my tastes.

SORRY I MISSED IN 2018:
If Beale Street Could Talk
Vice
On The Basis of Sex
Ben Is Back
White Boy Rick
Vox Lux
Colette

Here's to a great 2019!