Daniel Baas's Top Movies of 2018
© Micah Veldkamp, 2018
For the last few years, a friend and I have gone back and forth with our top 10 lists for movies, T.V. shows, and albums. Each year it’s a tall task trying to put these unique pieces of culture in a defined list that tries to encapsulate not only how I feel about the movies themselves, but also contextualize them compared to others.
This year was the hardest year to choose my favorite movies.
When Daniel asked me to write this article, I procrastinated a lot more than I should have. Why? Because trying to figure out if I really liked The Favourite or The Old Man and the Gun more was an exercise I was dreading, because I love both of them in their own way. What complicated things is that those examples fall into the borderline of my top 10. Cinema is an incredibly important part of culture. It tells new and unique stories. It brings us together. We define years by it (shoutout 1994).
So I’m copping out.
This year, I’m going to go by tiers. This is partially because I can’t pick an actual favorite of the year, but also because some would be so closely ranked, that it feels unfair to separate them. So here we are:
Tier 6 (Honorable Mentions)
A Quiet Place
The Last Race
Won’t You Be My Neighbor
Mid90s
Minding the Gap
Tier 5
BlacKkKlansman
Sorry to Bother You
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse
Eighth Grade
This is an interesting tier. These are all great movies that make feel like in another year, they’d definitely be at the back end of my Top 10 list. 2018 was no ordinary year though. Still, from strong writing in BlacKkKlansman, Sorry to Bother You, and Eighth Grade, to the great cinematography and visual styles of Solo and Spider-Man, these movies had aspects that really stood out.
Tier 4 - Fringe Top 10 Material
Mission Impossible: Fallout
Bad Times at the El Royale
You Were Never Really Here
Mandy
Gemini
A blockbuster, a wannabe blockbuster, and three indie films make up this tier. The Mission Impossible series has long been one of my favorites. Fallout is arguably the best, though I definitely stan for 3 and Ghost Protocol. Bad Times was really well done, with layered storytelling that slowly peeled back to reveal what is really going on at the El Royale Hotel. You Were Never Really Here and Gemini are both indies that are slow and methodical, with fantastic soundtracks that back up two great films. Mandy is just wild, and features one of my favorite Nicholas Cage performances.
Tier 3
Roma
A Star is Born
The Favourite
With Roma, Cuaron delivers one of his best, most affecting films. The film includes some of the best scenes in 2018, and his mastery of filmmaking is unparalleled. Bradley Cooper’s first film, A Star is Born is a solid film, despite a rocky second act. Lady Gaga shines, and, as always, so does Sam Elliott. Finally, The Favourite continues Yorgos Lanthimos’s run of unique films. The stylistic follow-up to The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer, the palace intrigue that plays out is gripping, with Emma Stone in particular pulling no punches.
Tier 2 - 'Would Have Made the 2016 Top 5'
Wildlife
Annihilation
First Man
The Old Man & the Gun
This is a great group of films. In such a strong year, these get pushed down further than I might like, but are all so so good. None of the films in this tier are like the others. Wildlife is a brooding picture of a marriage falling apart, while Annihilation is a buffet of magical realism. First Man is a sprawling biopic, while The Old Man & the Gun is a lighthearted heist film with incredible acting. The latter was a surprise addition, but Robert Redford and Sissy Spacek have incredible chemistry. The other surprise of the year for me was Paul Dano’s directorial debut, Wildlife, which I still think about now.
Tier 1 - The Favorites (but not The Favourite)
Phantom Thread
Burning
Widows
First Reformed
[NOTE: Phantom Thread was released at the end of 2017 and nominated for Academy Awards last year, but didn't see wide release in the United States until January 2018.]
Each and every one of these movies was too good to single out as my absolute favorite of the year. They all share an underlying darkness and slow build. Some build towards large finales, while others build to a “natural” conclusion. The acting in all four of these films is incredible, with great performances throughout. Phantom Thread and First Reformed were both films that I loved and immediately knew I would rank highly, even before I had seen them. But Burning and Widows were different; Widows has been compared, rightly so, to Michael Mann’s Heat. It is a great low-key heist movie. There aren’t incessant one-liners peppered throughout, and the setup and action work beautifully. Likewise, the Korean film Burning spends the first two-thirds slowly setting itself up for an exciting finish. Steven Yeun is a charismatic antagonist with a performance that keeps you guessing until the very end.