It's good to be back writing articles after a long, extended break from writing articles. 2018 has been a huge year at the box office Superhero films and mega blockbusters have dominated the box office and the current scape of pop culture. However, while you were distracted by the large-scale releases of the year, there were a few films that might have slipped you by. Here are some of the best films of 2018 that you probably missed.
#5: Won't You Be My Neighbor?
Fred Rogers (aka Mr. Rogers) is a seminal character in the mind of the American pop culture subconscious. With his puppets to his kind words, Rogers had a way of connecting with the children of several generations. This documentary by Oscar winner Morgan Neville follows Rogers and his relations with shaping America to the way that it is. The film is a pure joy, and one of the most poignant looks at a man who was just as charming and brilliant on-screen as he was in his private life. Won't You Be My Neighbor is showing in select theatres and is destroying the specialty box office as we speak.
#4 Revenge:
Every feminist's dream is taking down a patriarchal system, but no film does that in such a violent, gory, and messy way as Revenge. The film follows a party girl (Matilda Lutz) who is brutally tortured to the point of near death by a group of privileged, rich, white men,. As the girl is left for dead, the character comes back with a vengeance, to kill those that caused her so much grief. The film is drastic in its ways, but it takes graphic depictions sometimes to get across the seriousness of issues surrounding the Me Too era of Hollywood. Director Coralie Fargeat brings a fresh, feminine perspective to a film that's violence would make Tarantino blush.
#3: Isle of Dogs
When I think of modern independent cinema, Wes Anderson is almost synonymous with it. Anderson's previous entries like Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, Moonrise Kingdom, and The Grand Budapest Hotel showed us what a unique and individual voice the filmmaker had. Isle of Dogs, Anderson's second stop-motion film continues this tradition. Following a troupe of dogs in a dystopian future where dogs are no longer man's best friend, Anderson take his normal fate for dogs in his films (usually involving a horrible death) and makes them charming, engaging, and interesting for viewers of all ages in his homage to Japanese culture. Assembling an incredible voice cast as only Anderson can, the director strikes gold again with a sweet and smart movie that is fun for all, as long as those all are quirky.
#2: Annihilation
Science-fiction is one of the biggest hit or miss genres for me as a film critic. That being said, when it lands, it can be masterful. Annihilation is one of those films that remember that science fiction is a genre about humanity and how we evolve and grow as with various changing fictional circumstances. Annihilation hits this perfectly, as it's all-star cast of female characters show how they struggle personally with living as hired mercenaries in a mysterious biocentric atmosphere they explore. The film did poorly at the box office as Paramount wasn't quite sure how to promote the film. Don't let that fool you, because Annihilation is one of the best science fiction films ever made, and director Alex Garland joins his place on the Mount Rushmore of Sci-Fi along with names like Kubrick, Scott, and Villeneuve.
#1 Sorry to Bother You
Sorry to Bother You was one of this year's biggest surprises to come out of Sundance. the directorial debut of rapper Boots Riley is not only a fresh film but a fresh new genre of Black Surrealism. The film follows Cassius Green (Lakieth Stanfield) as he goes from a broke bum to rising through the ranks of a telemarketing company. Yet, by doing this, he is giving away his cultural and ethnic identity by using his "white voice" The film was an interesting social commentary while all the while being entertaining and hilarious. The film proves why we need more minority directors in the business, and younger ones as well.
So here is the list. Let me know what you think. Are there any other movies I should've seen or discussed? Let me know!
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