by GeekscapeStaff Monday 31st December 2018

Geekscape Roundtable: Our Favourite Films of 2018!

Can you believe that 2018 is coming to a close? In just a couple of days, we’ll abolish that dreaded eight for ten more years, and a cool, clean, sexy nine will take its place.

We say it every year, but 2018 has been an absolutely stellar year for all forms of media, so we rounded up some of our writers and podcasters to share their favourite movies of the year! You’ll see some individual lists for other topics coming down the pipeline as well, so be sure to be on the lookout for those, too!

Take a look at everyone’s top 10, top 5, or favourite film altogether, and be sure to let us know yours in the comment section below!

Matt Kelly

10. Christopher Robin 

Spoiler Alert right out the gate, Disney has 3 films that made my top 10. Christopher Robin is a movie that I did not anticipate affecting me as hard as it did. I never had a ton of love for Winnie the Pooh, I certainly watched it as a kid but only started to love the character after reading Tao of Pooh. Christopher Robin is one of my favorite film message, someone rediscovering the childhood they lost. It starts with a dark and heavy opening sequence in which our titular character is sent to war and forced to grow up quickly. It’s only when he’s revisited by his childhood friends of fantasy that he’s able to truly find happiness inside himself.

9. Thoroughbreds

I missed this one during its theatric release and I’m still upset about it. The movie had what felt like a 2 day release at best but proved to be one of the most interesting dark comedies in years. I often hear the movies described modern-day Heathers but no film has been more deserving of this comparison. Since it’s likely most people still haven’t seen this I’ll keep the plot summary short; the film follows two estranged high school friends. One is pour and emotionally disconnected while the other has a fantastic life minus her emotionally cruel step-father, they reconnect over a mutual desire to see the Step-father dead.

8. Searching…. 

This movie should not have worked, I should have been annoyed in the theater. The entire structure of the film is based around staring at someone’s computer screen for 90 minutes. Instead the film is one of the most intense thrillers I’ve ever seen. The “inside a computer screen” concept has been done multiple times before but this is the first time it truly worked. The film follows a desperate father trying to find his daughter and manages to have fun twists and turns throughout. It’s the under-appreciated film of the year for sure.

7. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 

I have never seen an animated film quite like Into the Spider-Verse but I genuinely hope I see many more. The premise should be hard to follow, it should be too complicated. Instead it’s a fun and quick-witted film that’s not afraid to be bizarre as all hell but avoids speaking down to the audience. The way various art-styles meld together and the films non-stop Easter Eggs made this the best super-hero film of the year by a long shot.

6. You Might Be the Killer 

This was easily the best horror film of the year for me. I saw it in a midnight screening while I attended Fantastic Fest and immediately fell in love with it. I managed to meet the director and strike up a decent friendship with him but this is not a bias choice. Whether him and I met each other or not I would have still praised this movie. It’s everything you ever wanted to get out of a meta horror comedy. When Sam (Fran Kranz) wakes up at his camp with all his counselors slaughtered he has no choice but to call his friend Chuck (Alyson Hannigan) to help him survive the night. During their conversation they both get a sneaking suspicion that Sam might be the killer. What follows is an incredible mystery full of hilarious gags.

5. Love, Simon

I adore teen flicks, always have. Love, Simon was the perfect modern teen flick. It captures all your memories of High School (both the good and the bad), when I first saw this movie I remember being a little annoyed by the audience but in retrospect I’m glad I saw it in a theater filled with vocal teenagers. The movie spoke to them just as much as it spoke to 33 year old me. That’s always a sign of a great film that speaks to a wide audience.

4. Ralph Breaks the Internet

Disney always has a fantastic ability to tackle heavy adult themes in their light-hearted children’s films. Ralph Breaks the Internet is no exception. On the surface, it’s a delightful sequel in which your favorite characters from the original travel around the internet with lots of meme jokes and pop culture references. While that’s there, it’s also a touching story about friendship.

3. A Futile and Stupid Gesture 

I saw this on the recommendation of my brother. I loved it so much that I watched it three times. From everything I’ve read it’s highly inaccurate but it also seems like the subject was a firm believer in “never let the truth get in the way of a good story” so it seems fitting for this bio-pic to be so outlandishly inaccurate. It tells the crazy story of National Lampoon’s founder Doug Kenney and the early days of the magazine and National Lampoon films.

2. Mary Poppins Returns

There is no film that captured my imagination this year quite like Mary Poppins Returns. It’s been a rough year for a lot of people but for 2 hours I had a permanent smile on my face and tears of joy down my face. The original Mary Poppins holds a special place in my heart, it reminds me of people who are no longer with us. Mary Poppins Returns is about holding on to the magic in our lives after losing very special people. It’s as perfect of a sequel I could imagine. I’ve read many reviews of people who disliked the film and while I understand their complaints I disagree on all accounts. Mary Poppins Returns was nothing short of fabulous for me and is easily the best movie of the year.

1.Won’t You Be My Neighbor 

Everything that made me love the fictional narrative in Mary Poppins was very much alive in the documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor. The film captures the incredible achievements of Fred Rogers. I heard someone describe it as a guide to living life. No film made me want to go out and try to make the world better like this documentary did. It is nothing short of wonderful.

David Traverso

Honorable Mention: Sadie, Thunder Road, Vice, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Halloween, First Man, If Beale Street Could Talk, The Wife and Borg McEnroe

10. Boy Erased

This tenth spot on the list was up for grabs. I could have just as easily went with indie delights Sadie or Thunder Road, but I decided to go with a more mainstream film with Joel Edgerton’s Boy Erased. The well-known Aussie actor completely blew me away with his directorial debut The Gift a few years back, and follows it up with a more character-driven, but still highly successful, true story. Lucas Hedges stars as Jared, the son of a pastor (Russell Crowe) who agrees to undergo a gay conversion therapy when he begins to question his sexuality. Rather than dwell on the ugliness of those who refuse to accept homosexuality, Boy Erased stays committed to this young man’s personal journey and its impact on his devout parents (Nicole Kidman and Crowe).

9. Thoroughbreds

I fell in love with Olivia Cooke’s remarkable acting talents the moment I saw Me and Earl and the Dying Girl in 2015. She hasn’t let me down since, but Cooke’s work reaches new heights alongside her co-star Anya Taylor-Joy (Split) in the darkly comedic crime drama, Thoroughbreds. Cook and Taylor-Joy star as former childhood friends who reconnect in their teens while living in upper class Connecticut. But when the two girls devise a plan to murder, their true inner colors begin to appear and we see them for who they really are. Thoroughbreds is a surprising treat with its devious plot and fascinating characters. But how it all unravels, that’s the real treat of the film!

8. Leave No Trace

Debra Granik got the attention of Hollywood with her dark 2010 indie drama, Winter’s Bone. The film went on to earn 4 Oscar Nominations (including Best Picture) and introduced the world to a young star-in-the-making, Jennifer Lawrence. Eight years later Granik gives us another phenomenal unknown talent, Thomasin McKenzie, in Leave No Trace. Ben Foster and McKenzie star as a father and daughter living off-the-grid deep in the Oregon wilderness whose peaceful and ideal existence becomes disrupted when someone discovers them out there. Granik once again delivers a stunning example of indie filmmaking where big budgets and gaudy effects become unnecessary thanks to authentic characters and a truly emotional story.

7. The Favourite

Filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos has long been described as one of the most unique visionaries alive. The director’s odd, yet captivating, stories always come to life through an unparalleled lens, and the trend continues with his first real Oscar contender, The Favourite. Set in the early 1700s, Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) rules over England with the aid of her loyal confidant Sarah (Rachel Weisz). But when Sarah’s downtrodden, albeit charismatic, cousin Abigail (Emma Stone) arrives in search of employment, she quickly latches onto the Queen and immediately threatens Sarah’s influence as the two women rival over their majesty’s favor. Lanthimos takes his career to a whole new level with this hypnotic tale that checks all of the appropriate Oscar boxes.

6. Hereditary

This year’s SXSW lineup was fantastic and right near the top of the list you’ll find Ari Aster’s unsettling and creepy horror masterpiece, Hereditary. The film offers an unforeseen “bang” early one and refuses to take the pedal off the throttle from that point forward. Annie (Toni Collette) is a married mother of two whose sanity slowly starts to unravel as she unlocks an insidious family secret following the death of her own mother. Collette is nothing short of terrific and she even earned some legitimate Oscar buzz, which is rare for a horror performance. Needless to say, she is absolutely deserving of the high praises and I promise you that Hereditary is an uncomfortable watch late at night with all the lights off.

5. Avengers: Infinity War

Rarely does a superhero film make it into my Top 10, but Joe and Anthony Russo’s Infinity War is far from your standard summer blockbuster. The ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe come together in this “part one” film which finds The Avengers and other superhero allies working in tandem to prevent Thanos (Josh Brolin) from acquiring all six Infinity Stones and annihilating half of the galaxy’s population. What Infinity War does so well is it humanizes the villain and rationalizes his motive to create a moral dilemma unlike anything the film genre has ever seen.

4. Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Prior to viewing the film, much had been made about Melissa McCarthy’s wonderful turn as biographer Lee Israel, who struggles financially after a successful career as a bestselling writer. While researching a new subject, Lee comes across a personalized letter from the author and decides to sell it off to a collector. This sets off a reckless string of forgeries that begin to catch the eye of the authorities. Can You Ever Forgive Me? stands a surprisingly heartfelt dramedy that forces you to sympathize with characters who are completely in the wrong.

3. A Star Is Born

Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut is certainly a strong one. By now I’m sure you’ve heard plenty of chatter regarding A Star Is Born and all I can say is, the movie doesn’t disappoint. Cooper stars as fading rock star Jackson Maine who unexpectedly discovers the gifted voice of Ally (Lady Gaga) and he instantly falls head over heels for her. But their love becomes tested when Ally’s singing career begins to blossom, and Jackson’s slowly comes to a close. A Star Is Born is carried on the shoulders of sensational performances and Cooper’s sharp direction.

2. Blindspotting

Carlos Lopez Estrada’s compelling Sundance Film Festival Opening Night selection, Blindspotting, catapulted to the top of my yearly list and held firm for quite some time. This wildly original examination of human perception is set against the backdrop of a modern-day Oakland undergoing mass gentrification. It’s here we’re introduced to Collin (Daveed Diggs), a felon with three days left on probation, who experiences deep introspection when he witnesses a cop kill a fleeing black man one night. Trust me when I say you’ve never witnessed anything quite like Blindspotting. The film straddles the line between hilarious comedy and intense drama, reminiscent of Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing, and its deep-rooted message is something we all could learn from.

1. Green Book

Peter Farrelly takes his natural knack for comedy and splices it with a Civil Rights Era backdrop to deliver 2018’s clear-cut number one film. Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen) is a bouncer from Brooklyn who takes on a well-paying job as both the driver and muscle for a world class pianist (Mahershala Ali) touring the deep south in the early 1960s. Despite Green Book’s unoriginal premise, the film truly stands out thanks to a pair of superbly acted leads that make this a bro-mance comedy first, and a worthwhile drama as a distant second. The laughs are endless and the characters are vividly memorable in 2018’s best film of the year.

Analog Jones’ Stephen Bay’s Best Direct To Video Rentals Of 1993

Were you expecting a list of the best movies of 2018? Nope! Analog Jones and the Temple of Film doesn’t do that; we watch VHS. Let’s take
a trip to the phone booth and dial up 1993! This is my list for 1993’s Best Direct To Video Rentals.

Honorable Mention: Time Runner (1993)

Get ready for Mark Hamill and Brion James! Hamill had a hard time getting work after playing Luke Skywalker, so he paid the rent with a lot
of direct to video work. Most of the movies he appeared in were just
quick cameos, but not Time Runner – he stars in this one. Like most of
these low budget action films, the story is confusing. I know the film takes place in 2022, but we don’t stick around in that time period. In Time Runner we watch Mark Hamill travel back to 1992 and battle aliens. Not his best work but worth a watch. Now, on to the top five picks!

5. Remote (1993)

Who loves Home Alone rip-off films? This guy! Home Alone with Macaulay Culkin is still one of the best Christmas movies ever made. Iconic films like Home Alone always spawn a bunch of direct to video rip-offs, and a few weren’t that bad. Sure, Remote doesn’t have anywhere near the budget of Home Alone, but it’s got twice as many gadgets, like a remote control helicopter dropping Coke cans on nincompoop criminals. This film even finds a way to get a fire-breathing Godzilla toy in it to stop the thieves from getting away. If you are interested in Remote, you can see it on Full Moon Streaming.

4. Prehysteria! (1993)

If you were a kid in the early ’90s, then you remember the tidal wave
of dinosaur movies. It was a great time to be a kid in the rental store on a Friday night. One film that immediately drew attention from my brothers and I was a little film called Prehysteria! The cover had
small dinosaurs on it, so of course it was getting rented. The best part
is the dinosaurs were named after famous singers like Elvis and Jagger. Just like Remote, Prehysteria! is available on Full Moon Streaming.

3. Puppet Master 4 (1993)

I swear to you this isn’t the Charles Band movie list of 1993. For
those of you who don’t know who Charles Band is, I don’t have to time
to get into that mad scientist of a filmmaker. Short story, he is the
man behind Moonbeam Entertainment and Full Moon Entertainment, which did Remote, Prehysteria! and Puppet Master 4.

Anyway, let’s dive into Puppet Master 4 and the murderous dolls we can’t help but love. This film is about little demons sent to Earth to kill nazi murder dolls. I know what you are thinking, take my money!

Again, you can catch this on Full Moon Streaming. Alright, enough Charles Band films, seriously, I’m not kidding.

2. TC 2000 (1993)

As I said above, Dinosaurs were enormous in the early ’90s! But, you know what else was cool to rent? Futuristic fighting movies with robots or androids like Robot Wars and Nemesis. You’ll notice very quickly that this film feels like a low budget Robocop world. The story takes place in 2020, not 2000 like the title would suggest. Already my kind of story! A disaster has killed most life on the Earth’s surface, and the rich have moved underground to survive. You don’t need to know much more than that. Just enjoy Billy Blanks and Bolo Yeung fighting, sweating and kicking butt.

1. Cyborg 2 (1993)
Every once in a while you will see an older film with a present-day megastar in it and wonder, WTF? A perfect example is Cyborg 2 and
Angelina Jolie. She’s an android assassin that kills her target by exploding during sex. SOLD! You’ll notice I said android and not a cyborg. The movie doesn’t know the difference between the two, but we
will let it slide. Jack Palance is hamming it up in this, and it’s a joy to watch. He was barely on set, but Palance still is a blast here. This movie also has one of my favorite VHS covers! You can even listen to our review of Cyborg 2 right here.

Thanks for reading! Enjoy your holidays and remember you can listen to Matt Storc and I review old VHS tapes on Analog Jones and the Temple of Film right here on Geekscape!

Derek Kraneveldt

5 . Ready Player One

Ready Player One is the most fun that I had watching a movie this year.

I simply couldn’t put the novel down when I first read it back in 2011 (back before everyone hated nostalgia trips), and I was so engrossed with this adaptation that my full bladder nearly exploded in the theatre as I simply couldn’t look away.

I wasn’t exactly sure just how the film would handle the transitions between the tired and crumbling real world and the computerized land of the OASIS, but the virtual world that Spielberg and company crafted was overflowing with passion and visual splendor. Much like Ready Player One’s characters, I simply wanted to spend as much time in the OASIS as I possibly could.

From every Easter egg, to every reference (I still cannot believe all of the different IP featured in this film), to the insane chase scenes and tearjerking moments between Parzival and Art3mis, Ready Player One is a popcorn hero’s journey that connected with me like very few can, and one that I’ll be watching over and over again for years.

4 . A Star Is Born

I went into A Star Is Born without knowing all that much about it. I vaguely remembered the film looking like a fairly standard romantic drama, and I could not have been more freaking wrong about it.

I wasn’t expecting the incredible chemistry between Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. I wasn’t expecting the heartbreaking relationship between Bradley Cooper and Sam Elliot’s characters. I wasn’t expecting the beautiful original songs (and the sultry, raspy, way better than expected singing voice of Bradley Cooper), and I certainly wasn’t expecting to listen to ‘Shallow’ on repeat for several weeks after I left the theatre.

No, I wasn’t expecting all that much from A Star Is Born, and it ended up being one of the most memorable films that I watched this year. It’s a film that expertly lifts your spirits and breaks your heart numerous times over its two-hour duration, and one that I’ll be recommending for years to come.

3 . Searching

Searching absolutely terrified me.

The film’s presentation is beyond impressive — the entire movie is shown through computer/phone displays (an idea that I first saw back in 2015’s Unfriended, taken to another level here), putting you front and centre into the unorthodox, often illogical conversations and attempts at coping of a desperate father on a near impossible search for his missing 16-year old daughter.

With an incredible, heartbreaking performance from Jon Cho, and a myriad of unexpected twists and turns throughout, Searching had me in tears during its opening scene, and on the edge of my seat until the credits started to roll.

Searching marks one of the best thrillers that I’ve seen in years, and is an absolutely underrated gem of 2018.

2 . A Quiet Place

I never could have imagined that Jim from The Office would become a bad-ass action hero and direct one of the very best films of 2018 (and probably one of the most intense films that I’ve ever seen).

A Quiet Place may have been the most impressive theatregoing experience that I had this year. I’ve never heard a packed auditorium become so absolutely silent before in my life – almost as if the audience themselves were trying not to alert the film’s terrifying creatures. I heard no chatter, no crunching of popcorn or laboured opening of M&M’s packages – you could feel the tension in the building, and nearly everyone freaked the hell out during the film’s early jump scares.

A Quiet Place is simply a horrifying tale of the lengths that one will go to to protect the ones they love. It’s chock full of incredible visuals, memorable performances, and has some of the best sound design in recent memory. It truly freaked the shit out me, and I cannot wait to visit this world again.

1 . Eighth Grade

Eight Grade was such a powerful, moving feature that I don’t even know where to begin.

The film is a scarily accurate portrait of growing up. From anxiety to introversion to trying (and failing) to put yourself out there and the repercussions of all of it, there wasn’t a moment of Eighth Grade that didn’t resonate with me; the scene with Kayla and Riley in the car may just be the scariest and most disgusting scene of any film that I saw this year, while watching Kayla befriend and look up to Olivia the twelfth grader warmed my freaking heart. Seeing Kayla and her father truly connect (after failing to for most of the film) was both heartwarming and heartbreaking, and definitely made me wish that I could cultivate deeper relationships with my own family.

Eighth Grade was my favourite film of 2018, and I think its one that will be revered for a long time to come. Bo Burnham has crafter a nearly perfect, hard hitting, coming of age drama, and the fact that I’m tearing up just thinking about the film almost six months after I last saw it is probably the best commendation that I could possibly give it.

Honorable Mention: First Man – Those scenes on the moon certainly looked spectacular in IMAX, but the most impressive part of First Man was Ryan Gosling’s performance. As someone who has lost a daughter (though in my case, one that I never really got to meet – a stillborn, to make a long story short) watching Gosling’s Neil Armstrong trudge through his life and his relationships as an absolutely broken man felt like looking in the mirror at times. To watch him achieve and achieve and literally change the world, and to so rarely look proud or even crack a smile doing it even years after the loss of his daughter resonated deeply with me, and watching the relationships with his partner, his kids, and his friends and colleagues certainly reminded me to focus on what’s really important when dealing with one’s grief. For me this year, there was no more impressive, or more important performance, than this one.

Mikaela Maxwell

5. Life Itself

Last year Derek and I watched The Glass Castle, which was a super poignant story about a family and how confusing and painful it can be to be a part of one, and I soooobbed the whole way through. I figured that was a one off. Turns out I was wrong, because I sobbed a whole dang lot during Life Itself, too.

This movie swerves you at the beginning as you are trying to figure out who’s who in the zoo, and then you jump into another tangle of family dynamics. I think looking at family dynamics is always interesting to me and pulls at my heart strings, cause I come from a family made up of so many different bits of different families and people who just want to love and be loved and have to fight through so much pain to do that. That is the kind of feeling this movie captures.

This movie does a wonderful job of telling a story about people and their lives and the events that shape them. It shows us the power of perspective and how no one can ever really know someone else’s whole truth.

4. Ralph Breaks The Internet

I saw the original Wreck it Ralph way after it came out, and I had no idea what I was missing! I enjoyed that movie so much, and was so excited for the new one, that I became a little nervous it wouldn’t be able to live up to the hype in my head. I needn’t have worried, as Ralph Breaks the Internet was amazing!

The story is about following your dreams and letting go a little so the people you love can follow theirs, and it is so well done. I am always so amazed when a “kids” movie can be so fun and entertaining while dealing with concepts that feel so adult. Navigating through friendship and feelings and figuring out who you want to be, all feel like big adult problems, but are really things we starting having to do and learn from a very young age.

I really enjoyed how cleverly this movie nods to sooooo many internet cliches. It’s like they found the perfect mix of child and adult humour and it is all based on real life stuff from this bizarre, fickle, internet obsessed culture we live in. I also liked that this movie did not revolve around a romantic relationship. It seems like so many movies are focused on that, which makes sense cause it is a big part of our lives, but this one didn’t and it was so perfect without it. It is just such a refreshing feel good film!

Whether you have kids in your life or not, I definitely recommend making this one a priority!

3. Hereditary

It is kind of surprising to me that I am so eager to put a horror movie on my favourites list, until a few years ago I probably hadn’t watched a horror movie since I was about 14. With Derek in my life I started watching them again, and have come to really appreciate some of them! This one I was super extra excited for, like to the extent that I was the one pestering everybody to see it immediately when it came to theatres.

This movie did not disappoint.

I was so uncomfortable the entire time we were watching it.

Every aspect of Hereditary is designed to make you uncomfortable, from the eery sounds, to the camera angles, the characters and the creepy art. The story takes turns you never expected and you spend the whole time trying to catch the clues you know you are missing. I walked out of there wanting to go back and rewatch immediately so I could see how the story was spelled out without me even realizing it, but also feeling too disturbed to handle sitting through it again.

I’m probably almost ready to watch it again, though my tummy is twisting a little just thinking about it. But if you have yet to watch it, and are up for the challenge of a truly horrifying movie, I highly recommend this one!

2. A Star Is Born

I went into this movie not even knowing that there had been multiple versions of it previously, so it was all new and wonderful. I wouldn’t say I go out of my way for Bradley Cooper or Lady Gaga, but I definitely will now. I was interested to see Lady Gaga’s acting performance, and to hear Bradley Cooper’s singing, and both were phenomenal. I was engaged from the moment this movie started.

The music is so well done in this movie, and was a big draw for me, their voices are simply incredible. I definitely listened to the soundtrack repeatedly after watching A Star Is Born. The story is hopeful and heartbreaking all at the same time. It looks at the hardships of mental health and addiction, demonstrating not only the impact on the person who is struggling, but also the people around them who love them the most.

1. A Quiet Place

I remember walking out of the theatre feeling totally amazed that I could be so emotionally invested in a scary movie. This movie made me cry too many times for a movie about some sort of planet invasion by an alien species, but that’s not really what it was about in the end anyways!

This movie shocks you right from the beginning and you have to wonder how anyone survives what they go through. Monsters that can only find you by hearing you and having to live in complete silence seemed like a clever twist on an alien movie. And then you find out this movie is actually about the love of a family, and people who would do anything to give their kids the best life possible in the worst of circumstances. I’m sure I spent a good portion of the movie wishing they had just used some danged birth control because how in the hell are you supposed to go through labour without yelling, and how are you supposed to stop a danged baby from crying?!

The movie was super well shot, the sound design of a silent movie was pretty incredible, and the acting was on point. This movie had so many things going for it , and it totally delivered. Do yourself a favour and go watch it.

Honourable Mentions:

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
Unsane
Searching
Eighth Grade