Top 22 of 2018

— Here are my 22 favorite films from 2018:

• "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs"
• "BlacKkKlansman"
• "Boy Erased"
• "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"
• ”Cold War"
• ”Eighth Grade"
• ”The Favourite"
• "First Man"
• ”First Reformed"
• "Green Book"
• "The Hate U Give"
• "Hereditary"
• ”Lean on Pete"
• ”Leave No Trace"
• "A Quiet Place"
• ”Roma"
• ”A Star Is Born"
• ”Vice"
• "Western"
• ”Widows"
• "The Wife"
• "Wildlife"

Had I included documentaries, ”Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” would definitely have made the list, and five more documentaries and quasi-documentaries would also have been in or almost in the list:

• ”McQueen"
• ”The Price of Everything"
• ”RBG"
• ”The Rider"
• ”Three Identical Strangers"

Six other films just missed the list:

• ”Black Panther"
• ”If Beale Street Could Talk"
• "Isle of Dogs"
• ”Mission Impossible—Fallout"
• ”The Old Man & the Gun"
• ”The Sisters Brothers”

Juliet, Naked

— Ethan Hawke often finds parts in smaller, quirky films where his sort of scrappy voice and ability to perfectly underplay a role with a twinkle in his eye always win me over. "Juliet, Naked" [DVD] fits right in and it's a very pleasant experience, focusing on the story line with nicely interwoven, low-key moments to create an interesting romantic dramedy, instead of painfully referencing current events or trying to work on too many allegorical levels. It's a touching, sometimes bittersweet look at life, family, and love with a fairly realistic slant. I liked it a lot.

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[2018. 97 min. Directed by Jesse Peretz. Starring Ethan Hawke, Chris O'Dowd, and Rose Byrne.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/juliet-naked-2018

Vice

— “Vice” is an incendiary device for liberals, sort of a retelling of what I believe are fairly factual events in a comedic, satirical, pseudo-documentary style using good actors and tried and true propaganda techniques here and there as needed. It’s easy to watch and probably informative for some, but it’s hard to pinpoint the purpose. For a while it’s enough to have our current fears about presidential power reinforced until it sinks in that “alternative facts” and a more authoritarian presidency arrived fifteen years ago. Just as that’s sinking in, you begin to sense the writer-director’s indecisiveness. Should we be horrified or impressed by Cheney’s place in history? Is this a comedy or a drama? (Remember, the director was previously responsible for “Anchorman,” but also for “The Big Short.”) After more than two hours and four decades at a lively pace with a narrator whose link to the story is something of a surprise, it seems the only explanation for why the shift in freedoms happened lies at the feet of a rather emotionless, sharp and righteous man, or with his wife who made him promise to make something of himself before they were married, or with the American people who just weren’t paying attention. Worse, the film ends on a note of disdain for the audience! Although it's easy to cheer or jeer at its conspiratorial nature and it's an interesting viewing experience, its just not focused enough in tone or purpose to be satisfying after viewing.
[1/5/2019 Addendum: The more I talked with other people about this film and the more I thought about it, I decided my somewhat visceral initial reaction was too harsh. I judged it not on what it is but on what I wanted it to be and that’s not fair to any film. It’s a very well done film that’s definitely worth seeing. It’s even better if you leave before the credits roll.]

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[2018. 132 min. Written and directed by Adam McKay. Starring Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Steve Carell, and Sam Rockwell.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/vice-2018

Mary Queen of Scots

— “Mary Queen of Scots” is a fine film as period dramas go, but not anything extraordinary. It has the lush landscapes and vibrant colors and costumes, as well as a fair share of scheming by treacherous men and sly women. Margo Robbie and Saoirse Ronan do more than an adequate job as Elizabeth and Mary, in spite of a script that spends a lot of time telling us what’s happening instead of letting us see the events. This may be because the film falls into today’s black hole of depicting men as conniving, back-stabbing, buffoons and dandies, in a world where women are sisters with sharp minds and forgiving hearts who would change the world if only the men weren’t in the way. I will say that the film is at its best when focused on the two Queens’ motivations and constraints. What can I say, it may actually be, as one critic suggested, the film for people who didn’t like the less conventional and more outrageous “The Favourite.”

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[2018. 124 min. Directed by Josie Rourke. Starring Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, and Jack Lowden.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/mary-queen-of-scots-2018

Roma

— Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma” is a remembrance of his own life growing up in Mexico City in the early ‘70s. Focusing on a middle-class family—a doctor, his biochemist wife who takes care of the home, their four children and two servants—the story is told from the perspective of one of the servants, Cleo, who is also the nanny. It's an interesting story in its own way, but it is the feel of the film that stays with you. The scenes are more like carefully staged tableaux than moving images, in photo-like black and white with clean lines and a crispness that’s hard to describe. None of the characters are really fully formed, or at least we aren’t privy to their past and the experiences that make them what they are, but while being a little unsatisfying, it also adds a murkiness of sort to the feeling of recollection. For a while it seems like nothing more than a beautiful and interesting slice of life but eventually a parallel becomes clear, between the mother’s life and Cleo’s life, where both women are abandoned by their men and need to move forward with their lives. This is an incredible film from an artistic perspective, but I wish we could have lived inside the characters a little more. Even so, it’s a lovingly, carefully crafted work of art. (In theaters and streaming on Netflix.)

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[2018. 135 min. Written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón. Starring Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira, Diego Cortina Autrey, and Carlos Peralta.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/roma-2018

The Favourite

— “The Favourite” is a wonderful romp that may not be for everyone. If you liked “The Lobster,” you’ll probably like “The Favourite.” It’s a good deal more bawdy than I expected, maybe even a little vulgar, but it’s deliciously served up by three scheming women—Queen Anne herself, her closest friend, the Duchess of Marlborough, and the duchess’ cousin, Abigail. They are something of a political and erotic triumvirate in a world where women depend on men for titles and status and smart women know how to make use of men…and women. Their stories inside the palace touch on pride, loneliness, defeat, flattery, loss, humiliation, greed, envy, lust, and almost any other emotion imaginable. The film moves at a dizzying speed, then slows to savor a moment, and the person who has the upper hand keeps changing. It’s a world where men throw fruit as some poor, naked schmuck, there for their entertainment, or cheer at indoor goose races for fun. Women use their sexuality matter-of-factly, as just another charm in their arsenal, and the line between the affairs of state and of the heart is faint. The three women—Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, and Emma Stone—are outstanding and the pace and editing and music all are perfectly thought out. This is an odd film, but a very good one about the cost of going after power. It’s also one of the best films this year.

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[2018. 119 min. Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. Starring Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Robert Harley, Joe Alwyn, and Mark Gatiss.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-favourite-2018

Mary Poppins Returns

— A surprisingly steadfast sequel with a measured blend of whimsy, merriment, nostalgia, and magic, that still isn’t quite right. I went in doubting Disney could pull it off, but a half hour into it I admit I was enjoying myself, realizing what an uncommon experience the original had been. The problem with the new film may be with the music which just doesn’t measure up, and the choreography sometimes is more “Moulin Rouge!” than “Mary Poppins.” I don’t think I’ve seen the original since 1964, but it’s clear the sequel takes care to mimic the story as much as possible; unfortunately, some variation might have been a better choice. The film is technically polished in every way, mostly enjoyable, and has a rousing finish, but it’s just missing the twinkle the original had. I am grateful Emily Blunt was chosen to ever-so-slightly morph Mary into the next generation, although I am less certain about Lin-Manuel Miranda as the lamplighter replacement for Dick Van Dyke’s chimney sweep. Meryl Streep’s song is a stand-out and the cameos by Van Dyke and Angela Lansbury reminded us the old folks still can charm an audience. I got my money’s worth, mostly thanks to Blunt.

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[2018. 120 min. Directed by Rob Marshall. Starring Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, and Emily Mortimer.]
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/02/movies/lin-manuel-miranda-mary-poppins-returns.html

Dumplin'

— Another film to premiere on a streaming service (Netflix) with limited theatrical release. Willowdean (Danielle Macdonald) is the plus-sized daughter of Rosie (Jennifer Aniston), a former pageant queen who now runs the Miss Teen Bluebonnet pageant. Willowdean decides to enter the pageant in protest, creating a springboard for forming new bonds and gaining new understandings. Danielle Macdonald is perfect as the rebellious daughter and Aniston’s certainly up to the nuances of her role. There aren’t many surprises in the story, but the film is carefully done, touching on every lesson to be learned with a mix of humor and compassion. In the end, it’s an uplifting comedy that sounds a little sappy and almost is. It’s definitely a cut above the Lifetime and Hallmark channels. The Dolly Parton trope and songs are also an added bonus.

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[2018. 111 min. Directed by Anne Fletcher. Starring Danielle Macdonald, Jennifer Aniston, Odeya Rush, Maddie Baillio, and Bex Taylor-Klaus.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/dumplin-2018

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

— Oh my! If you like quirky (I do), this is a film for you. It’s pretty to look at, with western vistas like hand-tinted postcards and characters looking and speaking almost as though they could be in a stage play instead of the western frontier. There’s a bit of Coen Brothers' love in each of the six fables that make up the film, feeling a lot like an homage to the classic western, but a satire too. The humor catches you off guard and sometimes results in a guffaw, sometimes a groan. The acting is polished, the script is crisp, and the direction precise. Some reviewers suggest that, in the current political context, there may be parallels between the unchecked power that exists in each of the fables and our own national situation. Violence in the Coens' west is commonplace and accepted, law is loose and unfettered, and society seems to turn a blind eye as the blood flows. Ignoring any political associations, it’s still an amazing film to watch and react to. I thought it was fun, but not everyone will. It’s also interesting as an example of the new phenomenon where theatrical and streaming release lines are fluid and blurred. [Netflix.]

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[2018. 133 min. Directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen. Starring Tim Blake Nelson, Willie Watson, Clancy Brown, James Franco, Stephen Root, Liam Neeson, Harry Melling, Tom Waits, Bill Heck, Zoe Kazan, Jonjo O’Neill, Brendan Gleeson, Saul Rubinek, Tyne Daly, and Chelcie Ross.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs-2018

Beautiful Boy

— Viewed as an acting exercise, Timothée Chalamet is perfect in “Beautiful Boy” and Steve Carell continues his streak of talented portrayals. Carell is David Sheff, a California journalist whose son, Nic, once filled with promise, is now dealing with meth addiction. It’s a very personal film based on David and Nic’s separate books. Since it is so personal and looks at only one struggle, I was more easily drawn into the helplessness and frustration that are part of the realities of addition for both the addict and their family. This is a good film, showing the evolution of David and Nic’s relationship from one of easy-going, loving, wholesome innocence to isolation, anger, frustration and desperation. The criticism that this depiction fails to represent the large number of persons affected by addiction who come from a demographic that isn’t white and wealthy, and for whom far fewer treatment alternatives are available, may be justified, but this is only one story, not all stories, and addiction can affect anyone, not just people of color or the impoverished or disenfranchised. I liked the film, with its earnestness and its heights and depths, and the questions it raised about my own misconceptions about addiction. A friend of mine referred to it as an "emotional roller coaster" and it is, but it's worth the ride.

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[2018. 120 min. Directed by Felix van Groeningen. Starring Steve Carell, Timothee Chalamet, and Maura Tierney.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/beautiful-boy-2018

At Eternity’s Gate

— A visually glorious film with Willem Dafoe at his very best, working to convey the elusive essence of Van Gogh’s artistic experience. This is no easy task but director Julian Schnabel goes for it, focusing on the final two and half years of Van Gogh’s life, from meeting Gauguin for the first time just before he leaves Paris for the south of France and it’s crisp light, to his death in 1890. Carefully thought out direction and camerawork are on display at all times, often accompanied by brittle piano chords or violin music instead of dialogue. The camera sometimes seems to be jogging through fields and landscapes, moving at a heightened speed, with its vision blurring in and out of full focus. Through it all, Van Gogh paints and questions about beauty and god and art and eternity swirl around everything. That’s at least half the film and the other half punctuates the nonverbal flow, interspersing it with occasional conversations, actions, or incidents. These are less successful but do manage to harness the experience for viewers. In the end, I liked the film a lot and think it did help me to see what Van Gogh saw, something Van Gogh thought art should do. It was laboriously slow but worth it—if you don't look at the film in its entirety, you’ll get lost in the brushstrokes.

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[2018. 110 min. Directed by Julian Schnabel. Starring Willem Dafoe, Rupert Friend, and Oscar Isaac.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/at-eternitys-gate-2018

Green Book

— A nicely done film based on a story from 1962. Tony “Lip” Vallelonga needs a job for a couple of months when he’s out of work while his employer is closed for renovation. Tony’s a loud, opinionated, hair-triggered, fist-fighting, prejudiced Italian American, who ends up taking an unlikely but well-paying job as the driver for Dr. Don Shirley, a black pianist embarking on a concert tour in the Jim Crow south. The film follows the evolution of their relationship during an era when a published “Green Book” was necessary to guide travelling blacks so they could find lodging in areas where they weren’t welcome at many hotels and motels. It becomes a glimpse into that era of U.S. history, at the strength of friendship and family, at the value of respect, belonging and acceptance, and of making a difference in your own life and in the lives of others. This is a film for mass consumption so the images aren’t as gritty as you’d see in other films and the story line is less jarring, but that doesn’t negate its value. Viggo Mortensen is incredible as the almost-caricatured Tony and the pace is near perfect. It’s hard not to be reminded of “Driving Miss Daisy” since it’s kind of a working-class version in reverse, and in many ways its similarity also reminds us that friendship can and should be blind to color.

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[2018. 130 min. Directed by Peter Farrelly. Starring Viggo Mortensen, Manhershala Ali, and Linda Cardellini.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/green-book-2018

Wildlife

— Here’s a 1960’s family that’s more dysfunctional than most, making for a particularly disquieting viewing experience. Jerry’s a brooding, never-satisfied, often out of work piece of kindling to wife Jeanette, a smiling, cheery, ego-stroking companion who is far from happy and wants a better and easier life. Their 14-year-old son Joe witnesses their interactions in a state of confused worry, never certain what lies ahead but always trying to hang on to a family drifting apart. All three of them don’t seem to know how to adapt to current realities, affect the future, or remember no one is alone. Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan, as Jerry and Jeanette, are both subtle, adept actors who can convey feelings beneath the surface and there’s a lot going on beneath the surface in this film. There’s also an artful directorial touch, making many of the scenes look more like still photos, perfectly staged and colored. There’s a slow unfolding of the story, moving perhaps at the same pace as the spreading of desperation in the characters’ hearts. It’s hard not to think the intent was to have Jerry and Jeanette somewhat equally represented in the tensions of the film but Gyllenhaal, more than capable of holding his own, is off fighting fires during a large portion of the film, leaving Mulligan’s acting power unharnessed and nearly taking over the film. It’s a good film but a little uneven. In the end, we remember Jeanette’s answer to the question "What happens to the animals out there during a wildfire?"—”They adapt, I suppose. The little ones get confused and burn up. I used to cry about it when I was a little kid. My father said that didn't help anything." And, I suppose, Jerry & Jeanette eventually do adapt. Luckily their son doesn't burn up, but he does grow dealing with a lot more than he should have to.

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[2018. 105 min. Directed by Paul Dano. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Carey Mulligan, and Ed Oxenbould.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/wildlife-2018

Our Souls At Night

— it would be enough to have Redford and Fonda back on the screen, oozing chemistry and making acting look easy, but this is more than just about two Hollywood icons in a Netflix film. When Addie knocks on Louis’ door, seemingly out of the blue, and asks if he’d like to like to sleep with her to deal with their loneliness, for companionship instead of sex, it’s a little shocking. He takes a day to think about it but then agrees to give it a try. Watching the cautious undertaking unfold while the small Colorado towns' residents catch wind of it, is tender and funny. Both of them may not have understood how shocking their arrangement might seem, but in the end, as they experience a kind of reawakening of their own spirits, they’re willing to press the issue and hope the town will adapt. Both Fonda and Redford bring a bit of Western independence to their roles as well as a soft gentleness, a combination that’s endearing. I enjoyed the film a lot, perhaps because of my age, but also because it’s a pretty good little film. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2017. 103 min. Directed by Ritesh Batra. Starring Robert Redford, Jane Fonda, Judy Greer, and Matthias Schoenaerts.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/our-souls-at-night-2017