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Ruk's Top 88 Movies of 2018

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4. Mirai

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Fun fact, I actually juggled this and Maquia's positions back and forth about half a dozen times while making this list, before eventually making my decision on which one to rank higher. And, if you read the review I wrote for it back when I first saw it, you can understand why I love it so much.

 

Putting it simply, the movie is delightful. Good light-hearted slice-of-life is one of those genres that's very tricky to get just right but when you do, it's like an insta-win button straight to my heart. And I'd say Mirai got it right. The movie, about a somewhat spoiled toddler coming to terms with his new baby sister being brought home is funny, sweet and heartwarming in equal measure. It's the sort of movie I didn't realise I even wanted so much until I got it and my only regret is that there wasn't more.

 

Honestly, I mentioned this movie competing with Maquia for this spot and in a lot of ways it is amazing just how much the two movies mirror each other. Both are about parenthood and raising a family, but where Maquia is high-stakes and tragic emotional drama, Mirai is low-stakes and life-affirming. And where Maquia has both incredibly emotional highs but also kinda rushed not-great development, Mirai feels almost consistently great throughout, but without any of the real souring peaks that Maquia had (which is weird because Mamoru Hosoda up to this point almost consistently had really emotional climaxes). Heck, even in their genre they're perfect mirrors. Maquia's slice of life elements feel like backdrop to the fantasy, while Mirai's fantasy elements feel like a backdrop to the slice-of-life. But I think the ultimate reason Mirai nudged out Maquia in this contest is because, after the year that was 2018, I really did want something nice and pleasant to enjoy, like this movie.

 

And, in that regard, Mirai obviously delivered. Plus it finally broke the no-none-Ghibli-anime movie curse in the Best Animated Feature awards! I mean, obviously, it's not going to win (and arguably shouldn't), but I'm cool with the nomination. After all, it's about time Mamoru Hosoda got recognised (and yes, I am still made he didn't get in 2012 for Wolf Children). And while I wouldn't call this his very best movie, it's still an excellent piece in his filmography.

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3. The Hate U Give

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Top 3 time and I’m starting off (obviously) on a high note. I never read the original novel for this when it came out, but I remember all the talk about it and how great it was. And, having now watched the film version, I can safely say I definitely believe it. This movie was fantastic on almost every level. From the writing to the acting to the story to the direction, it was near pitch perfect and continued bucketloads of interesting themes and ideas and explorations of what it means to be black in modern day America. It honestly says something that, when brainstorming about this movie, the biggest flaw I could come up with is that I’m too used to Anthony Mackie being Falcon to buy him as a ruthless gang lord.

 

Honestly a large part of why I was so down on Green Book all the way back down towards the beginning of this list is because it feels like this movie does everything that movie did but 100 times better. The main character is torn between her black home culture and ‘acting white’ in her preppy high school? This movie goes into the reasons why she feels she has to act this way and both the positives and negatives that come from that. There’s a supportive white character involved? This movie treats him as a good guy but also points out that there are certain things he’s just not going to get about being black (plus it doesn’t make him the lead or have him try to teach famed black icon Doc Shirley how to be black by eating fried chicken (Sorry, I'm still not over that.)) Even the cop shooting angle it handles with some nuance. The main character’s Uncle is a cop and there’s a great little scene between the two debating the reasons why the officer did what he did and whether or not it justified his actions. The film is steeped in black culture and identity and works all the better for it.

 

It also helps that the characters are really likeable. Not just Amanda Stenberg, who gives a magnificent performance as the clearly traumatised Starr, but her family and her friends and the world around her feels like an actual world rather than just a backdrop. It’s the sort of movie that made me want to see more of the characters, even knowing that the plot was more or less wrapped up. And there are very few movies that actually do that to me.

 

In conclusion, out of all the movies that dealt with race this year, this was easily my favourite. It juggles complex and meaningful subjects deftly while still remaining likeable and easy to watch, with great performances and great characters to anchor it all down with. It's a shame this didn't get more of a recognition with the Oscars because it definitely deserves it.

 

 

 

(Also, I'm fairly certain at this point that everyone should be able to guess what the top two are going to be, considering my well known love of certain genres/franchises. But which way round will they place? Let's find out...)

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And here it is. The final 2 movies of the year (that I'm 90% certain most people will have already guessed by now.) Which will place first and which will place second? Open the spoiler box and see......

 

Spoiler

 

2. That One Shitty Movie Everyone Hates!

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That's right, I'm going to be incredibly 'wacky' and pretend that I'm giving this prestigious spot to some absolute garbage movie that everyone knows is terrible! Aren't I just hilarious! Aren't you just rolling on the floor in laughter at this incredibly unexpected turn of events! Everyone knows that this joke isn't ever going to get old, predictable or overused, no matter how many times it happens! It shall forever be akin to Shakespearian poetry on the fruits of the great literary canon!

 

Why aren't you laughing?! What's wrong? Is it not wacky enough for you? I can throw in some gratuitous over-the-top praise for it if you want! That'll be funny, right? Because the movie is garbage, but I'm acting like it's a masterpiece of cinema! What delicious irony! Why won't you acknowledge my comedic talents?! What reason could you have not to?! Johnny Depp plays a detective gnome and I just compared it to Citizen Kane! Isn't that hilarious?! Why won't you acknowledge me?!

 

Laugh! Laugh at my comedic genius! Laugh while the world burns around you and all things you love turn to ash! Your tears only stoke the fiery engines of your own self-created torment! Laugh! Watch Viggo Mortensen eat a folded up pizza and despair! And when the dead reaper rests its cold hands upon your plague-ridden soul, you shall know that you only have yourself to blame for your horrible fate! The Minotaur comes for us all! And we shall burn in its hellish flames! LAAAAAUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHH.......

 

 

 

 

Okay seriously though, here's the actual No 2.

 

Spoiler

 

2. Avengers Infinity War

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I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that we're currently living in a Golden Age of Superhero movies. Studios are shelling out big bucks to bring superhero properties to the big screen in ways many of us never thought would be possible. Aquaman just made a billion dollars. Black Panther got a Best Picture nomination. 2019 currently has a Shazam movie, a Captain Marvel movie, an Avengers movie, Dark Phoenix, The New Mutants (theoretically) and a Joker standalone film all scheduled. And, just to put it all in context, in 2008, the idea of just a Captain America movie ever being seriously made was thoroughly laughable. Oh how things have changed. And as far as I'm concerned, there are two properties almost single-handedly responsible for that change.

 

The Nolan Batman movies and the MCU.

 

Now, anyone who knows me even slightly or have read any of my previous articles, posts or whatever else on the subject know that I freaking love the MCU. I love it to bits. What Kevin Feige and his team have managed to pull off is nothing short of miraculous. To create dozens of varied superhero stories and franchises, almost each of which on their own would be tricky to pull of, and then combine them into one cohesive universe? It was something that for so long was considered only the stuff of fanboys wet dreams. And yet didn't just pull it off. They made a freaking phenomenon out of it, creating a franchise that at its worse was still perfectly enjoyable and at its best hit the peaks of quality blockbusterdom.

 

With that said though, I will admit to being skeptical about Avengers: Infinity War. The first Avengers has always been my favourite MCU film and, for the longest time ever, I didn't think it would ever be topped, either in quality or in success. And while I loved Winter Soldier and Civil War, I wasn't sure how well the Russo Bros would handle a larger-scale space-based movie, especially considering how underwhelming Thanos had been in his brief cameos prior to this. Heck, I wasn't even too confident in Josh Brolin's casting, since as much as I like the guy, he was fairly underwhelming in GOTG. I wasn't necessarily expecting Infinity War to be bad, but it felt like the sort of movie that could so very easily topple under its own weight.

 

Still, I knew I was going to see it one way or another, so I went to the midnight screening, with a teeming theatre packed with cosplaying fans to sit down, watch the movie and see whether or not the film could- Fuck it, do I even need to say it? It took my expectations and blew them out of the fucking water.

 

Seriously, this movie felt like 2012's The Avengers all over again. Everything was riding on it, the entire culmination of the Marvel Cinematic universe up to that point, and it had to juggle so many different characters and storylines and tones with the knowledge that if even one element was out of place or dislodged, the entire thing could come tumbling down like a house of cards. But they not only pulled it off, they fucking knocked out of the park with reckless abandon.

 

The movie is outstanding. It juggles every character, every plotline, every action and plot beat nearly perfectly. The relationships, the dynamics, the sheer pulpy craziness of the fight scenes, it all clicks into place. And all centered on Thanos himself, a character who at one point was considered one of the weakest points of the MCU, suddenly transformed into one of its best. It wasn't afraid to take risks with its plotting and fully utilized its existence as part of the modern cinematic universe to tell its story. And it all just worked. So. Damn. Well.

 

Needless to say, I was giddy when I walked out of the theatre. And, while it's probably fairly cliche to say at this point, it really did feel the MCU's Empire Strikes Back. It was bigger, bolder, darker (while still maintaining the tone that made the previous films so great) and wasn't afraid to take risks. And, for all that people whine about Marvel movies being 'safe' and 'formulaic', that is what they do. They take risks. Iron Man was a risk. Thor was a risk. Captain America was a risk. The Avengers were a risk. Guardians of the Galaxy was one hell of a risk. And this movie, with its outright downer ending and infinite moving parts, so easy to screw up and overcomplicate, it was a risk. And Marvel pulled it off all the same.

 

For the longest time, it really did seem like this was going to be my Number One for the year, just for being a sheer culmination of everything that I loved and still love about the MCU, flaws and all. And it certainly would've been a worthy winner in my eyes. But, in true underdog fashion, a last minute contender managed to climb its way up the ladder and sneaked in front at the last second. And no surprise for guessing which movie it is...

 

 

 

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And now, finally and thankfully, here's my No 1 pick of 2018...

 

 

Spoiler

 

1. Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse

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You know, there's been a funny pattern with my No 1's in the last three years. Not just that they're all animated movies, which they are, or they all have unique offbeat animation, which they do. No, the funny thing is that when they initially placed on my end-of-year list, none of them were actually in the No 1 spot. Oh, they were all definitely in the Top 10, but for much of the year it always looked like the No 2 movie was going to be the ultimate winner, be it 'A Monster Calls', 'Get Out' or, in this case, Infinity War. But, for all three times, as time went by and I had more to digest and rewatch the films in question, the more I realised just how much I fucking loved them.

 

And yeah, that's Spiderverse to a tee. I saw it opening night, obviously, loved it and reviewed it, but at the time I only ranked it about 9th or 10th on my list. But when I went to see it a second time, that's when a feeling started to grow in me. And when I went to see it for Screening #3 and #4, that feeling only grew more and more, as did my appreciation for the film. And what was that feeling you may ask? It's simple.

 

Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse may well be one of the most well-constructed stories I've seen in a long time.

 

Seriously, I stated in my original review that I was pleasantly surprised that, in spite of the advertising playing up the whole alt-dimension angle, that ultimately the story was in fact Miles's and that it followed his journey and character arc into becoming Spiderman. But it wasn't until I saw it a second that I realised how well almost every single detail was constructed to perfectly reflect and support that journey and arc. And I mean every single detail. Every line, every visual cue and theme, even the music, all worked to support this story and message and it all came together perfectly for what was arguably the strongest payoff in any movie I saw this year.

 

And the most incredible thing is just how well it holds up. I'm not normally one to see a movie multiple times in the theatre unless it's very good and even then 4 is usually my limit, before everything starts to feel a little too familiar. I've already seen Into the Spiderverse 4 times and yet every single time it still works for me just as well as if I'd seen the first. I still get chills at certain scenes. I still laugh at certain jokes. And each and every time I watch it I still find more and more details to appreciate about it.

 

Honestly, it's easy to dismiss a lot of this movie's popularity on Spider-Man's ubiquitousness as an icon. I'm certain almost all of us had at least some level of exposure to him growing up that we remember fondly. For me, personally, it was the 90's animated show, but I'm sure other felt the same way about the Raimi movies, the comics the more recent cartoons, possibly the 60's show for the real oldies among us or the Tokusetsu show with the giant robot for the hipster weirdos and/or Japanese viewers. And even if you didn't necessarily grow up with those, I'm sure you at least knew of them. Spiderman has been around for a really long time and has had a lot of different iterations over the years, both good and bad. 

 

But when I watched this movie, I wasn't thinking about the 90's animated series. Neither was I thinking about the live-action movies (none of which ever really did much for me), or the comics, or the other shows, or anything else Spider-man related. I was thinking about how good this movie was on its own terms. Because, much like Miles Morales, it manages to strike that perfect balance between leaning on the past, while simultaneously forging its own path and way of doing things. And frankly, that is just something I have to applaud.

 

The fact of the matter is, Into the Spiderverse is freaking amazing on every single level. For a movie I initially dismissed as an attempted Sony cashgrab, I was blown away by all the passion, care and love placed into it. And for all its poppy, wild irreverent aesthetic, it's constructed so tightly you could make a fucking clock out of it. For me this is the best Spiderman movie by far and it's not even remotely close. In visuals, in characters, in themes, in everything it just plains works. It's a celebration of everything that Spiderman is, was and very well could be. And it's even more on top of that. And for that reason it's also my Top movie of 2018.

 

 

 

Alright, that's everything done now. Time to go rest for like three days. In the meantime, see ya next year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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15 hours ago, rukaio101 said:

Considering this is coming from a guy who writes/debates like he got his degree from an unlicensed hotdog vendor, forgive me if I'm not exactly feeling torn apart by your attempts at criticism.

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Anyway, on a more relevant/less catty note, I'm probably going to start counting down the Top 10 fairly soonish, once I've eaten dinner and taken the dog for a walk. So yeah, keep an eye out for that.

 

Law from an Ivy League University. The very fact you feel the need to respond to a suggestion with a quip makes me fear you actually did get duped into doing some form of Lit Major (and lack something as basic as knowing hot dog is two words, oof). You have my condolences. 

 

I mean this with utter sincerity: best of luck with the writing career, you're really going to need it. 

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43 minutes ago, JamesCameronScholar said:

Law from an Ivy League University. The very fact you feel the need to respond to a suggestion with a quip makes me fear you actually did get duped into doing some form of Lit Major (and lack something as basic as knowing hot dog is two words, oof). You have my condolences. 

Suuuuuuure you did, buddy. Which is exactly why you, like all successful Ivy League graduates I imagine, spend all your free time wanking off James Cameron on a very minor internet forum related to box office, while also complaining about people misspelling 'hot dog' (which you can in fact spell both ways). Clearly we're dealing a true success story here.

 

I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not going to pretend I actually believe you, you're clearly a compulsive liar about this kind of shit. But this is also one of those rare occasions where I actually kinda think it would be more pathetic if you were telling the truth. 

 

Now unless you have anything actually constructive to say, which you very clearly don't, can you please kindly buzz off and leave this thread in peace.

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17 hours ago, rukaio101 said:

7. One Cut of the Dead

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Fun Fact: This movie was actually the very last film I saw in 2018. And oh my God, what a magnificent note to go out on. I laughed harder at this than any other movie I saw this year and it's not even close. Deadpool 2? Blockers? The Favourite? Robin Hood? Not even in the same league. This movie is fucking hilarious and will have you choking on your own goddamn spit once it gets going.

 

Now, I will admit, it's actually kind of difficult to talk about what really makes this movie so incredibly funny here and now. Not because I don't have much to say about it, on the contrary, I have plenty, but because it's really difficult to talk about without giving away the big twist of what the movie is ultimately about. And trust me, I don't want to spoil that surprise for you.

 

I will say though that, while the movie does take a while to properly get going, especially since most of the really big laughs don't come about until the final third of the film, it's entirely worth the wait. The first third or so will likely have you scratching your head a little, while the second third, immediately after the big twist, will have you curious but wondering where exactly they're planning on taking this. But once the first third gets going and you realise what's happening, the laughs come thick and heavy and magnificent and the two acts that came before suddenly slot perfectly into place. 

 

Like I said, I really adore this movie and, as shitty as the year otherwise was, it made the perfect top-off to 2018. If you get a chance to see a screening of it, don't even hesitate because I guarantee you'll get a laugh. This is the sort of movie I really hope gets a reputation as a Shaun of the Dead-esque cult classic because it really deserves every inch of it.

Already my benchmark movie that I've seen this year, and nothing is even close. 

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Great list.

 

One tiny "complaint" (it's your list, so it's not like you're wrong) might be that you had Mom and Dad so low, because my friends and I had a great time when we watched it. Haven't gone back a second time, but it was exactly what we wanted on b-movie night.

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