2018 – The Year in Review – Film & Television

[This was an unpublished draft I’m dusting off… and almost in time for the compilation of my 2019 Year in Review 🤦🏽‍♂️]

Increasingly, the lines between entertainment mediums are being blurred and new forms are emerging. From the entire-season-all-at-one-time binge-fests facilitated by the likes of Netflix, Amazon and Hulu, to the evolution of the “mini-series” or “limited” series on HBO, FX and Showtime, etc. The ubiquitous nature of visual entertainment these days means a glut of content, comprised of new material jostling for eyeballs amidst a pantheon of classics.

2018 found me visiting a number of classics for the very first time in my life, while also trying to keep up with the water cooler conversations about whichever comic book character had a CGI monster battle last week.

They have a saying at Pixar, “Story Is King.” Which means, in essence, that it’s far more important for an audience member to walk away from a film feeling something rather than to simply show a barrage of eye-popping visuals or reveal some kind of logic-bending twist surprise at the end. If the effect is powerful enough it is even possible for a good story to completely alter an audience member’s worldview.

Every film on this list told a story with characters that made me feel something real.

So, without further ado, here are Joel’s Best Films viewed (for the first time) in 2018:

10. Key Largo (1948)

Owing largely to my subscription to FilmStuck (R.I.P.), I was able to watch a whole slew of classic Hollywood films this year. Dominating my watchlist in 2018 were the films of John Huston and Humphrey Bogart, 3 of which are on this list.  First up is the Noir Thriller Key Largo, a taut, gripping screen adaption of the stage play by the same name originally written in blank verse by Maxwell Anderson. Bogart gives an understated performance as a WWII veteran who is undergoing a personal crisis of confidence. Supporting him in the cast are Edward G. Robinson, Lauren Bacall (Bogart’s real-life wife), and Lionel Barrymore, et al. The heart of the story revolves around concepts of heroism and machismo, the nature of valor and honor and what real courage looks like. When tested, what man can truly claim to have given his all?

9. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

Huston and Bogart teamed up again in 1948 to make The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, adapted from the novel of the same name, written by B. Traven, an author whose true identity remains unknown to this very day. This time around, Bogart shares the screen with the director’s real-life father, Walter Huston, who steals every scene in his role as Howard, the grizzled, old prospector who is hired by Bogart’s character, Dobbs, and his partner, Curtain, played by Tim Holt.  The film is a masterful case study in avarice, greed, and the soul-corrupting effects of selfish ambition.

8. The Maltese Falcon (1941)

A re-adaptation of an already-well-known story, The Maltese Falcon was also a collaboration between Humphrey Bogart and John Huston. Once again, the big themes are avarice and deceit. I definitely was on a noir kick in 2018.

7. Lawrence of Arabia

An epic oft-cited as the greatest film of all time, Lawrence of Arabia exists on a plane of filmmaking all its own. There are no matte shots. No glass plates. Every performance is a revelation. Even though it can be a bit weird to see Anthony Quinn and Alec Guinness pretending to be Arabs. Peter O’Toole puts out a match. An inimitable film.

6. Thor: Ragnarok

I watched this movie FOUR TIMES. Not much else to say about it except that Taika Waititi is a joyously-talented film maker who manages to execute at a very high level in his craft while maintaining a wry sense of self-deprecating humor. A perfect director to rehabilitate the foundering Thor franchise.

5. The Trip to Spain

Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon returned in the latest installment in, “the only movie franchise that matters” back in 2017. The ending took me off guard. They could keep making these films forever, and I’ll show up for each and every one.

4. Loving

Based upon the true-life story of Richard and Mildred Loving, the couple whose arrest for interracial marriage, then illegal in the state of Virginia, led to a legal battle that culminated in the Supreme Court’s historic 1967 decision. A powerful and effective portrayal by Jeff Nichols and his excellent cast.

3. A Ghost Story

A metaphysical journey into the big questions of life, death and the hereafter from the same guy who directed the live-action remake of Pete’s Dragon? OK. David Lowery’s film is mostly dialogue-free, and exists in a realm of pure cinema. Featuring my second-favorite Bonnie “Prince” Billy acting performance (after Old Joy).

2. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

The Coen Bros., like many modern, “auteurs” have a distinct palette with which they weave the tapestries of their art form. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, in many ways, is a kind of buffet line of their favorite tropes, archetypes, musical stylings and the ever-ready ensemble of talent they’ve accrued in their peerless careers. Each vignette in this anthology-as-film has a distinct story to tell, and most of them are tragic.

1. The Best Years of our Lives (1946)

William Wyler returned from service in WWII to make the best film of his entire career:  A weaving together of the stories of three war veterans returning home after the conclusion of the war to find that they no longer understand and fit in with the society they fought to preserve and protect.

I am not a veteran, and thus lack the basic concepts of what the experience of serving in the United States Armed Forces is like, much less what the psychological, physical and spiritual toll of going to war feels like. However, after I finished The Best Years of our Lives, I felt I had come as close as possible to having the ability to fully empathize with those who’ve served, and to begin to have an inkling of the sacrifices they are asked to make for their fellow countrymen.

The Best Years of our Lives is a supremely humbling film. It features incredible performances from each of its leads, two of whom were real-life veterans. Frederic March served in WWI. Harold Russell served in WWII. The kind of film I will never forget. Steven Spielberg has said that he makes a point of watching it at least once a year.

And that’s my list! From 2018…

Honorable mentions: Dunkirk, The Cincinnati Kid (1965), The Endless, Incredibles 2, Look Back in Anger (1959), War for the Planet of the Apes, The Post, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, The Florida Project, Six Shooter, Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), Kimi no na wa. (Your Name.), Little Dieter Needs to Fly, Whiskey Galore! (1949), Room, Revolutionary Road, Stay Hungry (1976), The Ladykillers (1955), Planet of the Apes (1968), and First Reformed. Someday I’ll write more about First Reformed.

Complete viewing list from 2018:

Regular = movie watched on a TV or other small screen device
BOLD = denotes theatrical viewing
Italic = denotes a “television series” or “mini series”
Underlined = denotes a short film (30 minutes or less)

1. 20th Century Women
2. Across the Pacific (1942)
3. The Adjustment Bureau
4. Adventure Time: Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10
5. Altered Carbon: Season 1
6. Alien
7. Alien³
8. Alien Versus Predator
9. Aliens
10. Alien: Covenant
11. Alien: Resurrection
12. An American Tail
13. The Animation Show of Shows
    • Can You Do It by Quentin Baillieux
    • Tiny Big by Lia Bertels
    • Next Door by Pete Doctor
    • The Alan Dimension by Jac Clinch
    • Beautiful Like Elsewhere by Elise Simard
    • Hangman by Paul Julian & Les Goldman
    • The Battle of San Romano by Georges Schwizgebel
    • Gokurosama by Aurore Gal, Clementine Frère, Yukiko Meignein, Anna Mertz, Robin Migliorelli, & Roman Salvini
    • Dear Basketball by Glen Keane
    • Island by Robert Löbel & Max Mörtl
    • Unsatisfying by Parallel Studio
    • The Burden by Niki Lindroth von Bahr
    • Les Abeilles Domestiques by Alexanne Desrosiers
    • Our Wonderful Nature – The Common Chameleon by Tomer Eshed
    • Casino by Steven Wolosehn
    • Everything by David O’Reilly
14. Asparagus (1979)
15. Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Seasons 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11
16. Avengers: Infinity War
17. The Aviator
18. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
19. Barry Lyndon (1975)
20. Ben-Hur (1959)
21. The Best Years of our Lives (1946)
22. The Big Sleep (1946)
23. The Big Sleep (1978)
24. Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey
25. Black Mirror: Seasons 1, 2, 3, & 4
    • Season 1
      • The Entire History of You
    • Season 2
      • Be Right Back
      • The Waldo Moment
      • White Bear
      • White Christmas
    • Season 3
      • Hated in the Nation
    • Season 4
      • Arkangel
      • Crocodile
      • Hang the DJ
      • USS Callister
26. Black Panther
27. The Burning Hell (1974)
28. Cars 3
29. Children of the Whales: Season 1
30. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
31. The Cincinnati Kid (1965)
32. Coma (1978)
33. Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: Seasons 1, 2, 3, and 4
34. Crazy Heart
35. Darkest Hour
36. Dave Chapelle: The Bird Revelation
37. Dave Chapelle: Equanimity
38. Dead Ringers (1988)
39. Dear Basketball
40. The Disaster Artist
41. Disenchantment: Season 1
42. Dude, Where’s My Car?
43. Dunkirk
44. Early Man
45. The Endless
46. Evan Almighty
47. Evil Genius
48. The Exorcist
49. The Expanse: Season 1
50. Fantastic Mr. Fox
51. Farewell, My Lovely (1975)
52. Felix Comes Back (1922)
53. First Reformed
54. Five Easy Pieces (1970)
55. The Florida Project
56. Game of Thrones: Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
57. A Ghost Story (x2)
58. The Good Place: Seasons 1 and 2
59. The Greatest Showman
60. Grey Gardens (1976)
61. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (x2)
62. Gulliver’s Travels (1996)
63. The Hand that Rocks the Cradle
64. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
65. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
66. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
67. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
68. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
69. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
70. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
71. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
72. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
73. The Hobbit: Bilbo 3.1 Final Edit
74. The Hudsucker Proxy
75. I Am Not Your Negro
76. Incredibles 2
77. Incredibles 2
78. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
79. Innerspace (1987)
80. It: Chapter One
81. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
82. Key Largo (1948)
83. Majo no takkyûbin (Kiki’s Delivery Service)
84. Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
85. The King of Marvin Gardens (1972)
86. Knights of Sidonia: Season 2
87. Kong: Skull Island
88. Lady Bird
89. Ladyhawke (1985)
90. The Ladykillers (1955)
91. Lawrence of Arabia
92. Lightning Sketches (1907)
93. Little Dieter Needs to Fly
94. Little Dorrit (2008)
95. The Little Hours
96. Look Back in Anger (1959)
97. Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro
98. Funny or Die Presents: Lost Masterpieces of Pornography
99. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Edition)
100. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Extended Edition)
101. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Extended Edition)
102. Loving
103. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
104. Man on the Moon
105. The Man Who Invented Christmas
106. The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
107. McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
108. Meari to majo no hana (Mary and the Witch’s Flower)
109. Meet the Happiest Guy in the World
110. The Mist
111. The Mirror Crack’d (1980)
112. Moon
113. Moonlight
114. MST3K: I Accuse My Parents
115. MST3K: Time Chasers
116. Murder Ahoy (1964)
117. Murder at the Gallop (1963)
118. Murder Most Foul (1964)
119. Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
120. Murder, She Said (1961)
121. My Dead Dad’s Porno Tapes
122. Neko no ongaeshi (The Cat Returns)
123. Network (1976)
124. My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman: Barack Obama
125. My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman: George Clooney
126. The Ωmega Man (1971) 
127. The Omen (1976)
128. One Punch Man: Wanpanman (One-Punch Man): Season 1
129. Oscar
130. Pacific Rim
131. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
132. Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams: Season 1
     • “Autofac” based on “Autofac”
     • “The Commuter” based on “The Commuter”
     • “Crazy Diamond” based on “Sales Pitch”
     • “The Father Thing” based on “The Father Thing”
     • “The Hood Maker” based on “The Hood Maker”
     • “Human Is” based on “Human Is”
     • “Impossible Planet” based on “The Impossible Planet”
     • “KAO” based on “Hanging Stranger”
     • “Real Life” based on “Exhibit Piece”
     • “Safe and Sound” based on “Foster, You’re Dead”
133. The Pink Panther Strikes Again
134. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
135. Planet of the Apes (1968)
136. The Post
137. Ready Player One
138. Ready Player One
139. ReBoot: Season 1
140. Regular Show: Seasons 3 and 4
141. Revolutionary Road
142. Requiem for a Dream
143. Ricky Jay and his 52 Assistants
144. The Road to El Dorado
145. Robin Hood: Men in Tights
146. Room
147. The Running Man
148. Det sjunde inseglet (The Seventh Seal) (1957)
149. The Shining (1980)
150. Shocker (1989)
151. Six Shooter
152. Sonic the Hedgehog: Season 1
153. Speed Racer
154. SpongeBob SquarePants: Seasons 1 and  2
155. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6
156. Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 7
157. Star Vs. the Forces of Evil: Seasons 1, 2 & 3
158. Star Wars: The Last Jedi
159. Stay Hungry (1976)
160. Tales from the Script
161. Thor: Ragnarok (4 times, yes… FOUR TIMES)
162. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
163. Time of Day
164. Tom Jones
165. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
166. The Trip to Spain
167. Trollhunters: Part 2
168. The Twilight Zone: Seasons 1, 2, 3 and 5
169. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
170. War for the Planet of the Apes
171. WarCraft
172. Watership Down (1978)
173. We’re Back: A Dinosaur’s Story
174. Westworld: Season 2
175. What We Do in the Shadows (x2)
176. Whiskey Galore! (1949)
177. Wind in the Willows (1987) (x2)
178. Wonder Showzen: Season 2
179. Kimi no na wa. (Your Name.)