2018's Best Of The Year - Films

As of writing, last night was the 91st Academy Awards, DA OSCARS. I have opinions about the awards and the movies that were honoured, but I waited for this long to do my list because we don't get some of the best movies of the past year until the Oscar nominations come out here in the UK. That's how Shape Of Water missed out on it's number 2 spot last year, so now I have decided to finally confirm my TOP 15 of 2018 now in this blog. THIS LIST IS THE TRUE OSCAR MOVIES PEOPLE.

So this won the Best Picture Oscar last night, which I strongly disagree with, but I didn't want that to dampen my actual opinion on my experience with the movie. I really enjoyed the movie, I think it's heart warming and too funny for its own good. But this movie is best described as 'racism for the old privileged white people'. Viggo Mortensen, who delivers a really cartoonish performances of an Italian american, is the white man that tells Mahershala Ali's Don Shirley how to be black, the white man has to tell the black man how special he is, the black man is forever changed by the white man, bleh. But the movie above everything is a great friendship movie, Mahershala Ali is amazing, yet again, and he also won the Oscar for his performance. Overall I think this movie is a really easy watch that makes you feel stuff, I admire what it tries to do but it comes across a bit problematic for me, but that aside a really good flick.

This was my most anticipated movie of this year and it didn't reach my expectations, unfortunately, but this movie is really a great watch. Gosling plays such a great Armstrong, you can tell he is always thinking, always carrying concern and always carrying his sadness from his life events. Claire Foy is criminally underrated in this movie, she should've been nominated, she puts on such a performance. But the cinematography, the sound editing of the scenes of space exploration and the last stretch of the movie is really the highlight. I may have expected to love it more but it's still a really great flick.

This movie is seriously something special and it SUCKS that it didn't connect with me more, but I still really love that movie, it's tense, it's creepy and frankly it is insane that no award shows picked this up. Tilda Swinton should be the woman winning the award for her THREE, count em THREE, supporting roles in this movie. You know I didn't even know she did the other characters in the movie until after I walked out, I knew that the old man was someone in makeup, because I can tell with that stuff, but I thought it was just a young male actor who I assumed was perfect for the role despite the age. NO ITS FUCKIN TILDA. Amazing movie, very suspenseful and definitely worth a watch if you're into that weird horror.

I'll be upfront, I think there is a good chance this is higher than Suspiria because I watched the original Halloween for the first time on the 29th of October in the dark of night, and then me and my girlfriend went and saw this new one the night of Halloween and with the original fresh in my mind, I felt this new sequel gave me the same feeling that I got from the impeccable original that I was really head over heels for, the call backs were really well done which is where sequels can trip up for me, the plot feels like a natural extension of the original. I don't know, maybe my first time watch love for the original Halloween is pushing this higher than it should be, but I really did love the whole experience of seeing this movie.

My original viewing of Black Panther was just ok, I was really happy about all its success because of it being such a prolific black cast, but I didn't feel like it did much for me. Cut back to me watching it again last month, and MY GOD this movie is way better than I remember it, and should I really be surprised? This is the MCU. Michael B Jordan is really the highlight for me, the world design of Wakanda, the traditional African music weaved into the soundtrack, the outfit design, the technology design, the CAST, the final fight scene, Black Panther is a really great movie.

I squeezed this into 10 over the ones above just because this was the most surprising and genuine comedies I have seen in a long long time, and this gives me confidence that these movies can continue to be made, John Cena steals the movie for me and that isn't just because I love wrestling, that's because his comedic performance is excellent, though I shouldn't be surprised. There really is something to say about a tight small story that plays off human emotion to forward story, and it still be very funny. Maybe other people would roll their eyes at this, but I feel like this scratches the itch of a straight-up comedy movie in the same vain of The Hangover series. I would love a sequel to this, I'm not not sure it really is made for a sequel, but still. Go watch this movie.

This has also come out of left field for me. When I heard the movie was coming out I was excited for it, because it sounded like a really good biopic, I kinda forgot about it, it came out and I got hyped again, it was out for a couple of weeks, and I wasn't hearing anything about it, finally got a chance to go see it, and then I found out that I really really love this movie? John C Reilly sinks into the role as Oliver Hardy, Steve Coogan sinks into the role of Stan Laurel, the two have electrifying chemistry worthy of Laurel and Hardy, the writing is funny and touching. Again, I'm starting to see a theme with my list here, but this is an easy, feel-good, heart warming watch and I would gladly watch it again anytime.

It has been a while since I saw this movie, so it may be a bit risky putting this movie here, but all I remember is being really enthralled with this movie and some of the main beats. I think I'm due a rewatch already but I remember being so tense and scared during this movie, having the combination of great acting alongside REAL INTERVIEWS like a documentary with the subjects of the film gives the movie a sort of real investment that I have never had in a movie before. The way the screenplay/writing is done is incredible, the way it slowly reveals the events of the story with the interviews and the actual acted set pieces. Masterful. It fucking sucks this wasn't brought up more during the awards season. I'm gonna hope that this fits into the same category as The Killing Of A Sacred Dear last year, where it got no awards buzz but next year this director is gonna create a movie that is a front runner for Oscars that is also great!

I mean, this movie is a very special piece of cinema, there are so many other people talking about this movie on YouTube and blogs that describe why it's so amazing much more eloquently than me, so I won't say much. All I'll say is, my first viewing sucked but I could tell it was a great movie that I really liked, so I'm DYING to watch this movie again. It made me feel like a kid the same way The Incredibles made me felt when I left the cinema back in 2004, I went home and thought about all the Spider-Men, thought myself as a Spider-Man (#spidersona look it up!). Also this is loosely based off one of my favourite comic story lines of all time and yknow, that is just fucking cool.

After a second viewing of Spider-Verse these two could swap places, but similar to Halloween previously in this list, Mission Impossible: Fallout maybe ranks higher than it would usually because this movie was the eye opening action movie to the whole Mission Impossible series that me and my dad inevitable watched all of after we saw this in the cinema. I still think this might be the best one of the whole series, but I really fucking love that series now and it's all down to this, it also gave me and my dad some really great quality time. One of the best action movies I've ever seen, period.

Now I talked to my buddy who voiced some opinions with this movie that makes the movie problematic. Most notably the danger of portraying racists as just 'dumb white southern people', where racists aren't dumb, true racism in todays society is much more sinister and is cultivated around by people who are smart and manipulative about how they spread around their disgusting view points. I agree with that stance, but right here, THIS movie, is still really fucking great. Something about it really grabbed me, I love the story and the acting, the visual aesthetic, but maybe it's the 'FilmBro' in me. The guy who loves, Quentin Tarantino and Fight Club, because that is me. Regardless I really love this movie, people are divided about the ending apparently, I don't have strong opinions, I think it works for what they were trying to do, but it was on the nose.

DEPRESSED LA LA LAND. Yeah that's down my alley, it fucking hurts, it makes you wish you could change the events of the movie, but you love to see the connection these two have. Man I can't seem to articulate my love for this movie. Yknow why this movie is even better than the excellent movie it already is? Because it stars Bradley Cooper who is also making is directorial debut, it stars Lady Gaga who is making her acting debut, and they both KNOCK IT OUT OF THE PARK. The music is sublime. When I hear that 'Tell me something girl..' opening line of Shallow, I get chills throughout my body. WATCH THIS HEART RETCHING BEAUTIFULLY ACTED MOVIE PEOPLE.

Here in the UK we basically got Infinity War a whole day early before the US. I went at midnight with my girlfriend and my friend, I then had the second of two very visceral reactions to a movie ever. I was shaking, I was enthralled, I was enamoured with the magnitude the film gave to this story and to these characters. I can't truly explain how important this film felt while watching it with a PACKED cinema in the dead of night. I then spent the next 24 hours, basically living in a world where only I and a select few actually knew what happened in the movie. Seeing comments of excitement for the movie to come out were so surreal after seeing the movie. Needless to say this has permeated culture in a way that I don't think anything has before. Endgame cannot come any sooner.

Love Triangle? CHECK! LGBTQ+ lead characters? CHECK! Mocking the period it is set in? CHECK! A side plot that is super intriguing but is treated as fodder around the main story but then it actually acts as a piece to be played inside the main story. CHECK! People, this movie is crazy good, I mean it's really good, it is acted to perfection by the three LEADS. It is a wonderfully intricate story. THIS FUCKIN RULES PEOPLE! Old people walked out when they realised it was a lesbian story! AHAHAHA I LOVE IT MAN!

The most painfully realistic movie I have ever seen. It made me realise that I have more in common with this lead character than any other before it. I hated watching it throughout and it feels like it was just what they wanted. This is probably the best movie I have ever seen, even though I don't think it's my favourite movie. This is a special movie, this should've won best picture, this should be the movie everyone is talking about.

Some Thoughts - January (The Favourite, Spyro The Dragon, WWE Royal Rumble, Daughters and more)

Hi! Thought I try something a little different this year, I'm going to be posting a blog at the end of each month with some thoughts on somethings I watched/listened/played that month. So here it is:

Music

Daughters - You Won't Get What You Want (4/5)

A really amazing atheistic choice for the music, I still maintain that the opener 'City Song' sounds like a Slipknot track, but the rest is some hardcore, dirty, scary and anxiety driven noise rock. I can totally see why this is a lot of peoples favourite record, and honestly this would definitely have place in my top 5 if I had listened to it before making my list.

Fave Tracks: City Song, Satan In The Wait, The Flammable Man, Less Sex, The Reason They Hate Me.

Nirvana - Nevermind (4/5)

Never properly listened to this album all the way through and I'm glad I finally did, it's a treat, I read somewhere that Kurt didn't like how clean the production on this album was, and honestly I agree with that statement. I feel I gravitate to some songs from the debut album, Bleach, more cause of the punky and dirty production. Nevermind clearly has much better writing though, genuinely a classic.

Fave Tracks: In Bloom, Come As You Are, Lithium, Polly, Territorial Pissings, On a Plain, Something In The Way

The 1975 - A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships (3/5)

A really enjoyable emo poppy album, and some track really do stick with you, but for me this isn't usually stuff I gravitate to, and it also suffers from a long run time and track list, it means it really meanders in the middle, even with the hot start.

Fave Tracks: Give Yourself A Try, Love It If We Made It, The Man Who Married A Robot/Love Theme, It's Not Living (If It's Not With You), I Couldn't Be More In Love.

Nirvana - In Utero (3.5/5)

I can totally see why people think this record is the best out of the three, but for me, and maybe this cause I listened to Nevermind directly before this album, I think In Utero might be my least favourite of the three LPs Nirvana released. It is clearly the blend between the first two albums, and in that respect it should be the best, but I feel like overall it just falls a little short overall. I still really love the album, it's a pretty close call, I guess I was hoping this one would be a 5/5. Heart-Shape Box might be my favourite Nirvana song now though.

Fave Tracks: Heart-Shaped Box, Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle, Milk It, Tourette's.

Ghost - Prequelle (3.5/5)

By far the best Ghost album they have released so far, I feel like Ghost has a large catalogue of great songs, but they all don't sit in one record where you can enjoy them all in a sitting, and this is the closest they've come to that. Let me be clear, the best Ghost songs aren't on here, but quite a few real good ones are.

Fave Tracks: Faith, See The Light, Miasma, Dance Macabre


Movies

Sorry To Bother You (3/5)

Fucking weird, but also has funny moments. I think this needs a rewatch but my overall feeling is that it was fine.

Teen Titans Go! To The Movies (3/5)

A fun movie that is overall quite funny and charming, but has cheesy/cringy moments. I remember when this came out people had this very positive voice for it, being unexpectedly very good, but for me, watching this for the first time in a post-Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse world, this is no where near up to the standard that it could be.

Aquaman (3/5)

Cool sequences, beautiful underwater shots, very good CGI, charming and funny performance by Jason Momoa, coupled with the DCEU trait of being, a bit all over the place, feeling weirdly paced, disjointed, strange editing decisions and being too fucking long.

The Favourite (4.5/5)

I need to see this movie again right now, every performance by the main three actresses, Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachal Weisz, are all absolutely amazing. The story, all about love told in this really interesting way, with lots of beats, told in a period which is unusual with characters that are unusual, all boils down to nothing really actually changing in the long run and it's just so fucking COOL MAN. WIN ALL THE OSCARS.

Games

Spyro Reignited Trilogy: Spyro The Dragon (4/5)

Just completed the game with the full 120% you can get, it is a lot of fun and you can see the tight map and level design coupled with simple controls and abilities to create a really challenging platformer. I'm looking forward to play the next game and seeing the evolution of the design of these games, as I am a big fan of Jak & Daxter 1 which wasn't made by Insomniac but it was made by Naughty Dog who were working right next to Insomniac during the PS2 days. I see a lot overlap between Spyro and Jak 1. The remaster side of it is gorgeous, I really love the audio design too, but I have some gripes with the controls, I found myself slipping off the edge when doing jumps sometimes when I should be making them, but apart from that there doesn't seem to be any glitches or bugs, it feels really polished and fun to play.


TV

Sex Education - Series 1

Hilarious and Heart-warming, the correct way inclusion should be done, and a coming-of-age tale that still has a lot to go. Also great casting full of actors I haven't seen before bar one. Just a really great British comedy show, go watch. Also, this show has a really weird but cool aesthetic, of the whole show looking like a USA coming-of-age, romantic comedy, teen movie, think The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller type deal, but it's set in the modern day. I noticed this almost immediately when I realised, 1, England is not that sunny, 2, the school doesn't have a school uniform.

Friends - Season 2

Not much to say here, slowly going through the series, Friends, although aged in places, still feels incredibly relevent and also sometimes ahead of the times. It's a strange mix, the show is awesome. Rachel and Ross being an actual couple rules, Monica and Richard was also a great storyline.


Wrestling

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13

As always a stellar show by New Japan, I didn't love everything but Ospreay/Ibushi, White/Okada and Omega/Tanahashi are really standouts and the ones I'll keep in my mind for my End Of The Year Match candidates.

NJPW New Years Dash

Really shocking and lack luster to see no Elite members that night, it kinda put into perspective the kind of wierd situation New Japan is in now that AEW is around. I'm still holding out hope New Japan will make a deal with AEW and we can get some cross promotional shows between them.

NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool

As a British wrestling fan and someone who considers themselves to be in touch with that wrestling scene, I was dissapointed at the waste of potential here in the first ever NXT UK Takeover. I thought the opening Tag Match was really good, but considering the two teams involved and their history in a place like PROGRESS, felt that it could've been better. Rhea Ripley and Toni Storm had my favourite match of the night, which felt genuine and was just a joy to watch from start to finish. But the whole show ended with a main event which I frankly believe is abysmal. Slow and boring from the outset, multiple botches especially at the end with the top rope spot firmly points it at being really quite awful.

NXT Takeover: Phoenix

For me, I thought this show didn't hit the high points you expected Takeovers to have now. I thought the opening tag to be really good, Gargano/Ricochet to be a bit too dense in their spots and pace, but still a good match, Belair and Shayna to have an alright bout where Belair really shone and The main event to be really quite lack luster considering the match up, the main problem being the finish of the match where Aleister Black hits a Black Mass and then 2 minutes later tries to do it again but hurts his leg and gets pinned. Really quite dumb.

WWE Royal Rumble

Well isn't this a really nice surprise! WWE had a really great PPV for the first time in a while and has firmly brought me back on board from just about under a year away from watching PPVs. The standouts here were the Women's titles matches for me, Asuka/Becky really quite great, Ronda/Sasha a really close second to that. I also really love the cool chemistry between Bryan and AJ, I know it isn't this big fast paced indy-tastic feud that people would expect from those two names, but I think they have a really good flow and it grabs you really quite well. Finn/Brock was a spectacular match, Brock has really gone all out on these past two matches here with Bryan and Finn. Women's Rumble was quite shaky for a long time and only really picked up right at the end. Men's Rumble was much better overall, nothing too shocking or crazy but a really enjoyable rumble all round.

Yeah so that was my January, I hope I convinced you to try out something, brought something to your attention, or made you avoid something you were gonna try, I had fun doing this, dipping into this blog over the month and just adding a few lines of my thoughts. See you all next month I guess!