2018 in Review

  1. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, A, six beautiful, well-crafted short stories
  2. Free Solo, A, fascinating story about an amazing feat
  3. Black Panther, A, pays off in ways most superhero movies can't
  4. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, A, cool animation, complex characters and story, fun
  5. Paddington 2, A-, fun movie for kids and adults, good lessons
  6. The Favourite, A-, classic royal intrigue with a dollop of sex
  7. Smallfoot, A-, makes some winning choices in telling its story
  8. Roma, A-, classic art film is a little slow but rewarding
  9. Mission: Impossible - Fallout, A-, well made action movie with all the usual stuff
  10. The Biggest Little Farm, A-, neat documentary about trying to farm sustainably
  11. Leave No Trace, B+, slow and quiet movie, but well made
  12. Green Book, B+, nice road movie about thawing race relations
  13. Blindspotting, B+, sometimes fun, sometimes tense look at Oakland
  14. Won't You Be My Neighbor?, B+, well-made documentary could be on PBS
  15. Bohemian Rhapsody, B+, formulaic music biopic, but still fun to watch
  16. Isle of Dogs, B+, a little dark with quiet humor, takes patience
  17. Instant Family, B+, a little clumsy, but funny and nice
  18. A Wrinkle in Time, B+, a beautiful weird story with some basic themes
  19. The Death of Superman, B+, low budget look, but a good story and characters
  20. Solo: A Star Wars Story, B+, kind of lightweight without the rest of Star Wars
  21. Crazy Rich Asians, B+, sweet prince charming story with wacky sidekicks
  22. The Sisters Brothers, B+, nice Coen brothers style of movie, wonky plot
  23. Ant-Man and the Wasp, B+, an improvement over the original, still some flaws
  24. Deadpool 2, B+, pretty similar to the first, but with sidekicks
  25. Avengers: Infinity War, B, big and noisy with lots of fighting and no ending
  26. A Simple Favor, B, uneven, but fun, seductive mystery movie
  27. BlacKkKlansman, B, neat story, but a little underwhelming
  28. Eighth Grade, B, realistic, but painful to watch, a little too easy
  29. Widows, B, flawed premise, but interesting, with a twist
  30. First Man, B, kind of downbeat movie about a talented boring man
  31. A Star Is Born, B, great sparks at the beginning kind of fizzle out
  32. Incredibles 2, B, good, but disappointing, not as stylish
  33. The Grinch, B, looks great, but not as dark and a little bland
  34. Ready Player One, B, well executed, but not that original
  35. The Death of Stalin, B, absurd, but not all that funny
  36. Mary Poppins Returns, B, good song and dance, fun characters, lame plot
  37. Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: The Flash, B, cartoonish, but fun with a good plot
  38. Ralph Breaks the Internet, B, better than the first, but maybe too busy
  39. Christopher Robin, B, unimaginative, but some fun with Pooh and friends
  40. If Beale Street Could Talk, B-, a few great elements can't cover a thin plot
  41. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, C+, lackluster movie fails in a number of ways
  42. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, C+, overstuffed with characters and details, but empty
  43. Annhilation, C, well worn plot makes me wonder what the point is
  44. Bumblebee, C, likable but unpolished and awkward reboot
  45. First Reformed, C, very depressing movie with no redemption
  46. Vice, D+, unamusing satire or uninformative documentary?
  47. Aquaman, F, bad acting, bad jokes, bad villains, bad movie

Years in Review