2018 in Review
- The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, A, six beautiful, well-crafted short stories
- Free Solo, A, fascinating story about an amazing feat
- Black Panther, A, pays off in ways most superhero movies can't
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, A, cool animation, complex characters and story, fun
- Paddington 2, A-, fun movie for kids and adults, good lessons
- The Favourite, A-, classic royal intrigue with a dollop of sex
- Smallfoot, A-, makes some winning choices in telling its story
- Roma, A-, classic art film is a little slow but rewarding
- Mission: Impossible - Fallout, A-, well made action movie with all the usual stuff
- The Biggest Little Farm, A-, neat documentary about trying to farm sustainably
- Leave No Trace, B+, slow and quiet movie, but well made
- Green Book, B+, nice road movie about thawing race relations
- Blindspotting, B+, sometimes fun, sometimes tense look at Oakland
- Won't You Be My Neighbor?, B+, well-made documentary could be on PBS
- Bohemian Rhapsody, B+, formulaic music biopic, but still fun to watch
- Isle of Dogs, B+, a little dark with quiet humor, takes patience
- Instant Family, B+, a little clumsy, but funny and nice
- A Wrinkle in Time, B+, a beautiful weird story with some basic themes
- The Death of Superman, B+, low budget look, but a good story and characters
- Solo: A Star Wars Story, B+, kind of lightweight without the rest of Star Wars
- Crazy Rich Asians, B+, sweet prince charming story with wacky sidekicks
- The Sisters Brothers, B+, nice Coen brothers style of movie, wonky plot
- Ant-Man and the Wasp, B+, an improvement over the original, still some flaws
- Bathtubs Over Broadway, B+, interesting, amusing documentary
- Deadpool 2, B+, pretty similar to the first, but with sidekicks
- Avengers: Infinity War, B, big and noisy with lots of fighting and no ending
- A Simple Favor, B, uneven, but fun, seductive mystery movie
- BlacKkKlansman, B, neat story, but a little underwhelming
- Eighth Grade, B, realistic, but painful to watch, a little too easy
- Widows, B, flawed premise, but interesting, with a twist
- First Man, B, kind of downbeat movie about a talented boring man
- A Star Is Born, B, great sparks at the beginning kind of fizzle out
- Incredibles 2, B, good, but disappointing, not as stylish
- The Grinch, B, looks great, but not as dark and a little bland
- Ready Player One, B, well executed, but not that original
- The Death of Stalin, B, absurd, but not all that funny
- Mary Poppins Returns, B, good song and dance, fun characters, lame plot
- Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: The Flash, B, cartoonish, but fun with a good plot
- Ralph Breaks the Internet, B, better than the first, but maybe too busy
- Christopher Robin, B, unimaginative, but some fun with Pooh and friends
- If Beale Street Could Talk, B-, a few great elements can't cover a thin plot
- The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, C+, lackluster movie fails in a number of ways
- Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, C+, overstuffed with characters and details, but empty
- Annhilation, C, well worn plot makes me wonder what the point is
- Bumblebee, C, likable but unpolished and awkward reboot
- First Reformed, C, very depressing movie with no redemption
- Vice, D+, unamusing satire or uninformative documentary?
- Aquaman, F, bad acting, bad jokes, bad villains, bad movie