So 2018 was a big year for me personally and while other bad and horrible stuff happened throughout at least the films were good. I mean we had films that boasted diversity both on and offscreen with films like Black Panther, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Crazy Rich Asians, Searching, Revenge, Private Life and Roma with many more. Films that were made by stalwarts of films like the Coen Brothers, James Wan and Spike Lee. We had several directing debuts from actors like Bradley Cooper and John Krasinski. It was a big year and I missed some films that I thought looked good, so let's go down this list just like last year.
Thoroughbreds
In 2016 we lost Anton Yelchin, a talented young actor who played Chekov in the Kelvin timeline Star Trek films, in a car accident. Thoroughbreds was one of his last films that was released post-humorously and it had a pretty cool premise. The film is a dark comedy about Lily (played by Anya Taylor-Joy) who plans to kill her step-father (Paul Sparks) with her best friend Amanda (played by Olivia Cooke). The trailer for the film looks like a very interesting and pretty looking film which stars two actress who look like their going places. Taylor-Joy was great in Split and I think Olivia Cooke was one of the good parts of Spielberg's Ready Player One. Along with the underrated Paul Sparks this looked like a good movie.
Sorry To Bother You
As I mentioned in the diatribe in the beginning, 2018 was a big year for diversity in films, one film that I missed was Boots Riley's Sorry to Bother You. An interesting looking film that looked funny and with a satirical edge to it. The film also has an stacked cast of actors I like, Tessa Thompson, Danny Glover, Terry Crews, Steve Buscemi, Patton Oswalt, Steve Yeun, Lily James, Forest Whitaker. The film is about Cassius "Cash" Clay (Lakeith Stansfield) telemarketer who makes waves through the business by using his "white voice", but discovers things aren't what they say. This film itself looks unique. I didn't see because it had a limited release in the United Kingdom, which the director, Boots Riley, has noted this. Searching
Now this looks interesting, a thriller that combines elements of Taken, Gone Baby Gone and those "We're Sorry about undermining Democracies" Facebook adverts. Searching starts John Cho as a dad who looks for his missing daughter, while the entire film is view through a computer screen. An original idea and looks very great. Sign me up to watch this... Later. Maybe on a computer where I can play along.
Bumblebee
Now the Michael Bay Transformer movies (2007-2017) were my guilty pleasures as a teenager. It had everything for a teenage boy, explosions, giant robots, product placement and hot women. But now as a grown man I've come to accept they were kinda bad, but Bumblebee looks great. Has more of an 80's family movie vibe. Has more classic designs and I heard good things about it so I might catch it later.
A Quiet Place
So I saw Ready Player one over this. Hey, I liked it but horror is something I'm not a big fan of. But with an interesting premise I did kinda want to watch it.
Widows
A well made looking film, based on a TV show with a very big cast that includes Viola Davis, Liam Neeson, Colin Farrell, Daniel Kaluuya, Elizabeth Debicki, Brian Tyree Henry, Jon Bernthal, Robert Duvall and (Breathes) Carrie Coon. I wished I saw, even with the critical acclaim.
Hotel Artemis
This film looked like Assault on Precinct 13, which is a good thing because I like that movie and this had all the things on the "Imma Watch This List". Action film, ensemble cast of actors I like (Sterling K. Brown, Charlie Day, Sofia Boutella, Jeff Goldblum, Jodie Foster, Dave Bautista and Zachary Quinto). Why didn't I see this. It wasn't showing in my area.
Rampage
The Rock fights giants monsters with a super gorilla in Los Angeles. That is all.
Christopher Robin
When I was a child one of my earliest memories were watching Winnie the Pooh cartoons with my grandparents and this film which has an older Christopher Robin learning to be a lot less uptight and be a caring father to his kids looked nice. It has Ewan McGregor who been making the rounds lately and voice acting legend Jim Cummings as both the voice of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger. Didn't get to see it in midst of summer movie season.
The Happytime Murders
I'm a fan of the Muppets, there funny, they can led them selves to any comedic situation. They can be enjoyed by anybody and I saw a trailer for this film and learned about the production history of this film and I think the premise is good. An R-rated Muppet movie that spoofs cop movies. It has Melissa McCarthy, Joel McHale and Elizabeth Banks. I liked films like Sausage Party and this felt like its right up my alley. Assassination Nation
While Vice was the political themed film that was lauded this year during awards seasons, there was one film that flew under my radar. While Vice was aimed at an audience who remembered the Bush years, this film, Assassination Nation, is more aimed my generation and this film. Directed by Sam Levinson, son of Barry Levinson, this film accurately depicts the hellscape that is online discourse.
Bad Times at the El Royale
This is something up my alley, a film with an ensemble cast of interesting characters played by actors that I like (Jon Hamm, Jeff Bridges, Chris Hemsworth and Nick Offerman). It looks great has a visual aesthetic of old 1970's wood cabin and a they interesting looking plot.
And those were the films I wanted to see but I didn't get to. I hope this year brings me new films that I won't get the chance to see.
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