Author: Joel Dull
Header Photo: Black Panther, ©Disney/Marvel Studios
It’s over! We made it through 2018, and with its conclusion, comes the aptly themed Monthly Movie Fix With Joel: The Best of 2018. Obviously this is not a perfect list because in order to qualify it has to be on a streaming platform. However, there are a decent amount of quality films that came out this last year available on various platforms, so I chose four of my favorites plus the movie that I wish I had seen from 2018.
The first movie on the list is truly one of the best movies from 2018, and might my one of my favorite movies of all time. Black Panther set the film world ablaze when it came out. It took character development to a level that has never been seen before in a super hero movie. Specifically the villain Killmonger. I will always be partial to the performance of Heath Ledger’s Joker, but I feel no hesitation in saying that Killmonger is the greatest written super villain of all time. As a whole, Black Panther was a major milestone for Hollywood and an all around fantastic movie.
Available on Netflix
Next on the list is Beautiful Boy. An immensely heavy movie, Beautiful Boy tells the true story of Nic Sheff and his struggles with addiction. The movie received criticism for a some what confusing plot line, but I found it uniquely told and engaging. The movie uses distinct cinematography to distinguish when scenes take place in the story. Timothée Chalamet proves again that he is one of the best young actors working right now with a stunning performance that I believe is a strong candidate to win an Oscar. Steve Carell also shows that he is a great dramatic actor and will likely receive recognition for his performance as well. Beautiful Boy is a heavy movie that tells a necessary story.
Available on Amazon Prime Video
The third movie on the list is one that I went back and forth on including. When I first saw Eighth Grade I was not a fan. I think the words I tended to us were “horrendous,” “messy,” and “it went places.” However, as I think back on the movie, despite some of the issues I had, it got an honest emotional reaction for me. I audible laughed, which for me is a decently rare thing when I am watching movies. Some critics talk about the six laugh test or whatever arbitrary number they have decided to use, but for me I typically use a six smile test. When a movie genuinely make me laugh then, it must be doing something right. When I say, “it went places,” I mean to say that the story took on a tone that I didn’t necessarily want from it. The reaction that the movie got from me, though, was appropriate for the more serious scenes and therefore deserves some measure of success. The movie is a great representation of my generation’s time as middle schoolers and provides a surprisingly reflective analysis of what it was like to grow up with the rise of social media.
Available on Amazon Prime Video on January 18th, 2019
Rounding off the movies I’ve seen is the satirical fantasy Sorry To Bother You. This socially charged film follows Cassius Green as he discovers a special gift he has that sky rockets him from living in his uncle’s garage to filthy rich. Writer and Director Boots Riley creates an absurd, blunt piece of satire that might as well be a spinoff of Brazil written by Guillermo del Torro and directed by Quentin Tarantino, and it’s fantastic. I want to pose a general content warning as this film covers an array of subjects that can be disturbing.
Available on Hulu
Finally, the new to me movie of the month is Roma. Academy award winner Alfonso Cuarón writes and directs this black and white film about “a domestic worker’s journey set against domestic and political turmoil in 1970s Mexico” (Netflix). The drama is likely to be an emotional roller coaster.
Available on Netflix