07 January 2019

2018 SUPERLATIVES


2018 Superlatives

I love to hierarchize, but numbers are just that. If this were an actual awards ceremony with sconces and drinks and centerpieces and quality eats, it would be the best TV ever. Where such a thing exists, I've linked to my review of the specific film at hand.



FILM

01 ANNIHILATION/THE ENDLESS/SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDERVERSE
Protean shifts as evolutionary breakthrough. We adapt. We rework. We fragment. We reassemble. We live.

02 LAZZARO FELICE/PADDINGTON 2
Parables of the kind. Teachable moments for a world that needs it.

An invitation to dance. The stage as cosmic therapy. The danger behind the mask. A grotesque and comforting refuge from established power structures. Powerful works of liberation.

Dialogues across time. The Then and The Now not so absolute. Timeless works, extending through modernity and beyond.

05 COLA DE MONO/HEREDITARY/A STAR IS BORN/THUNDER ROAD/TUMBBAD
Family ties as chains, or lifelines. Any of these films would work as Greek tragedies. Big emotions all mixed together; the specific becomes the universal.

06 BLACK PANTHER/FATAL PULSE/THE FAVOURITE/ZERZURA
Visionary alternate histories. Other paths telling surpressed stories and forbidden tales. Inspired and effective works.

07 A BREAD FACTORY/FIRST REFORMED/VOX LUX
Where we’re at and how we got there.

08 MANDY/YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE/WIDOWS
Exquisite deconstructions of the genres we love, focusing past frippery to the boundless emotions within. Deeply haunting efforts which slip past the defenses of modern life and strike deep into the parts that feel, hidden deep within the soul.

Deeply political hearts expressing themselves with maximum visual pleasure. Swoonworthy acheivements.

10 THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS/LA FLOR/SEQUENCE BREAK/TEEN TITANS GO! TO THE MOVIES
Genre-based autocritique got no better than these.


ACTRESS

Yalitza Aparicio, ROMA
Toni Collette, HEREDITARY
Lana Condor, TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE
Viola Davis, WIDOWS
Trine Dyrholm, NICO 1988
Elsie Fisher, EIGHTH GRADE
Helena Howard, MADELINE’S MADELINE
Cate Jones, MICKEY REECE’S ALIEN
Nicole Kidman, DESTROYER
Lady Gaga, A STAR IS BORN
Melissa McCarthy, CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?
Eva Melander, BORDER
Jeanne Voisin, JEANNETTE: THE CHILDHOOD OF JOAN OF ARC


ACTOR

Nicolas Cage, MANDY
Jim Cummings, THUNDER ROAD
Ben Dickey, BLAZE
Ethan Hawke, FIRST REFORMED
Joaquin Phoenix, YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE
Adriano Tardiolo, LAZZARO FELICE


SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Raffey Cassidy, VOX LUX
Aline & Elise Charles, JEANNETTE: THE CHILDHOOD OF JOAN OF ARC
Elizabeth Debicki, WIDOWS
Cynthia Erivo, WIDOWS
Mia Goth, SUSPIRIA
Jennifer Jason Leigh, ANNIHILATION
Millicent Simmonds, A QUIET PLACE
Anya Taylor-Joy, THOROUGHBREDS
Tessa Thompson, ANNIHILATION
Michelle Yeoh, CRAZY RICH ASIANS


SUPPORTING ACTOR

Adam Driver, BlackKklansman
Richard E. Grant, CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?
Michael B. Jordan, BLACK PANTHER
Akshay Kumar, 2.0
Cedric Antonio Kyles, FIRST REFORMED
Antonio Marziale, ALEX STRANGELOVE
Jesse Plemons, GAME NIGHT
Na-Kel Smith, mid-90s
Alex Wolff, HEREDITARY


DIRECTOR

Ali Abbasi, BORDER
Bo Burnham, EIGHTH GRADE
Ryan Coogler, BLACK PANTHER
Panos Cosmatos, MANDY
Alex Gardner, ANNIHILATION
Josephine Decker, MADELINE’S MADELINE
Coralie Fargeat, REVENGE
Luca Guadagnino, SUSPIRIA
Kore-eda Hirokazu, SHOPLIFTERS
Karyn Kusama, DESTROYER
Yorgos Lanthimos, THE FAVOURITE
Steve McQueen, WIDOWS
Damon Packard, FATAL PULSE/NIGHT PULSE/UNTITLED YUPPIE FEAR THRILLER
Lynne Ramsay, YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE
Alice Rohrwacher, LAZZARO FELICE
Shankar, 2.0


CINEMATOGRAPHY

Lol Crawley, VOX LUX
Guillaume Deffontaines, JEANNETTE: THE CHILDHOOD OF JOAN OF ARC
Julie Kirkwood, DESTROYER
Ben Loeb, MANDY
Hélène Louvart, LAZZARO FELICE
Aaron Moorhead, THE ENDLESS
Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, SUSPIRIA
Brian Sowell, SEQUENCE BREAK
Thomas Townend, YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE


EDITING

Harrison Atkins/Josephine Decker/Elizabeth Rao, MADELINE’S MADELINE
Andy Canny, UPGRADE
Bob Murawski/Orson Welles, THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND
Joe Walker, WIDOWS


ANIMATED FILM

ISLE OF DOGS
RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET
SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDERVERSE
TEEN TITANS GO! TO THE MOVIES


ORIGINAL SCORE

Geoff Barrow/Ben Salisbury, ANNIHILATION
Keegan DeWitt, GEMINI
Jonny Greenwood, YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE
Van Hughes, SEQUENCE BREAK
Jóhann Jóhannsson, MANDY
Anna Meredith, EIGHTH GRADE
Thom Yorke, SUSPIRIA


DOCUMENTARY

AMAZING GRACE
BATHTUBS OVER BROADWAY
KUSAMA INFINITY
MARIA BY CALLAS
McQUEEN
MINDING THE GAP
THE ROAD MOVIE


3D

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP
THE MEG
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS
2.0


PRODUCTION DESIGN

Jahmin Assa, mid-90s
Amparo Baeza, COLA DE MONO
Hannah Beachler, BLACK PANTHER
Eugenio Caballero, ROMA
Nelson Coates, CRAZY RICH ASIANS
Mark Digby, ANNIHILATION
Tracy Dishman, GEMINI
Emita Frigato, LAZZARO FELICE
DeAnne Millais, SEQUENCE BREAK
Grant Montgomery, GHOST STORIES
Hubert Pouille, MANDY
Jennifer Spence, THE NUN
Inbal Weinberg, SUSPIRIA
Grace Yun, HEREDITARY


ORIGINAL SCRIPT

Bo Burnham, EIGHTH GRADE
Josephine Decker/Donna DiNovelli, MADELINE’S MADELINE
Craig Johnson, ALEX STRANGELOVE
Boots Riley, SORRY TO BOTHER YOU
Alice Rohrwacher, LAZZARO FELICE
Paul Schrader, FIRST REFORMED
Leigh Whannell, UPGRADE


ADAPTED SCRIPT

Justin Benson, THE ENDLESS
Peter Chiarelli/Adele Lim, CRAZY RICH ASIANS
Jon Croker/Simon Farnaby/Paul King, PADDINGTON 2
Jim Cummings, THUNDER ROAD
Bruno Dumont, JEANNETTE: THE CHILDHOOD OF JOAN OF ARC
Jeremy Dyson/Andy Nyman, GHOST STORIES
Alex Gardner, ANNIHILATION
Nicole Holofcener/Jeff Whitty, CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?


VISUAL EFFECTS

ANNIHILATION
AQUAMAN
BLACK PANTHER
THE ENDLESS
PADDINGTON 2
2.0


COSTUMES

Ruth E. Carter, BLACK PANTHER
Alice Eyssartier, MANDY
Keri Langerman, VOX LUX
McKenzie McAllister, MICKEY REECE’S ALIEN
Giulia Piersanti, SUSPIRIA
Sandy Powell, THE FAVOURITE
uncredited, COLA DE MONO
uncredited, DIRTY COMPUTER
Mary E. Vogt, CRAZY RICH ASIANS


25 FAVORITE SCENES OF THE YEAR

01 Everything from The Lighthouse through the end of the film, ANNIHILATION
02 CBS News Interviews Gay Callas fans, MARIA BY CALLAS
03 Opening Scene, THUNDER ROAD
04 “The Shallow,” A STAR IS BORN
05 “Dance This Mess Around,” ALEX STRANGELOVE
06 Mme Gervaise, JEANNETTE: THE CHILDHOOD OF JOAN OF ARC
07 Final Recording Session, LA FLOR: EPISODE II
08 Bathroom Freakout, MANDY
09 Olga in the Mirror Room, SUSPIRIA
10 Flooded Wedding, CRAZY RICH ASIANS
11 Teen Titans Time Travel, TEEN TITANS GO! TO THE MOVIES
12 Grief Support Group, HEREDITARY
13 Ending Tracking Shot and Montage, BLACKkKLANSMAN
14 Smilin’ Dave and The Rope, THE ENDLESS
15 “I’ve Never Been To Me,” YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE
16 Nicole Kidman delivers Amphibious Kung Fu Beatdown, AQUAMAN
17 Crane Shot on Lenox, IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK
18 Roadside Attack, 2.0
19 “A Place Called Slaughter Race,” RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET
20 Grace and Robbie on the phone, GRACE JONES: BLOODLIGHT AND BAMI
21 Cheddar Goblin, MANDY
22 Shifting Perspectives, TERRIFIED (ATERRADOS)
23 “Wrapped Up” Vigil Version, VOX LUX
24 A Secret Revealed, SORRY TO BOTHER YOU
25 Dance Party, THE FAVOURITE



SONGS OF 2018

01 Janelle Monáe – Make Me Feel
02 Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper – The Shallow
03 Holy Ghost! - Anxious (A Tom Moulton Mix)
04 Robyn – Send to Robin Immediately
05 Rostam - In a River
06 Billy Porter and MJ Rodriguez and Our Lady J - Home
07 Jake Shears – Sad Song Backwards
08 “Celeste” - Wrapped Up
09 St. Vincent – Fast Slow Disco
10 Estiva - Bloom
11 John Grant – Preppy Boy
12 Carly Rae Jepsen – Party for One (Otto Benson Remix)
13 Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – Body Move
14 Robyn – Missing You
15 Thom Yorke - Suspirium
16 Carpenter/Carpenter/Dawes – The Shape Hunts Allyson
17 Namika featuring Black M – Je Ne Parle Pas Français (Beatgees Remix)
18 Jonny Greenwood – Tree Synthesisers
19 Tracey Thorn – Dancefloor (Pearson and Lindblad Italomix)
20 Dario G - Cry
21 Pusha T – The Games We Play
22 Juliana Hatfield – Suspended in Time
23 Phantoms featuring Vanessa Hudgens – Lay With Me (VIP Remix)
24 Kylie Minogue - Dancing
25 Mø and Jack Antonoff – Never Fall In Love
26 Celine Dion – Ashes (Dark Intensity Remix)
27 Troye Sivan – Bloom
28 Azealia Banks – Anna Wintour
29 Stasney Mav - Bullet
30 Jay Rock - Win
31 Jake Shears – Mississippi Delta (I’m Your Man)
32 Ariana Grande - Breathin’
33 Lil’ Xan’s Dad – I’m Your Dad
34 Thom Yorke – Has Ended
35 Joe Crepúsculo – Todo Lo Bello Es Gratis
36 Ice Cube – Arrest The President
37 Rufus Wainwright – Ziggy (Un Garçon Pas Comme Les Autres)
38 Punx Soundcheck – House Arrest
39 Bleachers – Keeping a Secret
40 Bhad Bhabie – Famous

For a continuous club mix of the best dance mixes and tracks of the year, please visit:



ALBUMS OF 2018

01 Janelle Monáe/Dirty Computer
02 Robyn/Honey
03 John Grant/Love is Magic
04 Jake Shears
05 Tracey Thorn/Record
06 Pusha T/Daytona
07 Me’Shell NdegéOcello/Ventriloquism
08 Jóhann Jóhansson/Mandy
09 CupcaKke/Ephorize
10 Cardi B/Invasion of Privacy


TV OF 2018

01 Talk Show The Game Show
02 Pose
03 Nailed It!
04 Big Mouth
05 Legion
06 The Haunting of Hill House
07 Mystery Science Theatre 3000: The Gauntlet
08 Channel Zero: The Dream Door
09 Disenchantment/G.L.O.W.
10 The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
11 At Home with Amy Sedaris/The Shivering Truth
12 Claws
13 Star Trek: Discovery/The Orville
14 Deadwax
15 Nightflyers


PODCASTS OF 2018 (Alphabetically)

Attack of the Queerwolf
The Boogie Monster
Gaylords of Darkness
Homophilia
How Did This Get Made?
Just the Discs
Keep It!
Linoleum Knife (and its sibling series LKTV, Linoleum Knife + Fork, and Linoleum Nights)
Pure Cinema Podcast
Shock Waves
The Sour Hour
The Todd Glass Show
Unspooled


Catching up with Jason (i.e. It's 2019 already!)

Wow. I only posted once all last year.

I don't have enough of a readership to feel like I'm depriving the world of anything, but it's definitely on me to gather all the things I'm doing into one place.

I reviewed Josephine Decker's staggeringly good film Madeline's Madeline.

I wrote about Gus Van Sant's Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot.

I wrote about Ween!

I interviewed comedian Brandon Wardell.

I got to write about H.G. Webb, one of the greatest human beings that I know.

I reviewed Yorgos Lanthimos' The Favourite, which is a kinky delight. Also, I got to mention Radley Metzger in this one.

I got to write about Ganja and Hess, one of my favorite films of all time.

I had some thoughts on 2010: The Year We Make Contact.

I made my annual pilgrimage to the New York Film Festival (17 years running).

I talked about Nashville's inaugural Outloud Music Festival.

I got real into it writing about Wilson Phillips

Suspiria '18 brought out some feelings.

Even though Questlove totally flaked on the interview that was supposed to happen, I wrote about the 4U experience extensively.

I had to write about Mandy. I HAD to.

Oh yeah, and I interviewed Joel Hodgson.


So that's everything professionally that happened since the last one of these.