LovePeacenSlander’s look back at 2018 films before they hit the time capsule.
Ask anyone what movie really kicked off the year for them and most will say it was MARVEL’S BLACK PANTHER and they’d be right. If anyone can name any other movie that premiered before BP in February they’re lying to you. All and all it was heavily anticipated and didn’t disappoint. It was everything you wanted in a film. Tech, laughs, fictional history, a hero, an anti hero, frienemies, Aunties and a few Caucasian folks for contrast. The film was as black as can be with a relevancy that has been absent from other MARVEL films.
Taraji P. Henson’s PROUD MARY and it’s BET movie of the week plot script was fortunately forgotten about but never forgiven. We all know some films are for the check but that was disrespectfully disappointing. You know a black film is bad when someone walking out of the theatre says “Tyler Perry should have directed this.”
Moving on to what passes as horror suspense these days INSIDIOUS number 18 came out and made us all wish they would/could just digitally remaster 80’s horror flicks and re-release them in theaters. Really, someone stop this.
Liam Neeson lost yet another family in THE COMMUTER and we are still here for it secretly even though we yell at the trailer “Another One?!”
Bruce Willis dropped not one but two action films ACTS OF VENGEANCE which could have stayed on NETFLIX and a remake of DEATH WISH which lived up to it’s original in both ridiculousness and cool vigilante ultra violence.
Jennifer Lawrence came through on her La Femme Nikita in RED SPARROW. The most exciting part of the movie was the sexual tension. The people are starving for more Hunger Games. That’s all we want from you at this point.
New “Renee Zellweger” Dakota Johnson graduated from Sub to Dom adjacent in the latest in the Downy softcore S&M flick for lonely chicks FIFTY SHADES FREED. Which means homie let her drive his expensive car this time.
Ava DuVernay’s directorial debut A WRINKLE IN TIME was a beautiful, gentle while showcasing touching performances that would have been better had she thought to incorporate the dark and terrifying elements that made the book famous. Then she got woke. Better late than never Ava.
Somewhere in all of this a new TOMB RAIDER starring someone other than Angelina Jolie was released. Seriously they did.
THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX still trying to make a franchise out of a one hit wonder from a decade ago.
PACIFIC RIM UPRISING didn’t suck. We all went into it expecting it to suck having 90% of the original cast who made it great not being in it. John Boyega managed to not act like a complete Tom. Very compelling.
MARVEL AVENGERS INFINITY WAR came through and hit us over the head once again with an all star line up and a great villain who gained the power to do what we all wish to do to all our enemies, wished them away with a snap of his fingers? What did it cost to watch? EVERYTHING! But we didn’t mind.
MARVEL continued to reign with DEADPOOL and recently released a kids cut racking in more dough. We lost Stan Lee but he knew the end was coming and filmed all his trademark appearances for all of the future MARVEL films till 2020. Till the end he still took care of us, thank you.
Pixar took 14 years to bring us back to the life of the INCREDIBLES 2 only a few days after their time from the last movie. It was a great nostalgic movie with all the best elements from the original but I feel like they had a chance to do something greater with it. Maybe age the family the same 14 years but what do I know. It’s just a good thing the voice cast was still alive to do it again.
A QUIET PLACE showed us how much of a liability children can be when you don’t raise them properly. It also showed us how random nails can appear anywhere in the home. Be diligent.
DC’s AQUAMAN starring girls dem suga Jason Momoa & curve ball Nicole Kidman splashed into the box office and single handedly put DC films on life support. From jump it looked like something we wanted to see starring an actor with personality. The best thing about Aquaman (which to many was a remake of BLACK PANTHER) was forming AQUAMAN around Momoa and not having him conform to the character of Aquaman. Look forward to sequels but we’re good if not.
SPIDER-MAN INTO THE SPIDER VERSE was announced as a trailer during BLACK PANTHER and was eagerly anticipated even after we had to watch 15 year old Spider man fade to dust in INFINITY WAR. It transcended it’s animation format and is herald as one of the best stories in Marvel film.
NETFLIX hit a late inning grand slam with BIRD BOX starring Sandra Bullock and John Malkovich. Despite splitting the opinions of viewers it is the most talked about and debated film since you guessed it BLACK PANTHER. Great job NETFLIX for getting the people talking and entertained whether they admit it or not. I cannot wait to see BLACK MIRROR “BANDERSNATCH” in a few days which will undoubtedly cause the same arguments and awe.
It’s been a hard year for films not released by MARVEL, tickets are over priced, food is over priced and it seems as if the studios have lost their edge. In that storm is a silver lining that Hollywood should pay more attention to OR step aside and make room for. His name is JORDAN PEELE. The weight of GET OUT was not a pebble but a tidal wave of creativity that has been silenced by mainstream Hollywood for far too long. Film makers like Spike Lee have pushed boundaries and blazed the trail for this very day. Hollywood needs to give more filmmakers, writers and actors from different lanes to construct the new age of film. If I had my way Jordan Peele would head Paramount and Donald Glover would be President of NBC. Keep working and creating at all levels. We’ll keep watching.
-MistahEarlGrey