I’m Thankful for These Top 10 Films at the End of November
November brings some changes to the bottom of the top 10 for the year so far. I’m also fairly certain the movie surprise of my year is all but rapped up. That misspelling is intentional.Some changes to my #Top10 movies in 2018 after the month of November. Like Thanksgiving, I’m spreading the love around to movies of all types of genres that includes Native Americans and some people on pilgrimages, to complete the metaphor…
A buddy road trip between an Italian and and African-American through the deep South in the Civil Rights Era. This charming comedy will slap a smile on your face, then tell you to fo’get about it.
Boots Riley’s debut film. This film has a LOT to say about MANY topics: corporate malfeasance, racial attitude toward consumerism, worker’s rights, etc, and isn’t afraid to go to insane lengths to drive home the point.
An amazing cast and stellar direction take what could have been a by-the-numbers thriller and turned it into a nail-biter of a movie, but don’t let Viola Davis catch you biting those nails ;).
The last all Asian cast in an American film was the Joy Luck Club. This movie is much happier, putting a classic rom com through a fresh, original story. Plus, it’s a travelogue of Singapore, and a star maker for Constance Wu and Henry Golding.
A YouTube Original movie about a white battle rapper produced by Eminem has a million traps to fall into. That’s why 2018’s biggest surprise is high on my list: it not only knows the traps coming, but has traps within traps you will find yourself walking into.
Directed by a Chinese directer, a Lakota Indian Cowboy gets thrown off a bull and potentially has to give up his bullriding and horse whispering. This movie sounds like melodramatic garbage, but magnetic star Brady Jandreau and director Chloe Zhao find that ubiquitous truth of how hard it is to give up something that defines who you are.
Rich, sprawling story about a host of things including cultural appropriation, police overreach, family drama, and a coming of age story anchored by a great Amandla Stenberg performance.
Hereditary got all the buzz for being scary, but it’s this John Krasinski directed film that hit those buttons more. I think that’s because the story is simpler: a husband and wife try to protect their family from aliens who can hear any sound for miles. It’s elemental, scary, and emotionally resonant. SSSHHHH!!!!
Maybe it’s because of the bitter, divisive moment in time, but Morgan Neville’s documentary about Mr. Fred Rogers is like warm chicken noodle soup on a cold day. Mr. Rogers, it turns out, is actually more wonderful than he was on his show, living by such a caring, empathetic mantra that you can’t help but shed a tear or two and be hopeful that there are people like him still around.
I never pegged YouTube comedian Bo Burnham for a directing savant, but I’ve never been so happy to be proven wrong. He and his amazing star Elsie Fisher capture that either gut wrenching or euphoric time, and how fraught each new experience or decision can be, moment to moment. By far the best movie about eighth graders ever made.
