Tag: A Star is Born

The Best Movies of 2018

“A Star is Born,” “Black Panther,” “First Reformed” and “Cold War” are all among Brian’s best movies of 2018

The films released in 2018 are all firmly in the Trump era. If the best movies of last year were the ones that were either shockingly relevant to the times (“Get Out”) or were enough pure adrenaline escapism (“Baby Driver”) to provide a distraction from the barrage of noise and conflict going on in the real world, then the most effective movies of this year were the ones that managed to do both. They’re timely and don’t ignore the world around them but also were wildly entertaining and richly cinematic.

Films as diverse as Spike Lee’s hyper-political genre film “BlacKkKlansman,” the tear jerking documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” Marvel’s racially-charged superhero epic “Black Panther” and the delightful fable “Paddington 2” were able to be in the same conversation as movies that say as much about life in 2018 as they are fun to watch. Though maybe that’s the key for any year and not just years in which every push notification and tweet brings an absurd amount of anxiety. The best movies are ones that have something to say, that make you think and that you want to watch again.

These were the 10 (okay, 11) movies that did all of the above this year: Continue reading “The Best Movies of 2018”

October Review Recaps: ‘First Man,’ ‘A Star is Born,’ ‘Halloween’ and More

More thoughts on “Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” “American Animals,” “The Old Man and the Gun” and “Beautiful Boy”

At the start of this month, I started a new job at TheWrap. In nearly two years of working there, I’ve been promoted to the position of a Film Reporter.

I’m here to tell you now that this is a good thing. I’m genuinely happy, and I appreciate all the support I’ve already received, not just from family and friends, but also from my new film team.

But here’s what it does mean: I’m a reporter, not a critic. So formal reviews, even for this website, are mostly out of the question when it means publicists are paying attention to what I’m writing, tweeting and saying, and how that influences my ability to get calls back and break stories quickly.

Frankly though, it’s been months since I’ve been able to sit down and write a review or reaction for every new film I see in the same way I was when I was in college. I spend a full day writing at work, and then I come home and want to do not that.

But I still have thoughts on these movies. Lots of them. And I don’t want to lose that critical faculty and quickly forget the opinions I’ve had on some of my favorite (and least favorite) films of the year.

With that said, I’ll instead be writing these capsules moving forward, with hopefully some semi-regularity. It’s Awards Season, so that means a busy time for movies.

Also, be sure to check out all my reporting and other writing for TheWrap here. And keep listening to my podcast, The News Reel, which you can now find on iTunes and Spotify as well as on CutPrintFilm.com. Continue reading “October Review Recaps: ‘First Man,’ ‘A Star is Born,’ ‘Halloween’ and More”