8 Top 8 Lists for 2018

Welcome to the 6th edition of my year-end 8 Top 8 Lists! This is the post where I recap everything I loved from the year in movies. This year I saw a grand total of 110 new-release movies, up from my previous high for a given year of 97, which was just last year. Exactly half of those 110 movies (55) are mentioned here. You'll see which were my favorite performances, favorite quotes, favorite scenes,  favorite funny scenes, music scenes, fight scenes, death scenes, and then 8 more random categories for other peculiar moments that I loved and couldn't leave off the lists.

From these lists you can get a pretty good idea of which 2018 films I loved the most. Later in the week I'll post my official list of the 10 Best Movies of 2018. For now, please enjoy my 8 Top 8 Lists for 2018!

*WARNING : SPOILERS*

I Best Performances

8) Ben Foster as "Will" in Leave No Trace

    Ignored by the Academy once again after another excellent performance, which is the only kind I've seen from him in the past few years.

7) Kathryn Hahn as "Rachel" in Private Life

    One of the best character actresses for so many years, Hahn finally gets to play the lead here and she knocks it out of the park.

6) Melissa McCarthy as "Lee Israel" in Can You Ever Forgive Me?

    Finally getting a lead role worthy of all her talent, McCarthy doesn't disappoint, ending up with her 2nd career Oscar nomination. We get to see a more vulnerable side to her, resulting in a couple of scenes that are pure tearjerkers.

5) Thomasin McKenzie as "Tom" in Leave No Trace

    One of the year's best breakthrough performances. McKenzie holds her own alongside Ben Foster but also carries the film on her own for a while, all done with a powerful soft-spoken gracefulness that was perfect for the role.

4) Richard E. Grant as "Jack Hock" in Can You Ever Forgive Me?

    What a great supporting role! Every time Grant left the screen I wanted him to show up again as quickly as possible. Almost steals the movie from McCarthy. He received his 1st career Oscar nomination, and I believe he's the most deserving of the 5 nominees in the category.

3) Simon Russell Beale as "Lavrenti Beria" in The Death of Stalin

    Talk about stealing a movie! Russell Beale's scheming Beria is one of the best comedic performances I've seen in quite some time. He shines brightest in what is, hands down, the best ensemble cast of the year for me.

2) Helena Howard as "Madeline" in Madeline's Madeline

    This is a powerhouse performance from a total newcomer. You cannot turn away from the screen for one second. She came pretty close to being the first female I ranked at #1 in the 6 years I've done this list, but there was another female who was just a bit better for me ...

1) Sakura Ando as "Nobuyo" in Shoplifters

    In a year full of fabulous female lead performances, this one never moved from the #1 spot for me since I first saw it back in October. This character felt 100% real. Ando brings a little bit of everything to the performance, and by the time her powerful final moments on screen come by, I was totally overwhelmed with emotions.

II Best Quotes

8) Killmonger's last words in Black Panther:

    Killmonger: "Just bury me in the ocean, with my ancestors who jumped from ships, 'cause they knew death was better than bondage."

7) "Old Doug Kenney" speaking to the recently deceased Doug Kenney at his funeral in A Futile and Stupid Gesture:

    Old Doug: "If it's any consolation, years from now people really like Caddyshack. They're kind of annoying about it, actually."

6) Environmental activist "Michael" states his case to Reverend Toller (Ethan Hawke) in First Reformed: 

    Michael: "Can God forgive us? For what we've done to this world?"

5) Stan Lee's perfect cameo in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse:

    Stan: "I'm going to miss him."

    Miles: "Yeah"

    Stan: "We were friends, you know."

    Miles: "Can I return it if it doesn't fit?"

    Stan: "It always fits, eventually."

4) "Lavrenti Beria" (Simon Russell Beale) explaining his thought process for his speech at Stalin's funeral in The Death of Stalin:

    Beria: "Yes, 'bread and peace'. I knew it would work. It was between 'peace' and 'sausages'. Both good things, but you know where you are with a sausage."

3) This exchange between "Lee Israel" (Melissa McCarthy) and "Jack Hock" (Richard E. Grant) in Can You Ever Forgive Me?:

    Lee Israel: "You were friends with Julia ..."

    Jack Hock: "Steinberg. She's not an agent anymore - she died."

    Lee Israel: "She did? So young."

    Jack Hock: "Or maybe she didn't die. Maybe she just moved to the suburbs - I always confuse those two. No, that's right. She got married and had twins."

    Lee Israel: "Better to have died."

2) "Gary the neighbor" (Jesse Plemons) spots something suspicious in "Max" (Jason Bateman) and "Annie's" (Rachel McAdams) grocery bag in Game Night: 

    Gary: "3 bags of Tostitos Scoops, I notice"

    Max: "There was a special on these tonight. Three for one."

    Gary: "Three for one?"

    Max: "Yup."

    Gary: "How can that be profitable for Frito-Lay?"

1) "Tom" (Thomasin McKenzie) says goodbye to her dad "Will" (Ben Foster) in Leave No Trace:

    Tom: "You! You need. Not me. The same thing that's wrong with you isn't wrong with me."

    Will: "I know."

    Tom: "Dad? ... I know you would stay if you could."

III Best Moments

8) "Pizza Dinner" in Set it Up

    2018 was the year of the Rom-Com rebirth, and this scene was the best of the bunch.

7) "Joe's Run" in Wildlife

    A great moment of release for 14 year old Joe as he's had enough of his parents' drama.

6) "Final Performance" in Madeline's Madeline

    The whole movie leads to this trippy performance which ends up with a bunch of masked actors in the street.

5) "Final Video" in Eighth Grade

    Not the final scene of the film. This is the moment after Kayla goes through a rough 'Truth or Dare' encounter, where she decides to record a "final video" in which she speaks of how her anxiety doesn't allow her to follow her own advice from her other videos.

4) "Climbing El Capitan" in Free Solo

    Saw this in IMAX. Unbelievable achievement, both the climb and the cinematography.

3) "Pop-Up London Trip" in Paddington 2

    This scene is pure perfection. The editing, the score, the visual effects. I could watch it a million times.

2) "Think of Someone Who has Helped You" in Won't You be My Neighbor?

    Everyone, including me, was crying in the theater.

1) "Police Interrogation" in Shoplifters

    Sakura Ando's heartbreaking performance as "Nobuyo" in this scene makes you wonder what it really means to be a mother. "I wonder" indeed.

IV Funniest Moments

8) "Brother-F*cker" in A Simple Favor
    "Hey brother-f*cker, you wanna stay over for dinner?" 
    Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick are great in what was the guilty pleasure of the year for me.
7) "Thor meets Guardians" in Avengers: Infinity War
6) "Shopping for Guns" in Widows
    Great moment of humor that exposes how easy it is to legally acquire a gun in the USA.
5) "Sad Ice Cream" in Roma
    Dessert is ruined when the kids are told by their mother that their parents are getting divorced. Jump to the entire family eating ice cream with the saddest expressions you can imagine. Plus there's a wedding celebration going on right behind them.
4) "Interrupting the Anthem" in Love, Simon
    Another divisive issue worked successfully for laughs when Simon's blackmailer "Martin" decides to declare his love for "Abby" before the start of the football game.
3) "Friendly Argument" in Sorry to Bother You
    "You smell great. What is that?" "It's on me. No, it's on me."
    There are probably societal implications here about how black people interact that I will never be able to understand, but what I do know is that this scene is hilarious.
2) "Jack Jack vs Raccoon" in The Incredibles 2
    Another hilarious fight scene, this time between a super-baby and a raccoon.
1) "Opening Concert" in The Death of Stalin
    Sets the tone perfectly for this brilliant comedy.

V Best Music Moments

8) "Final Piano Performance" in Green Book

7) "A Place Called Slaughter Race" in Ralph Breaks the Internet

    Fun "I Want" song for Princess Vanellope.

6) "Hypnotize" in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

    The Notorious B.I.G.'s hit plays just for a few brief seconds, but it was a perfect way to announce early on that this was gonna be a different type of Spider-Man movie.

5) "Rain on the Roof" in Paddington 2

    Great mid-credits scene to end a great film.

4) "This Old Heart of Mine" in Bad Times at the El Royale

    Performed by one of the breakout stars of 2018, Cynthia Erivo.

3) "LiveAid" in Bohemian Rhapsody

    I didn't like the movie that much, but this scene was undeniably entertaining.

2) "Hearts Beat Loud" and "Hearts Beat Loud" in Hearts Beat Loud

    The songwriting process will always fascinate me. If only it were as easy as the movies show it.

1) "Shallow" and "Shallow" in A Star is Born

    Probably the most talked about movie moment of 2018. It truly is a powerful scene.

VI Best Fight Scenes

8) "Husband and Wife Argument" in The Wife

7) "Thanos vs Guardians/Avengers" in Avengers: Infinity War

6) "Dinner Table Argument" in Hereditary

5) "Chainsaw Fight" in Mandy

    WTF moment of the year.

4) "Pregnancy Announcement" in If Beale Street Could Talk

    What starts as a well intentioned meeting between two families spirals out of control pretty quickly.

3) "T'Challa vs Killmonger" in Black Panther

    One of Marvel's best on-screen moments.

2) "Sidewalk Argument" in Private Life

1) "Bathroom Fight" in Mission Impossible: Fallout

    Great action as always with this franchise.

VII Best Death Scenes

8) "See the Light" in Bird Box

7) "Olga's Death Dance" in Suspiria

6) "Beau's Death" in A Quiet Place

    'Worst Parents of the Year' award goes to these two.

5) "Cantina Shootout" in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

    Coen Brothers at their finest.

4) "Ending" in Bad Times at the El Royale

    Drew Goddard goes into full Tarantino mode here, and the results are just as entertaining.

3) "Charlie's Decapitation Death" in Hereditary

    2nd most WTF moment of the year.

2) "Bear Attack" in Annihilation 

    Scary AF.

1) "Death of Stalin" in The Death of Stalin

VIII Random Awards

1) Best Action Set-Pieces
    "Casino Fight" and "Car Chase" in Black Panther, "HALO Jump" and "Paris Motorcycle Chase" and "Helicopter Chase" in Mission Impossible: Fallout, "1st Key Race" in Ready Player One, "Stopping the Train" in The Incredibles 2, and "Sicily Chase/Fight" in Aquaman
2) Best "White Voice" Scenes
    Tie between "Sorry to Bother You" and "BlackKklansman"
3) Best Beach Scenes
    Tie between "Cleo's Confession" in Roma and "Grandma's Farewell" in Shoplifters
4) Best "Going into Labor" Scenes
    3-way tie between the "Riot Scene" in Roma, "A Quiet Birth" in A Quiet Place, and the "Water Birth" in If Beale Street Could Talk.
5) Best Sex Scenes
    1st, an almost sex scene that is actually the sexiest scene of the year: the "Hot Tub Scene" in To All the Boys I've Loved Before, then there's "Nanny Sex" in Tully, "Apartment Sex" in Burning, two beautifully shot scenes featuring heterosexual couples in Shoplifters and If Beale Street Could Talk, and 3 different films featuring lesbian couples: "24 Hours of Sex" in Duck Butter, "Pleasuring the Queen" in The Favourite, and another scene starring Rachel Weisz in Disobedience.
6) Best Dance Scenes
    "A Quiet Dance" in A Quiet Place, "Sunset Topless Dance" in Burning, "Humanoid Dance" in Annihilation, "Dance Party" in The Favourite, and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" in Love, Simon
7) Best Teen Kiss Scenes
    "Ferris Wheel Kiss" in Love, Simon, "Final Field Kiss" in To All the Boys I've Loved Before, "Blink(One Million Miles)" in Hearts Beat Loud, "We Got Time Kiss" in The Hate U Give, "Taking the Leap Kiss" in Ready Player One, and "I Got Disqualified Kiss" in Dumplin'
8) Best Parent & Son/Daughter Scenes
    Talks with Mom and Dad in Love, Simon, "Father's Sacrifice" in A Quiet Place, "Backyard Bonfire Talk" in Eighth Grade, "Moon Mourning" in First Man, "Dad, I Love You" in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, "Interview with Mom" in Minding the Gap, "The Rules Talk" in The Hate U Give, "Bus Goodbye/'Dad'" in Shoplifters, "Dad, I'm a Lesbian" in Blockers, "Father and Daughter Diner Talk" in To All the Boys I've Loved Before, "Mother and Daughter Disqualification Bonding" in Dumplin', and "Mother's Visit" in Crazy Rich Asians