These lists are interesting to me because they don't always end up lining up with which movies were my favorite when the year is over. Emily is encouraging me to reorder last year's list with how I ended up feeling about them when it was all said and done but there are always a few surprises and sadly disappointments. (A great example: probably the best movie I've seen in 2018 was Paddington 2.)
The truth is that this year's list was one of the hardest lists to make because of how great these movies look. There are movies on the bottom of the list that could have easily been on the top of the list in other years. Without further ado, list #11:
1. Star Wars: Episode IX (December 20th)
To anyone who knows me, this shouldn't be a surprise. I loved The Force Awakens in 2015 and while I don't understand the irrational hatred from some of The Last Jedi, my immediate response to seeing it was: it'll depend on how they finish the series. I've written about this before but I think the biggest weakness that these Star Wars films have is a lack of overarching vision between the movies. Without a finale to put it in context, The Last Jedi kind of felt like a movie made by someone who didn't really enjoy The Force Awakens. At the very least, it did not feel like the continuation of a story-line but a new direction. I am hopeful that the return of JJ Abrams as director (he also directed The Force Awakens) will put some cohesion between the three movies. I'm also hopeful we'll get an answer to the question that's been on everyone's mind: is Chewbacca related to Luke Skywalker?
2. Avengers: Endgame (April 26th)
Star Wars is the only movie that could have possibly kept this from the top spot and even then it's my enthusiasm just short of obsession of Star Wars that is probably blinding me to the truth that this movie belongs there. Although the trailer of this movie would ruin Avengers: Infinity War, I'll avoid spoiling it and tell you to go watch it on Netflix before finishing this blog. I've never seen a movie where I immediately wanted to see its sequel. They did such a great set up with Infinity War that it's only the track record of Marvel films that leads me to believe they can deliver a follow-up that won't feel disappointing. Based on the trailer of Endgame, it looks like they just might do it.
3. Spider-Man: Far From Home (July 5th)
Spider-Man: Homecoming might be my favorite Marvel movie. Besides growing up as a Spider-Man fan (I had a single paperback, black and white copy of a story line between Spidey and Doc Ock that I read so many times that the front cover came off.) that movie just felt so pure in its storytelling and framing. Without going into spoilers for Infinity War, I'm not sure where they'll go with this story but Tom Holland is such a convincing high school Spider-Man that it'll be worth the ticket regardless of what they decide to do.
4. Toy Story 4 (June 21st)
Have you ever been to a concert where no one was asking for an encore but the performer came out and did one anyway? Meet Toy Story 4. I love the Toy Story movies. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are perfect. Toy Story 3 was way better than it had any business being. It felt like they were bringing things to a close. And yet, we're getting Toy Story 4. The key to whether an encore is worth it is if it adds to what came before. Knowing Pixar, I think this will. Just for existing, this movie is a good reminder that just because a chapter comes to a close does not mean our story is over. I'm interested to see what they do and I'll try my best not to hold it up too much to Toy Story 3's near-perfect standards.
5. The Lion King (July 19th)
The first movie I can remember seeing in the movie theater was Home Alone 2 but the first movie I can clearly remember wanting to see and then being blown away by the experience of seeing it was The Lion King. Director Jon Favreau has already proven with The Jungle Book that he can take a classic and make a movie that adds value without being a shot for shot repeat of the animated version. Just the fact that they brought back James Earl Jones as Mufasa is enough to get me in to see this one!
6. Downton Abbey (September 20th)
I love America. I also have a very strong affection for the UK. (If they made a Great British Baking Show movie, it'd be on this list!) Downton Abbey was one of those shows that I assumed I wouldn't like so I avoided when it started gaining popularity. After flying through the first couple of seasons, this show was probably the one I would look forward to the most every year. The stories were just so well done and it was such an interesting setting (the upper-class in the WWI-1920's UK) that it felt like a book I couldn't put down. The show wrapped up neatly in 2015 but much like Toy Story, it is so good that you don't mind an encore that you weren't necessarily screaming for.
7. Captain Marvel (March 8th)
The way that Infinity War wrapped up was perfect marketing for the upcoming non-Avengers Marvel movies because it feels like you need every puzzle piece to how the story will resolve that you can get. I've only become acquainted with Captain Marvel in the past couple of years but the decision to set this movie in the 1990s with a CGI de-aged Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury is interesting enough that I think this will be worth the ticket regardless of how much it points to Avengers: Endgame.
8. Dumbo (March 29th)
The second animated-classic-live action- remake on this list, Dumbo was not one of my favorite movies as a kid. Oh, I watched it plenty of times but it scared me. (Those pink elephants!) This movie looks so interesting with it's art deco vibe that I'll overcome my fear of pink elephants to give it a try. You can't always judge a movie by its trailer but all of the trailers they've released for Dumbo make it seem exactly like the heart-warming, original take on the animated film that you'd hope it would be.
9. The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part (February 8th)
The first LEGO Movie was great. It was funny, it was original, it couldn't be topped. We live in a world were "couldn't be topped" is a challenge not a warning to movie studios (See Toy Story 4 and Downton Abbey) so here's a sequel. (Seriously, if you've seen the first one I'm not sure how you end the movie the way they did and still have a sequel?) Chris Pratt is at his Andy Dwyer finest as Emmett and I think that this will fall in that same category where it may not reach the greatness of the first movie but it'll be worth seeing anyway.
10. Godzilla: King of the Monsters (May 31st)
Finding the movie for the 10th spot on this list was harder than the other 9. First, I never watched the last Godzilla movie. Second, it's not a genre that I normally would be interested in. (I did see the 1998 Godzilla movie in the theaters though and it is not easy to rewatch now but I loved it as a kid.) The main draw to this one is that it seems to know that it's going way overboard (for an American Godzilla at least) with the number of monsters in the movie but it's gladly pushing that envelope. To top it off, you have Eleven from Stranger Things and Gary Hobson from Early Edition so that alone is worth rounding out this list.
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