The Films of 2018

The Oscars are this Sunday, so of course it's time for the 22nd Annual Matt Awards!

I love going to the movies. It still holds the same excitement as when I was a kid. Of course, I have opinions about the films I see (check out the podcast here), and so, in the late 1990s, I began my own little exercise to satiate my ego by having my own awards, wherein I selected the best in film, as a sort of counter to disappointment with the Academy Awards.

All told, I saw 80-plus 2018 movies, and so many of them were above average. It is therefore difficult to winnow them down to just one winner in each category, but I have done so.

Here, then, are the 2019 Matt Awards, honoring what yours truly believes to be the best in film from 2018....


Best Horror Film: Hereditary

The horror genre was strong in 2018. And, in my opinion, its definition expanded a bit last year (in a good way), Films like our winner, and A Quiet Place, Bird Box, Unsane, the Suspiria remake, and even Annihilation (which I count as more sci-fi than horror, though have seen it pop-up on a lot of people's list of horror films) showcase a wide range of content. They are not in the traditional realm of straight-up horror movies, and that widening inclusivity can only help the genre.

At its core, Hereditary is a family drama, and those almost always make for the best horror films. Toni Collette leads a strong cast in a film that is at once low-key, unsettling and horrific. It is a movie I think highly of, but will likely be unable to watch again very often.


Best Documentary: Won't You Be My Neighbor?

For those of us who grew up with Fred Rogers in our living rooms every day, imparting lessons of kindness and integrity, watching Won't You Be My Neighbor? was an experience in nostalgia. It was also a revelation of modernity, of how to wade through this sometimes crazy world by listening to the angels of our better nature. It isn't always easy, and we may fail at it sometimes, but Mr. Rogers has given us a road map. to follow. Oh, and bring your Kleenex.

Best Visual Effects: Black Panther

This could go to any number of blockbuster films, but it came down to three that I thought looked breathtaking with their effects. Those three were: Avengers: Infinity War, Ready Player One, and our winner. Infinity War was, obviously, very visually intense, but there were several occasions where I thought, 'It feels like I'm just watching a bunch of CGI things getting bopped around.' Ready Player One was visually marvelous to behold, but much of it was set in a virtual reality world, and kind of looked like it. Black Panther managed to have its visual effects look grounded and well-integrated into what was real, so it wins.

Best Film Editing: Walter Fasano, for Suspiria

One of the most powerful, insidious ways this movie works on your psyche is through the editing. It's superb, and unsettling.

Best Score: Nicholas Britell, for If Beale Street Could Talk

Powerful. That is about the single best word I can use to describe Barry Jenkins' film, based on the novel by James Baldwin's novel. And Nicholas Britell's lush, moving score is a major factor is making in the impact the movie makes on one's heart and soul. It is bold in its warmth, love and intensity. Far and away the best film score of 2018.

Best Song: Shallow, from A Star Is Born

The latest version of the story Hollywood seems to love to retell feels both fresh and old-fashioned. The first-third of the film (my favorite part) takes its time building-up the relationship between Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's characters and, when they both sing Shallow together on stage, it is a wonderful moment. It reminds us that Cooper and Gaga are two very talented individuals.

Best Original Screenplay: Bo Burnham, for Eighth Grade

Burnham manages to craft a script that is funny, touching, cringe-inducing, nostalgic and fresh. The story was relatable to anyone who's experienced life in the eighth grade, and I really wish this movie had gotten more love during awards season.


Best Adapted Screenplay: Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty, for Can You Ever Forgive Me?

When this movie came out, there was a lot of strong buzz surrounding Melissa McCarthy's potential for an Oscar nomination. While she did receive a nomination, the momentum seems to have faded, supplanted somewhat by Richard E. Grant's nod for Best Supporting Actor. What hasn't faded, at least for me, is the whip smart script, based on the memoir of Lee Israel. It serves as the foundation for what is an overall very well-done film.

Best Cinematography: Magnus Nordenhof Jonck, for Lean On Pete

Several films jockeyed for this, but it was the look of Lean On Pete that was prominent in my mind (A Star Is Born is runner-up). Jonck captures the both the starkness of low-income life and the beauty of the natural locations Charlie Plummer's character finds himself in.

Best Supporting Actress: Regina King, for If Beale Street Could Talk

Regina King manages to seem effortless in her portrayal of weary and loving mother trying to keep things together for her daughter. It was one of those nuanced performances that doesn't feel like a performance. 

Best Supporting Actor: Timothee Chalamet, for Beautiful Boy

Picking-up his second well-deserved Matt Award in as many years, Chalamet gives a tour de force performance in this movie, all while managing to be subtle about it most of the time. Chalamet portrays the real life role of Nic Sheff with unabashed empathy and realism. Steve Carell deserves a shout-out as well, playing Nic's father with an understated weariness and strength.

Best Actress: Elsie Fisher, for Eighth Grade

The golden-hearted center of Bo Burnham's Eighth Grade, Elsie Fisher is convincing as a young girl navigating the trials and tribulations of one of the most awkward times of anyone's life. The movie announces that Ms. Fisher is likely to be one of our most celebrated actresses for many years to come. It's a shame the Academy didn't seem fit to even nominate her.

Best Actor: Charlie Plummer, for Lean On Pete

Another young actor giving a superb performance, Plummer is in almost every scene of Lean On Pete, and manages to carry the film with an unassuming ease. His quiet, understated performance is refreshing, and one of the things I like so much about the movie.

Best Director: Andrew Haigh, for Lean On Pete

This is a movie that takes its time with every shot. Everything looks and feels deliberate and, even with some of the starker settings, it is a beautifully crafted film.

Best Picture: Lean On Pete

I love how this movie encapsulates the myriad humanity of its characters so well. We follow Charlie Plummer's Charley, as he weaves in and out of the lives of others (including a horse), searching for  an elusive love and safety that we hope he will find.

Following are my Top 10 favorite films of 2018:

1. Lean On Pete

2. Won't You Be My Neighbor?

3. Ready Player One

4. Black Panther
5. Beautiful Boy
6. Leave No Trace

7. Eighth Grade

8. Suspiria

9. The Old Man & the Gun

10. If Beale Street Could Talk

And a quick recap of The Matt Awards:

Best Picture: Lean On Pete

Best Director: Andrew Haigh, for Lean On Pete

Best Actor: Charlie Plummer, for Lean On Pete

Best Actress: Elsie Fisher, for Eighth Grade

Best Supporting Actor: Timothee Chalamet, for Beautiful Boy

Best Supporting Actress: Regina King, for If Beale Street Could Talk

Best Cinematography: Magnus Nordenhof Jonck, for Lean On Pete

Best Screenplay: Bo Burnham, for Eighth Grade

Best Adapted Screenplay: Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty, for Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Best Song: Shallow, from A Star Is Born

Best Score: Nicholas Britell, for If Beale Street Could Talk
Best Film Editing: Walter Fasano, for Suspiria

Best Visual Effects: Black Panther

Best Documentary: Won't You Be My Neighbor?
Best Horror Film: Hereditary

It has to be said that 2018 was an outstanding year for movies. There were so many excellent films released, I could very well interchange several actors, actresses, directors and others in the winners' slots for the Matt Awards. You'd do well with any of my Top 10, and beyond.

Here's to 2019 being just as good!