And now let's get to the list. These are my 50 favorite movies, 2018 edition.
dir. Ishiro Honda
Horror/Fantasy/Sci-Fi
In a decade full of giant irradiated monsters, none stood quite as tall and lasted nearly as long as Godzilla, the creature that spawned a never-ending series of sequels and spinoffs. And as much as I love most eras of Godzilla, from the corny to the more serious and cool, the one that still gets me the most excited and functions the best as a fully fleshed-out movie is the 1954 original. Before the series became saturated in kaiju monster mashes, this simple black and white destruction of Japan was well-executed, tense, and has probably my favorite opening/soundtrack in the entire series.
dir. James Whale
Horror/Sci-Fi
Being the single best classic Universal monster movie (at least by my standards), this first sequel to James Whale's groundbreaking Frankenstein adaptation improves on basically everything from the original -- which is no small feat. With iconic makeup by Jack Pierce and some are ridiculously impressive visual effects by John Fulton, this movie is still impressive to look at today. Dr. Pretorius is a great character addition, and his bizarre sense of humor and quotable dialogue really amP up the entertainment value. It's one of the most famous classic horror movies for a ton of reasons, and of the dozens of '30s and '40s horror movies I enjoy, this one is still my favorite.
dir. Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz
Action/Fantasy/Comedy
Troma is one of those movie of studios that really isn't for everyone. They make trashy Z-grade movies with lots of gore, gross-out humor, nudity, and all that other good stuff. And while I usually dislike superhero movies, their trashy and perverse take on the genre is pretty much perfect for me. The sequels are a bit hit-and-miss, but the original is a total blast from beginning to end. Sometimes completely ignoring overall quality and just having fun with the movie is all that's needed, and it's obvious that Lloyd Kaufman, Michael Herz, and co. had a blast making this. I'd call this my favorite superhero movie.
dir. Steve James
Documentary
As much as I enjoy documentaries in their own way, very few of them hit me quite like this one. Being a longtime amateur movie reviewer (I refuse to consider myself a critic, it isn't earned), I've always had a respect for Roger Ebert, and his passing had a surprisingly deep impact on me. All this aside, this chronicling of Ebert's life is already an intriguing look at the greatest film critic who ever lived, but on a personal level there aren't many movies I can recall making me cry like this did. Bouncing between funny, informative, and sad, this documentary is everything it needed to be and a wonderful tribute to the biggest movie lover around.
dir. Joel & Ethan Coen
Crime/Comedy/Drama
As often as I declare Kurosawa the greatest director who's ever lived, Joel & Ethan Coen are likely my favorites in terms of pure entertainment value. And the single movie of theirs I come back to the most would have to be this one. Funny in all the ways a movie about kidnapping and murder shouldn't be, this movie balances the blackness of its humor and effective drama, setting it all in a frozen tundra we rarely see crime dramas take place in -- at least until after this film's release. Frances McDormand gives one of the best performances of the '90s, the supporting cast are terrific, and even though the movie isn't a "comedy" the humor sets it apart and helped make it into a classic.
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