Every year I do some sort of year end review. I literally have no idea whether or not you find these posts helpful. None. But, I love seeing what you guys find interesting, or what movies you like reading about. Now, to decide what movies I post, sometimes I throw a dart at a dartboard. Sometimes I give you my favorites. This year, we are posting your favorites in the year in review through a patent pending algorithm. I’m going to use the number of readers a post had, and I’m going to multiply it with the number of comments to give a score. Then I’m going to check it against the wind speed velocity of an unladen swallow to come up with the top 10 rankings of the best movies of the year. Alright?
#10 The Strange Ones
You will not find a more controversial and more disconcerting movie than The Strange Ones. But apparently you guys really got into this movie, trying to unpack the complicated story and the wild mirrored reflections and shadows that reverberated from beginning to end. I have to admit, when the reality of this movie revealed itself, this wasn’t a favorite movie of mine. But, wow, is it a fantastic conversation starter. Hey, I wasn’t a huge fan of the Lobster either, and that is one of the most wildly successful movies I’ve ever discussed with you guys on this site.
Check out The Strange Ones discussion right here.
#9 You Were Never Really Here
Joaquin Phoenix lit the screen literally on fire in this incredibly dark and brooding thriller. I absolutely loved this movie. Everything about it. Lynne Ramsay’s directing. The acting. The action sequences, and their looking but not looking sort of voyeuristic approach to the cinematography. I may just have to walk away from writing this post and watch this movie all over again.
Check out the You Were Never Really Here discussion right here.
#8 The Ritual
Oooooh. So horror films usually just make me giggle. They are so formulaic (the cute girl in the panties at the beginning will be the first one to die, that sort of thing) that you can predict who will live and who will die inside of the first five minutes. But The Ritual comes with a moral, characters that grow, and a murdering demon-god to end all demon-gods. The art design is brilliant. The Ritual makes it seem like a large budget film with no budget at all. I particularly liked the way the film dealt with grief within a male dominated community.
Check out The Ritual discussion right here.
#7 The Maus
Two horror movies in a row? What is that about? I’m not a horror movie fan! But wait, there is a lot more to this movie that horror – I’d call it more of a Bosnian/Psychotropic/Trip than a horror flick. The European history, intermingled along with the stories of the Bosnian war survivors is really well done. Is this all in their head? Are they insane? It’s all worth your time to investigate the answer.
Check out The Maus discussion right here.
#6 The Kindergarten Teacher
I have to say, if I were giving out awards for the biggest surprise of the year, this would have won that particular award without any contest. Hands down. The movie was a surprise. The conversation that we had about the movie was a surprise. Everything about this movie was a surprise. Including the incorrect laughter that echoed through the theater. This is definitely not a movie that you are supposed to laugh at, but you just may. Which is fine, as long as you talk about it.
Check out The Kindergarten Teacher discussion right here.
#5 We’ve Forgotten More Than We Ever Knew
WOAH… We’ve Forgotten More Than We Ever Knew! Talk about movies that will rearrange your head-space! I loved the weirdness of this movie so much, that I reached out to Thomas Woodrow (the writer and director) and chatted with him for days and days about his amazing little film. It’s so intriguing, and so beguiling simultaneously that I recommend you find your copy without watching anything else about the film before hand. Just swan dive in.
Check out the We’ve Forgotten More Than You Ever Knew discussion right here.
#4 Mandy
Oh. Just Mandy. Cause, wow. Nicolas Cage to eleven? I thought Cage busted the insane-o-meter when he throttled it to eight or nine. But this movie? He wired the gauge with dynamite and blew it to the next county. Mandy is surreal squared. And the conversation that followed was equally surreal. Was? It’s still happening. Watch Mandy and then join us for the discussion.
Check out the Mandy discussion right here.
#3 10×10
10×10 is the surprise closed box movie that you didn’t even know that you were looking for. The sort of inside out kind of movie that can’t even be summarized because this thing is so tightly wound any hint, one way or another, will give the game away. But I promise you, this isn’t just a man abducts a woman movie. And yet, it is? hahaha.
Check out the 10×10 discussion right here.
#2 Spinning Man
The Spinning Man is possibly the most normal movie on this list. And yet, it isn’t. It deals with the obvious fact that a professor has murdered a student from his college campus. Or has he? Even after the movie is over you will still be unpacking the threads to this movie in order to attempt to figure this entire movie out. But, that is what makes this movie so good. It’s a prism of possibilities.
Check out The Spinning Man discussion right here.
#1 In Darkness
And the number movie on THiNC. this year, after counting all the comments, counting all the visits, and just accounting for general enthusiasm, is In Darkness. It’s a fascinating story. It’s a tangled web of lies and intrigue. (With another Bosnian connection actually). And it also has a crazy ending that makes you want to re-watch the movie from the beginning to the end. It’s a fantastic film, and very deserving of the honor.
Check out the In Darkness discussion right here.
Honorary Mention – The Bird Box
The Bird Box will very rapidly beat the rest of the movies on this list for 2018, but it needed more runway. I only published the review a couple days ago, and there just wasn’t enough time in the year! But currently, as in, simultaneously… right now… there are over 200 people reading this post. Which, is a lot for this site. So kudos to you Sandra. You, and your little Netflix movie, are the little train that could.
Check out the Bird Box discussion right here.
Overall Winner – The Lobster
If you are intrigued as to the number one post of all time over the course of 2018, not just written in 2018, it would be The Lobster. It’s a movie that got more views, more comments, and more all around recognition than the rest of the movies on this list combined. The Lobster is just one of those movies that is painfully difficult to figure out, and the ending is so elusive, people in the comments are still TODAY arguing over what might have happened.
Check out The Lobster discussion right here.
Alright, welp. That wraps us up for 2018. Have a merry New Year everyone (as they say in England). And can’t wait to see where we stand again next year. Thanks for reading, and opining so much in 2018!
Edited by, CY
