tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857882.post3264750449089608042..comments2023-11-17T11:08:31.857-06:00Comments on Michael May: My Top 10 Movies of 2018Michael Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12514945570212261283noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857882.post-12068257337816423122019-01-30T13:21:56.391-06:002019-01-30T13:21:56.391-06:00Its certainly been a year of unexpected hits. I do...Its certainly been a year of unexpected hits. I doubt anyone would have put their chips on betting Black Panther would be 2018's biggest hit. Without a Star Wars movie in December it seemed like everyone was ready to rush out to fill the gap with whatever scraps they had. Oddballs like Aquaman, Bumblebee, Mary Poppins and Spider-Verse weren't raising any flags for me until the reviews came in. Now I have a number of titles to look forward to catching up on with on home video in the spring.<br /><br />Infinity War easily is at the top of the list. I was worried at first by the two part split given thats been a sign of milking the cash cow, but when you have to balance 50 superheroes plus introduce a villain like Thanos, you're gonna need all the time you can get. Even though its written like half a dozen side quests it feels balanced. The heroes fail, but I still feel satisfied by the narrative (which was one of my biggest issues with The Last Jedi)<br /><br />In retrospect its genius marketing. Boast of a movie with over 50 superheroes and big spectacle so that you can gross more money that Western Europe makes in a year, then cut the cast in half so that the next movie can be a poignant curtain call for the characters that have been there the longest.<br /><br />The Meg<br />There are few good shark movies, there are lots of bad shark movies. The happy medium is to have a shark movie that is good because its bad. Thats probably why there was as much comedy timing as there was in the trailer. <br /><br />Then again this is based on a book were the Meg eats a T-Rex in the beginning and is killed by having its heart ripped out from the inside and its pups are captured by Osma Bin Laden so some crazy was to be expected. <br /><br />As is its fine, but the movie most people wanted should have been done with Nicolas Cage at least ten years ago. <br /><br />Solo is... alright. The fact that this is coherent is impressive given all the behind the scenes hubbub. I'm pleased 11 year old you loved it. I probably would have like it at that age too, but 30 year old me just sees lightweight fluff. I do wish there was someway to see the Lord and Miller cut though. It may have gone too far with the comedy as reported, but that just makes me all the more curious.<br /><br />I did cheer when we saw Chewie rip the arms out of someones sockets. I'm shocked JJ didn't do that in Force Awakens!<br /><br />I feel bad that I didn't put "Won't You Be My Neighbor" on many best of lists. Maybe it slipped by because like Fred Rogers himself, its very much "what you see is what you get". <br /><br />I was shocked how much home video footage they were able to get. It was also surprising to remember just how slow and gentle he was and how unusual that was on television. That kind of format feels all the more necessary in today's hectic paced media. Thank you for the recommendation for The Good Neighbor as well, it made for an excellent companion piece! Erik Johnson Illustratorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11184274387021011687noreply@blogger.com