The Whovian Avenger's Best (and Worst) of 2018

Ahh, 2018! A year where I've been even more lacking in my cinematic ventures but seen enough films to do this annual awards 'ceremony'! All kidding aside, this time of year is always a favourite of mine as it's when we can celebrate/commiserate just how the movies released have gone down. From Oscar-winning love stories between man, woman, family and monsters to bombastic blockbusters that shatter global records, it's certainly been a momentous time, and will certainly be fun to look back on. Like last year, I will be avoiding repeat nominations for actors and actresses who got some love at the Academy Awards that year; however, the films themselves will still be eligible in other categories, including Best Picture. So sorry Sally Hawkins, as much as I loved your performance in The Shape of Water that love can only be given through wins in other categories for the film. Let's go!

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
And the nominees are...

• Adam Driver - BlacKkKlansman
• Donald Glover - Solo: A Star Wars Story
• Doug Jones - The Shape of Water
• Jim Cummings - Christopher Robin
• Michael B. Jordan - Black Panther

And the winner is...

A lot of things went really well for Black Panther, thanks to its large cultural impact and its expertly-crafted Afrofuturism, but in terms of performances, Michael B. Jordan truly shines out of the pack. Redeeming himself from Marvel sins of the past, he presents a pitch-perfect villain in a universe often criticised for how lacklustre its bad guys are and gives us not only an antagonist we love to hate but one that also makes clear sense in these trying times - and one that ultimately does bring about a new way of living within the world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

Best Make-Up and Hairstyling

And the nominees are...

• Black Panther
• BlacKkKlansman
• Bohemian Rhapsody
• Darkest Hour
• Sorry to Bother You

And the winner is...

How often is it that a major Hollywood production creates a truly authentic aesthetic in a land that isn't a period piece? Because Black Panther's makeup and hairstyling was just a superb representation of African design. From Killmonger's scars to the individual looks of each and every Wakandan citizen, it elevated this brand new world and made it a land anyone would want to be a part of.

Best Costume Design
And the nominees are...

• Black Panther
• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
• Ocean's 8
• Phantom Thread
• Sorry to Bother You

And the winner is...

Well, of course the film about dress-making won! While there wasn't much of Phantom Thread that I ended liking (sorry Daniel Day-Lewis) the costume design was by far one of the best of the year, with elegant dresses and intricate designs a-plenty.

Best Sound Editing/Mixing
And the nominees are...

• Avengers: Infinity War
• Black Panther
• Bohemian Rhapsody
• First Man
• Incredibles 2

And the winner is...

It's music. Music is tough to perfectly mix together with the scenes, and with it being Queen the pressure is even higher, so the fact that it blended together so well really is a credit to the mixers and editors.

Best Production Design
And the nominees are...

• Black Panther
• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
• Isle of Dogs
• Sorry to Bother You
• The Shape of Water

And the winner is...

Stop motion is a difficult thing, but Wes Anderson's efforts are always one step beyond thanks to the highly-detailed production designs behind them. Between the clever differents ways the likes of explosions, scrapes and television screens are realised to the strangely gorgeous landscapes of Trash Island, Isle of Dogs is yet another success in Anderson's repertoire. 

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
And the nominees are...

• Claire Foy - First Man
• Hailee Steinfeld - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
• Leslie Manville - Phantom Thread
• Letitia Wright - Black Panther
• Lucy Boynton - Bohemian Rhapsody

And the winner is...

Claire Foy has grown into something of a revelation, thanks largely to her TV work on The Crown, but when teamed with Damien Chazelle and Ryan Gosling, she creates a performance that's far more from just 'supportive wife and mother' - she creates a believeable human being that steals the film from under Neil Armstrong and does it with class.

Best Animated Feature
And the nominees are...

• Coco
• Incredibles 2
• Isle of Dogs
• Ralph Breaks the Internet
• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

And the winner is...

In a year with two Pixar films, somehow Sony Pictures Animation blew them out of the park with their interpretation of the ever-present Spider-Man mythos. Thanks to its absolutely amazing animation, an outstanding script and loveable characters, the studio not only proved they have the capacity to make truly great movies, but also that there are so many new and inventive ways we can take the characters we've seen so many times before (sorta like with LEGO Batman last year, but somehow even more gloriously).

Most Underrated Film of 2018
And the nominees are...

• Blockers
• Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
• Ready Player One
• Solo: A Star Wars Story
• Sorry to Bother You
• Teen Titans Go! To The Movies

And the winner is...

So many things were against Solo: A Star Wars Story. Between its director troubles, its minuscule marketing campaign, and the ever-present fanbase that to this day still complains about The Last Jedi, Solo was a box office failure and some really seem to dislike it. Which is truly a shame, because while it isn't the best Star Wars film, it was still a fun enough time with a likeable Harrison Ford replacement and the inspired casting of Donald Glover as Lando.

Most Overrated Film of 2018
And the nominees are...

• Bird Box
• Deadpool 2
• Phantom Thread
• To All the Boys I've Loved Before

And the winner is...

I'm sorry, but I really do not see the appeal of this film. Between two lead actors who seem to have instant chemistry instead of a slow-burning "Ooo maybe I really do like this person" and some really flat supporting characters, I ended up just being disappointed in both the film and the people in it. Do we really need a sequel?

Best Visual Effects
And the nominees are...

• Annihilation
• Avengers: Infinity War
• Christopher Robin
• First Man
• Ready Player One

And the winner is...

At the time of writing, I'm still rather mixed on Annihilation, the divisive sci-fi venture by Alex Garland. But there's no denying that the visual effects are just superb, and at times beautiful. Whether it's the strange creatures, the humanoid plants or that bloody weird bear, it all helps to create a truly alien world on our soil.

Best Film Editing
And the nominees are...

• BlacKkKlansman
• First Man
• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
• The Shape of Water
• Roma

And the winner is...

BlacKkKlansman's blending of two different worlds is superbly edited, with the merging of said worlds really coming together in its final moments, ensuring that the tensest moments are indeed intense, and helping present the absurdness of some sequences.

Best Adapted Screenplay
And the nominees are...

• Avengers: Infinity War
• Black Panther
• BlacKkKlansman
• First Man
• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

And the winner is...

It's hard to imagine how Spider-Man: Far From Home, or indeed any of this film's numerous sequels and spin-offs, will try to top this one. It's littered with callbacks and hilarious gags, but that doesn't stop it from becoming an origin story for a new age of superhero movies.

Best Original Screenplay
And the nominees are...

• Lady Bird
• Roma
• Sorry to Bother You
• The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

And the winner is...

It's such an absurd concept, but Sorry to Bother You is mad enough to just about work thanks to its snappy dialogue and intricate metaphors, all of which teaming together to create a third act to end all third acts.

Best Cinematography
And the nominees are...

• First Man
• Isle of Dogs
• Phantom Thread
• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
• The Shape of Water

And the winner is...

Few films have really encapsulated the magic of the comic book pages, but Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse shows a gorgeous world entangled within a web of multi-dimensional filtering and a plethora of differing styles and designs. It's a beautiful film, and proof that mainstream Hollywood can play around with its animation styles.

Best Original Score
And the nominees are...

• Alan Silvestri - Avengers: Infinity War
• Alexandre Desplat -  Isle of Dogs
• Alexandre Desplat - The Shape of Water
• Ludwig Göransson - Black Panther
• Michael Giacchino - Incredibles 2

And the winner is...

I do seem to have a massive soft spot for Alexandre Desplat, but his score for Isle of Dogs just edges ahead of Shape of Water thank to its oriental edge that's somewhat minimalistic and repetitive, but nevertheless great to listen to and something that'll stick with you long after the film is over.

Best Original Song
And the nominees are...

• All the Stars - Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Sounwave, and Al Shu (Black Panther)
• OYAHYTT - The Coup ft. Lakeith Stanfield (Sorry to Bother You)
• Remember Me - Gael García Bernal, Libertad García Fonzi & Gabriella Flores (Coco)
• Sunflower - Post Malone and Swae Lee (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)
• When a Cowboy Trades his Spurs for Wings - David Rawlings and Gillian Welch (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs)

And the winner is...

There's a reason this song won Best Original Song at the Oscars last year, and that's because of this multi-layered creation for Coco. Each and every interpretation of the song in the film just works really well, each pushing the other further ahead, and capping the film of with one of the year's biggest tear-jerking moments.

Biggest Surprise of 2018
And the nominees are...

• Blockers
• Christopher Robin
• Game Night
• Set It Up
• Sorry to Bother You

And the winner is...

Comedy really bounced back this year, with the likes of Blockers and Set It Up truly thriving. Yet Game Night proved itself to be a highly amusing venture with a great cast and some genuine twist and turns. I expected mediocrity, I instead got a film I happily return to every so often.

Biggest Disappointment of 2018
And the nominees are...

• A Wrinkle in Time
• Early Man
• The Cloverfield Paradox
• The Happytime Murders
• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

And the winner is...

Oh, what did they do to you Happytime Murders? I remember when this film was meant to be a serious crime noir with a moody colour palette and high-class actors. How did that intriguing concept art turn into this, a low-brow comedy that barely gets a laugh and puts its entertainment solely on the idea of puppets swearing and ejaculating? I wanted you to be good, Happytime Murders, and you let me down.

Best Director
And the nominees are...

• Alfonso Cuarón - Roma
• Damien Chazelle - First Man
• Greta Gerwig - Lady Bird
• Guillermo del Toro - The Shape of Water
• Ryan Coogler - Black Panther

And the winner is...

What is there to say about Guillermo del Toro that hasn't been said so many times before, alongside with his Oscar win for the same film? The Shape of Water is a film that is quintessentially a del Toro project, and his visual direction teamed together with the actors' performances and the glorious production design all combines together to make what many may consider to be his best film yet.

Best Actor (Mainstream)
And the nominees are...

• Chadwick Boseman - Black Panther
• Chris Hemsworth - Avengers: Infinity War
• Glen Powell - Set It Up
• Josh Brolin - Avengers: Infinity War
• Nick Robinson - Love, Simon

And the winner is...

It's tricky to define a lead actor in a film with so many major characters, but antagonist Josh Brolin maybe best matches that description - and he really works in this. Presented a multi-layered villain with true might, manipulative skills and a damaged heart, Brolin presented us with an excellent bad guy who towered over all his barricades and took the world by storm - and when you're following on from Michael B. Jordan's Killmonger, that takes a lot of skill to do.

Best Actor (Dramatic)
And the nominees are...

• John David Washington - BlacKkKlansman
• Lakeith Stanfield - Sorry to Bother You
• Rami Malek - Bohemian Rhapsody
• Ryan Gosling - First Man
• Tim Blake Nelson - The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

And the winner is...

As problematic as the film may be thanks to its controversial disappearing director, Rami Malek somehow manages to save Bohemian Rhapsody from imploding on itself and becomes an extra leg for the movie to stand on. Malek transforms and disappears into the role of Freddie Mercury and creates a persona that could have gone wrong so easily, yet doesn't.

Best Actress (Mainstream)
And the nominees are...

• Danai Gurira - Black Panther
• Evangeline Lilly - Ant-Man and the Wasp
• Lupita Nyong'o - Black Panther
• Zazie Beetz - Deadpool 2
• Zoey Deutch - Set It Up

And the winner is...

Admittedly, this was a difficult category this year, as in the mainstream there weren't that many major performances that I saw that were also superb, save for the aforementioned nominees. But Danai Gurira - a name I had barely recognised beforehand - became something of an instant icon in Black Panther, delivering both in the action sequences and the sombre scenes; making a stern and dedicated militia leader a standout in a film with so many great characters and performances.

Best Actress (Dramatic)
And the nominees are...

• Anya Taylor-Joy - Thoroughbreds
• Michelle Williams - All the Money in the World
• Olivia Cooke - Thoroughbreds
• Tessa Thompson - Sorry to Bother You
• Yalitza Aparicio - Roma

And the winner is...

Tessa Thompson is a powerhouse. It's hard to pinpoint what exactly is so impressive about her performance in Sorry to Bother You, but her role as the ultra-artistic and political Detroit is one that steals every scene she appears in, showing that the usually small role of 'lead character's girlfriend' can be so much more than just arm candy and forced stakes.

Worst Picture
And the nominees are...

• A Wrinkle in Time
• Overboard
• The Cloverfield Paradox
• The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
• When We First Met

And the winner is...

What is about the Groundhog Day premise that so many people try to replicate and so often fail? When We First Met may not be the worst in terms of actual effort, but between a pretty bad script, some truly bad performances and Adam DeVine being his usual annoying self, the film ended up irking me so much that I couldn't wait for it to be over - only to force in a message about maybe you aren't really the one who should be with that person you like, like their best friend instead. It was truly disappointing and somehow the worst thing I saw all year.

Best Picture
And the nominees are...

• Avengers: Infinity War
• BlacKkKlansman
• Coco
• First Man
• Incredibles 2
• Lady Bird
• Sorry to Bother You
• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
• The Shape of Water
• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

And the winner is...

Of course, it was Avengers: Infinity War. It ain't perfect, but with so much going on it's a marvel just to see Joe and Anthony Russo juggle everything with ease; making a $2bn event that needed to be seen again and again. It's nice when high expectations are met and exceeded.