Grain of Salt: Matt's Top 10 Films of 2018

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What defined the cinema of 2018? Can it be encapsulated into a single concept, a defining moment, a phenomenon, a quote, a buzz word? Years from now, what will trigger the Proustian response that brings the last 12 months of movies flooding back into our collective memory like some kind of polyphonic reminiscence? Netflix, Black Panther, Moviepass, Roma, “Shallow,” Thanos, “Numnum Cookie,” Spider-Ham, the Oasis, the Shimmer, Bird Box, “Trip a Little Light Fantastic,” “I just wanna take another look at you,” BlacKkKlansman, “The Gal Who Got Rattled,” Henry Cavill’s mustache, Cynthia Erivo’s sprint, Ted Sarandos’ leer, the Cheddar Goblin..? Maybe it will just be Milly Shapiro’s guttural clicking noise from Hereditary... One thing’s for sure- 10 years from now when we’ve allowed the tumultuous state of the world in 2018 to fade from memory we will still look back fondly at this last year as being one that not only privileged us with an embarrassment of cinematic riches but also one in which movies proudly proclaimed: “Netflix or not, here I come! I am the cinema and regardless of the venue in which you care to meet me, I have something to show you that you’ve never seen before. My wonders never cease. I’ll learn to play by the new rules. But I’m not going anywhere.”

I watched 366 films in 2018 and 99 of those were in theaters. These are the 10 that represent the quality that stood out from the quantity:

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262: Oscar & Matt's Top 10s of 2018

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Dearest WLM family, it’s time for our favorite podcast of the year and, at the risk of being self-congratulatory, we think it’s one of our best episodes ever! It’s epic without being long-winded. There’s list overlap without complete crossover. There’s disagreement without dissent. There’s even a brief detour into our own personal lists of 2018 missed-movie-shame. It’s a good one.
Happy New Year, everybody. We’ve got big plans for 2019 and couldn’t be more excited to have you with us!

Email: wlmpodcast@gmail.com
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258: AFI #72 - THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994)

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“I find I'm so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it's the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope.”

256: AFI #73 - BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)

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In honor of the passing of screenwriting luminary William Goldman we decided to move this episode up in our schedule to pay tribute to one of the most talented scribes ever to sire a slugline.

And, in case you missed it a couple weeks back, consider checking out our episode dedicated to All the President’s Men- Goldman’s other, legendary Oscar-winning screenplay.

252: AFI #75 - IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT [1967] (w/special guest Ben Goff!)

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Sydney Poitier historian and all-around cinematic raconteur Ben Goff (@benjaminygoff) joins us on a very special episode of our AFI Countdown Series to discuss the 1960s, race relations, and how Norman Jewison's IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT factored into both.

248: The MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT Praise-a-thon

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The Mission: Impossible film series is without peer or equal in its unprecedented ability to improve with each subsequent installment since J.J. Abrams’ soft reboot three films ago. As such, it should come as no surprise that MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT, the 6th entry in this 22 year old franchise is not only quite possibly the creative peak of the series but also one of the greatest action films in recent memory.

Join us as we work our way through all 5 previous installments before leaping headfirst into a gushfest about Christopher McQuarrie’s summertime gift to cineplexes, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT. We talk about it ALL and spoil pretty much everything so be forewarned!

245: Contextualizing ANT MAN AND THE WASP, the 20th Marvel Film

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On the occasion of Marvel Studios' 20th (twentieth!) release in the official MCU, we get together for a conversation that includes an unexpectedly glowing review of said release, ANT-MAN AND THE WASP, a loving retrospective on the career of Michael Douglas, aggressive overuse of the term "mumbo-jumbo", and a brisk run-through of our respective Marvel movie top 10 rankings.
Be advised that if you're one of the half dozen people on the planet who still haven't seen INFINITY WAR you may wanna sit this episode out until you do... 

236: The Delightful ISLE OF DOGS Lands in a Kennel of Controversy

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We love Wes Anderson here on the We Like Movies Podcast. We've never made a secret about that. So it comes as no surprise that we were quite taken with his most recent stop-motion endeavor. That being said there is dissent in both artistic and sociopolitical arenas to consider when it comes to ISLE OF DOGS. We do our best to address those concerns in this week's episode while also positioning the film in the annuls of our individual Anderson rankings. Join us, won't you? (Karina Longworth-style)