Tuesday, December 11, 2018

The Dojo’s Top 10 Sociological Films of 2018


Author’s Note: This list is a list of the most sociologically interesting films I have seen this year so far. It is not a list of my favorite films (though the higher the film is on the list the more overlap there will be) but of films that sparked sociological analysis in my head and/or had wide cultural impact.

 This list will have three sections 1) The Top Ten in descending order.
      2) Honorable mentions (Great film’s that just didn’t make the cut)
      3) The films yet to be released in 2018 that I am looking
          forward to.

THE TOP TEN



           
            The film that recently caused the debate to have a popular film Oscar at the 2019 ceremony, Black Panther was a film that had a largely black cast and crew (which in 2018 is shamefully still a novelty) which allowed the central plot and the conflict between the protagonist (Chadwick Boseman’s T’Chala) and antagonist (Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger) to be steeped in the issues black people of color face. One of the interesting impacts of this film was due to the long global history of slavery many black people of color do not know where their ancestry is from, thus once this film came out many of those without a country adopted Black Panther’s Wakanda as their ancestral home. 




            Written and directed by Scottish Film Director Lynne Ramsey You Were Never Really Here is a modern day Taxi Driver. Joaquin Phoenix plays a hitman that is assigned to recover a young girl from a human trafficking ring. As he continues the investigation he uncovers the seedy underbelly of bureaucracy and white men of power.  Powerful, tightly written with zero “fat”, this film is a lean social commentary about wealth and power.





            A French Produced Gore revenge fantasy, Revenge is a gonzo Grindhouse-style film that literally ran out of blood by the end of the shoot.  The film does fall into certain sexist tropes (in the way that the female body is framed and the perpetration of sexual violence upon the protagonist) but once the titular “revenge” begins to take place, the squeals of obliterated toxic masculinity are enough to make up for how the film got there.




            Spike Lee directs the true story of Ron Stallworth a black Colorado Springs detective, who in the 1970’s infiltrated the Klu Klux Klan. The brilliance of this film is in the way that Spike Lee runs a historical thread from the 1970’s to the very issues of racism, oppression and murder people of color face today. From police brutality to subtle racism Spike lee shows us that the problems that we had in the past are still an issue today; going so far as to conclude the film with the protests in Charlottesville in 2017 concluding with the death of counter protester Heather Heyer.   




             Written and directed by comedian Bo Burnham, Eighth Grade is a window into female adolescence in the new millennium. There are moments in the film that everyone who went through that awkward stage as an early teenager can relate to, but there are also scenes that exclusively tackles the social issues that young girls face in our current culture. For those who think that white men can not accurately, or fully capture stories about girls and women should see this movie. Burnham is able to achieve an emotionally moving level of authenticity.   



            Brilliantly shot by Pawel Pogorzalski, Ari Aster’s Psychological and supernatural horror film Hereditary is a masterful treatise on mental illness and the strain of trauma upon a family. Grounded by a stellar performance by Toni Collette, this film is a spiritual companion to Luca Guadagnino’ s remake of Suspiria; however, if you watch them back to back, you may need to watch with all of the lights on and sing cheery Holiday carols after... or chase it with number 4 on the list.





            Strategically placed as a palate cleanser before we get to the top three, Won’t you be my Neighbor the documentary of Fred Rodgers and the program “Mr. Rodger’s Neighborhood.” captures the audience with nostalgia ( because the program spanned 30+ years ) and reveals the subtle radical social resistance of one man from Pittsburgh. The documentary shows us a less divisive and more inclusive look at social and political compromise. The film also emphasizes that Fred Rodgers was a religious conservative that treated all people with humanity, something that the film suggests we have lost sight of. Have a box of tissues at the ready.  





            A Sci-Fi Thriller by Alex Garland This film is noteworthy for the majority of its principle cast being female. The film spends time showing us the diversity of femininity in each character and how they deal with a situation that gets progressively worse. Focusing on how we deal with grief and the way that psychological trauma motivates us and shapes our perception. The Bear sequence is a marvel, and terrifying.




            Witches, Feminism and Male Panic; Luca Guadagnino’s remake is brilliant. Reinforcing the power of femininity and the power women have as a collective to challenge the patriarchal world, is amazing. Read my full review of Suspiria.





1) Mandy

            Anyone who has read my earlier review for Mandy should not be surprised by its placement on my list. Panos Costmatos’ film is full of Cheddar Goblins, Demon Bikers, and Hippie Cults, “ripped shirts” and “crazy evil” all anchored by the best performance Nicolas Cage has ever given.  Watch it, Buy it, give it to a friend…may not be for everyone.


HONORABLE MENTIONS
·         The Old Man and the Gun
·         Searching
·         Blindspotting
·         The Wife
·         Can You Ever Forgive Me

MOST ANTICIPATED YET TO COME IN 2018

Spiderman: Into the Spider-verse (Dec 14th)

Vice (Dec 25th)

On the Basis of Sex (Dec 25th)

Anna and the Apocalypse (Dec 30th)- US (wide)

Destroyer (Dec 30th)