I would normally have posted this over a month ago, but, despite the delay, I wanted  to give a little sneak peek of what the rest of the year holds for us movie lovers. If I had gotten to this list earlier, I would have included the likes of Glass, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, and Captain Marvel (Alita: Battle Angel was part of my list from last year), but these are all films that I’m eagerly awaiting. If they’re as good as I hope they are, 2019 will be a very good year for film (and these are just the ones I know of so far).

12. The Best of Enemies

Reminiscent of Hidden Figures and Selma, the trailer for The Best of Enemies promises a riveting story of the real-life friendship between civil rights activist Ann Atwater (Taraji P. Henson) and KKK leader C. P. Ellis (Sam Rockwell). With two strong leads, I hope it will help in bridging the racial division plaguing our country.

11. Aladdin

In principle, I’m still not a fan of these Disney live-action remakes (The Lion King especially just feels wrong, but then again so did Beauty and the Beast), but Aladdin’s latest trailer raised my expectations. Will Smith is no Robin Williams, but he could still pull off a different kind of Genie, and the production looks sumptuous.

10. Cats

Cats isn’t really one of my favorite musicals, but if it means more musical films in its wake, I hope it’s a massive success.

9. Tolkien

I have no idea how historically accurate this film will be, but I do love a good literary biopic, and my love of The Lord of the Rings will no doubt bleed into my appreciation of Tolkien. I do hope they include his faith since it was so integral to his life and work.

8. Men in Black: International

My expectations are cautiously optimistic for this reboot largely unconnected to the original MIB trilogy. Still, it’s a promising reunion for Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, who are both due to show off their proven comedic chops, and perhaps it can kick-start the franchise all over again.

7. Yesterday

I hadn’t heard of this film till recently, but the trailer has me hyped. The Beatles are quite dear in my family, and this Twilight Zone-esque what-if plot has my interest piqued.

6. Frozen 2

Is the first Frozen overrated and overcommercialized? Yes. Is it still a great Disney movie worthy of an equally great sequel? Yes again. The trailer certainly captures an intriguing, darker mood than the original.

5. Toy Story 4

I really think they should have ended the series with Toy Story 3, but I guess we simply must trust Pixar to pull off one more fun, tear-jerking visit with Woody and Buzz.

4. Weathering with You

Makoto Shinkai might have the toughest job of any filmmaker this year: following up the highest-grossing anime film of all time, Your Name. There aren’t a lot of details about Weathering with You, but we know Shinkai excels at depicting clouds and rain and weather, so it will no doubt be gorgeous to behold.

3. Pokémon: Detective Pikachu

I’ll admit I’m strangely fascinated by this movie, based on a spin-off game from 2016. Pokémon fans I’ve talked to seem to have low expectations, but I really think this film could be great if done right. Whether a Deadpool-style Pikachu voiced by Ryan Reynolds will constitute “done right” remains to be seen, but I do wish this movie would defy the odds.

2. Star Wars: Episode IX

I was in the minority in loving The Last Jedi, so Star Wars: Episode IX has a doubly hard task: pleasing fans who loved its predecessor and “redeeming” the franchise for those who didn’t. I can’t wait to see how J.J. Abrams rises to the challenge.

1. Avengers: Endgame

After that ultimate cliffhanger at the end of Infinity War, there’s no doubt that Endgame is the most anticipated film of the year, at least in my house. I love how mum Marvel’s trailers are thus far (except for the next Spider-Man movie’s), leaving much room for hype-building speculation. I’m hoping time travel will be involved. Thank God it’s only a month away!

Other promising features in the coming year:

1917 – Sam Mendes directing a World War I movie released in late December. Probable Oscar material.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood – Can’t wait to see how Tom Hanks plays Mr. Rogers in this biopic.

Ad Astra – This Brad Pitt vehicle sounds like Interstellar but potentially with aliens.

Artemis Fowl – Never got into the books, but Disney might be going for a new Harry Potter-type franchise.

Call of the Wild – Not sure how this classic retelling will combine live-action and animation, but I’m curious to find out.

Dark Phoenix – Considering I hated The Last Stand, I don’t have very high hopes for this new retelling of the Dark Phoenix saga, but you never know.

Doctor Sleep – Of all the unexpected sequels being developed, a follow-up to The Shining was particularly unexpected, but since it’s also based on a Stephen King book, this might have potential.

Dumbo – I wish Disney would lay off the live-action adaptations. I’m not really a Tim Burton fan, so only time will tell for Dumbo.

Gemini Man – The plot sounds suspiciously like Looper without time travel, but Will Smith could make this a real winner.

Jumanji sequel – Welcome to the Jungle seemed like a good standalone follow-up to the original, so I’m not sure how they’ll sequelize it with the same characters.

Knives Out – An all-star cast in an Agatha Christie-style whodunit. I’m all for it!

The Lion King – This isn’t even live-action, just a more realistic-looking animation!

Little Women – Another all-star cast in a classic novel adaptation released in late December. Can you say Oscar bait? If it’s faithful to the book, I’m hoping it won’t need the R rating so common to Oscar-worthy films these days.

Midway – A Roland Emmerich war remake could be explosive or explosively bad. We’ll see.

The New Mutants – Between this and Brightburn, horror is starting to creep into the superhero genre, and I’m not sure how I feel about it yet.

PLAYMOBIL: The Movie – Never played with Playmobil, but I like the animation here. Despite allegations of ripping off The Lego Movie, I’m more curious to see this one than the second Lego Movie.

Rocketman – An Elton John musical that has real promise.

Shazam – A superhero version of Big. Sure, why not? I’m game.

Sonic the Hedgehog – I’m less convinced on a live-action Sonic than a live-action Pokémon. Too early to tell.

Spider-Man: Far From Home – I’m sure this will be another solid Marvel/Sony collaboration, but I don’t appreciate the spoiler-ish trailers before Endgame. Still, marketing is marketing.

Terminator: Dark Fate – Like the Terminator himself, this franchise refuses to die. Will they end on a high note?

UglyDolls – I didn’t even know these toys were a thing until the trailer, but a cast full of singers promises a fun kid-friendly musical.

Us – Jordan Peele’s follow-up to Get Out looks darn scary and is getting really strong reviews. Hope it’s not too R-rated.

It’s hard to believe, but a whole other year has passed, and I find myself once again celebrating a Blogiversary. Has it really been five years since I started my original top 365 movie countdown?! It doesn’t feel like that long, but perhaps that just means I’m having fun. That must be it, because 2018 has been an especially good year for movie-watching, and as with every blogiversary before, it’s time to recap all the high points of the past year with (what else?) a Top Twelve List of the movies worthy of joining my Top 365 List!

Since I now have five years of movie-blogging under my belt, I’ve had to become more choosy with what I christen as List-Worthy, which means only 25 films earned that distinction this year, the least of any year thus far. That’s not to say I haven’t seen many more great films than that, such as Black Panther, Boyhood, Yi Yi, In This Corner of the World, Tombstone, Marjorie Prime, 50 First Dates, Sunshine, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Next Gen, The Sandlot, Still Mine, and Only the Brave, but for whatever reason, they fell just a tad short.

Yet, while last year’s 35 additions were mainly in the latter half of the list, this year’s favorites climb a little higher. I, of course, liked my Top Twelve from last year, but this year’s additions have some new films I truly loved. As usual, several of them are from me playing catch-up on 2017’s releases, but even more are from 2018, and I couldn’t help but notice that none of the additions are from the 20^th century. Hmm, I’ve got to fix that next year and see more older films.

As always, this is my personal opinion, and everyone is free to agree or disagree. I welcome any comments or recommendations, and I look forward to finding more movies worth loving next year.

Anyhoo, let’s get to the list itself and reminisce on the cinematic rollercoaster that was 2018.

12. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

As much as I enjoyed this second Ant-Man movie, I’m surprised it ended up as low as #12. After Infinity War’s epic doom and gloom, the MCU needed a little levity, and Ant-Man and the Wasp delivered an all-around fun thrill ride with one of the more satisfying endings in the franchise, at least until the after-credits scene. Luis saying “Whazzup!” still cracks me up.

11. April and the Extraordinary World (2015)

This is only the first awesome animated film you’ll see on this list. Animation lovers mainly get their jollies from American or Japanese properties, so it’s nice to be reminded that Europe’s got game too. A steampunk adventure out of France that would make Miyazaki proud, April and the Extraordinary World offers an exciting blend of genres that feels fresher than the vast majority of recent animated fare.

10. Coco (2017)

Pixar hit it out of the park yet again with Coco, a fantasy tale of a Mexican boy visiting the Land of the Dead on Dia de Muertos. Boasting astounding new heights of CGI detail and a surprising amount of heart, Coco is proof that Pixar’s storytellers still know what they’re doing.

9. Mission: Impossible III, Ghost Protocol, Rogue Nation, and Fallout (2006 – 2018)

Last year, I caught up on the excellent Planet of the Apes remakes and this year decided to again tackle a series I’ve been unconsciously avoiding, the increasingly acclaimed Mission: Impossible franchise. To my surprise, they were even better than anticipated, and all of them from the third on (after J.J. Abrams got involved) are outstanding actioners. I think M:i:III is still my favorite for having the most personal stakes and the most satisfying ending.

8. Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms (2018)

Ah, the tearjerker makes its way onto the stage. As a fan of both fantasy and anime, as well as movies that earn the viewer’s tears, I was bound to love this film, and indeed its ending hit me harder than expected. Easily the most poignant film I saw all year.

7. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

I may have seen this animated Spider-Man extravaganza for the first time only a couple days ago, but it keeps getting better in my head. The rap music wasn’t my favorite, but everything else about this trippy cross-over adventure was so well-done that I can’t wait to see it again.

6. Darkest Hour (2017)

Darkest Hour isn’t great just for having one of the most transformative performances on film, courtesy of Oscar winner Gary Oldman. It’s also among the best biopics I’ve seen, giving a well-rounded view of Winston Churchill, sometimes as a demanding bully but more often as a persevering patriot, as well as a vulnerable human being in his most dire period. Especially as a companion piece to Dunkirk, it’s a fascinating piece of history eloquently told.

5. The Incredibles 2 (2018)

This year, Pixar once again pulled off the unlikely, offering a worthy sequel to one of their best films. Continuing the story of the Parr/Incredible family as they try to make superheroes legal again and face a mind-controlling threat, this is a great family film and ranks among Pixar’s best sequels.

4. Ready Player One (2018)

This dystopian virtual-reality pop-culture treasure hunt was #1 on my list of films I hoped would be good at the beginning of 2018, and, thanks to Steven Spielberg and company, it was. True, it doesn’t quite measure up to the book, but the changes made sense as it offered up one geeky thrill after another.

3. Train to Busan (2016)

If you had told me a year ago that I would be putting a zombie film on my list, I would never have believed it. I am by no means a typical fan of the genre, but no film kept me on the edge of my seat like this South Korean thriller. It’s an adrenaline-pumping fight for survival where things repeatedly go from bad to worse, but it’s paired with an affecting tale of a father trying to live up to his daughter’s expectations while saving her life.

2. The Greatest Showman (2017)

I love musicals, and I insist that we need more original ones like The Greatest Showman. Not subtle or historically accurate enough perhaps to be considered Oscar material, it’s nonetheless a joyous film from start to finish, full of misfit empowerment, spectacular show tunes, and an undercurrent of family values. It leaves me smiling every time.

1. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Well, Marvel pulled it off, the crowning glory of the MCU thus far. Infinity War is staggering in its ambition, juggling so many characters that it so easily could have turned into a jumbled mess in less skilled hands (ahem, DC), yet I’ve little doubt that the Russos surpassed everyone’s expectations. The ending still stings, and my continued appreciation of this movie will likely depend on how well Endgame completes it in the coming year, but for now Infinity War still amazes. I’ve heard it called this generation’s Empire Strikes Back, and I don’t disagree.

So that’s the Top Twelve, but here are the other films that made it onto my Top 365 Movie List this time around. Keep in mind that I do group most franchises together, which is the only reason I made Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales List-Worthy, since it continued the original trilogy. I also group certain similar films together, so Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow will be paired with April and the Extraordinary World, while A Quiet Place will pair with Hidden.

A Monster Calls (2016)

A Quiet Place (2018)

Chronesthesia (a.k.a. Love and Time Travel) (2016)

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)

Searching (2018)

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

The Last Days (or Los Ultimos Dias) (2013)

Thor (2011) and Thor: The Dark World (2013) (brought back to join Thor: Ragnarok as a trilogy)

And as in past years, here are some unofficial awards for the List-Worthy films, which only list nerds like myself will find of interest:

Best opening scene: Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation

Best final scene: Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms

Coolest scene: Avengers: Infinity War

Biggest emotional impact: Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms

Oldest film: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)

Most recent film: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Longest film: Avengers: Infinity War (149 minutes)

Shortest film: A Quiet Place (90 minutes)

Best soundtrack: The Greatest Showman

Best score: Thor: The Dark World

Best special effects: Avengers: Infinity War

Most mind-bending: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (even though it wasn’t quite List-Worthy)

Most family-friendly: The Incredibles 2

Most mature: either The Last Days or Train to Busan

Scariest: A Quiet Place

Funniest: Ant-Man and the Wasp

Best VC Pick: Tombstone

Best male performance: Gary Oldman in Darkest Hour

Best female performance: Not many to choose from, but probably Sigourney Weaver in A Monster Calls

Personal favorite poem written: Yi Yi

Most represented year: 2018, with ten films

And last comes the difficult part, figuring out which entries on my current List will have to be displaced by these new additions. This always hurts since I still love all these movies, but it’s a necessary evil for me as a list nerd. The following are the (still great) films that sadly bit the dust:

Almost Famous (2000) and Sing Street (2016)

A Star Is Born (1937)

The Age of Adaline (2015)

The Big Sick (2017)

Cannery Row (1982)

Counterpoint (1967)

Footloose (1984)

The Impossible (2012)

Innerspace (1987)

The Iron Giant (1999)

The Iron Lady (2011)

Spy Kids (2001) and Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams (2002)

Time after Time (1979)

X-Men: First Class (2011) and X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

I’ll be posting the updated List tomorrow. Again, I wish to thank everyone who has taken the time to read my poetry or film ramblings and leave a like, follow, or comment in the past year (and especially anyone who is still reading this long post)! I can’t wait to see what the year ahead holds. A very Happy New Year to all!

P.S. And here’s a little montage video I found to sum up 2018 in film:

This is one of those lists for which the concept just came to me out of nowhere and niggled in my brain until I finally had enough for a list. Why? Because robotic arms are just cool, that’s why. While sometimes perceived as an encroachment of technology replacing the human person, they’re usually used as impressive enhancements indicating the technological progress of their owner’s futuristic setting. They’re also a convenient replacement that serves as an ever-present reminder of the trauma of a lost limb. For those who have lost a limb, I look forward to the day when fully functional limbs comparable to the real thing are actually a reality, though that might be a mixed blessing, as you can see in this very dark animated short film.

As for this list, I had to go outside my typical realm of movies in order to get a full twelve. I had considered forgoing the robotic part and sticking instead with any prosthetic arm (think Dr. Strangelove, The Fugitive, and The Best Years of Our Lives), but that’s a list for another time. Eschewing realism, we’re sticking with fully functional robotic limbs, with my selection aided by the likes of television and anime. I’m also not counting characters who are more robot than human, so don’t expect to see the Terminator, Robocop, or DC’s Cyborg on here, despite the fact they technically fit the theme. Thus, here are my Top Twelve characters with robotic arms:

12. Jet Black – Cowboy Bebop

As the captain of the Bebop, Jet Black is the most level-headed and fatherly member of his crew of interplanetary bounty hunters. A cop before being betrayed by his partner and losing his arm, he keeps his cybernetic replacement limb as a reminder of his former life and mistakes.

11. Ulysses Klaue – Black Panther

Andy Serkis’s Klaue lost his arm to Ultron’s rage in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but in Black Panther he got a fancy vibranium one complete with a laser cannon. Too bad he didn’t stick around long enough to use it more.

10. Yang – RWBY

This is sort of a spoiler for anyone who hasn’t watched Rooster Teeth’s ongoing animated web series, but Yang (the Y in the title RWBY) meets the wrong end of a sword and is dis-armed rather traumatically at one point. After a tough time healing, though, she’s come back strong with a cutting-edge replacement.

9. Finn – Adventure Time

This might also count as a spoiler, but Finn, the human main character of Cartoon Network’s hit Adventure Time, also misplaces his arm, several times actually. After one replacement made of cursed grass turned into a clone of him (this is a weird series), he finally went with a mechanical upgrade, just like his counterpart from another dimension.

8. Claw – Inspector Gadget

Whether it’s Rupert Everett in the first live-action film or his animated counterpart, Dr. Claw is Inspector Gadget’s most dangerous nemesis and gets this high on the list based on pure nostalgia. Yes, I realize the claw might be considered a hand prosthetic rather than an arm, but I’m allowed to fudge now and then.

7. Violet Evergarden – Violet Evergarden

The title character of Netflix’s recent anime series Violet Evergarden is a traumatized former child soldier who, after the war’s end, finds a new life as a professional letter writer. Having lost both of her arms, her two mechanical limbs are both strong and remarkably adept at activities like typing on a typewriter. It’s really a good and poignant series, with the tenth episode being one of the most emotional episodes of TV I’ve seen.

6. Furiosa – Mad Max: Fury Road

In most cases of replacement limbs, suspension of disbelief is required since their operation should involve complicated nerve links and such, so I have no idea how Furiosa’s mechanical forearm that straps into place is supposed to function. But it does, and it makes her that much cooler.

5. Long John Silver – Treasure Planet

I never said someone on the list couldn’t also have a robotic leg. I hold that Treasure Planet is much better than the gimmicky update some critics called it, and turning Treasure Island’s one-legged pirate into a cyborg was an inspired addition, as well as a neat way to work in CGI to the 2-D animation.

4. Edward Elric – Fullmetal Alchemist franchise

Here’s another character with a robotic arm and leg, both made out of a material called automail. The adventure of the Elric brothers in this hugely popular anime franchise all stems from an alchemy experiment gone wrong that claims two of Edward’s limbs and his brother’s whole body. Good thing he has access to automail prosthetics, which help facilitate all the fantasy action for which the series is known.

3. Bucky / The Winter Soldier – Captain America/MCU

I’ll be honest. I sort of developed this list around Bucky. Captain America’s friend-turned-brainwashed-enemy-turned-friend-again was the first character I thought of, with the best robotic arm of recent years. Time will tell if Rocket ever gets his hands on it.

2. Doctor Octopus – Spider-Man 2

Remember I said I could fudge? Sure, you could say Doc Ock’s robotic appendages are tentacles rather than arms, but the fact that they’re fused to his spinal column makes them limbs in my eyes, and he sure knows how to use them.

1. Luke Skywalker/ Darth Vader – Star Wars

Most nerds out there probably saw this one coming. I couldn’t choose between father and son, so both Skywalkers share the #1 spot. If you have to lose a limb, light sabers are probably the safest way for it to happen, and at least the Star Wars universe has handy life-like replacements on demand. One day, perhaps we’ll get to that point too. (I can dream, can’t I?)

And here are some prosthetic runners-up worth mentioning:

Tetsuo from Akira – Tetsuo builds himself a robotic arm with his psychic powers, though it doesn’t go well afterward.

Combustion Man from Avatar: The Last Airbender – A bounty hunter after Aang has both a third eye and a mechanical forearm.

Cable (Josh Brolin) from Deadpool 2 – Cable didn’t make the list because I have not seen Deadpool 2, but he’s still worth a mention.

Detective Spooner (Will Smith) from I, Robot – Despite hating robots, Spooner has a bit of robot himself.

Tee Hee (Julius Harris) from Live and Let Die – I barely remember this James Bond movie, but apparently there’s a henchman with a pincer hand?

Kushana from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind – The antagonist from this Miyazaki classic has removable hands thanks to some giant killer bugs.

Jonah (Beau Knapp) from The Signal – Alien experiments give abductees strange prosthetics in this sci-fi.

Thanks for reading my random nerdy list! Let me know what you think and feel free to tell me of any other robotic arm owners I may have forgotten.