PCS People of the Year 2018

 As we reach the end of the year, it’s time to look back at achievements in film and television. So without further ado, let’s look back at our People of the Year for 2018.

10. Emily Blunt

When I think about versatile performers this year, Emily Blunt is one who definitely stands out. She’s been receiving a lot of praise for her performance as Mary Poppins. But let’s not forget her role in A Quiet Place – for which she’s been nominated for MTV and SAG awards.

9. Thandie Newton

Thandie Newton gave an absolutely stellar performance in Westworld full of complex beats. Her character Maeve struggled with existential questions as she sought to be reunited with her daughter. Plus, she had to learn Japanese for this season, which must have been tough.

8. Christopher McQuarrie

Mission Impossible: Fallout might be the best movie in a franchise that only gets better over time. His action directing is crisp and flawless. He provided one of my best movie-going experiences this year, and I hope he becomes the David Yates of the Mission Impossible franchise.

7. Christian Bale

Christian Bale’s performance in Vice is absolutely wild. One could easily talk about how much weight he gained for the role or how the credit should go to Adam McKay’s directing or the prosthetic/make up team, but Bale was putting in a staggering amount of work. His performance has a few moments that are human, and a few moments that are humorous, but these only serve to drive home just how menacing he is here. If I were a criminal, I’d be more scared of Bale as Dick Cheney than Bale as Batman.

6. Bo Burnham

Internet star Bo Burnham made the jump to the big screen with Eighth Grade, the indie breakout hit of year. To many – myself included – Bo Burnham will always be the kid recording songs in his bedroom. A YouTuber directed a feature film that received a great deal of critical acclaim? That’s awesome. To see just how far he’s made it is an inspiration to people who contribute to internet mediums that don’t get taken as seriously as they should.

5. Cast and crew of Into the Spider-Verse

This was the animated sleeper hit of the year. The fact that Sony finally produced another good Spiderman movie is nothing short of a miracle. There’s not much I can say about this movie that everyone else hasn’t already said. It’s a delight.

4. Michael B. Jordan

 Black Panther was a huge cultural moment. Its success shows just how much of an audience there is for black-led and black-directed blockbusters. And the thing which made it a unique critical success is Michael B. Jordan’s performance as Erik Killmonger – an exceptional villain in a franchise whose villains have been hit and miss. Just this year, Jordan also appeared in Creed II which has been quietly acclaimed. Jordan is one of the hardest working men in Hollywood – expect to see much more of him over the next few years.

3. Joe and Anthony Russo

Yes, it’s hard to say just how much influence the Russo Bros. had over a movie as big and as studio-governed as Avengers: Infinity War – and yes, the final dramatic punch of this movie is going to be undone by the next movie. But goddamn, what an achievement Infinity War was. While Disney, Marvel, and Kevin Feige likely gave the Russo Bros. the outline for this film, one can only imagine how different the movie would be in someone else’s hands. Think of the big moments – Thanos’ acquisition of the Soul Stone, Thor’s arrival in Wakanda, and “Mr. Stark, I don’t feel so good” – and what these moments would be like if the studio had picked Ron Howard to direct the movie.

2. Donald Glover/Childish Gambino

“This is America.” Solo. The weird appearance he had at the Emmys.

 

1. Steve Carrell, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, and Jenna Fischer, the rest of the cast of The Office

All of these actors are still working – Carrell was in Beautiful Boy and Vice and (God help him) Welcome to Marwen. Krasinski has his Jack Ryan series on Netflix and he directed this year’s sleeper horror hit in A Quite Place. Wilson was in The Meg, and Fischer was on an ABC sitcom. But most importantly, NONE of these people were on a reboot of The Office. That’s awesome. People are clamoring for a reboot/reunion of the show, which I think would be absolutely abysmal. Karsten Runquist made a great video going into detail (certainly better than I ever could) about why such a reboot is a bad idea. Remember Season 8? Remember Season 9? Stop saying you want a reboot of The Office, you don’t.

Sorry if that was too hot of a take – as always, thank you for reading!