It’s the end of the year so that means that it’s the time of year to announce the Solzy Awards for 2018.

This has been another great year for film. As a result of film festivals more so than living in Chicago, I’ve seen more films than ever before. This comes after setting a personal best in 2017 with 264 films. At the end of November, I had seen 422 feature films–all first viewings!

While I’ve picked my top 20 during the last few years, I expanded things this year to my top 25 films and top comedies. None of these include the documentaries because I’ve already awarded those. The awards I issue today are strictly for narrative features only. What follows are my acting awards–split into drama, comedy, and musical. I had to make a judgement call for All About Nina and The Favourite. Both of these films fall into the dramedy category but I’ve classified them as comedies for my awards given how much I laughed during the film.

Some of the acting categories were so deep this year that it’s not even funny. As for the films itself, all the lists are in alphabetical order rather than ranking in order.

All year long, my favorite film has been Hearts Beat Loud. Some films have given the Brett Haley-directed film a run for its money but it never left my top slot. I interviewed producer Sam Bisbee at Sundance, director/co-writer Brett Haley and star Nick Offerman at SXSW, and composer/songwriter Keegan DeWitt just before the film’s release this past summer.

The Solzy Awards for 2018

Top 25 Narrative Features

A Star Is Born

All About Nina

Avengers: Infinity War

Ben is Back

Black Panther

BlacKkKlansman

Blindspotting

Blockers

Crazy Rich Asians

The Favourite

First Man

Game Night

Hearts Beat Loud

If Beale Street Could Talk

Lez Bomb

Mary Poppins Returns

Mission: Impossible – Fallout

Paddington 2

Roma

Searching

Stan & Ollie

Summer ’03

Vice

What They Had

Widows

Honorable Mentions*

Beauty Mark

Black Cop

Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Cold War

The Hate U Give

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

The Last Movie Star

The Miseducation of Cameron Post

Night Comes On

Ralph Breaks The Internet

A Simple Favor

Sorry to Bother You

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

Thunder Road

You Were Never Really Here

When Jeff Tried to Save the World

Best Comedy Features

All About Nina

Blockers

Clara’s Ghost

The Favourite

Game Night

Hearts Beat Loud

Juliet, Naked

Lez Bomb

The Oath

Paddington 2

The Spy Who Dumped Me

Set It Up

Stan & Ollie

Summer ’03

Best Documentary Features

Please see my Documentary Awards

DRAMA

Best Actor: Christian Bale, Vice

Best Actress: Julia Roberts, Ben is Back (Runner up: Lady Gaga, A Star is Born)

Best Supporting Actor: Michael B. Jordan, Black Panther (Runner Up: Steve Carell, Vice)

Best Supporting Actress: Natalie Portman, Vox Lux (Runner Up: Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk)

COMEDY

Best Actor: Nick Offerman, Hearts Beat Loud (Runner ups: John C. Reilly, Stan & Ollie; John David Washington, BlacKkKlansman)

Best Actress: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, All About Nina

Best Supporting Actor: Jesse Plemons, Game Night

Best Supporting Actress: June Squibb, Summer ’03

MUSICAL

Best Actor: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mary Poppins Returns

Best Actress: Emily Blunt, Mary Poppins Returns

Best Supporting Actor: Ben Whishaw, Mary Poppins Returns

Best Supporting Actress: Emily Mortimer, Mary Poppins Returns

Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón, Roma (Runner ups: Ryan Coogler, Black Panther; Adam McKay, Vice)

BEST FIRST FEATURES

Ike Barinholtz, The Oath

Kay Cannon, Blockers

Aneesh Chaganty, Searching

Elizabeth Chomko, What They Had

Paul Dano, Wildlife

Bridey Elliott, Clara’s Ghost

Carlos López Estrada, Blindspotting

Kendall Goldberg, When Jeff Tried to Save the World

Becca Gleason, Summer ’03

Jenna Laurenzo, Lez Bomb

Boots Riley, Sorry to Bother You

Eva Vives, All About Nina

Best Original Song (TIE)

Hearts Beat Loud, Music and Lyrics by Keegan DeWitt

The Places Where Lost Things Go (Mary Poppins Returns); Music by Marc Shaiman, Lyrics by Scott Whitman and Marc Shaiman

Best Action Film

Game Night

Best Comic Book Film

Black Panther

Best Drama

Vice

Best Dysfunctional Comedy

Lez Bomb

Best Family Film

Paddington 2

Best Foreign Language Film

Roma (Runner-up: Cold War**)

Best Musical

Mary Poppins Returns

Best Music-Driven Comedy

Hearts Beat Loud

Best Mystery Thriller (TIE)

A Simple Favor, Searching

Best Animated Feature

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Runner Up: Ralph Breaks the Internet)

Best Live Action Short

Please see my Short Film Awards

Best Unreleased Film That I Saw At A Film Festival

7 Stages to Achieve Eternal Bliss By Passing Through the Gateway Chosen By the Holy Storsh

Runner Ups: Freaks, Funny Story, Teen Spirit, Wild Rose

Best Acting Performances in Festival Films Not Yet Released

Jessie Buckley, Wild Rose

Bruce Dern, Freaks

Elle Fanning, Teen Spirit

Liv Hill, Jellyfish

Lexy Kolker, Freaks

Emily Bett Rickards, Funny Story

Most Likely To Be In Everything: Brian Tyree Henry

Special Mentions

These films and performances didn’t getting theatrical releases in the United States and went straight-to-digital/VOD. As such, they are are not eligible for The Solzy Awards. Laura Dern’s performance in The Tale should have been considered for film awards but because HBO acquired the film out of Sundance, it’s not eligible for The Solzy Awards for Film.

Comedy: Cold War***

Drama: Beauty Mark

Best Actor in a Comedy: Jon Heder, When Jeff Tried to Save the World

Best Actress in a Comedy: Madeline Walter, Cold War

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy: Brett Gelman, Room for Rent

Best Actress in a Drama: Auden Thornton, Beauty Mark

* I hated myself for leaving A Simple Favor out of my top 25 films so I went back in to add in some more films as an honorable mention.

** denotes Cold War the foreign film

*** denotes Cold War the comedy shot in Chicago.

The Solzy Awards annually honor the best films and performances of the year.