Maniac – Copyright Netflix
This year, we’re starting a new tradition by going through the past year and picking out our personal favorites from all the new titles added in 2018.
Of course, we’ve missed out a bunch of titles here including international distribution arrangements but for the purpose of this article is appropriate to everyone, we’ve only included worldwide Netflix Originals.
Jacob and Cheryl will be along soon with their top titles but here are my favorite new titles of 2018 and why.
5. The Cloverfield Paradox
Like many, I was watching through the Superbowl and caught the surprise announcement of The Cloverfield Paradox. It completely caught me off-guard and I’ve been covering all Netflix releases since 2013.
I’m a massive fan of the Cloverfield universe with 10 Cloverfield Lane being a particular highlight so I was overcome with joy at the idea of watching the new movie.
Although the movie does have plenty of issues and doesn’t hold up as well to those two that came before it, it still enters my list because of what it means for Netflix. The service is not beholden to dates, promotions and can get away with dropping something out of the blue.
Beyond that, the movie is well polished, has a fantastic cast and because the distributor said it would have struggled in the box office, I’m glad it found a home where it’s performance box office wise isn’t that big of a deal.
4. The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
This show is the first show that Netflix has released worldwide under its Original banner that I feel has gained the same level of recognition to Stranger Things and that’s no small feat.
The show successfully does what The CW has done with Riverdale. Successfully adapt a comic book for a modern audience.
The series is only 10 episodes so far but focuses on character-driven narrative more rather than the spells. It’s no doubt one of Netflix’s best buys of the year and for good reason. I couldn’t stop watching.
3. CAM
As a huge Black Mirror fan, this movie was a home run. It plays out like an extended episode of the hit Netflix show. It’s absolutely thrilling and not a damn thing could stop me from watching all the way through. The way it focuses on Alice and the way she reacts rather than the situation itself leaves so much at the end that’s left to the imagination.
It’s a stylish thriller that completely surprised me and has one of the best movie posters of the year by a long way.
2. MANIAC
Netflix’s limited series have been some of the best the streaming service has released. None had quite the name recognition as Maniac which employed the talents of Jonah Hill and Emma Stone.
The series a puzzle that doesn’t ever really fit and explores themes rarely done in this type of format. It’s stylish and fun to theorize and the performances from the two leads in a multitude of roles makes this one of my most enjoyable watches of the year.
1. Explained
Netflix has had many Originals release on a weekly basis but the only one I found that I never missed one week of, was Explained. As a subscriber to Vox on Youtube, I was curious as to how their format would translate into a more traditional format. I shouldn’t have worried though as they absolutely nailed it.
Each week, I found myself looking forward to the subject matter, whatever it happened to be and also looked forward to figuring out who the voice of the episode was. Not every week was something I was particularly interested in but came away with at least respect for the subject matter.
I find cricket the most boring sport in history. Yet, after watching the cricket episode, I not only admired the sport and how its evolved over the years but also came away with more of a positive outlook on it. That’s a testament to how slickly produced each episode is and its ability to inform and entertain.
