December is here, which means it’s time for the annual tradition of pop culture critics releasing their lists of the best films, TV shows, books, and music of the past year. In IndieWire film critic David Ehrlich’s case, the tradition is very specific: Each year, he releases a supercut video highlighting scenes from his top cinematic picks.
“The Best 25 Films of 2018: A Video Countdown,” released Monday, features both popular hits like A Star Is Born and Paddington 2 and lesser-known releases like Madeline’s Madeline and Burning.
It’s also set to a carefully considered soundtrack, and although the Rami Malek-starring Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody doesn’t make the cut, the titular song does, and its lyrics prove totally compatible with the thematic content of other movies. For instance, the lyrics “Mamma mia, mamma mia, let me go” and “Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me” play over scenes from Hereditary (No. 13 on Ehrlich’s list), a film in which a connection to demonic forces is passed down through generations along a family’s matrilineal side. Ehrlich’s countdown also places three films about female body image and self-confidence (Eighth Grade, Support the Girls, and Suspiria) next to one another, with their scenes soundtracked by “I Feel Pretty.”
Watch the full video above, and stay tuned for EW’s own year-end lists, coming soon.
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