By: Payton Hefright

In our modern world, we are presented with a constant stream of new media, both music and movies included. Between streaming services and the internet’s ability to make content immediately accessible via websites like Youtube, it’s not as easy making a decision on your favorites of the year.

Have you been keeping up with the biggest releases of 2018? It has been a notable year in both the film and music industry, and, with these lists, we’ve attempted to narrow down the best of the year. We started our movie selection with a list of some of the most popular releases that received good ratings by critics, and our final picks have been narrowed down after taking polls from the Eisenhower student body and staff. For The Squire’s top album choices, we also chose the biggest releases, picking the highest on the charts and using the same polling system to determine winners.

Everyone has their opinion on what should be deemed the best of the year, but we used a system to try and obtain the fairest outcomes, so apologies if your faves of the year did not make our list. It was a close decision. However, if there is something here that you are unfamiliar with or haven’t yet seen/listened to, then take it as a recommendation! You might just be surprised.

Movies     

     Avengers Infinity War is the third of The Avengers series, which chronicles the group of marvel superheroes collectively fighting threats to civilization. In this movie, they face off with Thanos, whose mission is to collect six Infinity Stones and ultimately destroy half of earth’s population. Unlike the previous Avengers movies, this features The Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, and Spider-Man. When prompted on what was good about this movie, senior Brian Fedorchuk said, “Everything. The plot was good. Robert Downey Jr. performed excellently, as usual. Add in words I didn’t say to make me sound better.”

In Black Panther, T’Challa, king of the technologically advanced African nation Wakanda, returns home to take his place as leader. He has to fight for his place with factions within the country however, including villain Killmonger, and in the end prevent Wakanda from becoming involved in a massive war with outside countries.

    A Quiet Place is a thriller/horror movie that takes place in a dismal future after vicious creatures who hunt by sound have taken over Earth. One family has to live in silence, trying to survive in a world where a single noise can mean their death.

    To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is a romantic comedy focusing on teenage girl Lara Jean, who’s thrown into a whirlwind of drama when her secret letters to past crushes are inexplicably mailed out. In the troubled waters of high school, Lara Jean attempts to set the record straight and deal with the consequences that come with telling others how you feel. On what makes this movie stand out, sophomore Heather Sydlik said, “Its diversity, and it’s more relatable to teens now than old teen movies.”

    Deadpool 2 is the sequel to the first Deadpool, another Marvel movie. Deadpool a is a wisecracking, fourth wall-breaking, indestructible superhero, who must battle the villain Cable, while trying to save a young boy’s life as he struggles with his powers and the temptation of revenge. Deadpool assembles his own group of misfit heroes to help him fight, and receives help from a few of the X-men.

Music

Post Malone

Post Malone’s latest album is the sophomore release from the rapper and singer. It features many guest appearances, including Swae Lee, 21 Savage, Ty Dolla Sign, Nicki Minaj, G-Eazy and YG. Its single, “Psycho,” reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. Junior, Lindsey Finch, describes that the album “Hits you in the feels, [is] very relatable, but also upbeat.”

Ariana Grande – Sweetener

Sweetener is popstar Ariana Grande’s fourth studio album, and features guest appearances from Pharrell Williams, Nicki Minaj and Missy Elliott. The album debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 list of albums in 2018. Its lead single was “No Tears Left to Cry”. One freshman commented on it, saying, “It’s a good bounce back from all the trouble she’s had recently.”

Twenty One Pilots- Trench

Trench is the pop/rock duo Twenty one Pilot’s fifth album, which launched at number one on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums chart. The lead single is “Jumpsuit.” The album features a fusion of the pop, rock, and rap genres.

Khalid – Suncity

Suncity is pop/R&B artist Khalid’s first EP, and debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200. The leading single for this album was “Better.” Khalid is a new artist, who came to the mainstream with his 2017 album American Teen. Senior Lilly Darling offered her thoughts, “It’s so amazing. I like, die every time.”

Panic! at the Disco – Pray for the Wicked

Pray for the Wicked is pop/rock band Panic! at the Disco’s sixth studio album. The leading single of this album was “High Hopes,” which was their second highest ranking single on The Billboard Hot 100 since 2006. The album features mostly upbeat danceable tracks, with influences from rock and jazz.

That concludes our list of the top five films and albums of 2018! Were your favorites on there, or maybe even your least favorites? The poll shows that Marvel movies take up a total of 3 whole spots on our lists, which makes it obvious they’re one of the biggest franchises out right now, and some of the most loved movies. And as far as music, rap and pop seem to be in the majority for the best music genre-wise. We’ve compiled an informative list, but as everyone knows, art is subjective. Although this seems to be the general consensus, keep watching and listening to the movies and music you love and maybe some of your favorites will make our list for 2019.