The year is almost at an end, can you believe? While some may think 2018 was The End of the F***ing World, let’s not forget our latest trek around the sun introduced us to the new Fab Five – yes, that was this year- (Queer Eye), the new – and wickedly dark – Sabrina (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) and the Noah Centineo (To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before). It reinvigorated our love for crying dogs (Dogs), sexy robots (Lost in Space) and bubbble baths (Big Mouth) and most of all, our love for love (The Kissing Booth, Set it Up). Also Noah Centineo (sh*t we said that already). To be fair 2018 did have its moments, after all there were a few of us who Craned our pants this year (TheHaunting of Hill House) and someone actually made this (Nailed It!)…. Without further ado here are the series, shows and stars we binged, rewatched and fell in love with in 2018.
The Movies We Fell in Love with This Year:
Nothing says true love quite like repetition, which is why we revisited these films again and again and again…. (fun fact: nearly 50% of viewers re-watched #1 and #2)
- The Kissing Booth
- To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
- Roxanne Roxanne
*Netflix films released between January 1 to November 28, 2018 with the highest rewatch rate. Based on global viewing. Ranking on this list has no relation to overall viewing.
The Stars We Fell in Love with This Year:
We watched, we liked, we followed. From Spanish heartthrobs to French tuck aficionados, these are the talent who got us double tapping throughout the year. Please note as Cole Sprouse runs our Instagram account he unfortunately was not eligible for this list.
- The Fab Five (Queer Eye)
- Lana Condor (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before)
- Joel Courtney (The Kissing Booth)
- Miguel Herrán (Elite / La Casa de Papel)
- Jaime Lorente Lopez (Elite / La Casa de Papel)
- Maria Pedraza (Elite / La Casa de Papel)
- Noah Centineo (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Sierra Burgess is a Loser)
- Joey King (The Kissing Booth)
- Hannah Gadsby (Nanette)
- Kiernan Shipka (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina)
*Talent who appeared in a Netflix series or film in 2018 who received the largest % growth in Instagram following since January.
The Shows We Fell in Binge with This Year:
Are you still watching? Damn right we are. True crime, hidden ghosts, Richard Madden, oh my (ma’am) – these are the series that kept us glued to our seats and screens this year.
- On My Block
- Making a Murderer: Part 2
- 13 Reasons Why: Season 2
- Last Chance U: INDY
- Bodyguard
- Fastest Car
- The Haunting of Hill House
- Anne with an E: Season 2
- Insatiable
- Orange Is the New Black: Season 6

Movie
No Question Mark Box Here; Super Mario Delivers a 1-Up in Theaters

If you were born in the ’80s, ’90s, or literally ANY decade after those, you know about Super Mario. A cultural phenomenon was brought to life on the big screen this last weekend. One that has not only stood the test of time but reinvented itself time and time again. This wasn’t even the first time it’s been made into a movie but, well, let’s be honest.. some of us choose not to acknowledge the LIVE action adaptation of the beloved game from 30 years ago.
It was pretty bad… But this was animation. ILLUMINATION animation at that. The Universal company that brought us Gru and his Minions, showed us the Secret Life of Pets, and gave us a reason to SING! Still, I had my reservations and even some concerns, especially when the casting was announced.
Eyebrows were raised. As big of stars as they were on paper, could they really deliver on voicing characters from a staple of our childhood? They did.
Chris Pratt and Charlie Day may not be Italian, and Jack Black may not be a King or Turtle creature from the Mushroom Kingdom, but they make the characters their own all while paying homage to the lore of a video game.
From the jump, the story reintroduces us to the brothers that just want to save Brooklyn one clogged sink at a time. We feel an instant connection and relate to these “underdogs of the plumbing world”. The movie is riddled with easter eggs, each of which tugs on the heartstrings of every generation of Mario fandom. And the soundtrack was beautifully put together to not only make us feel like we’re taking a walkthrough of the game but like an experience all its own with some familiar favorites thrown in.
Every word in the movie is pure eye candy for both those that are casual fans, and those analyzing every frame to see what they’ll catch next. Bowser’s ship, the Mushroom Kingdom, Kong’s arena, and the Rainbow Road.. They’re all meant to give us just enough of a “new” look at these amazing worlds, but stay true to how we remember them.
The movie itself moves along at the perfect pace. Although, if you don’t really know ANYTHING about the Super Mario Bros, you may have gotten a little lost and felt left behind in the green tunnel. But that’s ok! It’s an adventure of the imagination and a classic story of a boy that meets a girl and tries to save the world from a monster that wants to destroy it.
What’s funny is that you could easily say this is a story about two characters who couldn’t be more opposite if they tried, battling to win the heart of a princess. Who would’ve thought that the King of the Koopas was just trying to impress his crush?
And that song? Ohhh THAT song! It’s my new ringtone and deserves the Oscar for Best Original Song.
Back to the movie.
Universal and Illumination clearly understood the assignment. Is it missing some things or could things have been done differently or even better? Absolutely! We’re the worst critics of the things we hold nearest and dearest to our hearts. But if you’re up for going on a 90-minute adventure through amazing worlds, with awesome music, and characters that’ll make you smile and laugh, then this is the perfect movie to spring you into that warm summer feeling.
Plus there’s the whole part with karts and shells, and banana peels and oh my goodness how amazing was that?? It’s enough to make you want to stand up and cheer, then go home and destroy your friends and family on your favorite track haha.
The bottom line, it pays homage in all the right ways to the little guy with the mustache, while giving us something new and exciting. Take the kids and go see Super Mario Bros. You’ll be glad you did!
Events
Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment returns to WonderCon 2023


Justice League x RWBY: Superheroes & Hunters Opening Act Saturday, March 25 at 1:30 p.m. on North 200A. Talent confirmed so far to participate in the post-screening panel is Natalie Alyn Lind (Big Sky, The Goldbergs, Gotham) as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince and longtime RWBY cast member Lindsay Jones (Camp Camp) as Ruby, Kara Eberle ( RWBY: Ice Queendom) as Weiss, Arryn Zech (Detective Now Dead) as Blake and Barbara Dunkelman (Blood Fest) as Yang – along with Jeannie Tirado (Soul, Saints Row) as Green Lantern and Tru Valentino (The Rookie, The Cuphead Show!) as a cyborg. Also attending the panel will be producer/director Kerry Shawcross (series RWBY) and writer Meghan Fitzmartin (Supernatural, Justice Society: World War II).

Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment returns to WonderCon 2023 with the big screen debut from DC Animated Films: highlights this year include the world premieres of the highly anticipated Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham and Justice League x RWBY: Superheroes & Hunters Part One the weekend of March 24-26 in Anaheim, California. Both screenings will be followed by panel discussions with actors and creators. Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham premieres at The Arena on Friday, March 24 at 6 p.m. Tati Gabrielle (Kaleidoscope, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Uncharted) as Kai Li Cain, Christopher Gorham (The Lincoln Lawyer, Insatiable) as Oliver Queen, David Dastmalchian (Dune, Suicide Squad, Ant-Man) as Grendon, producer/co-director Sam Liu (The Death and the Return of Superman), co-director Christopher Berkeley (Young Justice) and screenwriter Jase Ricci (Teen Titans Go! and DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem Across the Multiverse).
Both films will have encore screenings in the Arena on Sunday, March 26. Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen, Part One will screen at 12:15pm, followed by Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham at 2:00pm