My Ten Best Movies of the year list should probably read Ten-ish. I enjoy these lists so much but I also struggle with my decision-making. It’s my list so I’ve just become accustomed to doing what I want and adding as many as I want. 2019 was a fantastic year for movies. Much better than last year’s Ten Best Movies of 2018 (click the link to read). I was very surprised at how I kept being impressed with new things toward the end of the year. The top six could each be the number one in a different year. Anyway, here are my Ten-ish favorite movies of 2019 list that always goes to eleven…and then add five more.
16. IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
15. KNIVES OUT
14. THE FAREWELL
13. ABOMINABLE
12. THE TWO POPES
11. AVENGERS: ENDGAME – It’s hard not to put the movie event of the year in the top ten and in a different year perhaps it squeezes in. Ultimately, I enjoyed INFINITY WAR more and still find ENDGAME to be slightly too flawed to lift it into the top ten, but there is no denying Marvel’s achievement wrapping up a story that was 22 films in the making. I like the eleven spot for the year’s fun blockbuster. And ENDGAME is a pure blast.
10. THE IRISHMAN – I’ve softened quite a bit from my initial viewing of Martin Scorceses nearly 4-hour Netflix crime drama. It is long and far less memorable than expected, but I was truly mesmerized when I saw this epic on the big screen. I loved the gradual process of the story with a deep dive into these characters. Joe Pesci gives my favorite performance of the year and I appreciate the thematic importance of who you choose to surround yourself with and the effects of time.
9. US – Jordan Peele has crafted another clever horror film about a family being terrorized by some sort of evil doppelgangers who live in their own world just below the surface of our ground. Lupita Nyong’o is terrifyingly brilliant playing double duty as the lead matriarch. It’s rare to have a horror film be so clever and frighteningly fun.
8. LITTLE WOMEN – I have never read the book, but my wife says this is the best adaptation of the classic literature piece that she has ever seen. I agree, that this is easily the most compelling version on a visual medium that I have ever seen. Choosing to tell the story in a non-linear fashion, Greta Gerwig is quickly proving herself to be a major player in Hollywood.
7. JOKER – Surprisingly controversial, JOKER tells the story of the effects that an unsympathetic humanity has on mental illness. A compelling side story is the fact that it was tied into a Joker’s origin story. The story doesn’t follow any type of Joker canon before it. Instead Todd Phillips has crafted a whole different origins story with a TAXI DRIVER take on the character. Led by a masterful performance by Joaquin Phoenix, JOKER is dark and at times disturbing, but also shows how evil begets evil and in turn is a nice lesson on the importance of kindness and not ignoring or even mocking serious signs of trouble.
6. PARASITE – Bong Joon Ho is a consistent player on my favorite lists. SNOWPIERCER in 2014, OKJA in 2017, and now PARASITE, a sort of dark family comedy on one spectrum, but layered in an overall suspense driven story about social class. I’m thoroughly impressed with Bong Joon Ho’s ability to make entertaining films with such deep themes.
5. PEANUT BUTTER FALCON – Sometimes a movie just hits you in all the feels. PEANUT BUTTER FALCON is probably the most criminally unseen film on the list, but also the one I think just about anyone will enjoy. Zak (terrifically performed by Zachary Gottsagen) is a young man with down-syndrome, who has no family, escapes from his care home to pursue his dream of becoming a pro-wrestler. Along the way he finds an unlikely friend in Shia LaBeouf’s troubled Tyler. The two share a funny, yet touching adventure proving a heartfelt lesson about people.
4. ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD – Quentin Tarantino is the one director who has consistently made my tops list for for everyone one of his films. With the aided brilliance of Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, Tarantino has once again crafted a wickedly entertaining alternate take in history. I can’t express how much joy it is to take in one of his films. ONCE UPON A TIME… is another wildly funny success.
3. JOJO RABBIT – A satire about Hitler? Yes please! This comedy is surprisingly or unsurprisingly dramatic as well. With the impressive ability to jump back and forth between these two genres, writer and director Taika Waititi creates one of the most uniquely emotional films of the year following a little boy who has Hitler as an imaginary best friend during the end of WWII.
2. TOY STORY 4 – I have found myself on an island with how much I love the fourth installment, which I think might be my favorite. I’ve always had a problem with the lack of quality female representation the original TOY STORY has. Sure, the story is about a boy’s toys, which are probably more male driven, however, the one female, Bo Peep, has little to do other than pine over Woody. TOY STORY 4 corrects that issue in spades, while still being hilarious and ending Woody’s wonderful arc of being a toy. While previous films show that it’s okay to grow up, TOY STORY 4 shows that it’s okay to move on. And most importantly, the film tenderly expresses compassion.
1. 1917 – Director Sam Mendes wisely chose to shoot this First World War film with the appearance of one long take. Pieced together from his grandfather’s stories, Mendes screenplay, takes our heroes through so many aspects of a difficult war that relied on people more than technology. It’s a frightening eye-opener to what many of our great or great-great grandparents went through. 1917 is not only the best film of the year, but one of the best films in the last decade.
Honorable Mention: I want to talk about movies all the time. While these are all flawed, I think they have value worth recommending to some extent, depending on your taste.
AD ASTRA, THE ART OF SELF-DEFENSE, BOMBSHELL, THE CURRENT WAR, DARK WATERS, THE DEAD DON’T DIE, DOLEMITE IS MY NAME, GOOD BOYS, NIGHTINGALE, READY OR NOT, THE REPORT, RICHARD JEWELL, TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID, UNDER THE SILVER LAKE
Overrated: These movies also have some great elements and could easily be listed in the honorable mention. But ultimately I seem to have more problems than most with these films and believe they received too much credit.
THE MARRIAGE STORY, SHAZAM!, MIDSOMMAR, FORD V FERRARI, BOOKSMART, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD, SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME
