THE YEAR IN MOVIES - 2019
- 2019 was one of the best years for movies in quite some time. Some of the best dramas, the best horror movies ... some new best-movies-ever from some of our most talented filmmakers. This is the important thing to remember: this was a year in which, no question, the box office was dominated by the very-big blockbusters of a certain company with a mouse as a mascot - but: if you were an open-minded and proactive moviegoer, there were dozens upon dozens of great films of all genres for you to check out. In the theaters, via streaming platforms - wherever they came from, there they were. Support good movies. Talk about good movies. Don't be a "I only care about ____" consumer. At the same time, like what you like. Don't worry about what's "cinema" and what isn't. Marvel's made some of the most exciting movies of the last decade - we should commend them for raising the bar on what's expected from a big franchise blockbuster. At the same time, there's more to movies than Marvel and Star Wars. Don't make those the only two things that dominate the conversation.
DANNY'S BEST MOVIES OF 2019:
1.) Jojo Rabbit
- A minor miracle of a movie, Jojo Rabbit is hilarious and heartfelt and subversive and daring and really, really shouldn't work. But this story about a Hitler-worshipping young boy in Nazi Germany - who slowly begins to shake off the cobwebs and see the error of his ways - somehow becomes both a brilliant satire of times past and a vital reflection of the times we live in now. In an age of "both sides-ism," Jojo is a roundhouse kick to the face of those who preach hatred and intolerance, and its final "f-you" is the year's greatest moment of cinematic catharsis.
2.) Parasite
- Director Bong Joon Ho crafts a cinematic masterpiece in Parasite - adding to his brilliant resume that so far includes modern classics like Snowpiercer and Okja. Parasite, a searing look at class struggle, is also just an incredible piece of edge-of-your seat filmmaking. It's a darkly funny thriller that has Hitchock-ian levels of tension, all while delivering some biting, eat-the-rich social commentary.
3.) Uncut Gems
- One of this year's true cinematic jaw-droppers, Uncut Gems will put directing powerhouses The Safdie Brothers on your radar, and it will also remind you that Adam Sandler is a uniquely talented actor when cast in the right film. This movie never stops, never relents, never slows down. It's kinetic, intense-as-hell. It's not all style, either - there's more going on beneath the surface of this one than in any other movie this year.
4.) The Irishman
- Scorsese's latest feels like a fitting summation of a life in crime films. It revisits many of the same themes we've seen in movies like Goodfellas and Casino - but this time, Scorsese's usual rock and roll filmmaking style is tempered by an elegiac, mournful look at aging characters filled with regret. The movie gives us De Niro, Pacino, and Pesci at their absolute best. And man, it's got some of the most incredibly-written and incredibly-acted scenes of any movie this year.
5.) Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
- This was the rare movie that I saw twice in theaters, and as with many Tarantino films, it got better with each watch. The film is quieter and more contemplative than typical QT fare, but that makes it all the better of a film to live in for a bit and take in all the great little details - from the world-building to the great little dialogue moments to the iconic Brad Pitt performance at its center.
6.) The Lighthouse
- This one may not be for everyone, but it left me leaving the theater on a total movie high. I mean, it's Willem Dafoe slowly going crazy and giving epic Shakespearean rants about how much he hates his fellow lighthouse resident (ably played by Robert Pattinson). This movie is flat-out insane in the best way possible. It's weird and creepy and surreal. Director Robert Eggers (The Witch) does it again.
7.) Us
- Jordan Peele made one heck of a directorial debut with Get Out, but IMO he tops himself with Us. I love how Peele mixes horror and comedy and social commentary into an incredibly entertaining genre mash-up. I love Lupita Nyong'o's crazy-good performance. I love the premise, and the way the movie unfolds, and the jaw-dropping twist ending. More, please.
8.) Midsommar
- Director Ari Aster follows up his horror breakout Hereditary with an even better movie - the trippy, mesmerizing, weird-af Midsommar. The movie floored me. It's a darkly-funny breakup movie, a cautionary tale about Wicker Man-esque killer cults, and ultimately an almost 2001-esque journey of death and rebirth. Not for the faint of heart, Midsommar is nonetheless one of the most unforgettable movies of the year.
9.) Long Shot
- Great comedies are too often underrated by critics and awards-ceremony gatekeepers, but I say that good comedy should be properly recognized! Long Shot is, flat-out, one of the funniest movies of the decade - with a sharp-as-a-tack script that is not just funny, but somehow also emotionally-involving, multilayered, and an astute bit of political commentary to boot.
10.) Apollo 11
- Seeing Apollo 11 in IMAX was one of the most awe-inspiring theatrical experiences I've ever had. Like some kind of time-travel portal to the 1960's, this documentary film's restored footage is expertly-edited in a way that completely immerses you in the Apollo 11 moon landing and the events leading up to it. A truly one of a kind, cosmic journey.
JUST MISSED THE CUT:
11.) Knives Out
- Rian Johnson's brilliantly-executed murder mystery is a true crowd pleaser. A great cast, a smart script, and a mystery that's more about the why than merely the whodunnit.
12.) 1917
- One of the best war movies ever, Sam Mendes and Richard Deakins remind you that war is hell - in this riveting, visceral World War I film.
13.) The Farewell
- A funny, sad, emotional journey - Awkwafina is amazing in this look at family and love and life and death.
14.) Wild Rose
- Forget A Star Is Born - Wild Rose is the best rags-to-riches music story in a long while. A clap-your-hands-and-cheer movie with an amazing star turn from Jessie Buckley.
15.) Doctor Sleep
- This sequel to The Shining crafts a nearly superhero-level epic from the original book and movie's horror mythology. It's great fun, but also surprisingly poignant.
THE NEXT BEST:
16.) Ford v Ferrari
- A classic underdog movie - with amazing racing sequences to boot - that had my whole theater cheering. Christian Bale delivers another Oscar-worthy performance.
17.) Under the Silver Lake
- A moody, almost Lynch-ian neo-noir from It Follows director David Robert Mitchell, this one takes you down the rabbit hole into Los Angeles' weirdest corners.
18.) Spider-Man: Far From Home
- One of the most purely fun (and funny!) Marvel movies to date, Far From Home delivers a near-perfect Spider-Man adventure ... filled with awesome action, great villains, and another great turn from Tom Holland.
19.) Little Women
- Writer/director Greta Gerwig puts a fresh, modern, infinitely clever spin on the literary classic. An A-list cast also helps to infuse the film with wit and heart and humor.
20.) Deadwood: The Movie
- The perfect final chapter to one of the all-time great TV series, this HBO film gave us one final go-round with Al Swearengen and the rest of the inhabitants of David Milch's iconic Western drama.
21.) Good Boys
- A hilarious comedy filled with ingeniously dirty humor, this R-rated kid-adventure had me laughing from start to finish.
22.) Alita: Battle Angel
- Sure, this one had some clunky dialogue and uneven plotting - but man, it was also an absolute rush of sci-fi imagination, kick-ass action, eye-popping visuals, and genuine stand-and-cheer moments.
23.) Booksmart
- This gem of a teen comedy gave us a hilarious coming-of-age story about two girls trying to have one great crazy night before graduating from high school. More movies like this, please!
24.) Fighting With My Family
- As a longtime pro-wrestling mark, I was of course excited for this comedic biopic about WWE fan-favorite Paige. But the film - directed by the great comedy mind of Stephen Merchant - was legit great. A funny and rousing underdog story that might just bring a tear to your eye.
25.) John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum
- With some of the best/craziest/most holy-$%&# action scenes of any John Wick movie yet, Chapter 3 of the Keanu Reeves-led action staple did not disappoint.
MORE GREAT FILMS OF 2019:
26.) How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
- A visual marvel, this third and final entry in the beloved How To Train Your Dragon series gave us a fun and emotional sendoff to one of the best animated franchises ever.
27.) El Camino: A Breaking Bad Story
- This Netflix original gave us a compelling epilogue to Breaking Bad - with one final, characteristically-intense, darkly funny adventure for Aaron Paul's Jesse Pinkman.
28.) One Cut of the Dead
- This breathtakingly innovative Japanese horror-comedy is like no other zombie movie you've seen before. It will have you asking "WTF?" before the big twist hits - but when it does, you can't help but recognize the movie's genius.
29.) A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
- A moving, surprisingly dark (but don't worry - ultimately uplifting!) story about Mr. Rogers and the man behind the iconic kids' TV character - this film touchingly reaffirms the late Fred Rogers' powerful influence for good in this world.
30.) Dolemite is My Name
- Eddie Murphy rules as Blaxploitation icon Rudy Ray Moore, in this feel-good biopic about making art and living life your way and on your own terms. Oh, and Wesley Snipes in this movie ... who knew he had that in him?
31.) The Last Black Man in San Francisco
- One of the year's most interesting indie flicks, this one is a powerful, at times surreal, moving look at two friends trying to claim a home of their own - and plant a flag in a world that tries hard to hold them back.
32.) Honeyboy
- Who would have thought? Shia LaBeouf's autobiographical film - in which he plays his own dad! - is a fascinating, disturbing, darkly funny look at the perils of a childhood in showbiz.
33.) Zombieland: Double Tap
- Way more funny and entertaining than it probably had any right to be, this delayed sequel was often flat-out hilarious.
34.) Ready or Not
- One of 2019's unexpectedly-awesome films, this over-the-top horror-comedy gave me one of my favorite theater-going experiences of the year - it's one hell of a crowd-pleaser.
35.) Rocketman
- This Elton John musical biopic entertainingly captures the spirit of the flamboyant rock icon, bringing Sir Elton's biggest songs to life in colorful, infectious fashion.
36.) Shazam!
- A super-fun DC Comics movie that perfectly captures the essence of the character's (don't call him Captain Marvel) original comics and also of the recent Geoff Johns re-imagining, this one had the feel of classic 80's kids fare.
37.) Greta
- An underrated horror/thriller that I found to be a lot of fun, Greta features a delightfully unhinged performance from Isabelle Hupert as a freaky stalker who terrorizes her new, younger friend.
38.) Avengers: Endgame
- A tough one to rank, Avengers: Endgame had some of the most memorably-awesome movie scenes of the year, but also felt overlong and overstuffed and not as satisfying or epic as the (IMO) much-better Infinity War. Still, it was ultimately a pretty epic conclusion to this phase of the MCU.
39.) IT: Chapter 2
- While not quite as sharp as the first film, the IT sequel still managed to be a lot of fun - with a great cast brought in to play the adult versions of the Losers Club (including an amazing turn from Bill Hader).
40.) Judy
- A riveting, lovingly-crafted look at the final, drug-fueled years of Judy Garland, this film features a career-best performance from Renee Zelwegger in the lead role.
41.) Ad Astra
- While I don't know that this one ultimately came together as well as I would have liked, I still found Ad Astra to be a gorgeously-directed, admirably ambitious journey into the unknown frontier of deep space.
42.) The Art of Self-Defense
- A hyper-stylized satire, this movie has stuck with me since I first watched it. It's a lot to process, but ultimately this is a pretty biting look at toxic masculinity that I want to revisit.
43.) The Beach Bum
- A predictably bonkers film from Harmony Korinne (the man who brought us Spring Breakers), The Beach Bum is Matthew McConaughey at his *most* McConaughey. It's the part he was born to play, baby!
44.) Marriage Story
- There's no denying the absolutely incredible acting in this one, from the reliably-great duo of Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. Noah Baumbach is always a fascinating director - his upper-class echo chamber sometimes annoys me - but there's no denying that the guy is an immense talent all the same.
45.) Shadow
- I'll watch anything from legendary director Zhang Yimou, and his latest - shot in stunning black and white - gives some of his most breathtaking visuals yet - including some absolutely eye-popping action scenes.
46.) Hustlers
- I think this one surprised a lot of people, me included. Hustlers, based on a true story, is a mini crime epic in the Scorsese vein - featuring a real movie-star turn from Jennifer Lopez in the lead.
47.) Dark Waters
- This film is maybe the scariest movie of the year - and it's not a horror movie. It's the true story of how chemical companies knowingly poisoned our environment - including major water supplies throughout the country - and how we're still paying for it today. This is a must-watch.
48.) The Dead Don't Die
- What happens when Jim Jarmusch makes a meta zombie comedy? Well, you get The Dead Don't Die - a fourth-wall-breaking deadpan, surreal film in which you get Bill Murray and Adam Driver as small-town cops battling a zombie apocalypse. I mean, what's not to like?
49.) The Kid Who Would Be King
- Attack the Block director Joe Cornish gives us a fun, feel-good re-imagining of the King Arthur story - in a whimsical kid-adventure movie that hearkens back to many an 80's-era classic.
50.) Her Smell
- A gripping, can't-look-away film that shows us a past-her-prime rock star's drug-fueled downfall, this one features an insanely good lead performance from Elizabeth Moss.
HONORABLE MENTIONS - OTHER RECOMMENDED MOVIES FROM THIS YEAR:
- Crawl
- Downton Abbey
- Blinded by the Light
- Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark
- Tolkien
- Pet Semetary
- Ma
- Luce
- Queen & Slim
- Dumbo
- Cold Pursuit
- Angel Has Fallen
- Captain Marvel
- The Aeronauts
- The Report
RANDOM SHOUT-OUTS:
- Serenity - one of the most entertainingly insane movies ever - a future midnight movie classic.
- The Perfection - this Netflix original horror movie, starring Alison Williams, is another future midnight movie classic that wowed me with its sheer audaciousness and level of jaw-dropping insanity.
- Shaft - I don't know if this was "good," but it made me laugh ... a lot ... maybe too much.
- CATS - I don't even know where to begin, but I will say that seeing this one was a true experience!
- Star Wars: Rise of the Skywalker - I have complicated feelings about this one. It checks a lot of the surface-level Star Wars boxes, but I can't help but dwell on its rushed plot, aborted character arcs, and undermining of so much of what was great about The Last Jedi.
- Rambo: Last Blood - disappointing overall ... but it was a new Rambo movie and on some level I enjoyed it.
- Joker - another movie I have complicated thoughts about ... but I can't deny the incredible acting central to the film.
INDIVIDUAL 2019 AWARDS:
BEST LEAD ACTOR:
1.) Adam Sandler - Uncut Gems
2.) Christian Bale - Ford v Ferrari
3.) Brad Pitt - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
4.) Robert De Niro - The Irishman
5.) Matthew Rhys - A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
BEST LEADING ACTRESS:
1.) Jessie Buckley - Wild Rose
2.) Awkwafina - The Farewell
3.) Lupita N'yongo - Us
4.) Scarlett Johansson - Marriage Story
5.) Renee Zelwegger - Judy
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
1.) Willem Dafoe - The Lighthouse
2.) Joe Pesci - The Irishman
3.) Al Pacino - The Irishman
4.) Tom Hanks - A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
5.) Wesley Snipes - Dolemite Is My Name
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
1.) Thomasin McKenzie - Jojo Rabbit
2.) Park So-dam - Parasite
3.) Julia Fox - Uncut Gems
4.) Florence Pugh - Little Women
5.) Laura Dern - Marriage Story
BEST DIRECTOR:
1.) Bong Joon Ho - Parasite
2.) The Safdie Brothers - Uncut Gems
3.) Sam Mendes - 1917
4.) Taika Waititi - Jojo Rabbit
5.) Quentin Tarantino - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
BEST SCREENPLAY:
1.) The Irishman
2.) Jojo Rabbit
3.) Once Upon a Time In Hollywood
4.) Parasite
5.) Long Shot
6.) The Farewell
7.) The Lighthouse
8.) Us
9.) Little Women
10.) Knives Out
And that's a wrap on the Best of 2019. Here's to all the great movies of 2020 - happy movie-watching in the New Year and in the new decade!
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