Hello there! It's the last day of the 2019 and while I find the end of year lists a little infuriating because of my completionist nature like I need to see everything, everything before I can try and decide what the best of the year. Fortunately, since starting this whole endeavour back up again in April I've been able to some amazing (and terrible) films that have made 2019 one for the history books of cinema so we're gonna give it a shot regardless. We'll do this in alphabetical order because I'll be arguing with myself about what the right order should be and we'll never get this done. I was not able to see everything from 2019 so if one of your favourites isn't on the list apologies in advance (I tried my best to find a screening of Honey Boy and no it is not a mistake that Joker is not on this list).
Look every best-of list is basically gonna be ten films, mostly all the same and mostly high-end dramas (all of which are probably on this list and also very very good) The reason my list is a little longer is because I feel the whole year should be celebrated and not the last few months where we get the good shit. Mostly my personal favourites of the year but be sure to browse through all the menu categories and discover more about what 2019 had to offer. Not every decent film made the list.
A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood
Director: Marielle Heller
Alright, first one's a bit of a cheat since I have posted a formal review of this film yet (spoiler alert! it's getting five stars). Fortunately, I had the privilege of catching an early UK screening of Marielle Heller's incredible film about the true story of a jaded journalist meeting America's most beloved neighbour. An emotional, tearjerking journey that celebrates Fred Rogers legacy by championing empathy over cynicism. Tom Hanks is magnificent in a role he was truly born to play with Heller's direction defying and reinventing biopic convention. I mean just look at the pull quotes on the poster, none of them are mine but that doesn't mean they're wrong.
AD ASTRA
Director: James Gray
Questions of our place in the universe are at the centre of James Gray's beautiful space odyssey that transports the audience through a journey of astounding visuals and gorgeous storytelling. Even though Brad Pitt's character of Roy McBride is assigned to a mission to save the world, the epic stakes fade as McBride ventures further into the harsh wilderness of the unknown, the film always focused on emotion rather than action. A deeply introspective performance, Pitt speaks volumes through subtle inflexion and expression as narration and nuance tell a larger story about a man confronting the relationship to his father and how that relationship has shaped his very existence.
Review Link: Ad Astra
Avengers: Endgame
Director: Anthony and Joe Russo
Unprecedented, unbelievable and unlikely to ever be replicated, Avengers: Endgame is an epic tale celebrating and reflecting on all that has come before it, as the Marvel Cinematic Universe concludes a storyline eleven years in the making. Following from last years Avengers: Infinity War, The Russo Brothers return to the director's chairs for a film that balances strong character performances, fan service and jaw-dropping action in a three-hour magnum opus that doesn’t waste a moment.
Review Link: Avengers Endgame
Booksmart
Director: Olivia Wilde
One of the best surprises of the year, Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut is an emotional, hilarious foray that will leave you stunned at the maturity of the drama and the immaturity of the comedy. At first glance one could just label Booksmart as just “Superbad with Girls” and while that comparison is apt, Wilde and her cast goes above and beyond to make this film stand as its own glorious beast. A razor-sharp script that takes comedy clichés and makes them feel fresh and original combined with two dynamite leads bursting with energy and humanity.
Review Link: Booksmart
Crawl
Director: Alexandre Aja
An absolutely terrific escalation of horror and action that never descends into absurdity as director Alexandre Aja and star Kaya Scodelario create a tense and thrilling cinematic experience. Crawl hooks its audience through the natural and well-paced escalation of the problem, the film takes its time setting up main character Haley, the relationship with her father, and the growing danger of the hurricane, along with visual teases within the house that are set deliberately so when the first alligator appears, the fuse is lit and nothing can stop what's coming. The script keeps the story simple and never lets the danger become stale as the balance of creature and disaster danger keeps audience anxiety at soaring levels.
Review Link: Crawl
Diego Maradona
Director: Asif Kapadia
A literal time capsule in its own right, Diego Maradona will transport audiences back to witness a living legend be born before their eyes. Praise and more praise to Kapadia and editor Chris King for combing through all of this historical material to create this mesmerising tragedy. The humanisation of public figures may at times feel like revisionist history at work but Kapadia's care to the story and the vast ramifications of Maradona's actions allow for new contexts to be drawn from this period of Italian football history.
Review Link: Diego Maradona
Doctor Sleep
Director: Mike Flanagan
Creating its unforgettable moments and allowing the characters and audience to reconcile with their fears and history with The Shining. Doctor Sleep is far from an embarrassment to its cinematic legacy, it may not have the same adoration or impact decades later but the film establishes itself as a story of its own right and one that is definitely worth watching.
Review Link: Doctor Sleep
Dolemite Is My Name
Director: Craig Brewer
It follows a traditional path of a biopic but that doesn't mean Brewer and co. don't defy Moore's tradition-breaking attitude. Heart-warming, riotous and crowd pleading, Dolemite Is My Name is an inspiring film for any struggling artist and for anyone who grew up with Dolemite's outlandish message. With a lead performance that shoots Murphy back to his well-deserved stardom, Rudy Ray Moore is honoured by the care and respect of the filmmakers to bring his story and character to a new audience.
Review Link: Dolemite Is My Name
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie
Director: Vince Gilligan
A wonderful return for any Breaking Bad fan, El Camino makes itself necessary in how it concludes Jesse Pinkman's story. While certain viewers may find the ambiguity of his fate more exciting, Gilligan doesn't blunder the opportunity to answer his series' final question and give closure to the character who was loved by so many.
Review Link: El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie
Fighting with My Family
Director: Stephen Merchant
Let's get one thing straight, all the films Florence Pugh appeared in this year have made the list. A heartwarming, charming and riotous story of family, anxiety and wrestling, Merchant's film is a delightfully sweet biopic about a family from Norwich achieving their glamorous dreams. Feel-good comedy, family drama and an ensemble that thrives with Pugh's stellar lead performance to the Rock's humourous cameos, Fighting with My Family is perfect for anyone who has a passion for professional or amateur wrestling.
Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened
Director: Chris Smith
I'll never forget being on twitter that fateful night in 2017 when Fyre Festival happened, a glorious clusterfuck of memes and lunacy. Netflix's documentary while tame in execution mostly consisting of talking-head interviews and plenty of access to footage from those fateful days still delivers on explaining the pure stupidity and criminality that fueled this misbegotten venture. Hilarious, dramatic, you won't believe what some of these poor souls will reveal to you and the filmmakers do their due diligence in presenting the reality and the absurdity to it all in excruciating detail.
Hustlers
Director: Lorene Scafaria
A triumph from director Lorene Scafaria as she leads this flawless all-star cast to glory in a film about strippers surviving financial ruin through a riveting tale revolving around fraud, family, and fantastic lead performances from Constance Wu and Jennifer Lopez. There is a dichotomy of glamour and sleaze to the direction of Hustlers, Scafaria through the neon-soaked cinematography and alluring choreography creates an environment where the characters are both victim and conqueror in a world where their worth has been defined by how many dollar bills are in their G-string.
Review Link: Hustlers
I Lost My Body
Director: Jérémy Clapin
This unique experience of animation and emotion is deserving of high praise and attention as it chronicles a severed hand searching for its body across dangerous terrain, becoming inescapably captivating from the very first frames. It can feel like an old forgotten dream, to move through the Parisian concrete jungle as these characters, to connect to them and feel their pain as Levy score elevates the audience's very soul to new heights. We all want to reconnect within ourselves and find peace in our anguish, to feel we belong once again and Clapin's incredible approach welcomes us all into this intimate yet epic journey.
Review Link: I Lost My Body
Judy
Director: Rupert Goold
Judy presents tragedy into its narrative but never discounts the characters' strength, you don't pity Judy Garland in the end, you admire her, admire her fortitude, her kindness, her wit, all those incredible nuances of hers brought to life by Renée Zellweger, Judy shows clear as day that Judy Garland was never a product. She was a person with dreams and fears, who loved and lost, and despite all the corruption she endured she never lost sight of what really mattered.
Review Link: Judy
Klaus
Director: Sergio Pablos
Klaus is an incredibly sweet and wonderfully entertaining Christmas film filled with great gifts of comedy and sentiment all wrapped in a perfect bow of beautiful spellbinding animation. A re-telling of an origin that's bolstered by impressive performances and art design that imbues magic into audiences of every age.
Review Link: Klaus
Knives Out
Director: Rian Johnson
A delightfully sharply written, edited piece of filmmaking from writer-director Rian Johnson. This Agatha Christie inspired murder mystery astounds with its incredible ensemble led by Daniel Craig and Ana de Armas and the ingenuity in how Johnson executes the complexity of his tension building puzzle. While still delivering plenty of surprises and thrills there is a fine edge to its execution, plenty to unpack and analyse with the commentary that Johnson forms about class and wealth. It's not just about Benoit Blanc reaching his 'a-ha' moment but an exploration to the darkness of greed and fear.
Review Link: Knives Out
Le mans '66
Director: James Mangold
An exhilarating, pulse-pounding experience of incredible speed and performance. Both from the cars and actors as Matt Damon and Christian Bale soar through the impeccable direction from James Mangold. Expertly paced, the tension both on and off the race track makes Le Mans' 66 an immersive and captivating tale out of the true story of Ford vs. Ferrari.
Review Link: Le Mans '66
Little Women
Director: Greta Gerwig
Expert pacing, performance, scripting, direction and all-around abundance of love and aspiration as this film take you on an incredible journey into this beautiful sisterhood and the unstoppable potential that all women have. This is a classic story reinvigorated, made fresh with a modern sensibility but without losing an iota of its charm or glamour as the ensemble cast Gerwig has assembled to bring this beautiful film to life, honours the characters and themes that have enraptured so many.
Review Link: Little Women
Luce
Director: Julius Onah
An incredibly thought-provoking film that doesn't pull its punches and forces the audience to reckon with difficult realities and topics, Julius Onah creates an important unmissable piece of art for contemporary America. Kelvin Harrison Jr. is a revelation and the entire cast delivers some of their best performances in years having the difficult themes subconsciously inform their every action in trying to discover the truth. Luce burrows deep into the soul of its audience with unflinching confidence in how it approaches race, stereotypes, and the very concept of judgement with the evocative story that remains grounded through the humanity and realism of its characters.
Review Link: Luce
Marriage Story
Director: Noah Baumbach
In the end, Baumbach is able to deliver great beauty to such unpleasantness, showing that love and compassion should always be the way even when we submit to our impatience and outrage. Charlie and Nicole will always have that connection to one another but now their story together is over, however in so many small, intricate ways through memory, heartache and love seen through Baumbach's impeccable script, direction and Driver and Johansson's performances, it never truly will be.
Review Link: Marriage Story
Midsommar
Director: Ari Aster
A visually striking masterpiece exploring grief, belief, and the slow death of a stagnant relationship, Midsommar firmly distinguishes director Ari Aster as one of the most fascinating filmmakers working today. Anchored by stunning performances led by Florence Pugh, Aster has every creative front of the film deliver above and beyond as cinematography, production design, music and sound design create an immersive cinematic experience.
Review Link: Midsommar
Missing Link
Director: Chris Butler
A quirky visual spectacle that could only have wandered out of Laika’s wonderland of creativity, Missing Link is a humorous adventure that will keep you enthralled from beginning to end. With an all-star voice cast led by Hugh Jackman and Zach Galifianakis, this reimagining of the Bigfoot myth is a mix of stellar action, jaw-dropping animation and laugh out loud comedy.
Review Link: Missing Link
Official Secrets
Director: Gavin Hood
Great performances, great direction and great writing, Official Secrets is a tremendous political thriller that condemns a period of history that is so relevant to our contemporary issues. Showcasing the bravery of the individual over the complacency of the collective, Keira Knightley commands the audience with a startlingly human performance with the mix of uncertainty and stubbornness to what she had done. Informative, captivating and necessary viewing for 2019, Hood delivers a courageous biography for the importance of truth in democracy.
Review Link: Official Secrets
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Director: Quentin Tarantino
History doesn't change but how we look back on it can, Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood while fantastical in places has great value in its storytelling of its characters both fictional and historical. Sharon was so much more than a victim, Rick was so much more than a failure and Cliff is probably the coolest person you'll see on a cinema screen this year. This is Quentin Tarantino's finest cinematic achievement yet catapulting an already iconic and influential filmmaker to new heights of talent and brilliance.
Review Link: Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood
Pain and Glory
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Through a deeply personal and emotional autobiographical tale, Antonio Banderas delivers the performance of his career with Pedro Almodóvar's Pain and Glory. Seemingly inspired by his own experiences as a child and a filmmaker, Almodóvar's direction is incredibly intimate there is never a moment of inauthenticity as memory and reality blend into a beautiful cinematic language. Through a story of a man in reflection of his life, the film explores themes of family, artistry, love and sexuality, an overall perception of what it means to exist in the world as Banderas's character of Salvador Mallo faces his faults and insecurities.
Review Link: Pain and Glory
Parasite
Director: Bong Joon-ho
No list this year is complete without Bong Joon-ho's masterpiece. While my review has not been posted yet I was again able to catch an early UK screening before wide release and the fever pitch hype around director Bong's film does not do it justice. Expertly crafted and performed, the story of the Kim family will leave audiences floored in its themes of classism, privilege, and the shocking truths buried within us all.
Ready or Not
Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
There's a lot of pressure on your wedding night; the expectations, the commitments, the murderous in-laws who want to kill you to appease their satanic masters, but one thing's for sure it's a night you will never forget. Ready or Not captures all those turbulent emotions in a masterpiece of horror and comedy that is perfect from beginning to end. Directing duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett take the razor-sharp script of perfect setup and payoff and deliver a darkly, twisted tale of love, family, and tradition all while playing the most delightfully demented game of hide and seek.
Review: Ready or Not
Rocketman
Director: Dexter Fletcher
Dexter Fletcher and Taron Egerton strike gold once more with this creative and electrifying portrayal of the life and music of Elton John. While at first, the structure and story beats may appear predictable, Fletcher’s ingenious techniques to blend story and song together make Rocketman a joy to watch.
Review Link: Rocketman
Shazam!
Director: David F. Sandberg
Thrilling, hilarious, heartwarming, fantabulous, just like the tagline of this latest superhero adventure Shazam! will have you saying every word you can think of to sing the praises of the tale of Billy Batson. A dynamite script by Henry Gayden working in perfect unison with director’s David F. Sandberg’s vision of the DC universe’s latest addition. Shazam! is brimming with loveable heroes, chilling villains, strong stakes and a refreshing tale into what it means to be a hero.
Review Link: Shazam!
Tell me Who I Am
Director: Ed Perkins
Using the most simple conventions of documentary filmmaking, Ed Perkins utilises the medium to its fullest effect in telling the harrowing story of Marcus and Alex Lewis. With incredibly intimate interviews between the twin brothers, Perkins allows a story of two sides to unfold in directions the audience cannot expect even after the initial reveal.
Review Link: Tell Me Who I Am
The Black Godfather
Director: Reginald Hudlin
A fascinating collection of anecdotes and interviews, The Black Godfather tells the story of Clarence Avant, an extremely influential figure who has cemented himself into the history of America. Even if you aren't aware of Avant, the documentary really digs deep into his relationships with musicians, politicians, record executives and his family to show the highs and lows of his career and the careers that he made possible.
Review Link: The Black Godfather
The Current War
Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Like the currents that flow through its narrative, The Current War is a continuous thrill bolstered by impressive performances and even more impressive filmmaking as director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon and his team jolt every element of the film to its full potential to create an enriching and satisfying cinematic experience.
Review Link: The Current War
The Edge of Democracy
Director: Petra Costa
Hauntingly powerful, Petra Costa’s personal examination of how fragile the status quo of society can be with an in-depth look at corruption, abuse of power, distortion of truth and how a country can be fractured right down the middle. Costa goes in-depth, step by step to explain how Lula and his successor Dilma Rousseff inadvertently began a domino effect that would destroy their lives, careers and in many ways Brazil’s stability as a democracy.
Review Link: The Edge of Democracy
The Farewell
Director: Lulu Wang
Emphatic by its nature, The Farewell has an amazing ability to tug at the heartstrings, the sympathy and sorrow one feels for Billi and her family has been felt a thousand times over by those in reality. The pain of loss is one of the promises of life, everything ends and the film shows a noble attempt to try and understand and examine how we should properly process that. The Farewell presents its unique tale in such a unique way that even with the anguish of what awaits one can't help but smile at the beauty of how it presents the magic of love and life.
Review Link: The Farewell
The Forest of Love
Director: Sion Sono
Madness. Utterly bloody, sexually psychotic, scream your head off, burn your house down while dancing a jig madness. Sion Sono's latest film on Netflix is an utterly captivating descent into the thralls of reality-warping absurdity where the very humanity of its characters are stripped away until primal urges are all that remain.
Review Link: The Forest of Love
The Irishman
Director: Martin Scorsese
A masterpiece, plain and simple as Scorsese and De Niro deliver a crime epic so definitive in its execution about the inevitable judgement that awaits us all and the true cost of crime in America. It dismantles everything the two had done before in the genre and creates this soulful and tragic pensive look into its characters going far beyond the comeuppance of any other Scorsese protagonist.
Review Link: The Irishman
The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Director: Joe Talbot
The Last Black Man in San Francisco plays very much like an ode to that time forgotten as beautiful artistry informs the cinematic reality that Talbot uses to tell this story. Jimmie Fails doesn't need San Francisco or that house but rather the opposite, its the danger of gentrification that will strip these places of their personality and just fill the void with vapid sycophants who have no appreciation for the history they'll merely use as an aesthetic filter on their social media.
Review Link: The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Toy Story 4
Director: Josh Dooley
Beautiful, hilarious and heartwarming, that will most likely leave its audience without a dry eye, Toy Story 4 is a worthy epilogue for a character we have loved so much. Pixar continues its tradition of making gripping animated adventures for all ages and any trepidation one may feel about this film is unwarranted
Review Link: Toy Story 4
Western Stars
Director: Thom Zimny and Bruce Springsteen
A concert film that transcends through its artistic vision, Springsteen and Zimny takes the comforting, fresh yet familiar sound of Western Stars and makes it an invaluable journey for any wandering soul. In the most jubilant and solemn moments of the music, the audience can't help but think about their own life, the moments they cherish, their mistakes and joys, and who they want to share those moments with.
Review Link: Western Stars
Wild Rose
Director: Tom Harper
Wild Rose is such a magnificent testament to the human spirit, the power of music, family and stays with you long after you have viewed it. Jessie Buckley enraptures from beginning to end with a performance that I will be praising until the end of time.
Review Link: Wild Rose
And there you have it and what's great is that there at least another good twenty offerings from 2019 ready to be seen this January. Bombshell, A Hidden Life, Dark Waters, Just Mercy, Uncut Gems, 1917, Richard Jewell, THE LIGHTHOUSE!!!!! and many more. This just feels like a pin drop in what this year had to offer and I encourage all of you to keep searching for more worthy additions.
I hope 2020 brings us many more amazing offerings and I hope to be there to see them alongside you, it has been an interesting year for this site and no matter what the new year brings I'm glad to watch and review as much as I can for your reading.
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