This was a weak summer but a strong year for movies with films from Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Jordan Peele, Greta Gerwig, James Mangold, Sam Mendes, and Robert Eggers; we also had the culmination of the MCU and Star Wars universe in the same year. Overall, it was an excellent year in cinema.
As with every new year, I like to begin by sharing some of my favorite movies over the past twelve months. In 2019, I watched just under a hundred movies, and while some of them were dreadful, many of them were fantastic. Here are some of my favorites that came out this last year:
10. Ford v Ferrari – This movie’s most immediate strength is its ability to interest me in a subject I couldn’t care less about. Beyond that, the two leads have excellent chemistry, and the racing scenes are exhilarating.
9. Us – Jordan Peele’s sophomore movie, Us, is a more straightforward sci-fi/horror film than his first project. Though it has moments of levity, it lingers more on the eerie and uneasy, demonstrating Peele’s mastery of tonality—particularly in his choice and use of music. Us is also filled with rich color and elegant framing to match its thematic depth. Though it is more ambiguous than Get Out, it is clear that Peele has built his social critique around consumerism and those who exist at the economic margins to support such a society.
8. Little Women – Unfamiliar with the source material, I enjoyed the story at the heart of Little Women as well as the different characters. Though it lacks subtlety at times, the screenplay is elegant and on occasion wise.
7. Uncut Gems – Uncut Gems begins with a psychedelic journey through the molecular make-up of a precious stone which at some point morphs into trailing a camera through a human colon—and I can think of no better way to start this movie. While it is not a master class in suspense like Gone Girl or Whiplash, the movie will leave you wanting a hot shower at the end, and that’s kinda the point.
6. Knives Out – Knives Out is a fun and twisty whodunnit. The characters are richly textured, the plot engaging, and the subtext delightful. It easily earns a spot on the top ten for this year.
5. Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood – As always, Tarantino’s dialogue is absorbing and his character’s rich. While this film may at times assume too much of the audience’s patience and their knowledge of the real-life events, it delivers one of the best character studies of the director’s career and a couple truly exhilarating scenes.
4. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum – Though I saw this one before either of its predecessors, it is clear this series values the beautiful and the intense. Filled with practical and heart-pounding action as well as dramatic, colorful lighting, John Wick 3 is nothing short of a treat to watch.
3. Avengers: Endgame – This is much higher than I ranked Infinity War last year, yet I don’t think it’s a much better movie. Still, Avengers: Endgame represents a massive achievement for Marvel Studios. It delivers precisely what it needed to: a good movie with plenty of fan-service, handling the characters and the actors with expiring contracts with the dignity deserved. It has flaws, to be sure, but it works—and for what it’s aiming to do, it works almost perfectly.
2. Marriage Story – One person is at fault in the marriage; one over-responds in the divorce proceedings—but there’s no reason to keep track anymore. Both parties are suffering. But maybe there’s still hope? This is the story in Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story; it updates 1979’s Kramer vs. Kramer for a modern audience and balances our two main characters. The writing and performances build this movie into possibly the most moving film of the year.
1. 1917 – Though normally not an advocate for such showy filmmanship, I was totally surprised and amazed by the technical skill displayed in this movie. It certainly helped that I did not know what it was going to do before seeing the movie. Beyond the cinematography, though, 1917 is superbly suspenseful and acutely emotional when it needs to be, standing alongside select other movies that masterfully demonstrate the horrors of war.
We’ll give honorable mentions to The Irishman, Joker, The Lighthouse, and The Peanut Butter Falcon—all excellent films. I didn’t see many bad movies this year, though I was disappointed with several: Spider-Man: Far From Home, The Lion King, Hobbs & Shaw, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Top 10 Movies (Not 2019)
10. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) – The Best Years of Our Lives is a well-crafted story about the consequences of war, even back at home, thousands of miles away from the front-line. It stands out among the Best Picture films for its subtlety.
9. Paddington 2 (2017) – Like its predecessor, this movie thrives on heart and the basic elements of storytelling. Almost every element of the script is part of a setup and payoff combo, and the movie’s message about being “kind and polite” is worth celebrating.
8. Marty (1955) – Marty grows from a sad, intimate story to a tale of romance and optimism and easily makes this list.
7. American Graffiti (1973) – This is one of the best movies of its era, an engaging look at its cultural milieu with creativeness and inventiveness throughout. While radically different, it makes clear why a studio would take a risk on the George Lucas guy.
6. Network (1976) – This 1970s satire is just as potent today (if not more so) than at the time of its release. Bolstered by intelligent dialogue, dramatic performances, and a devastating critique of consumerist America, Network will continue to be one of the best thematic dramas ever made.
5. Eighth Grade (2018) – Eighth Grade can be hard to watch; it’s cringey and depressing at times—but always to the movie’s advantage. In his first outing as a director, Burnham excels most in his creative use of diegetic sound and light.
4. Swiss Army Man (2016) – This is the best movie of the New Sincerity, yet. (Better even than the Paddington movies mentioned already.) It combines low- and high-brow humor, propulsive camera work, inventive scores, and one of the most human scripts of the decade to make a fun and heartwarming (and eerie still) film.
3. An American in Paris (1951) – It doesn’t quite live up to its successor, Singin’ in the Rain, but An American in Paris is certainly entertaining and contains the most creative filmmaking among Best Pictures prior to The Godfather.
2. The Apartment (1960) – It is genuinely surprising to see a movie like this made at a time like that. The lead performances are magnetic and the writing focused. We can’t help but be pulled into the story of this push-over of a man.
1. Aliens (1986) – The characters are rich and fun and, in the case of Ripley, emotionally resonant. The production design is phenomenal and the lighting immersive and beautiful. And of course, while the sequel is less horrifying than the original, Aliens is suspenseful and thrilling. Though I am working backwards, James Cameron reaffirms here that he is the master of blockbuster moviemaking, producing continuously textured and exciting films.
Runners-Up: The Other Guys, Rebecca, the first and second John Wick, and Leave No Trace.
There are still plenty of movies from 2019 I haven’t had the chance to see, and I hope I will soon—especially Parasite and some of those Oscar nominations. If it’s on my list, I recommend it, and if you want to see all the movies I watched this year (or ever), check out my review site!