Honorable Mentions: Parasite, Ready or Not, 1917, Long Shot, The Irishman, Fighting with My Family and Marriage Story
10. Knives Out
Rian Johnson follows up his polarizing Star Wars entry, The Last Jedi, with the clever and unpredictable whodunit film, Knives Out. When the acclaimed murder-mystery author, Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer), is found dead the morning after his 85th birthday party, eccentric Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) begins to question if this apparent suicide is actually murder. Knives Out boasts a fantastic ensemble and a terrific script that turns the traditional mystery on its side and provides a bold and fresh take on this classic genre.
9. Uncut Gems
Benny and Josh Safdie’s insanely intense thriller, Uncut Gems, was the last movie I saw this year and I also have a strong feeling it may be the most memorable. Adam Sandler stars as Howard Ratner, a jeweler in New York City whose reckless gambling habits have put him in deep with bookies all over the city. My blood pressure was through the roof while watching this film, an experience I’ll never forget. And it all builds to an explosive finale that will completely blow your mind. Adam Sandler is the star of the show here and he gives a career-best performance in one of the year’s most unforgettable movie-theater experiences.
8. The Peanut Butter Falcon
There’s so much heart and soul poured into Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz’s SXSW hit, The Peanut Butter Falcon, it’s impossible not to enjoy the film. Zak is a twenty-something man with down syndrome who dreams of being a professional wrestler and is being held against his will at a state-run retirement home. After Zak breaks out of the facility, he runs into Tyler (Shia LaBeouf) and they go on a Mark Twain-esque journey to a wrestling camp in North Carolina. This buddy comedy goes far beyond its laughs and tells a truly human story that shouldn’t be missed.
7. Avengers: Endgame
Marvel’s epic saga comes to a close in Endgame, a box office smash and massively-adored film that certainly needs no introduction. They get so much right by using a time travel story to take the audience on a journey back to signature moments in the MCU’s history, all while tying a beautiful bow on the first wave of Marvel’s Avengers. Key characters all had their swan songs properly handled and Endgame can easily be summed up with these two words; completely satisfying!
6. Ford v Ferrari
If there’s a problem with James Mangold’s full throttle historical drama, Ford v Ferrari, it’s that the film feels to formulaic and purposely sculpted into an Oscar contender. But still, inside all of that artificial exterior rests a gripping story and interesting characters that make this awards season contender a worthy competitor. The film follows car designer, Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon), who’s summoned by Ford to make and build a car fast enough to beat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966. Ford v Ferrari unexpectedly morphs into an anti-establishment drama that really resonates well from that angle, and one that stands among 2019’s finest films.
5. The Two Popes
Much has been made about Netflix’s two big Oscar contenders, Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman and Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story, but I’ll go out on a limb and argue that their most recent release, The Two Popes, is actually better than both of them. Fernando Meirelles’ comedic fictional meeting between Pope Benedict (Anthony Hopkins) and then-Cardinal Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce), the current Popes Francis, is a true showcase for these two veteran actors. They put on an absolute display courtesy of Anthony McCarten’s brilliant screenplay, one that’s heavy in dialogue and substance all while keeping a comedic energy alive and well. It’s sad to know that the whole film is essentially fabricated, but it’s a wonderful way to pretend how history went down.
4. Once Upon a Time … In Hollywood
Quentin Tarantino continues his dominance with another example of robust characters, smooth dialogue and handfuls of iconic moments. Once Upon a Time travels back to 1969 Los Angeles, where washed-up TV actor, Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), and his stunt double, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), find themselves on the outside looking in at an industry they can hardly recognize. Thankfully, their neighbors are rising stars Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), so perhaps fate could intervene on Rick’s behalf. But as we all know, the Manson Family Cult has different plans in mind. Once Upon a Time comes with its lulls, but there’s enough strong acting, sharp direction and witty dialogue to carry you through the tough times and to the film’s epic, must-see conclusion.
3. Midsommar
Ari Aster amazed me with last year’s Hereditary and blew my mind even more with his latest work, Midsommar. The film follows a group of friends who travel to Sweden with a foreign classmate who wants them all to experience his community’s annual Midsommar festivities. But what begins as a silly and harmless event, slowly transforms into a hellish nightmare for these outsiders. Florence Pugh’s character drives the entire film and her tale of sweet seduction is masterfully captured by Aster. Midsommar is without a doubt a polarizing film, and one I wouldn’t recommend to everyone. The film runs long and with a simmering pace, but the detail and artistry behind every frame is truly magnificent and why I’m completely enamored by this young and brilliant filmmaker.
2. Joker
In the lead-up to its early October release, I just kept trying to temper my expectations for Todd Phillips’ Joker. Then word spread of an eight-minute standing ovation following its world premiere, and headlines about the film’s violence and disturbing look at mental illness turned Joker into 2019’s biggest cinematic spectacle. But through all of the hype and debate, Todd Phillips delivers a phenomenal piece of filmmaking. Everything begins and ends with Joaquin Phoenix’s hypnotic interpretation of the title character. Yet, even beyond his Oscar-bound performance, Joker boasts a meticulous script, stunning cinematography, and a perfectly constructed score from composer Hildur Guðnadóttir. Full disclosure, there’s some ambiguity looming over the film, and I’ve convinced myself that I’m better off enjoying the experience rather than over-analyzing everything. Just sit back and enjoy this dark and gritty spiral into madness as one of the world’s greatest villains is born.
1. Jojo Rabbit
It’s surprising to look back and recognize how many strong films were released in 2019, but none had the same impact on me as Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit. There’s a large faction of people who will simply refuse to watch the film because it pokes fun at the ridiculous nature of fanaticism with a backdrop set in Nazi Germany during the closing stages of World War II. Jojo Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis) is a 10-year-old boy who dreams of being a great Nazi soldier and his most trusted companion is his imaginary friend, Adolph Hitler (played by Waititi). Jojo thinks he has a pretty good understanding of the world until the day he discovers that his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is harboring a Jewish teenager named Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie) and things begin to get a lot more complicated. There’s a beautiful story nestled inside of this relatively short (about an hour and 45 minutes) and briskly-paced dramatic satire. The two young actors, David and McKenzie, stand toe-to-toe with the likes of Academy Award Winner, Sam Rockwell, and the always great Scarlett Johansson. Jojo Rabbit is hilarious, heartbreaking and hopeful, and just about everything you could ever want in a movie.