Here is my top ten list of 2019. It was extremely difficult to narrow down my 10 favorite movies of the year. While I don’t necessarily think they are the best films of the year, they are the movies that I personally enjoyed the most. It was hard enough to choose them all, so I won’t order them from worst to best. Instead, I will list them in the order that I saw them.
1. Avengers: Endgame — The Russo Brothers
This was, without argue, the biggest event film of all time. It’s literally the highest grossing film in the world, and the money has absolutely no impact on whether or not it is on this list. I will never forget my experience seeing this opening weekend. Seeing Captain America pick up Mjiolnir after it had been teased since Avengers: Age of Ultron was one of many moments where the entire theater was cheering. We laughed together, we cheered together, and we cried together. It was a moment 10 years and 22 films in the making and it was easily one of the greatest movie moments of 2019.
2. Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood — Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs) movies are event films in their own right. The director is so quirky and unique that each one of his movies is a love letter to cinema, and his 9th film was the biggest love letter of them all. He, along with his cinematographer, Robert Richardson (The Aviator, Shutter Island), who he has worked with since the Kill Bill films, re-created the early 70’s Hollywood, with one of his most daring films yet. It was maybe his funniest film he has ever made, following a has-been actor and his loyal stuntman, played by two of the best in the game: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant, Inception) & Brad Pitt (Inglourious Basterds, Moneyball). It was the dynamic duo we didn’t know we needed, and it has been a smashing success on the awards circuits.
3. The Lighthouse — Robert Eggers
As a sound designer, I try to pay as much attention to the sound design in each movie, so that I can learn the tricks of the trade. The Lighthouse had some of the craziest sound design I have ever heard. The awful sound of the horn that the lighthouse made in the film was so intense it made me feel like I was going insane, like the two wonderful actors on the screen. I’m mighty surprised that neither Willem Dafoe (The Florida Project, Platoon) or Robert Pattinson (Good Time, The Lost City of Z) are getting accolades for their amazing performances, but their acting talents will be here for years to come, so I am sure there will be more amazing performances from each of them. The other thing about this movie is the ingenious formatting: black and white 35mm film, orthochromatic aesthetic evoking 19th-century photography, and a nearly square 1.19:1 aspect ratio, which further increases the sense of claustrophobia we feel with these characters.
4. Jojo Rabbit — Taika Waititi
After Thor: Ragnarok, I was a little nervous about Taika Waititi (What We Do in the Shadows, Thor: Ragnarok) films. The biggest complaint with the third Thor film was that they absolutely beat the jokes to death. Luckily, Taika reigned it in, for the most part, for Jojo. It’s a satirical film about hate, which is so relevant in today’s world, with an outstanding introductory performance by Roman Griffin Davis, who played the titular character. The film is much deeper than the trailer’s let on, but it somehow manages to balance on the tightrope between comedy and drama. Considering the subject material, that was an incredible feat.
5. Ford v Ferrari — James Mangold
This is another film that is successful mainly due to the charisma between it’s two main characters. Christian Bale (Vice, The Big Short) and Matt Damon (The Martian, Good Will Hunting) played off each other great in this action-packed sports dramedy. It was way funnier than I expected it to be, which was good, because when the film wasn’t being funny, it was in your face “hard knocks of life” family drama. Bale and Damon do a terrific job, in an excellently directed film by James Mangold (Logan, 3:10 to Yuma).
6. Parasite — Bong Joon Ho
Possibly the best film of the year, Parasite is an example of what Americans are missing out on with film from other countries. It is a story about capitalism, which is the only thing I will say about it because the film is so much better going in knowing next to nothing. Bong Joon Ho (Snowpiercer, The Host) is an excellent film maker with an extremely creative mind. He has written as many films as he has directed, which is a pretty amazing feat. Do yourself a favor and see this film.
7. Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker — J.J. Abrams
This is up there with Endgame for being a great example of experience over technical achievement. I grew up watching Star Wars and I was in my formative years when the prequel trilogy came out, so I am in a unique position where I actually love every Star Wars movie. This film was no different. The experience during opening weekend was up there with Avengers: Endgame. There were laughs, cheers, and tears, and in my opinion the film makers did the best they could. For me, the nostalgia was amazing, however it is probably the most divisive film of 2019.
8. Uncut Gems — The Safdie Brothers
If you would have told me that Adam Sandler (Happy Gilmore, Grown Ups) put in the performance of the lifetime a year ago, I would have told you to go spit. Afterall, this is the man who admitted on talk shows that he has lost his edge and takes movies to go on vacations with his friends and family. That being said, he has put in the performance of a lifetime. The saga of Howard Ratner, a sleazy New Yorker jeweler, is a story 10 years in the making, and the Safdie Brothers (Good Time, Heaven Knows What) have proven that feet on the ground, improvisational film making is still an amazing way to tell a story.
9. Marriage Story — Noah Baumbach
Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale, The Meyerowitz Stories) is such a humanist director. He tells human stories, with human characters, set in the human universe. Marriage Story is such an intense film about something most people are too afraid to admit: the end of a relationship, and in this case, a marriage. Scarlett Johansson (Her,Lost in Translation) and Adam Driver (Paterson, The Report) deliver impactful realistic performances, surrounded by a truly great supporting cast. It’s a must-see film streaming on Netflix as we speak.
10. 1917 — Sam Mendes
Even though it’s release window barely makes it a 2019 film, it is indeed, technically a 2019 film. The saying, “save the best for last” comes to mind when I think of this film. It’s a technological feat: a WWI story filmed to look like it is one continuous shot. It’s successful, it’s a great (and potentially triggering) film for veterans to see, which gives us a glimpse of the intense traumas soldiers go through in a tour of duty. It’s also Sam Mendes’s (Skyfall, Road to Perdition) first screenplay, which should excite any fan of his. It was a great way to end the year and the decade.
After looking at my top movies, I realized I need to branch out more and see more films by women & people of color, so that is definitely one of my goals for 2020! As 2019 came to a close, I felt a little lost. I’m graduating film school next semester, and I don’t necessarily have a concrete plan, but I am learning to follow my instincts and passions and see where they take me. I think we can get more than just an experience out of film, but if we can’t have a little fun along the way, I don’t really see the point of the journey. Good luck to everyone on their journey into the new decade, I hope it’s as fun and productive as mine is already starting to be.
Honorable Mentions
- Blinded by the Light — Gurinder Chadha
- Midsommar — Ari Aster
- Knives Out — Rian Johnson
- Joker — Todd Phillips
- Rocketman — Dexter Fletcher
