Daniel's Top Movies of 2019

Daniel's Top Movies of 2019

What a wonderfully mixed bag of movies this year. I was able to see more than I thought because of AMC A-List. Sure, it doesn't cover as many movies, but its ease of use and ability to book tickets & seats in advance made using it less anxiety-inducing than MoviePass ever was.  Personally, I just need to get better at seeking out harder to see movies. I found a theme in my top 12 this year: Real, flawed, good characters.  Seriously, do a shot every time you read the word "real."

Anyway, here's my list of my favorite movies of 2019.  As always, the order changes depending on my mood. 

12. Luce: "When I first met my mother, she couldn't pronounce my name. My father suggested that they rename me. They picked Luce, which means light." - Luce

This is the first of two films starting Kelvin Harrison Jr. that made it in my top list. He's billed with top actors Octavia Spencer, Tim Roth & Naomi Watts. He's not only able to keep up with them, but carries the film as the titular character. A less intelligent screenwriter might have made this story black and white with definitive good guys and bad guys, but Julius Onah, doesn't do that.  Each character has their flaws & strengths and sometimes those flaws & strengths are muddled.  You never know who to believe and that's okay - because nothing in this movie is one-sided.  The story is gripping with interesting, complex characters.

11. Brittany Runs a Marathon: "I think you totally missed the point of those Dove ads," -Brittany

to her clueless Doctor

I always have a spot on my list for a feel-good movie, and this was a pleasant surprise.  But the best part of watching this film was finding out that it was way more than just a feel-good movie. Brittany represented all of us.  She's not a perfect individual; she's very much flawed but she's real.  She's a product of her surroundings without giving up her individuality.  She almost made me want to start running.  It's a well-executed film, pleasantly paced - like a  marathon instead of a sprint. *I'm sorry.*

10. Where'd You Go, Bernadette?: "I'm not good when exposed to people," -Bernadette

The quote above is an understatement.  Bernadette doesn't like being around people.  She has anxiety and panic attacks; she's socially awkward.  What's most interesting about this film, though, is how she's perceived by other people. Her neighbors think she's snobby; people in general think she's odd. The film shows an interesting perspective: how mental illness makes other people feel; how they are put off, without really knowing why; how they assume the worst; how they behave towards people they don't understand. It's sad but also enlightening. Cate Blachette gives a flawless performance, as usual. It also didn't hurt that every time they mentioned a fact/showed Antarctica, I almost yelled - I KNEW THAT/I'VE BEEN THERE.

Me, Antarctica, 2015

9. Frozen 2:  "I'm afraid of what I'm risking if I follow you." -Lyrics from Into The Unknown, Elsa.

Samantha?

I wonder if the above quote is what the creators of Frozen were thinking.  It's always risky to follow a great movie like Frozen with a sequel. I was worried, going in, knowing how much I loved the original. I'm happy to say, the movie exceeded my expectations and quelled my fears. The movie didn't follow the usual tropes of a sequel - it felt like two halves of a large story in the lives of these characters.  Unlike most animated sequels, the characters grew and changed while discovering new challenges. The songs were just as amazing and the animation just gets better.  

This is Bailey, my parents' dog.  This is her face when I belt out Into the Unknown.  Look at that face. Lookit.

8. Ready or Not?: "If it will help your family accept me, I'll play the shit out of checkers" - Grace

Narrator: It wasn't checkers. I included this film because of how fucking fun it was. There's a great balance of horror and comedy that plays off each other well, a cleverness in the way it's presented & an explosive third act that will have you thinking about it for a long time after.  The actors all really play the hell out of it and you can tell everyone involved had an amazing time. It's definitely a film that I need to see again and soon.

7. 1917: "I hoped today would be a good day. Hope is a dangerous thing." - Colonel MacKenzie

I've never been big on war pictures, so I was wary going in. 1917 is intense and non-stop with good actors and fantastic direction.  The sets are spectacular and the visual effects are even better. I can't imagine the amount of technical preparation and rehearsal that must have gone into this film. You're with these two soldiers the entire time; it feels like you're part of their journey. Possible directional spoiler: The film feels like it's done in two very long takes, which is an amazing feat considering everything that's going on.

6. Doctor Sleep: "The World is a hungry place, a dangerous place, and a dark place." - Danny Torrance

I always found the Shining (both the book and the movie) fascinating, and I always wondered what happened to Danny after leaving the Overlook hotel.  I got my answer a couple of years ago when I discovered Doctor Sleep, even though it'd been out since 2013.  When I heard they were making a movie, I was worried.  How would it start? Would it follow the events of the previous book or the movie?  When I heard Mike Flanagan was directing, some of my fears were alleviated. He had made one of the best horror movie mini-series I'd ever seen. (Seriously go watch Haunting of Hill House on Netflix). Without giving away anything, Flanagan found multiple perfect ways to satisfy fans of both the previous film & book while still being good.  The film is intriguing, well acted, and beyond creative. Ewan McGregor plays the perfect Adult Danny, Rebecca Ferguson is scary & newcomer Kyleigh Curran steals scenes as Abra.

5. Waves: "All We Have is Now." - Ronald

As promised, the second film with Kelvin Harrison, Jr.  Like Luce, he plays a talented high school kid with troubles - but the character couldn't be more different, which really show's Harrison's range - definitely one of the performers of the year. Waves is told in a unique stylistic way with interesting very complicated characters.  Like other movies on this list, the characters are flawed but real (a phrase I seem to keep using this year.)  It's not just a movie about tragedy and strife, but how we react to and recover from that. It's a troubling story but one that doesn't leave us hanging.

4. The Art of Self-Defense: "I realize now that her being a woman will ever prevent her from being a man." - Sensei

I have never laughed so hard, uncomfortably or otherwise, with a group of people than watching this movie in the theaters. It's almost completely satirical while tackling real life toxic masculinity. The actors are always in the moment.  Throughout all the ridiculousness, the characters take themselves and their environments seriously which makes it all the funnier.  It's a fun, tight film whose message we desperately need in 2019.  Jesse Eisenberg was brilliant, even if I did think he was Michael Cera most of the movie.  Sorry, Jesse Eisenberg.  If it helps, I thought Michael Cera's  had grown as an actor.

3. Parasite: "She's nice because she's rich.  Hell, if I had all this money, I'd be nice, too!" - Chung-Sook

I didn't know what to expect going into Parasite and that feeling didn't lessen as I was watching the movie either.  It was a mishmash of genres that all worked together: comedy, thriller, drama.  Even when it sometimes felt over the top, the characters still resonated as real people (are you drunk yet?) - This movie just kept on surprising me.  It's very smartly written. And everything is absolutely beautiful too.  I found out later that writer/director Boon Joon Ho pretty much created an entire street/neighborhood from scratch.

2. Midsommar: "So we just gonna ignore the bear, then?" - Simon

After last year's Hereditary, I expected a lot from Ari Aster & he delivered.   You can feel the tension in the audience in both of his films. He's a master of mood. While most horror films are covered in darkness, he created a world that's just as terrifying in the extreme light which is incredibly impressive. He also shows you that horror can come from anywhere: both his films include grief as important themes and how we react and deal with it.  In Midsommar, we're introduced to a community that deals with emotions in a unique and empathetic way.   It's shown so deeply through our protagonist's eyes.  Florence Pugh deserves an onslaught of awards for her absolutely raw and emotional performance. (The bigger award shows usually ignore horror which is an absolute travesty especially in this case.)



1. Jojo Rabbit: "You look a tiger in the eye. And trust without fear.  That's what it's like to be a woman."

You know what else I keep writing in these reviews? "I didn't know what to expect and then..."  Call it repetitive, sure - I call it a theme.  I want movies to surprise me - in a good way.  And that's definitely what Jojo Rabbit did for me. It was beautiful and satirical at the same time. It was fun yet meaningful.  I was lucky enough to see this with director Taika Waititi doing a Q&A afterwards.  Someone asked about his research on the role of hi*ler. He said, "Someone gave me a book about him. I read the back cover. He doesn't deserve research."  And that pretty summed up how I felt as I was watching it.  This wasn't about getting a historical figure right, it was about mocking a monster who deserves nothing more.  And the movie wasn't really about him anyway; it was about a struggle in a real time.  It shows how easy it is to grow up in a hateful society and think of that as normal; what it's like to have to choose to be a good person when your government is telling you not to be.  Pretty applicable now.



Honorable Mentions: A few of these almost made my top list.  On another day, they may have.  Movies depend on your mood.  Here's some more great ones:

Shazam!: In a Marvel world, what a nice surprise to see a fun, well-written, light & adventurous DC movie.
Us: Another great horror from Jordan Peele. Crazy scary and inventive.
Brightburn: Tight horror twist on a narrative we know.
Ma: A fantastic performance by Octavia Spencer made this thriller a highlight of the year
Rocketman: A fun and creative biopic.  Weird, like its subject.
Toy Story 4:  It was a perfect trilogy, and I think it should have ended as one. Still, it was an impressive film both in story and visuals.
Child's Play:  I really didn't expect to like this as much as I did - remakes only work if you have something new to say - and this one did.
Portrait of a Woman on Fire:  Fantastic gay-themed foreign film.



Here are all the 2019 movies I saw in 2019.  My list comes from all the movies I saw this year that came out this year.

1.       Escape Room
2.       Down
3.       Velvet Buzzsaw
4.       The Prodigy
5.       The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
6.       Cold Pursuit
7.       Happy Death Day 2 U
8.       Treehouse
9.       Greta
10.   How to Train Your Dragon 3
11.   Captain Marvel
12.   Us
13.   Gloria Bell
14.   Dumbo
15.   I’m just F*cking with you
16.   Pet Semetary
17.   The Wind
18.   Shazam!
19.   Missing Link
20.   The Curse of La Llorona
21.   The Long Shot
22.   Avengers: End Game
23.   Her Smell
24.   Booksmart
25.   Little
26.   Detective Pikachu
27.   John Wick 3
28.   The Silence
29.   Aladdin
30.   Brightburn
31.   All that We Destroy
32.   Ma
33.   The Hole in the Ground
34.   Rocketman
35.   The Perfection
36.   Men in Black
37.   The Dead Don’t Die
38.   Late Night
39.   Toy Story 4
40.   Ever After
41.   Child’s Play
42.   They Come Knocking
43.   Yesterday
44.   Midsommar
45.   Spiderman: Far From Home
46.   Annabelle Come Home
47.   Crawl
48.   The Lion King
49.   The Art of Self-Defense
50.   The Farewell
51.   Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
52.   Culture Shock
53.   Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
54.   Where’d you go Bernadette?
55.   After the Wedding
56.   The Peanut Butter Falcon
57.   High Life
58.   Ready or Not
59.   Transit
60.   School Spirit
61.   The Souvenir
62.   Blinded by the Light
63.   Brittany Runs a Marathon
64.   It: Chapter 2
65.   Official Secrets
66.   Hotel Mumbai
67.   Hail Satan?
68.   Hustlers
69.   Downton Abbey
70.   Judy
71.   Abominable
72.   Joker
73.   Pain and Glory
74.   The Addams Family
75.   Fast Color
76.   In the Tall Grass
77.   Fractured
78.   Parasite
79.   El Camino
80.   Little Monsters
81.   Last Black Man in San Francisco
82.   JoJo Rabbit
83.   The Laundromat
84.   Apollo 11
85.   Alita: Battle Angel
86.   Zombieland 2
87.   Sell By
88.   Then We Danced
89.   Tu Me Manques
90.   Motherless Brooklyn
91.   The King
92.   Terminator: Dark Fate
93.   Luce
94.   Doctor Sleep
95.   Harriet
96.   Ford v. Ferrari
97.   Waves
98.   Frozen 2
99.   Knives Out
100.  The Irishman
101.  Pure
102.  Uncanny Annie
103.  The Good Liar
104.  J’ai Perdu Mon Corps
105.  Marriage Story
106.  Klaus
107.  Pilgrim
108.  A Nasty Piece of Work
109.  Portrait of a Woman on Fire
110.  Bombshell
111.  A Hidden Life
112.  Richard Jewell
113.  Star Wars: The 9^th one
114.  Uncut Gems
115.  The Two Popes
116. Cats
117. 1917
118. Little Women
119. Midnight Kiss