That’s a bold title. I immediately wish to retract it. Mostly because this year was actually a great year for film, one of the better years in recent memory, and the films on this list could move around on any given day and other films could climb the ranks to take some of these top 10 spots. I know my reach with these posts is limited but I hope some of y’all decide to check out some films based on my rankings here. Before starting, here are some numbers to summarize my year:
35 films I saw in total
24 films I saw in the theater
4 films released by streaming services, including two of my top 10
That's an interesting note, that some of the best films of the year are now films that are directly released basically into your own home, even though they might get a limited run in theaters in some of the bigger cities across the country.
So, without any further delay, I give you my honorable mentions, or, as I like to call them…
HONTIONS!
Blinded by the Light
This first one is definitely personal. There’s a line spoken by Roops, the friend that introduces our protagonist Javed to Bruce Springsteen the first time: “You’ve popped your Bruce cherry. You never forget your first time.” I was a late comer to being a fan of The Boss but now I love his music. I’ve driven across state lines listening to the E Street Radio station on Sirius. Thankfully this is not another standard music biopic, but Bruce’s music is used as a character that drives Javed, a teenage Pakistani living in England, to pursue his dreams of being a writer. It’s filled with music I love but is also a lovely, often cheesy story of how music—and art, as a whole—is more than just background but can actually change lives and culture and the world as a whole. Being a story of a child of Pakistani immigrants is a welcome perspective, and elevates this film even more.
The Last black Man in San Francisco
Like Blindspotting, a top pick of mine from last year, this film tackles gentrification in the Bay Area but in a much quieter and often stranger tone. It has some spectacular cinematography of the great city of San Francisco, but the way the camera lingers on its characters is even more impressive. It tackles themes of toxic masculinity, black friendship, and love of a home in ways no other film this year did. And it has a magnificent cover of Scott MacKenzie’s “San Francisco” that I have not been able to get out of my head ever since I saw it.
Uncut Gems
If you’re looking to have a near panic attack induced by a film this is the one for you to see. Adam Sandler delivers a very special performance. Growing up on his comedies in the 90s it feels great to see him do something so different and noteworthy. This is an intoxicating look at the world of gambling, crime, and the pursuit of perfection, all set in the diamond district of New York. It’s not an easy watch, but it’s definitely unlike anything else you’ll see this year or any year. Co-directors the Safdie brothers utilize a kinetic style of editing and a vibrant color scheme that elevates this film beyond its story of seedy characters trying to score the next win.
And now, let’s get ready to rumble, or just count backwards from 10 to 1.
10. Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood
2nd tier Quentin Tarantino is still top class any year. Great performances, impeccable song selection, and expertly crafted scenes make this one of the best directed films of the year. QT reined himself in quite a bit as he didn’t inject his typical high dose of extreme violence into the film until the last 10 minutes. But scenes of Leo and Brad just driving around a painstakingly recreated 1969 Hollywood are a delight. And the intensity of Brad’s visit to Spahn Ranch is laced with the kind of tension you get from the “Guess who?” drinking game in Inglorious Basterds. There is a lot to say about Quentin’s Tarantino’s filmmaking, but I think Greta Gerwig said it best when she presented Tarantino with an award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival Film Awards Gala: “Quentin Tarantino makes movies as if movies could save the world. Movies can kill Hitler, free slaves, and give Sharon Tate one more summer…he makes movies like movies themselves matter, like they are both high art—which they are—and that they are populist art—which they are. They’re speaking the most profound truths to the biggest crowds with the bravado that comes with the confidence that collectively everybody will be changed for the better by the experience.” His work is always ambitious, and while this one certainly has its flaws, it’s an exciting piece of art and probably has the most restraint of any Tarantino film, making it one of the best films 2019 had to offer.
9. The Irishman
Like my last pick, a Martin Scorcese movie that’s middle-of-the-pack Scorcese is still a top notch flick. If you’ve seen other Scorcese gangster films (think Goodfellas or Casino) or the countless copy cats over the years, including most recently Joker, then this film is a great sequel to any and all of those predecessors. It asks us to look at what the lives of these often-glamorized criminals turn out to be, and how their actions impact those closest to them. Another film reckoning with toxic masculinity directed by a man who undoubtedly has seen how his films have inspired so many people for better and worse. Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci deliver some of the best performances of their illustrious careers and deserve all the recognition they received. Oh! And this is on Netflix. Yay for streaming. But heads up, it clocks in at nearly 3 1/2 hours.
8. Marriage Story
Yet another film available to watch right now on Netflix, this film would be more aptly called “Divorce Story.” Amiright? Thank you. But in all seriousness, this examines a marriage as it breaks apart and combs through the details a little too closely for comfort. It shows how those we love are the ones most capable of hurting us. It’s heartbreaking, but hopeful. Adam Driver and Scarlet Johansson are excellent in the roles of Charlie and Nicole. I once heard it said that you should not watch this with your significant other. Well my very significant Madison and I watched it together and we are still happily married. It’s a wonderful story of love and breakup that, I feel, does a great job of letting you sympathize with both sides. Some argue differently, but I feel like you see just how stupid any of us can be in a relationship, but that’s what it is to be human and to be in love. We’re all very faulty and that will never change but forming such deep relationships, even if they aren’t lasting, is a miracle in and of itself.
7. Star Wars: The Rise of skywalker
Speaking of the things we love being the thing most capable of hurting us. This one is difficult for me. Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE Star Wars. I’ve been to 3 Star Wars-exclusive conventions (#4 is coming in August). I have a poster signed by Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and several other cast members. My daughter is named after a Star Wars character. So I would love for this film to be higher. And at times I’m so displeased with it that I could put it lower. I don’t believe a lot of the backlash that says certain choices were a direct slap in the face to The Last Jedi. I don’t think JJ Abrams would stoop to pettiness like that. I hope not. The film had some incredible scenes especially using force powers, but all in all the pacing is a little off, it’s overstuffed, and other plot details I’m just a little put off by. The production and the film as a whole suffered a huge blow when Carrie Fisher passed away, as it’s clear she was meant to play a much more central role in this last episode of the sequel trilogy. I feel JJ and crew faired well with such a poorly dealt hand. Coming in at #7, I know for sure this film benefits from my inherit fandom (bias), but yet here we are. I love and respect other respectful Star Wars fans and I’ll see you all August 2020 at Celebration Anaheim! I can’t wait to see where the galaxy will go next!
6. JoJo rabbit
Though it doesn’t quite live up to the comical/satirical heights of a Dr. Strangelove or even a Blazing Saddles, this film proves that director Taika Waititi is a singular talent of modern filmmaking. Few could ever pull off a character of Adolf Hitler parading around as a clownish imaginary friend of a 10-year-old boy. Waititi does this not only in his performance as the aforementioned character, but with even greater success as a screenwriter and director in how he elevates this film to be more than a comedy. He turn it into a fable of growing up but also of the perils of raising children in a society that espouses evil beliefs regarding other human beings and the role parents and adults in general have of shepherding the next generation to a brighter and kinder tomorrow. Scarlet Johansson also delivers another amazing performance as Jojo’s mother, but the MVP here is Roman Griffin Davis as Jojo, who delivers one of the better performances of the year—oh and he’s only 11 years old. Taika Waititi puts a lot of trust in this kid to carry this film, much like Steven Spielberg did with Henry Thomas in E.T., and what results is truly something special.
5. Little Women
This was the most surprising entry on my list. Granted, Greta Gerwig made one of my favorite films in 2017 with Lady Bird. Still, this source material was over a century old and was a story adapted several times before so how could it be fresh and relevant in 2019. Well, don’t bet against Greta Gerwig. She is another exceptional filmmaker who is batting 100 right now. This is one of the best acting ensembles of any film this year. And every character is written with such adoration that you find things relatable in every one of them. Greta Gerwig has an eye and voice that takes this source material and elevated no it to something beautiful and poignant even in 2019. I can’t wait to show this film to Rey and also to Crosby, so they can see that strong, smart, independent women are normal and that these women are heroes and role models that any girl or boy could aspire to.
4. Avengers: Endgame
With the ending of a series of Star Wars films and a series of Marvel films this year, I wholly expected Rise of Skywalker to best Endgame on my list, especially after some of my disappointments with Infinity War last year. But this film succeeded in every way that Rise of Skywalker failed, and for that it earns its spot. I truly believe this film is a cinematic achievement unlike anything else ever done before. Almost every character of MCU fame, from Iron Man to Captain Marvel, has their own time to shine in this film. The comedic bits land naturally because the characters have developed relationships over the years not just with other characters but also with us as an audience. The emotional beats are earned. And the action sequences rival Lord of the Rings in their scale and significance to the overall story. 11 years of ups and downs (mostly ups) in this cinematic universe pay off in a way that exceeded my expectations. To have seen it all unfold with each new film over the years and finally reach its conclusion was magical.
3. Parasite
If this film wins tonight I will be elated. Bong Joon Ho is brilliant. I don’t want to say too much about this film. It’s thrilling. It’s funny. It’s chilling. It’s a sharp commentary of class conflict and inequality. Please don’t let the fact that this is a Korean language film get in the way of you seeing it. As Director Bong put it when accepting the Golden Globe Award: “Once you overcome the 1-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.” Let this be one of them.
2. 1917
When I was in 8th grade my friend, Brandon, and I made a documentary about World War I and we competed in a national history competition. Last year Peter Jackson made a much better documentary called They Shall Not Grow Old and then this year 1917 comes out. Both films are tremendous. Jackson’s is a work of art in the spectacular way he colorized old footage from the Great War. This film is based on the stories Director Sam Mendes’s grandfather told to his family about fighting in World War I. When you bring legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins in to capture this story on film, it’s magnificent. There’s the whole “one-take” approach that’s been discussed elsewhere and nauseam, in how we’re supposed to feel as though everything is happening in real time in one continuous shot. That is something to behold. But the acting from the two leads is underappreciated. And the themes of brotherhood and fighting to stop a war is something more prescient in our time than many other war films before. It’s a shame World War I is often overlooked because the senselessness of war was just as much true in 1917 as it is now over 100 years later. This film stands toe to toe with some of the best war films you’ve seen, and I can’t recommend it enough. Between this film and They Shall Not Grow Old, it’s been a good couple of years to be a Great War buff. Maybe someday my documentary will make it to the big times, too.
1. knives out
So if anyone hated Rian Johnson’s Star Wars film from 2017, first off you’re wrong. It’s one of the 3 best Star Wars films ever. But also, this is his newest film and it’s the best film this year. It’s a rousing whodunnit murder mystery. It has the best ensemble cast of any film. Daniel Craig is electric and Ana de Armas is spellbinding. It has the best writing of any film I saw. Just when you think you figure things out, you rethink everything and then you really think you’ve figured it out but then you’re just blown away. It’s the most fun I had at a theater this year. On top of how fun a movie this is it also has a lot to say regarding class dynamics, much like Parasite, but in a much more optimistic tone. It’s possible this film may not age as well as some other films on this list, because there are jokes here that are very much in the moment of 2019, but I dug every second of this film and would recommend it without reservation to you.
The end! It was a great year and looking forward to the next. Now on to the Oscars! Leave any comments please. And keep going to the movies.