I do take this like seriously though. More seriously than I should. It means a lot to me that I get the list right when I make it, even if it's only what feels right at that moment. Which is another important point. This is my list. I gave up long ago trying to pick the "most perfect" movie of the year or the "most important", "most revolutionary", "most highly reviewed", etc. I just ask myself, "What movie added more to my year?" and follow the results.
I may go back and really break down the numbers at some point like I have in past years, but for now I'll stick to this. I saw a movie in a theater 95 times in 2019. I've seen a total of 109 movies released in 2019 so far. Both numbers are down from 2018 (Thanks, Movie Pass) but are absurd for someone who does this for fun.
I think working on my decade list has hurt my opinion of 2019 in the immediate, because it feels like a pretty weak year. Any yearly list will look weak compared to a decade list though, and none of the 2019 movies have really had time to seep into my soul. I'm curious to see what floats up to the top a few years from now. It's a good list though. At the end of the day, I just love movies. And, on the plus side, this is the least angry I've been at the movies at the bottom.
Finally, a couple clerical notes as always. A 2019 movie is a movie that was released in the U.S. in 2019. I don't care about festival releases or lengthy nationwide expanses. When was it in a public U.S. theater or available on a streamer? That's it. I'm keeping my comments about the movies brief for most of the list. I'll link to my more thorough Reactions if you want my more complete thoughts.
2018 Edition2017 Edition (2018 Update)
1. Booksmart
Superbad, 12 years later. Need I say more?
2. Knives Out
A lot of movies forget to just have fun. I'm glad Rian Johnson remembered for this one.
3. Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker
Look, I can drop the movie a lot lower, citing out my many issues with the movie, then, slowly over years, move it further and further up my list as I accept it for what it is, or I can just put it here now and admit that I got enough joy out of it to rank about much better made and written movies.
4. The Farewell
This is a beautiful movie about family. Awkwafina has established herself as a tremendous talent very quickly.
5. Parasite
I really need to track down more Korean cinema. I loved the rhythms of this movie.
6. Little Women
Like Lady Bird, even though I saw it for the performances, the screenplay is what I keep reflecting back on.
7. Charlie's Angels
I don't know what to tell you. I really had a blast watching this. Kristen Stewart has somehow never looked more at ease.
8. Good Boys
Superbad, 6 years younger. Need I say more?
9. Midsommar
Any movie this visually had to forget that also turned more people onto Florence Pugh has to find room in my top 10.
10. Ready or Not
I keep coming out of conversations sounding like I didn't care for this movie. Quite the opposite. I enjoyed it a lot. I just think there was room to make it even better, which is saying something.
Everything In Between
11. Once Upon a Time in HollywoodIt's a shame that I disliked the ending so much. It would've been interesting to actually have a Quentin Tarantino movie in my top 10. I'm such a sucker for Hollywood movies about Hollywood.
12. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
But seriously, can we just give Tom Hanks his first nomination since Cast Away, already? In all honestly, this guy should be knocking up against the "three-timers club" annually at this point.
13. Apollo 11
It's incredible how well this documentary shows the scale of the whole undertaking.
14. Jojo Rabbit
Taika Waititi tries something so difficult with this movie that I can forgive the occasional stumble.
15. Marriage Story
It bothers me that the memes have gotten in the way of the discussion of how damn good Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson are in this.
16. Ad Astra
Another 2019 Brad Pitt movie somewhat undone by a questionable third act. I sure enjoyed watching a laconic Brad Pitt travel through space to get their though.
17. The Report
I like watching people doing their damn jobs well. It helps when the lead actor is capable of making workman-like actions look like Shakespeare.
18. Uncut Gems
I always say about amusement parks that I don't like crazy roller coasters, but if there's a good story and enough atmosphere, I happy ride one.
19. Ford v Ferrari
Less entertaining than Ruse but better actors. A fair trade off.
20. Avengers: Endgame
I'm all for the Marvel victory lap. Rating this movie on its own is both impossible and foolish.
21. The Perfection
Frankly, my favorite thing about this movie is saying "If you liked that, check out The Handmaiden".
22. Toy Story 4
At this point, I'm under the impression that it's impossible to make a bad Toy Story movie, and I'll ask Pixar to please never give me a reason to challenge that belief.
23. The Lighthouse
I admire Robert Eggers' maniacal commitment to his vision.
24. Jumanji: The Next Level
By trying even less to make sense of the premise, the sequel got to spend even more time just having fun with the idea.
25. The Irishman
I guess if anyone has earned the right to be self-indulgent, it's Martin Scorsese. I can sort of see the movie that other people insist is a masterpiece.
26. Hustlers
I never thought I'd find myself in the pro-"Get Jennifer Lopez an Oscar nomination" camp, but her I am. And, let me be clear. That's as much about the kind of roles she's chosen over the years as any kind of anti-J-Lo bias I've carried. I mean, Selena and Out of Sight were 20 years ago.
27. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum
For now, the quality of the fight sequences still outpaces how thin they've stretched the premise.
28. Dolemite is My Name
It's nice to see Good Eddie Murphy again.
29. Us
Jordan Peele's understanding of horror imagery is something to behold.
30. The Current War
For a movie that had such a tortured path to theaters, I liked it quite a bit.
31. Dark Waters
So, I liked this as much as my #17 movie (The Report) but had to knock it down a few spots due to the soul-crushing depression I got from watching it.
32. Frozen II
I can't really say how I think it compares to the first until I participate in a sing-a-long with this music at a Disney Park.
33. Shazam!
Thank god DC didn't try to make this fit in the same universe as Joker. It's about time Zachary Levi got to play a big-screen hero.
34. Pokemon Detective Pikachu
I still can't believe this idea actually worked. Ryan Reynolds voicing Pikachu?!
35. Blinded By the Light
How great would it be to be a Bruce Springsteen fan watching this?
36. Downton Abbey
I think I finally get why people liked the show so much. That said, I still have no intention to see it.
37. Captain Marvel
The movie failed to utilize Brie Larson's strengths, but even a low-strength Brie Larson is better than most things.
38. MIB International
Rotten Tomatoes group think on this movie sucked. It was perfectly enjoyable.
39. Late Night
I'll admit that this fell significantly because my expectations for a Mindy Kaling-penned script about a late night talk show host starring Kaling and Emma Thompson were through the roof. It's not the movie's fault that it was actually "the best thing I've watched in this or any year".
40. The Nightingale
I love the use of the Tanzanian location and period decorations. The extreme sequences of violence and rape, however necessary to foreground the story, turned me off hard and brought me the closest I've ever come to willingly walking out of a movie theater.
41. 21 Bridges
The most 1998 movie I saw in 2019.
42. Judy
Renee Zelweger is very good in a movie that doesn't try to be bigger than that performance.
43. El Camino
Yes, I would like to watch 2 mid-tier Breaking Bad episodes in the form of a movie.
44. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile
I can't wait for when Zac Efron transitions from "guy who I respect for trying so hard to get better" to "genuinely terrific with no caveat" in a movie.
45. After the Wedding
Michelle Williams is great, no matter how small and Sundance-y the movie is.
46. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
Still the best that Dreamworks has to offer. Still lagging far behind how I feel about most Pixar movies.
47. It: Chapter II
Less child swearing and less of a horror movie than part one. What can I say? It was a bit of a let down.
48. Yesterday
I've seen a Richard Curtis screenplay do so much more with a crazy premise.
49. Last Christmas
It's official. I just like seeing Emilia Clarke on the big screen.
50. Climax
This movie is at times hypnotic and repulsive. If nothing else, it will stick in my mind for a while.
51. Rocketman
More ambitious than Bohemian Rhapsody, but I didn't care as much for the music. It's an awkward balance.
52. The Last Summer
This is a completely generic high school coming-of-age story, which is also a genre I have a profound weakness for. I can't say for sure how much of my decision was motivated by wanting to see Maia Mitchell is something else after loving Never Goin' Back.
53. The Aeronauts
Trap Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne on a submarinie, at a close-down mall, or in a closet. I'll watch it.
54. Triple Frontier
I'm not sure if I more impressed with how many different movies this managed to be or how it somehow got no one's attention despite having that cast.
55. The LEGO Movie 2
What does it say about me that "Super Cool", the song that played for the credits of this, was my favorite song out of a movie this year?
56. Noelle
I'll happily watch 90 minutes of Anna Kendrick brand management. It's one of my favorite brands.
57. The Two Popes
I like my walk-and-talk movies with a little more hint of romance. It's a genre I like in any form though.
58. Tolkein
Every once in a while, I think about the 'cellar door' scene. That really happened, right?
59. Fighting With My Family
Now, imagine how much money this movie would've made if this was the third of Florence Pugh's movies released rather than the first.
60. Richard Jewell
Clint Eastwood's ability to make a movie that hits all its marks is so reflexive, that he'll find a way to direct three movies after he's dead.
61. Joker
As good as Phoenix is, I just don't buy that the unreliable narrator was used as anything more than a way mask mistakes.
62. Long Shot
Aparently, I hated the movie, because simply casting Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron should be enough to secure a spot in the top 50. I just wish I found the movie funnier.
63. Harriet
Turning Harriet Tubman's courageous acts into a superpower was a weird choice. Cynthia Erivo nearly made up for it.
64. Alita: Battle Angel
I love how insanely sincere this movie is, but it couldn't correct the many odd and inconsistent story choices.
65. Doctor Sleep
The movies below this should probably take offense since I only heard the last 30 minutes of this movie.
66. Terminator: Dark Fate
In a meta sense, this is a perfect title. As long as they keep having to come up with excuses for why Arnold Schwarzenegger looks old, this franchise isn't going anywhere good.
67. Honey Boy
It's a finely produced therapy session for Shia Labeouf. I'll give it that.
68. The King
Can someone else actually see this movie please? I tired of asking "Is it just me, or was Timothee Chalamet horribly miscast in The King" and being met with blank stares.
69. Midway
I kind of respect how nostalgic Rolland Emmerich is for the Golden Generation despite not belonging to it or even being American.
70. Deadwood: The Movie
AS nice as it was to see the gang again, this felt more like fan service than something with a narrative necessity.
71. Zombieland 2: Double Tap
A comedy with this cast should've made me laugh more. It's just that simple.
72. The Lion King (2019)
The best of these Disney Live-Action remakes offer something alternative about them that would make me want to see that version instead of the animated original. This one offers nothing new. So, while it's a perfectly enjoyable watch, it's the most pointless movie I saw this year.
73. Bombshell
Too soon. I wish my stance was more complex than that, but too soon.
74. Ma
Octavia Spencer damn near convinced me this was a good horror movie. God bless her for that.
75. Them That Follow
It's a common Sundance problem. The filmmaker finds an interesting setting, hires great actors, but can't figure out a story compelling enough to match. I kind of wish some studio would just five the people who made this twice the budget and tell them to try again.
76. Godzilla: King of the Monsters
I don't really know what this cinematic universe is, but I can't wait to see Kong punching Godzilla.
77. Five Feet Apart
Haley Ly Richardson is great in everything; even a movie that tries a little too hard to appeal to the Fault in Our Stars Fans.
78. The Kid Who Would Be King
This is a nice little throwback movie. It feels like the 90s kids movie fare.
79. Hobbs & Shaw
I'm starting to appreciate the very delicate balance that makes the Fast & Furious franchise such a success.
80. Always Be My Maybe
That Keanu Reeves cameo though.
81. Stuber
I'm fine if Hollywood wants to keep mix and matching actors like Dave Bautista and Kumail Nanjiani together until they find pairs that work.
82. Brittany Runs a Marathon
Jillian Bell is really good in a movie that that works a little too hard to underline its point.
83. Glass
I get that the climax is underwhelming by design. That doesn't stop me from being underwhelmed by it.
84. The Hustle
The weird thing is, I think there is an Anne Hathaway/Rebel Wilson comedy out there that I'd really like.
85. Gemini Man
I feel like Ang Lee used modern technology to make a 1995 movie, up to and including a 1995 Will Smith.
86. Happy Death Day 2U
I respect how nuts the sequel goes with its premise, however, my interest trailed off the less it looked like a horror movie.
87. Little
With Regina Hall and Issa Rae in the cast, there's really no reason why Marsai Martin should have the stand-out performance.
88. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
They really wanted to turn this franchise into Lord of the Rings.
89. Aladdin
Guy Ritchie really had no idea how to keep up the musical energy of the animated movie.
90. The Goldfinch
I'm sure the book it great.
91. Dumbo
I'll say this much. It was probably my favorite Reaction to write this year.
92. A Dog's Journey
They turned the most touching coincidence of the first movie into the driving force of this one, which exposed its manipulation even more.
93. Peterloo
It was boring for a long time, then uncomfortably blunt, then transparently preachy. I don't see the appeal.
94. Greta
I just don't have patience for horror movies that rely on protagonists acting like idiots to drive the plot forward.
95. Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark
I wish I could've seen this as a 10 year old.
96. Where'd You Go, Bernadette
This movie is like watching Cate Blanchett do a jazz set. They started a scene, saw where it ended up, and wrote the next scene from there.
97. Brightburn
This is a movie about one person who isn't actually human, which is odd, because I think several of the characters didn't act like humans would.
98. Unicorn Store
I...don't...really get why Brie Larson wanted to direct this. I guess it's nice that she got it out of her system. I'd like to see her direct something else now.
99. Black Christmas
A mediocre slasher movie with a social
Bottom 10
100. Bikram: Yogi, Guru, PredatorIt's really not this documentary's fault that I'd already listen to a much better podcast on the topic that had more of a point of view.
101. The Curse of La Llorna
Something about this being a backdoor Conjuring movie really annoyed me.
102. Under the Silver Lake
This movie is an ambitious mess that I respect nearly as much as I dislike.
103. Playing With Fire
I'm so incredibly not the target audience for this that it seems unfair for me to even rank it.
104. The Kitchen
I love the twist ending when it reveals that it's never going to turn into the nimble dark comedy that it should've been.
105. Earthquake Bird
The tamped down the charisma of every single actor and placed them in a dreary Japanese setting. My only actual memory of this movie is "overcast".
106. X-Men: Dark Phoenix
It's official. X-Men needs a hard reboot. It's not even that the movie was bad. It's the way that it desperately held onto the remaining pieces from the previous movies that really made this a mess.
107. Cats
Again, I respect that they took a chance. The high chance of failure is what makes it a risk though.
108. The Dead Don't Die
At this point, every time I think about this movie, I roll my eyes. That can't be a good sign.
109. Serenity
Cats has made a lot of people forget about the real "least comprehensible movie of 2019"
See what I mean? None of those bottom 10 even make me all that angry. It's a bunch of forgettable movies, not infuriating ones.
No comments:
Post a Comment