MY TOP 10 MOVIES FOR 2019

I love compiling my Top 10 of the year because the process reminds me of why I enjoy movies so much.  Throughout the year I witnessed over a hundred features that each vied for a hallowed place on this chart.  The majority occupied the middle bulk of films I saw and they were just fine.  So if you’re wondering where Joker, Hustlers, Knives Out, Little Women, and Uncut Gems are, well I liked them too.

These titles, however, are the ones that truly affected me.   Here are 10 examples of when I left the theater in an emotional state – be it shock, joy, sadness or elation.

Click on any entry to open my more detailed review.

1. 1917

Directed by Sam Mendes – Starring George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott.

1917 is an absolutely penetrating albeit manipulative achievement about courage. Our two heroes travel through a landscape that invokes anxiety and fear on a scale of biblical proportions. The chronicle is directed and produced by Sam Mendes with a screenplay he wrote withy Krysty Wilson-Cairns. It features stellar cinematography from the aforementioned Roger Deakins and a rousing score by Thomas Newman that already feels iconic. Together they combine to form this artistic success. It’s horrific and beautiful, mesmerizing and immediate. If cinema is an emotional experience — a portal that transports us to another time and place — then 1917 inspired the most visceral reaction of any picture I saw in 2019. The majesty of it all blew me away.

2. Jojo Rabbit

Directed by Taika Waititi – Starring Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Taika Waititi, Stephen Merchant.

Truth be told, I was already predisposed to love this picture. I am a fan of director Taika Waititi. His off-kilter but thoughtful sensibilities agree with my own. Waititi has demonstrated a whimsical flair for humor with a filmography composed of fastidiously produced productions that are obsessively meticulous with visual details. These include What We Do in the Shadows and Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Waititi has a point of view uniquely his own. His handling of this material deftly combines real genuine heartbreak with lighthearted glee in a film about Nazis. This is one of the most beautifully realized stories of the year.

3. Midsommar

Directed by Ari Aster – Starring Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, William Jackson Harper, Vilhelm Blomgren.

Midsommar is a chronicle about the way things unfold and evolve. It’s a psychological journey – a slow burn of a film. The viewer is transported to this pastoral community where we are incorporated into customs we don’t understand. This voyage down the rabbit hole is a disquieting descent. Several setpieces detail things that are extremely unsettling. There are moments where director Ari Aster presents something shocking. Conventional filmmaking dictates that you cut away but Aster lingers on the image. Then brutally doubles down on it. He condemns the sight but crosses the line in order to enforce a point of view. This is a movie that wallows in dark forces. It’s masterfully put together. Though I can’t say I technically “enjoyed” Midsommar, I truly admired it. It is an authentic presentation of evil in cinematic form.

4. The Last Black Man in San Francisco

Directed by Joe Talbot – Starring Jimmie Fails, Jonathan Majors, Danny Glover, Tichina Arnold.

The Last Black Man in San Francisco doesn’t overtly promote an agenda. It’s far more subtle than that. This is a deeply felt contemplation that appeals on a purely sentimental level. The film’s lack of a narrative thrust may irk some. This feels like a funeral that honors the past with a profound love that pines for a bygone era. Cinematographer Adam Newport-Berra presents a languid tribute to a forgotten age. The images beautifully underscored by a majestic score by composer Emile Mosseri making his feature debut. It clearly comes from an emotional place. Anyone can appreciate the depth of the meditation. This is a movie that comes from the heart.

5. Waves

Directed by Trey Edward Shults – Starring Kelvin Harrison Jr., Lucas Hedges, Taylor Russell, Alexa Demie

Waves is an ambitious tale.  The human experience is multilayered and deep. A split-second decision can have an effect on the rest of our existence. Here, an impulsive choice made in the heat of the moment is the impetus for a demoralizing change. A life filled with joy can transform into one filled with unendurable pain. Shults’ camera is like a voyeur lingering on the interactions of a family in places where we should not be. His unflinching gaze presents a snapshot that is both heartbreakingly beautiful and extremely ugly.  We may consider ourselves good people at heart. Yet we can behave in ways that are unforgivably grotesque. Director Schultz beautifully realized account details that idea in the extreme but in doing so he brilliantly ruminates over the idea of what it means to be human.

6. Ford v Ferrari

Directed by James Mangold – Starring Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Jon Bernthal, Tracy Letts.

Sometimes true life is stranger than fiction. The account details one development that had me consulting the history books. I had to verify that what I saw really happened. Along the way we are still presented with some of the best car racing car sequences ever put on film. They’re perfectly edited pieces of thrills bursting with loud and adrenaline-fueled excitement. Special mention to editors Michael McCusker and Andrew Buckland who know how to edit an action sequence to maximum effect. The racing scenes are spectacular but in the end, it’s the performances that make this drama transcendent. This classic narrative beautifully highlights male camaraderie. It has all the qualities of a bygone era but it’s old fashioned in the best sense of the word. It’s the human element that provides the most sparks.

7. Booksmart

Directed by Olivia Wilde – Starring Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Jessica Williams, Lisa Kudrow

What sends Booksmart into the stratosphere is the engaging chemistry of the supporting cast who populate the school. There’s a vibrant energy that infuses every scene. Like so many films of this ilk, it’s highlighted by a charismatic ensemble of up and comers. I suspect some will have success in the future. Time will tell. Molly and Amy are witty goofballs. Their central friendship is sweet and uplifting. The egalitarian nature of this fantasy is warm and appealing. The charisma of this cast is palpable and there are many laughs along the way.

8. The Peanut Butter Falcon

Directed by Tyler Nilson & Michael Schwartz – Starring Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson, John Hawkes, Bruce Dern

At the heart of this simple tale is actor Zack Gottsagen who has Down syndrome. He gives a convincing performance that is both warm and natural. The chronicle entertains by appealing to the emotions. Far more jaded types will describe this as manipulative and sentimental. However as the old adage goes, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.” This is a composition made up of human interactions and the way those people emotionally connect on an elemental level. There’s a purity to the setup that shares a commonality with Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Simply watching their rapport evolve is the account. It doesn’t get more complicated than that. Yet it is that very simplicity that makes this flick so poignant.

9. The Mustang

Directed by Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre – Starring Matthias Schoenaerts, Jason Mitchell, Gideon Adlon, Connie Britton

There’s a poetic realism that underlies this depiction. The Wild Horse Inmate Program detailed here is a real thing. It provides an effective setting where violent criminals interact with barbaric creatures and the alliance can effectively tame them. Ah, but who is pacifying who? Part prison drama, part traditional western, director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre in her feature debut, deals with timeworn themes but reinterprets them in a way that feels fresh and invigorating. Humans and animals often share an implicit bond. Sometimes that association can be quite stirring. De Clermont-Tonnerre explores that connection with an unsentimental but deeply moving style.

10. The Farewell

Directed by Lulu Wang – Starring Awkwafina, Tzi Ma, Diana Lin, Zhao Shuzhen

The Farewell contains moments of great insight and poignancy. At times the screenplay is quite subtle because it suggests things without overtly expressing them. As in life, ambiguity delicately informs this tale from beginning to end.  A movie about dying that shuns conventional rules where everyone must explicitly confess what they are thinking – what a refreshing take!  Every once in awhile an authentic reminiscence can capture our attention without requiring a complicated plot or melodramatic performances.  It’s the depth of emotion that charms our hearts.

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Just Barely Missed the Top 10

11. The Irishman

12. Parasite

13. Us

14. Toy Story 4

15. Avengers: Endgame

16. Spider-Man: Far From Home

17. The Art of Self-Defense

18. Marriage Story

19. Blinded by the Light

20. Judy

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Worst of the Year

I also suffered through a few that were simply awful.  I avoid bad movies. If I have any reason to think I won’t enjoy it, I’ll skip it. I don’t dwell on the negative which is why I only included 3 titles. Still, it’s interesting to see which films irritated me the most. These movies promised to entertain and completely failed in the process.

1. It: Chapter Two
2. Honey Boy
3. Dumbo