The Top Ten Best Films of 2019...

Sorry that this is coming out so late. I've been very busy, and haven't had much time for writing.

With the bad side of 2019 behind us, we can look onward to the positive. And compared to the slate of 2018, which generally left me apathetic in spite of its very high highs, 2019 made up for it with plenty of good, quality films. As well it should be, given what a year of events it was.

2019 fittingly looked to be the year when all things in the decade came full circle, especially in the world of pop culture, what with the number of big franchises that closed off their final chapters, or at least closed off their sagas. We saw the end of Game of Thrones, Marvel's Infinity Saga, the current Star Wars trilogy, the original X-Men timeline, the Toy Story films, Martin Scorsese finally unveiling his passion project The Irishman, and many more. For all that pop culture impact, it's no surprise that Disney towered over the worldwide box office, with their non-Fox films garnering them $11 billion dollars in profit (side note: $200 of which was mine), including Avengers: Endgame dethroning Avatar as the highest grossing film of all time.

And for someone who really needed some comfort viewing for relief, when I felt like I needed it most, it showed up. Heck, Frozen 2 I've dubbed the year's okayest movie to make me tear up. And with my A-list subscription, it also helped me to break out of my comfort zone and discover new movies I'd otherwise miss out on. As 2020 opens, and hopefully things improve after Dolittle, I hope it will continue to look just as well.

And as always, I've compiled many of the films I've seen into a nice ranked list, but as always, because I haven't seen *everything,* this is in no way set in stone. For example, had I waited 'til June to publish my Best of 2018 list, Pawel Pawlikowski's Cold War would have easily taken the number 2 position.

But before the main event, let's shed light on some honorable mentions. The Farewell was a deeply affecting watch for me, that covered a very tricky subject matter with the most sensitive and objective viewpoint, aided by a stellar ensemble cast, especially Awkwafina and Zhao Shuzhen. Knives Out was some of the most fun I had in a theater last year, as writer/director Rian Johnson really enjoyed subverting the old tropes of the whodunnit genre, with another stellar ensemble making the most of their entertaining characters. The Lighthouse was a grim and claustrophobic descent into the dark side of masculinity, with the acidic power struggle between Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson anchoring it, as the two played off of each other spectacularly. I Lost My Body was an inventive and emotional wallop of a film, that spun a compelling narrative of self-acceptance and loss in both the physical and mental state, with its sketchlike and often macabre animation leading to some beautiful sequences. Blinded by the Light was an uplifting personal journey via Bruce Springsteen's music, that used its soundtrack for a tale of acceptance amidst cultural and societal pressures, and was just a universally wholesome movie that made me want to stand up and cheer.

So with those addressed, it's time for the main event, and the true top ten.
All together now: Jessica, Only Child, Illinois, Chicago...

The Top Ten Worst Films of 2019.

It feels very fitting that at the start of a new decade, we would be looking back on a year that felt like a mini-decade itself. 2019 was a very eventful year in cinema, with a whole slew of the usual great to good films, as well as the middling mediocrities, and outright atrocities.

If it seems like I'm struggling to make the year sound interesting, that's because for me, it was a bit of a toll taker. Last year, I stated I was tempted to drop my reviewing habit altogether, but while I have no intention of doing so, I feel I will be writing less. As life takes me in some new directions, I can't devote as much time to writing, and to keep forcing myself into it may only increase my burnout. So my postings will be a lot less frequent, but hopefully I can regain some spark with some much needed breaks.

And to be honest, the burnout may have had a lot to do with just how many films I saw last year, tallying up a record of over 120 films, which I have my AMC Stubs A-List subscription to thank for, or despise for given the topic we'll be discussing today, those being the worst films of last year. Or at least the worst films *I* saw, because I couldn't be bothered to give Playmobil: The Movie the time of day.

But as always, some dishonorable mentions. Just barely missing the list was Pet Sematary, which updated the classic Stephen King story while simultaneously sapping it of any identity or scare factor, and lived up to its signature tagline that sometimes dead is better. Hellboy was a failed reboot of the cult classic comic book character, forsaking decent story or coherency in favor of an onslaught of gratuitous gore, and couldn't so much as touch Guillermo del Toro's attempts. Dark Phoenix closed the mainline X-Men saga on a very underwhelming note, dragging its characters and conflicts out to such an embarrassingly hollow degree, most of its cast couldn't be bothered to care. Noelle was a poor Disney+ launch title, wasting the formidable talents of Anna Kendrick on a blatant Arthur Christmas riff, complete with a number of gags that landed with a thud, and was abrasive in its blatant product placement (stupid iPads). The Laundromat was a waste of all talent involved, squandering a game cast beneath the bungled, uneven narrative cogs pieced together with no coherency, and made me wonder if people are giving Steven Soderbergh a pass because he didn't retire.

So with those messes out of the way, it's time for the true top ten worst films of the year.

MMMIIIIIIIIILLLLKK!!!

Brief thoughts on 1917.

The devastation of World War I can never be understated, with its extensive loss of life as one of the deadliest wars in history, resulting in the deaths of 700,000 British soldiers alone. While that side of the war has been showcased to us several times before, from Steven Spielberg's War Horse to Peter Jackson's They Shall Not Grow Old, none have approached it with the visceral immediacy achieved by a post-Bond Sam Mendes, in the uniquely crafted 1917, my last major release of 2019, and a stunning swan song for it at that.

The Irishman movie review.

In October of 2019, director Martin Scorsese put forth a passionate response over the state of cinema today. Hailing from the auteur-driven heyday of the 70's, the Taxi Driver and Raging Bull director faced backlash after comparing Superhero films (and abrasive studio filmmaking in general) to theme park rides, noting how mechanical it made the theater going experience by forcing out more intimate, personal, independent fare, and director-driven projects. He's since clarified his talking points amidst confusion, and I can't say I disagree with him.

I am something of a blockbuster loyalist, but even so, it frustrates me how commonplace that studio influence is, with even Joker having to depend on the DC brand name, since no one would pay attention to it otherwise. It's no wonder why the Academy Award winner, when bringing his long-gestating passion project The Irishman to the big screen, would be forced to turn to streaming giant Netflix, themselves a commonly blamed culprit for the downfall of cinema, just for it to see the light of day. The whole disparagement between art and commerce is a can of worms that's not worth getting into right now, lest it take away from the spectacular work that Scorsese's patience finally made possible. Simply put, The Irishman is one of the best films he has ever made.

Brief thoughts on Little Women.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott has been a literary staple since its 1869 publication, becoming a smash hit with readers, specifically its target demographic of young girls finding their place in the world, who still gravitate to it to this day. Having inspired numerous film adaptations since, from those starring Katharine Hepburn and Winona Ryder, it goes to show what a thoughtful story the book is that any new artist can still find new life in it, as writer/director Greta Gerwig does in her fantastic follow-up to Lady Bird.

Brief thoughts on Uncut Gems.

America is many good things, but it is also not a perfect nation. As one of its more glaring flaws, it is a country overwhelmed by competitive capitalism, where the pursuit of happiness can be warped into something more sinister. As unfiltered greed and obsession with money can send egos spiraling out of control, such dark ambitions can even destroy those unfortunate to be cursed by it. Even the most unassuming of men can be turned into husks if not careful, showcased to us through the Safdies-directed/Sandler-starring Uncut Gems, which may just be the most nail-biting movie of 2019.