Welcome to the end of the decade, ladies and gentlemen! As we head towards 2020, I am excited to (hopefully) bring some entertainment to you in blog form next year. But as we look towards the future, let us recap 2019 in movies. Many of these movies are available to rent or stream, and others will be soon so I encourage you to use this as a guide if you are looking for something to watch! 2019 was a strong year in my opinion and some things that didn't quite make the Top 10 did not miss by much.
Now this is MY personal list and I think it is important to note that it's a combination of my favorites/the best made movies. Some things, like The Rise of Skywalker for example, were hard for me to rank because while I did enjoy it, I realize some of the critical issues with it. Also, I didn't decide to start this blog until late in the year, so there are some movies I admit that I missed, but only a couple that I think would have actually seriously threatened the Top 10. Midsommar, The Lighthouse, Parasite, and maybe Little Women would have been contenders and I will update my list as I see them. I'll do the same for 1917, as it was only in a handful of theaters at Christmas but goes wide in January. I still consider it a 2019 movie and I know that's making Top 10. Now that I have this blog, (and a gift card to AMC theaters - thanks Santa) in 2020 I will make sure my list grows and nothing gets left out! But lets get into the Top 10 and Bottom 5!
The Top Ten
(Just Missed) - 11. Uncut Gems, 12. Ad Astra, 13. Joker, 14. Dolemite Is My Name
I just want to say one thing about Uncut Gems right here. My anxiety has never been higher than it was watching that chaotic movie. Oh, and Adam Sandler gets into some fisticuffs with The Weekend over a girl in the club while Kendrick Lamar's Swimming Pools plays. That is an absolutely wild sentence to type out.
10. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (can be rented on Amazon Prime)
Quentin Tarantino's love letter to a long lost era of Hollywood movies might be a little lower on my list than others. If you don't know much about Sharon Tate or the Charles Manson family, I can see how one might get a little bored with this movie. But I loved it. It looks amazing, there is one shot of an old school Taco Bell that blew me away. Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Margot Robbie all delivered strong performances. The ending is insanity. Tarantino again rewriting history, left us to wonder, what if the Manson family never murdered Sharon Tate?
9. Marriage Story (watch now on Netflix!)
This one is heavy. I didn't know if I would want to watch, but the rave reviews for Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson's performances left me no choice and I'm very glad I did. I was engaged throughout, invested in the lives of both Charlie and Nicole and how the divorce impacted them. Laura Dern deserves a supporting nod at award shows this year for her role as Nicole's attorney. This is sad stuff that actually goes on in peoples' real lives and it will leave you feeling some type of way at the end. As for Charlie and Nicole's 8 year old son? Well he sucked. I hated that kid.
8. Rocketman (rent on Amazon Prime)
I am a HUGE Taron Egerton fan. When I heard that he would be portraying his good friend Elton John (they were in the Kingsman sequel together) in a musical biopic, I was very excited. It did not disappoint. Egerton knocked it out of the park and director Dexter Fletcher worked in the music seamlessly. It's fun, emotional, and dazzling to follow a small town boy on his journey to becoming one of the most iconic pop culture figures of all time. Taron Egerton also does his own singing in this movie which makes it infinitely better than Bohemian Rhapsody.
7. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (rent on Amazon Prime)
Keanu mania was sweeping the country this summer and he was as hot as ever. The third installment in the John Wick-verse delivered once again. It is so much fun watching John Wick mow down enemies with guns, knives, and MMA combos. The action sequences in John Wick have always been top notch and this is no exception. If you're an NBA fan, look out for a cameo by the Serbian big man, Boban Marjanovic. As if you could miss the 7 footer.
6. Spider-Man: Far From Home (rent on Amazon Prime)
Man, I was really scared this summer that Far From Home would be the end of Spidey in the MCU. Thankfully Sony and Disney came to their senses on a deal and we weren't left hanging with an unfinished Spider-Man story. Spidey is my favorite superhero so there may be some bias here but this really was just a great movie that felt like a good epilogue to the Infinity Saga and introduction to a new chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Jake Gyllenhaal is just as charismatic with a fishbowl on his head as he is without it. I will say, it is nearly essential that you see Endgame before seeing this or some of the weight Peter Parker carries with him throughout the movie may not fully land for you. The mid and post-credit scenes in FFH are the best in the entire MCU. I can't wait for the next chapter in Tom Holland's Spider-Man story!
5. Jojo Rabbit (should be on digital in early 2020)
I don't think director/writer/actor Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok director for you Marvel stans) has ever done anything I don't like. Jojo Rabbit is no exception. In this inclusive tale, Jojo Rabbit and Taika deliver powerful anit-hate satire. Young Jojo, indoctrinated in the ways of Nazi Germany, must stand up to his imaginary friend Adolf (played by Taika) when he discovers the young Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) his mother (Scarlett Johansson) has been hiding in their attic. I realize that sounds ludicrous when typed out but this movie is just fantastic. It is extremely funny, I lost it every time Jojo's friend Yorki was on screen, but, given the time period, it has very serious undertones and I was in tears at the end. This is my favorite ScarJo performance ever and supporting roles from Sam Rockwell and Rebel Wilson are brilliant. In a time where many people seem to be closing doors, this movie opens them up. Disney, if you are reading this, PLEASE give Taika Waititi a Star Wars movie!
4. Booksmart (watch now on Hulu!)
Olivia Wilde crushes her directorial debut with Booksmart. This coming of age comedy has heart and some real honesty about high school and trying to find yourself and who you are meant to be. It feels a lot like the John Hughes movies of the 80s - Ferris Bueller, Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, etc. The friendships are very genuine and the lead actresses (Kaitlyn Dever - Last Man Standing and Beanie Feldstein - Lady Bird) are fantastic. But what really made this movie the best comedy of the summer was the supporting cast. Billie Lourd (best known for Star Wars and being Carrie Fisher's daughter) is a rising superstar and her character, Gigi, was easily my favorite in Booksmart. Every single high school had a person like Jared at school too, you will know him when you watch. Jason Sudeikis plays the principal who moonlights as an Uber driver to supplement his income. As a teacher come August, I hope I don't have to do that...
3. Ford v Ferrari (digital release in early 2020)
I tweeted back during Thanksgiving that dads everywhere would be lining up to see Ford v Ferrari, and it certainly has big time dad movie vibes. This is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. Christian Bale continues to prove that he is one of the best actors of this generation and he plays so well with Matt Damon in this movie. It is funny, has great racing sequences, and real life high stakes. The racing is all authentic - no CGI - and that is so refreshing these days. It goes full-throttle (pun very much intended) towards the finish line and is a lot of fun, even if you aren't interested in cars, racing, or the Carroll Shelby/Ken Miles story.
2. Avengers: Endgame (watch now on Disney+)
I may be called a Marvel fanboy for this, and I certainly am one, but in my opinion it is impossible to ignore the cultural impact that this movie and universe has had. It all comes to an end in this exciting and emotional Infinity Saga finale. I definitely shed a few tears but cm'on, I'm a known movie crier and how can you not feel something after following these heroes for 10+ years. The last hour or so of this movie was such a fun experience. I broke my neck in the front row (I hate the front row, I am a back and aisle only boy) but it was so worth it to be there on opening night and experience the crowd reaction. Endgame is a cultural phenomenon, of course it is on the Top 10!
1. Knives Out (still in theaters!)
Watching Rian Johnson's fun-filled, modern day murder mystery is the most fun I had at a movie theater this year. From start to finish this movie keeps you thinking and engaged, trying to figure out motives of every suspect involved and unravel the mystery. I am not going to say anything spoilery and ruin the fun but I just can't say enough about how much fun this movie is. It is absolutely hilarious and witty and there are plot twists at every turn. The cast is fantastic. I have never seen Daniel Craig and Chris Evans have so much fun playing characters. Craig's donut monologue had my whole theater cracking up. Ana de Armas is a confirmed rising superstar (please marry me). Take someone out with you to go see Knives Out and I guarantee you will have a killer good time!
The Bottom Five
5. Men in Black: International
I love Tessa Thompson, Chris Hemsworth, and Kumail Nanjiani. They are three of the most charismatic actors around, but not even they could save this one. The humor was kinda forced and it's just not MiB without Will Smith. Anyone got a memory wipe device for me?
4. 6 Underground
This is the most Michael Bay movie of all time. I'm honestly surprised the car they were driving didn't turn into a Transformer halfway through. Tons of explosions, gunshots, and action that starts with a 16 minute(!) car chase. It will make your head hurt. The music sounds like a soundtrack from Madden 15. It gets way too jumpy with time jumps and a dumb plot that I still don't fully understand the point of. Kill a dictator and replace him with his democratic brother because the US won't do it? The US has done that a million times and it fails nearly every time. The heist team's getaway driver (Dave Franco) gets yeeted right off the bat and they replace the DRIVER with a SNIPER... guys, what? They also laugh at a man crying at his brother's funeral. How is that funny? Ryan Reynolds does have a couple lines that are pretty meta so maybe it was all just a big joke.
3. Murder Mystery
Well well, Adam Sandler. You've managed to be in one of the best movies of the year (Uncut Gems) and one of the worst. Usually in Sandler's bad movies I laugh some and can remember some funny stuff. I can't remember one thing from this movie. It's on Netflix though so it has that going for it. Whatever, secure the bag Sand Man. You deserve a best actor nod for Uncut Gems. I respect it.
2. Dark Phoenix
I don't think DP is the worst movie in the X-Men series or that it's worse than that just plain awful Fantastic 4 reboot with Miles Teller and Michael B. Jordan. Dark Phoenix has some really cool action sequences but the rest of it was completely phoned in. The dialogue was so bad. I had low expectations though so I wasn't too surprised. Sophie Turner tried her best. I hope Disney does the X-Men the right way.
1. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
Otherwise known as that Netflix movie where Zac Efron plays Ted Bundy. Listen, this is not me hating on Zac Efron, I think he's very good at certain roles and I actually really like him in a lot of stuff. But I fell asleep like 4 times in this movie and it took me multiple days to finish. It was just flat out boring court room/relationship drama. It's not fun to watch things about a person as horrible as Ted Bundy and I thought this movie glamorized him to the point that I was a little uneasy.
Bonus: Cats
I haven't seen Cats. I'm not going to pay money to see Cats. I've watched the trailer and clips and read enough reviews to know that this is one of the worst movies of the year. People are walking out of theaters left and right mortified by the horrifying looking human-cat hybrids. Get Taylor Swift as far away from this as possible. I'm sure the Broadway play and music is delightful. But oh what a train wreck the movie is.
Thanks for checking out my Top 10 of the year! Let me know in the comments what your favorite movies of the year were! Be sure to like and subscribe if you want to keep reading my posts, and thank you to those that have already! I will post my most anticipated movies for 2020 soon! Have a Happy New Year and I look forward to 2020 with you guys!
- BH
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