Best movies of 2019?

Cafe Society
1

Here is my top 10 list as of December 27. I’ve seen nearly everything from 2019 I was anticipating. Here are my top 10 with a brief descriptions and a few honorable-mentions at the end.

  1. Avengers: Endgame - An incredible achievement and the rare pop-culture moment that lives up to its hype. A great movie, a great finale, and really just an excellent movie. Impressive in so many ways. I consider this movie a total victory.

  2. The Nightingale - Probably the most intense movie of the year and also one of the best. This movie falls into the “amazing, but not for everyone” category because it is incredibly intense and traumatic. Still, the experience is worth it and the movie delivers on its difficult opening.

  3. The Lighthouse - Both lead actors should win a shared Academy Award. The strongest performance movie of the year and a very strange, funny, and great film.

  4. **Jojo Rabbit **- the funniest movie of the year and also quite touching and moving. I love Taika Waititi and have yet to see a bad movie he is involved in on the creative side. He really was one of the top directors of the decade and this may be viewed as a minor work in the future, it is still a very solid one.

  5. Parasite - There is a reason that this movie is building steam towards a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars. I’ve now seen it twice and I find that I liked it even more the second time. Bong Joon-ho shows again why he is one of the great directors working in movies today. A unique, strange, funny, and completely crazy movie that you will remember for a long time.

  6. **Always Be My Maybe **- Streams on Netflix right now and well worth it. Funny, charming, such a great experience. The funniest movie of the year by quite a bit.

  7. Once Upon a Time In Hollywood - This is a movie that is basically two movies knitted together. The good thing is that both movies work very well. I’m not sure whether I prefer the “actor past his prime” movie or the “stunt man finds the Manson group” movie better, but in the end, they merge and come together in a very satisfying way.

  8. **Midsommar **- Last year, Hereditary my top pick of the year, so it is only natural for me to be disappointed in Midsommar. I was hoping for more, but while some may find it haunting and scary, I found it to be only a little bit of either of those. It was a very good movie and it is nice to see a scary movie that takes place entirely in the daytime(and brightly lit throughout). Well worth a watch.

  9. Joker - What a surprise. I was not expecting to enjoy this movie as much as a did. Almost a shame it has a connection to the Joker character from the comics as this movie really is about a mentally ill man and how he struggles to fit in. A lot better than expected and I kind of forgot it is technically a comic-book movie.

  10. **The Perfection **- 2019 wide release in USA. Go in blind, expect nothing. This movie packs a lot into a short space and was quite the ride.

Honorable mentions:

I Want To Eat Your Pancreas(animated)
Doctor Sleep
Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker

2

Here are my top five movies in kind of an order:

Avengers Endgame

Us

Shazam!

Ready or Not

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Spider-Man Far from Home

The Disappoinments (movies I had hoped to love but didn’t):

Rise of Skywalker

Godzilla King of the Monsters (this franchise has burned me twice now)

Booksmart

It Chapter Two

3

My thoughts on Quimby’s:
Avengers Endgame - agreed, great movie

Us - good, but really could not crack my top list of the year.

Shazam! - stunningly, I did not like this movie at all. I was in the minority

Ready or Not - Watching it now(I am half-way through).

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - I liked this a lot

Spider-Man Far from Home - a great, but lesser sequel to Homecoming

The Disappoinments (movies I had hoped to love but didn’t):

Rise of Skywalker - I have seen it twice and honestly, I like it quite a bit.

Godzilla King of the Monsters (this franchise has burned me twice now) - terrible movie, on my worst list

Booksmart - ??? Never heard of

It Chapter Two - I saw both Chapters this year, not having seen the original. My wife and I thought there were a few moments, but otherwise totally worthless. I preferred Doctor Sleep, to be honest.

4

Of the movies I saw in 2019, the only ones that really made a lasting impression were Avengers: Endgame and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Great movies, though obviously for very different reasons.

5

My top ten would be:

  1. Midsommar
  2. Joker
  3. Jojo Rabbit
  4. 1917
  5. The Last Black Man in San Francisco
  6. Waves
  7. The Lighthouse
  8. The Irishman
  9. Marriage Story
  10. Knives Out
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I still have several (probably) great movies to see from 2019, but these are my favorites so far, in order:

Marriage Story
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Rocketman
The Irishman
The Farewell
Yesterday
Apollo 11

Disappointed by:

Us
Booksmart
Breakthrough

7

Also wanted to add ten more that could easily be in the top as well (this year had a lot of great films):

Apollo 11 (I forgot this came out early 2019)
Avengers: Endgame
Parasite
Doctor Sleep
The Farewell
Uncut Gems
Honey Boy
The Peanut Butter Falcon
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
The Art of Self Defense

8

On reflection, it was a pretty good year for movies, though it started off pretty slow. My list of the year’s “best movies” stands at 24. If I had to pick 10 movies from those:

*The Mustang
Shadow
Photograph
The Last Black Man In San Francisco
Wild Rose
The Farewell
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Joker
Parasite
Marriage Story
*
Looking at IMDB, my absolute favorite of the year was apparently released internationally in 2017, though it was released here in the theaters this year, so I’m not including it my 2019 Best list (but it was the best movie I saw all year):

Tigers Are Not Afraid

Some great documentaries from 2019:

They Shall Not Grow Old
Amazing Grace
Echo in the Canyon
Maiden
Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love
Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool
Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice
63 Up

And just to get a little controversial, I saw all the Marvel and DC releases this year and the best superhero movie of the year was:

Fast Color

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peccavi, your list melts me. I’ve seen all of those movies and liked all but one (sorry, more Marriage Story for you). Just the fact that you singled out Fast Color and Tigers Are Not Afraid makes me want to be your best friend. Not a creepy, clingy friend though, I promise.

It’s been an AMAZING year for me. I saw a bonkers insane amount of movies in the theater (662) and have so many favorites I can’t even list them all.

My top movies are:

  1. JoJo Rabbit
  2. Once Upon A Time …In Hollywood
  3. Fast Color
  4. Knives Out
  5. Tigers Are Not Afraid

Those, especially the first 3, are pretty much set in stone. Others in no particular order (because the thought of trying to rank them makes me cry) would include Badla (India),The Kitchen, Joker, 1917, The Farewell, Captain Marvel (and the other superhero movies this year), Apollo 11, Saand Ki Aankh (India), Parasite (South Korea), First Love (Japan), Dolomite Is My Name, Ad Astra, Monos (Colombia), Love, Antosha, Ready Or Not, Yesterday, Blinded By the Light, Super 30 (India), Wild Rose, Maiden, The Last Black Man In San Francisco, Under The Silver Lake, Rocketman, John Wick 3, Booksmart, Portrait Of A Lady On Fire (France), Pain & Glory, Prosecuting Evil, The Mustang, The Man Who Killed Don Quoxite, High Life, The Lighthouse, Diane, Peterloo, JT LeRoy, Kesari (India), Hail, Satan?, Be Natural: The Untold Story Of Alice Guy-Blaché, The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil (South Korea), Diamantino (Portugal), American Woman, 5B, The Spy Behind Home Plate, 63 Up, The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir, Good Boys, Ip Man 4: The Finale (China), and on and on. Look, I realize how annoying this list is, but I could list a couple/three dozen more. It’s been a great year for me. There WERE movies I didn’t like, but I prefer to celebrate the movies I did like.

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WOW. How is that even possible? That’s 2 per day, almost every single day of the year! I saw a total of 121 in theaters and I thought *that *was a lot!

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Thanks for the compliment and…662? Wow! I assume you are either in a job that facilitates this volume or really, really well off. I only keep track of movies seen in the theater and this year managed 139, which I thought was quite an accomplishment.

I’ve highlighted a few you mention that are on my overall “highly recommended” list (I don’t really like the term “best” applied to art, but I do believe that there are movies that stand out each year and which reward the viewer beyond just a couple of pleasant hours passed, so I use “highly recommended”).

I agree that **Captain Marvel **was the best of the “franchise” Marvel/DC movies I saw this year.

**First Love **was just out and out bonkers fun (gory fun, but fun). **Ready or Not **is a movie that hit me the same way and was just as much bonkers fun.

“Dolomite…” was reminder of how much on-screen charisma Eddie Murphy is capable of and how good he can be when the screenplay is good.

I’m still trying to wrap my head around Monos. I’m not sure it achieves what it sets out to achieve, but boy, what a journey!

**Pain & Glory **really showcased how talented Antonio Banderas is and is much more entertaining than a plot summary might suggest.

I missed **Portrait of a Lady on Fire **when it did its obligatory week here, but I see from previews that the Landmark will be showing it in January, so it is one I’m really looking forward to.

12

It’s a waste for me to just see one movie. I usually see at least 2, and very often more. I have 5 movies planned for tomorrow. Part of that is because AMC is showing the short-listed documentaries this next week, for only $5.60 each (plus tax I assume). 4 of the 5 movies I’m seeing are docs. I’ll see several others this next week.

I just love seeing movies in the theater so seeing several in a row, even seeing some in different theaters on the same day (I’m very good at planning these things) is no chore for me.

Neither. I’m just a regular person. I have AMC A*List and Regal Unlimited and use them both to their max. I have a few memberships so tickets are cheap or even free sometimes. When I have to I look for discounts days, matinees, early bird cheap showings and senior discounts. I get emails about free screenings all the time and go see as many as I can. I volunteered at the Chicago International Film Festival and got vouchers for each shift I worked. I saw a lot of movies that way, plus there were several free screenings for volunteers. I saw movies like Harriet, Just Mercy, The Aeronauts, Knives Out and several others back in October.

Seeing movies in the theater is a hobby, and I’m sure I spend a lot less than some people spend on their hobbies. How much are tickets to premium plays nowadays? How much are decent seats to sporting events? Movies make me happy (well, sad ones don’t, but that I can see them on a big screen does). It wasn’t always like this and it won’t always be like this, but I’m enjoying it while I can.

I just got back from seeing Hope and Glory again. Though I’m pulling for Joaquin Phoenix to win Best Actor, I hope Antonio Banderas at least gets nominated.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire was a free advance screening from one of my memberships. I plan to go see it again when it opens.

I’m glad you liked Captain Marvel!

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Ha, of course I meant PAIN & GLORY, not the 1987 John Boorman film (“Men are fighting and dying to save all the PINK bits for you ungrateful little twerps!”).

14

There were a number of good movies last year.

But Midsommer is the only one that’s unforgettable.

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My Top Ten… well, actually my Top Twenty.
The Top Ten, for me, will probably maintain this ranking as I reevaluate as time goes on but there’s just too many great films from 2019 that I would hate to leave unmentioned. 11 through 20 probably shift a little more back and forth depending on my mood or frame of mind.

[ol]
[li]The Last Black Man in San Francisco[/li][li]Little Women[/li][li]The Farewell[/li][li]Parasite[/li][li]Monos[/li][li]Knives Out[/li][li]JoJo Rabbit[/li][li]Gully Boy[/li][li]Greener Grass[/li][li]Us[/li][li]Pain and Glory[/li][li]Fast Color[/li][li]Booksmart[/li][li]Them That Follow[/li][li]Tigers are Not Afraid[/li][li]Portrait of a Lady on Fire[/li][li]The Lighthouse[/li][li]Nightingale [/li][li]Before You Know It[/li][li]Honey Boy[/li][/ol]
NOTE:
Yes, I saw Once Upon a Time and I saw Joker and Marriage Story and The Irishman… and I did like them. They just didn’t crack my top twenty.

I loved Endgame in the fuller context of the MCU but not as a standalone movie. Captain Marvel stood a better chance of getting into my top twenty… just didn’t quite make it.

I missed Midsommar.

16

Thank you bienville for also mentioning Fast Color and Tigers Are Not Afraid! Great list. I’ve seen all the movies on your list except Greener Grass. I think it only played midnight shows for one weekend at the Music Box. I’m sorry I missed it. It sounded hilarious.

I missed putting Gully Boy on my list above, but it should have been there. This is what I tweeted about it last February:

It was India’s entry into the Oscars, but didn’t make the short list that the nominees for International Feature will be chosen from.

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By far the best movie I saw that came out (in the US) in 2019 was Hotel Mumbai

Others I enjoyed:
The Kitchen
It Chapter Two
Happy Death Day 2U
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

All in all, it wasn’t a banner year for movie viewing. I was bummed I didn’t get to see Dr. Sleep or 21 Bridges before they abruptly disappeared out of theaters here.

And I’m surprised to see my least favorite movie of 2019 on people’s lists, because I personally thought Midsommar was awful.

18

Y’know how you (you being “most people”) have your real life, and then you have a fantasy life you think about once in a while? Well, Equipose is living my fantasy life.

19

Someone else mentioned The Kitchen! Thanks elfkin477. I don’t feel so all alone. It got terrible reviews but I thought it was electrifying. I saw it 3 times in the theater and wish I’d seen it more.

Aw, thanks. I’m retired now so I can do what I want. I’m seeing 4 movies today, at 2 different theaters. I saw 3 yesterday and 5 Friday. All very worth my time.

I grew up on a Kansas farm, obsessed by movies even then. I watched as many movies as I could on TV. Going to the theater, even the Drive-In, was a rare and special thing, at least until I got a car. My fantasies growing up were about owning my own movie theater so I could see movies on the big screen any time I wanted, or at least having some sort of home theater setup decades before home theaters were a thing. I dedicate my moviegoing now to that kid. If I could go back and speak to her, I’d let her know that, though it’s taken many many decades, I’m finally living HER fantasy life.

20

I watched Fast Color(it is on Hulu) and honestly, it was pretty good. This and Aniara(also on Hulu) remind me of each other in one key way.

They are mainly great in their last 30 minutes, but struggle with the slow buildup to that final 30 minutes. If I saw either of these in the theater, I would leave the theater impressed mainly because the final act of each movie is super impressive. However, neither of those movies are great throughout.

Has anyone else checked out Aniara? I still recommend it despite some rough going in the opening parts of the movie. In fact, it was better than Fast Color in my opinion.