By Shane Conto
In a world of cinema…2019 turned out to be a mixed bag. Big studios pumped out plenty of disappointing remakes or sequels that fell flat. Disney ruled the box office with plenty of billion-dollar films while a few surprise “mid-budget” films blew up like Joker and Knives Out. Smaller films have been impressing critics and audiences alike to balance out the disappointing. 2019 is also the dawn of new streaming excellence as Netflix has put out some of the top films of the year. But when it is all said and done, what are my top films of the year?
Who would have ever thought that one half of Key & Peele would be taking the film world by storm with his horror/thrillers that feel like feature length, new age Twilight Zone episodes? Jordan Peele is at it again with Us, a film that mixes dark humor, class commentary, and a twisting turning thrill ride that is oh so satisfying. Lupita Nyong’o gives an awards worthy performance that is raw, intense, and animalistic. An early release date might hurt this one for awards season but I still think about it all these months later.
What happens when a big studio goes back to its Hollywood roots to tell a great underdog story that relies on friendship and cars instead of big CGI set pieces? You get James Mangold’s Ford V Ferrari. A film that feels like old school Hollywood filmmaking, this one centers around top-notch performances by Matt Damon (the emotional anchor of the film) and Christian Bale (the larger than life lightening rod of energy). I am not really into cars but this film made me care about the process of creating the next great vehicle and then matching one of the most exhilarating car scenes in the history of film.
How often do you sit to watch a film that feels like a raw force of human emotion for two plus hours? Not very often but that sure as hell is the way I felt leaving Waves. Trey Edward Shults follows up from his paranoia driven It Comes At Night with Waves, a film centered around two young relationships. One is tragic and spiraling as it leads up to one of the most devastating cinematic moments of 2019 and one is a budding relationship involving a young woman trying to pick up the emotional pieces of his fracturing family. The performances are incredible as the emotions are truly delivered by Taylor Russell, Kelvin Harrison Jr, and Sterling K Brown.
Who doesn’t love that feel good movie of the year that makes you feel uplifted and hopeful for life after that film? Well Marriage Story is definitely not that film. Marriage Story is an impressively real take on the process of divorce and two people falling out of love. This film is hard to watch as the tensions build around this very real and human fight leading up to one of the most impressive scenes of the year. Noah Baumbach delivers “with the pen” and behind the camera with a story that is sharp and well written but also emotionally resonant. If this film does not get both Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson Oscars, I would be shocked.
Do you paint houses? Or do you give Martin Scorsese a huge budget to create a three and a half gangster movie epic that is in reality a deconstruction of the genre that Scorsese helped create? Apparently, Netflix thought the latter. The Irishman is one of the riskiest film of the year as Scorsese has waited years to create this film with a group of the greatest actors of their time while utilizing new technology to have them play the same characters across decades. The dialogue is sharp, the message is powerful, the suspense is poignant, and the acting will blow you away. That runtime flew by in the theater as I sat there wishing more people saw it on the big screen. Who do you sell such a risky project? DeNiro, Pacino, Pesci and Scorsese. Done.
Going into this year, who did you think would be giving the top male performances in film? Unless you were being very hopeful, I doubt you would have said Adam Sandler. But what happened in reality? Adam Sandler delivers one of the most magnetic and electrifying performances of the year. Uncut Gems is a force of suspense, style, and energy as the audience follows a scumbag too charismatic to hate as he disappoints you at every turn by making the risky choice. If you think that going in, you will be surprised as hell by how engrossed you feel by the end.
How does a director follow up after making one of the most polarizing pop culture blockbusters of recent memory? Rian Johnson goes out and creates a modern Agatha Christie mystery with one of the most incredible ensembles of the year. Knives Out is one of the funniest films of the year while also delivering a layered and rich script that hits societal commentary throughout while delivering a truly engaging murder mystery all at that same time. Ana de Armas is a revelation as she leads this stacked cast of characters in a whimsical and dangerous romp. But you cannot speak of this film without discussing Daniel Craig. Craig turns out to be a committed comedic genius (first displayed in Logan Lucky) as his Benoit Blanc is a delight to behold on screen.
How would Bong Joon Ho follow-up his popular and inventive sci-fi offerings of Snowpiercer and Okja? Ho creates one of the most subversive dramas of 2019. When you first start Parasite, you are treated with laughs as you watch a despicable family slowly weasel their way into employment by a rich family. But what comes next? Revealing that would ruin the excitement and thrills that follow. What I can say is that this story will take you for an emotional and powerful ride packed with well written and subtle societal commentary as well as thrills that will leave you shocked by the end.
What twisted and terrifying film could Robert Eggers come up with to follow his unnerving and brilliant debut, The Witch? Eggers made an isolated film on an island, short in black and white, with a reduced aspect ratio, and filled with sea chanties. The Lighthouse is one of the most unexpected films of the year as Eggers let’s Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe loose on each other in a high tension and claustrophobic atmosphere. Pattinson and Dafoe are all in as mayhem ensues around every corner. This film will shock you with its visuals, story, and the rising tension that boils over the brim. Definitely the weirdest film on this list but also one of the most challenging and satisfying cinematic experiences of the year.
What earns such a film like Jojo Rabbit the number one spot on my list for 2019? Could it be the incredibly biting and hilarious satire of one of the darkest times in human history? Could it be the finesse that Taika Waititi uses to navigate a tightrope of tones for a film that hits many belly laughs and gut punches alike? Could it be the poignant and always relevant message against hate that still needs to be learned? How about the zany band of characters that fill out the film from an imaginary Hitler to a quirky mother trying to raise her son right to a pair of young people trying to navigate this terrible world they live? Or maybe it is the earnest performances across the board that at times seem over the top yet deliver the needed emotional impact to invest the audience? I would say it is all of those reasons and then some. This film simultaneously gives you the biggest laughs and most crushing emotional beats all in one and that my friend is a film worth seeking out.
Keep your eye out for more Top 2019 list for 2019’s movies in January as we reflect on last year.