Another year has come to an end, and with it, another awards season dawns. Before I get into what has made the top 10 on my own personal list, I feel the need to add a caveat. These are my most favourite movies of the year so far! Especially as a cinephile in Australia, we have yet to receive some of 2019’s major awards contenders. I have also yet to make my away around to watching some of the big-ticket items of the year such as The Irishman and The Two Popes, so the below may change as early as tomorrow for all I know.
However, until then, through the absolute slog that was this year’s movie landscape, some real gems have managed to make the cut. And so, I humbly present my picks for the best movies of 2019…so far!
Many thought this ‘reimagining’ took away the magic present in the original, turning it into another cash grab by the head mouse. Although I’ve heard these opinions, valid as they may be, I still can’t get over the absolute stunning work done by the VFX team at Disney. Something as little as the sky looks like it’s just been filmed on a camera like any other live action movie, even though my logical side knows that everything I’m seeing on screen has been animated. It’s mesmerising and, in a way more affecting, with certain scenes hitting me in a way that the original was never quite able to. I may be in the minority here, but I’ll be glad to watch this one for years to come.
Dastardly. That’s how I would describe the going on’s in this film, as well as its cast of characters. From the moment of the first police cross-examination, there’s an air of deception and a twinge of mistrust. Rian Johnson crafts a modern Christie murder mystery with a twist in a twist! It’s fun, it’s intriguing and even the smallest role has something worth remembering for later. I’d even say it’s one of the most interactive and rewatchable movies of the year, with audiences working along side Daniel Craig’s private detective to get to the centre of this crime. All in all, it’s just oodles of fun, both for those watching, and I’m sure, for those who made it.
I know it’s a competitive year, as always, but my god, just give Taron Egerton the Oscar. He not only embodies Elton John, he becomes him. Add that to his absolutely spectacular voice and this is a film that I’m still thinking about, even though I saw it all the way back in Feb. For someone who wasn’t all that up on Elton John, minus his Kingsman cameo and some of his songs, I felt that this really opened up who he was and showed the intimate insights into his talent and struggles. The performances are fantastic, the songs are worth the price of admission on their own, and the story is one for the ages.
I wouldn’t say this was the end of an era per se; more that it was the culmination of almost a generation of work. Beginning from the sole superhero movie of Iron Man back in 2008, it’s absolutely insane to think of the heights that Marvel has now reached! Topping themselves with every movie they bring out, their proven consistency in quality is one that has kept people coming back for all kinds of stories and themes. None more so impressive than this 2019 blockbuster, which smashed every record any other film had conceived of making. Exciting, emotional, and with one of the best climaxes in cinematic history, it’s a film that felt like so much more, and therefore couldn’t miss its spot on my favourites list.
Just when you think they couldn’t possibly think of any more stories to do with this rag-tag group of toys, that they couldn’t possibly meet the quality of the last one, Pixar goes ahead and tops themselves! Although no one asked for it, and many questioned it, somehow Toy Story 4 is by far my favourite in the series. Absolutely hilarious, while also being incredibly touching, it explores more mature themes than in the previous films, and yet somehow keeps the childlike magic that is sure to touch the hearts of anyone watching, no matter how cynical.
I love Taika Waititi. There’s no two ways about it, I love him. Everything he produces is an absolute riot that manages to have a great heart at its centre. This one is no different, with there only being more gravitas due to its intense subject matter. The performances are delightful, perfectly traversing the tricky balance of having to play despicable people, with enough humour to keep it as light as it needs to be. No task greater than that of Waititi himself who had to take the cursed role of imaginary friend Hitler. Fun, frantic and at times devastating, it’s a great romp for anyone that sees it. In fact, I may have to go in for a second watch myself to see if I can find even more of the small intricacies in its moments.
Ooft. This is a heavy one. Not necessarily in that it’s emotionally taxing, but more that once this movie hits it stride, by god it is a ride and a half. Lets just say that I was literally climbing over my seat over how tense I was, I physically couldn’t still myself from stress! Now I went into this knowing almost nothing, and I believe this is the correct strategy to fully embrace what it is the director wanted to achieve and communicate about modern society. It’s directed by Bong Joon-ho B(Snowpiercer, Okja) and it takes place in Korea, that’s all I’m going to tell you. Now go watch it and I wish you good luck.
Ooft. This is a heavy one. No you’re not reading the same paragraph twice, the sentence applies here just as much as it does above. However, this time it IS for the emotional taxation. Following the separation and consequential divorce of Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson’s characters it’s one of the most human movies I’ve ever seen. Absolutely compelling in its raw emotion, it’s a deconstruction of what it means to separate from your forever amicably, while the system tries to rip you apart piece by piece. It’s sad, it’s happy, it’s intense, it’s funny and it’s a perfect representation of relationships and their scrutiny in the modern age. It’s also got some of the best performances and raw filmmaking I’ve seen in an age. Honestly every scene could be used as an ‘Oscar clip’, which is why I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the screen for a single moment.
RIVETING. THRILLING. That’s all I really need to describe what it means to watch this. Taking the classic underdog story, and adding some truly brutal sensations, the audience is taken from in the cinema to the passenger seat during each of its depicted races. Joe Mangold spins a wild tale of two men who had the gall to take on Ferrari on behalf of Ford, while battling the bureaucracy of the automotive giant itself, in order to achieve one of the greatest wins in racing history. If you like cars, you’ll love it, if you don’t you’ll still love it! Take it from someone who is in the latter, if the visceral nature of the action scenes doesn’t win you over, than the chemistry between Christian Bale and Matt Damon will.
This is one of the classics. Not only because the book is a literal classic novel, but the 1994 film is also seen to be at the top end of the scale book-t-film- adaptation wise. Therefore, it’s only natural that while there was a lot of talent behind this modern revisit, I was very hesitant going in. I really shouldn’t have been, as Greta Gerwig transforms the story into something with a whole other dimension of character and thematic inference. Characters who previously had been very one-sided are now fleshed out real people, and scenes that previously made me cringe, are now some of my absolute favourite. Add in that a cast made up of some of my favourite actresses’ of the age, not least Florence Pugh who is quickly becoming my favourite actor period, and you’ve got me hook, line and sinker. If that, or the absolutely stunning cinematography isn’t enough to convince you, let’s just say that I spent the entire movie holding back constant tears from happiness, frustration and sadness. If a movie is able to do that, then it’s definitely worth your while.