10) Midsommar A really f’ed-up, somewhat artsy horror flick that really stuck in my mind, thanks to its gorgeous Swedish setting, the unique “creepy traditional festival” conceit, and an excellent lead performance by Florence Pugh.
9) Blinded by the Light It’s corny, it’s cheesily made — and I loved it. Yes, I’m an admitted Springsteenophile, but this based-on-a-true story of a 16-year-old Pakistani in 1980s working-class England is for anyone who has found inspiration in art — that special secret connection when images, words, sounds, etc. speak directly to you, taking you out of your own world and showing you a different, brighter path, to a land of hope and dreams.
8) The Dead Don’t Die Contrary to popular opinion, this was Adam Driver’s best performance of the year. He and also-terrific Bill Murray are small-town cops in this goofball, fourth-wall-disregarding zombie flick spoof/tribute. Longtime fave Jim Jarmusch gives us laughs and scares and cool cameos and weirdness. You might feel differently about this flick, perhaps even vehemently, but it appealed to my own bizarro subset of sensibilities, and that’s a rare and special thing.
7) Us Even better than Jordan Peele’s previous effort, Get Out. The first half is taut psychological thriller; in the second half, Peele just starts throwing shit around. Scary, yes, but also funny, fun, smart, and satirical. Lupita Nyong’o is awesome as the mom. Perhaps the most entertaining movie of the year.
6) Gloria Bell A bravura lead portrayal by Julianne Moore absolutely carries this grownup film, about a long-divorced woman trying to live her best life, face the challenges and rewards of a “mature” relationship, hang in there as all around her falls to shit, and when all else fails, go out dancing. I genuinely feel it was an Oscar-worthy performance.
5) Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker A joyous, very satisfying conclusion to the 9-installment saga that has meant so much to, ahem, those of us of a certain age. J.J. Abrams does George Lucas proud (despite what Lucas himself might think) with top-notch action, big laughs, and real emotion. With a smile on my face and tears filling my eyes, I said goodbye to some of my oldest friends, and new ones I’ve met along the way.
4) Dark Waters The important, true story of heroic lawyer Robert Bilott (impressively played by Mark Ruffalo), who battled DuPont when their waste materials in rural West Virginia were poisoning cows… and maybe people too. The real case was exhausting and the movie kind of is also — understandably. But when all is said and done, director Todd Haynes delivers the most powerful film I saw all year.
3) The Irishman What a gift to us movie lovers: The greatest living director re-teams with some of the greatest actors of all time, and the result is a tremendously crafted epic tale of power, pride, politics, corruption, family, loyalty, prejudice, and the extreme personal toll of a life of crime. De Niro, Pacino, and Pesci all step up big time for the master, Scorsese.
2) Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool Five stars out of five? I’d never before given 5 stars to a new release. But for what this documentary set out to do — tell the story of Davis’s life, for better and worse, in a clear and entertaining way — it was flawless. I learned so much about this towering figure in jazz, thanks to many primary-source recollections, but didn’t realize how much I’d laugh along the way. A delight. And for any true music fan, a must-see.
1) Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood Quentin Tarantino’s love letter to the golden days of TV and moviemaking — and the changing of the generational guard at the end of the 60s — had me smiling all the way through its 2 hours, 40 minutes. Brad Pitt, Margo Robbie, and especially Leonardo DiCaprio are perfection, and the film is loaded with superbly acted smaller roles. How much did I love this movie? I went to see it three times.
Honorable mentions: Jojo Rabbit, High Life, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Western Stars, Godzilla: King of Monsters, Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love, Dumbo, Asbury Park: Riot, Redemption, Rock ‘n Roll
Worst movie: A few real disappointments, but I didn’t see anything horrifically bad in 2019!
New releases I saw this year: 34
My best-of lists from: 2018, 2017/16, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009
You can check out all my movie reviews by clicking here.
I only saw #5 and #3. I liked the Start Wars movie, and I loved The Irishman, though it is a marathon.
Hah. Star Wars.
(Even my auto-correct is nervous this week.)