2019's top 20 films
Oscar nominations arrived a little earlier than usual this year, leaving those living outside of New York and L.A. scrambling to see many of the final awards contenders (“1917,” the recent Golden Globe winner for Best Picture, only arrived in the Inland Northwest this past week).
Several of those Oscar-nominated films make my personal list of the best movies of 2019, drawn from seeing around 95 or so of that year’s titles.
Notable exclusions include “Joker,” a movie I didn’t care for despite Juaquin Phoenix’s commanding performance, and “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,” which might be this year’s frontrunner to win the Oscar for Best Picture. I liked Quentin Tarantino’s quite a bit but struggled with the film’s final act.
Even without those on the list, there’s still plenty of great cinema to celebrate from last year. Here’s where I land at the moment.
1. Us
My head tells me the #2 and #3 movies on this list are the objective best movies of the year. However, Jordan Peele’s “Us,” the ambitious horror follow-up to the writer/director’s Oscar-winning “Get Out,” is the movie in my heart that best represents 2019.
Anchored by the performance of the year, Lupita Nyong’o in a spellbinding (and Oscar snubbed) dual role, “Us” tells an unsettling story of underground doppelgangers rising up and unshackling themselves from their privileged counterparts. It’s a big idea told from the perspective of a single family being terrorized by their animalistic doubles, and Nyong’o plays both victim and villain in spectacular fashion, especially as Peele’s script begins to blur the lines between good and evil.
Peele takes a gigantic leap in the director’s chair, fueling the film with both poetic movement and spellbinding tension. Even if the worldbuilding isn’t as airtight as “Get Out,” the thematic undertones strike hard, telling a distinctly American story about the unseen consequences of capitalistic pursuits. The “us” in “Us” is certainly open for interpretation, though it’s likely Peele is referring to you, me and everyone we know.
It’s also the most fun I’ve had at the movies all year, and that’s got to count for something. Available on home video platforms.
2. The Irishman
At three-and-a-half hours, Martin Scorsese’s latest epic casts a spell that never breaks, culminating in a gut-punching final stretch that serves as a soulful punctuation mark on a career full of flashier gangster tales. Robert De Niro as mob “house painter” Frank Sheeran gives his best performance in many years, Joe Pesci steals the movie in a magnetic against-type role and Al Pacino goes the perfect level of “big” as a larger-than-life Jimmy Hoffa.
Borrowing a few words from Steven Zaillian’s brilliant, decades-spanning screenplay - “It is what it is.” A masterpiece. Available on Netflix.
3. Parasite
Tough to categorize and impossible to forget, director Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” clicks together so perfectly, even when (redacted) happens, and then (redacted) happens. It’s unpredictable, thrilling, and best discovered by knowing as little about it as possible beforehand.
The film begins with a poor family almost comically working their way into the employ of a rich household, and the degree of infiltration rivals the stakes of a good “Mission: Impossible” set piece. Then the story takes a turn or two or 12.
“Parasite” has a lot to say about class division (covering some of the same thematic ground as “Us” and Rian Johnson’s terrific murder mystery “Knives Out”) without suppressing the exhilaration of a brilliantly-told thriller. Still in theaters. Arriving on blu-ray and rental platforms on Jan. 28.
4. The Farewell
Lulu Wang’s heart-wrenching family dramedy follows an incredible Awkafina as a Chinese-American who struggles with her family’s decision to withhold her beloved grandmother’s fatal cancer diagnosis. Even with that heavy premise, “The Farewell” beams with warmth and humor, and every character, especially Zhao Shuzhen as the grandmother, is wonderfully-drawn and deeply empathetic. Available on home video.
5. Little Women
The Louisa May Alcott classic gets an astounding and definitive adaptation from “Lady Bird” writer/director Greta Gerwig. The movie messes with the story’s chronology to magnify the drama and create new thematic resonance throughout, culminating in a finale that feels both modern and essential. The cast, anchored by the superlative Saoirse Ronan, is simply perfect. Now in theaters.
6. Marriage Story
Adam Driver and Scarlett Johannson both deliver devastating work as a couple unraveling through the process of an increasingly messy divorce. In his past work, writer/director Noah Baumbach frequently humanizes flawed characters through humor and relatable behavior patterns. “Marriage Story” is his most well-observed and engrossing study of everyday human conflict yet. Available on Netflix.
7. Toy Story 4
Dismissed by some as an enjoyable-but-unnecessary epilogue to 2010’s more “finale-minded” “Toy Story 3,” the latest Pixar sequel explores a deeper and more resonant character evolution for Woody (voiced again by Tom Hanks). While some legacy characters sit out much of this adventure, “Toy Story 4” re-introduces a better-defined Bo Peep (voice of Annie Potts) in a way that recontextualizes Woody’s journey throughout the series. Ultimately, the film builds to an even-more satisfying (and tear-inducing) farewell to a beloved character (and series). Plus, Forky! Available on home video.
8. Midsommar
The terror in Ari Aster’s sprawling follow-up to “Hereditary” happens in broad daylight, with Florence Pugh (having a breakout year with this, “Little Women” and “Fighting with my Family”) commanding the screen as an audience surrogate to the most twisted Swedish festival ever conceived. Even with all the blood, Aster’s movie works even better as a study of toxic relationships. Available on home video and streaming on Amazon Prime.
9. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
This surprisingly-offbeat look at Fred Rogers begins to work its magic the second Tom Hanks appears on screen as the beloved children’s TV icon. Yet, Marielle Heller’s film focuses mostly on the magazine writer (Matthew Rhys, in a criminally underrated performance) tasked with profiling Mister Rogers for a story. Rather than following the boring biopic path, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” dramatizes the essence of Mister Rogers’ simple-but-resonant beliefs on anger, loss and forgiveness. Now in theaters and available on home video on Feb. 18.
10. Transit
This drama from German director Christian Petzhold takes a distinctly World War II-set novel by Anna Seghers about a refugee trying to escape Nazi persecution and turns it into a modern story without any overreaching political context (the refugee is attempting escape from an unnamed regime). The decision, combined with some purposefully deceptive voice-over narration, fuels the twisty, almost dreamlike progression of the film that ultimately culminates with a unique and mournful romance. Available on Amazon Prime.
11. 1917
More than just a remarkable technical achievement (the entire film plays out in a series of long takes designed to mimic a continuous shot), “1917” captivates thanks to the humane, riveting performances by its two leads (George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman). Director Sam Mendes and legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins frame World War I from a singular, ground-level perspective with thrilling results. Now in theaters.
12. The Lighthouse
Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe go cuckoo-bananas in this bizarre nightmare from “The Witch” writer/director Robert Eggers. The boxy, black-and-white cinematography fuels the claustrophobic and psychological thrills. And don’t cross the seagulls. Available on home video.
13. Avengers: Endgame
Yes, it’s the highest grossing movie of all time, thanks mostly to the all-encompassing marketing power of Disney. It’s also a remarkably satisfying climax to a 20+ movie saga, and it had the audacity to spend the first hour of its nimble three-hour runtime dealing with the trauma inflicted from last year’s “Infinity War.” The big fight at the end is fun, but there are some genuinely powerful character moments throughout. Available on home video and streaming on Disney+.
14. Ad Astra
This weird and visually-adventurous space epic from James Gray might turn some viewers off with its vicious moon pirates and deadly space monkeys. At the very least though, you’ve got to appreciate the big swing Gray takes with his story of absent fathers, emotionally-stifled sons and the world-ending consequences that separate them. If Brad Pitt weren’t so good in “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,” he’d be getting award nominations for this. Available on home video.
15. Uncut Gems
Made with verve to spare by the Safdie Brothers (“Good Time”), “Uncut Gems” is a two-hour anxiety attack of a movie, powered by a truly dominant Adam Sandler. Stop making so much nonsense, Sandman, and keep making movies like this. Now in theaters.
16. The Last Black Man in San Francisco
A nuanced and sensitive look at friendship, family legacy and gentrification, this impeccably executed feature-length debut from director Joe Talbot deserves as many eyes as possible. Available on home video and streaming on Amazon Prime.
17. Jojo Rabbit
Understandably divisive, Taika Waititi’s “Jojo Rabbit” walks a dangerous narrative tightrope in how it builds comedic tension out of historical atrocities. It isn’t always successful, but the unbelievably charming Roman Griffin Davis holds the film together as an impressionable boy living in Nazi Germany and caught between the power of propaganda and a greater moral imperative. Now in theaters.
18. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
This French drama follows an 18th century artist tasked with secretly painting the portrait of a woman being unwillingly married off to an unseen nobleman. Director Celine Sciamma utilizes striking cinematography and takes her time to unravel the complicated relationship between her two leads, eventually building to a stirring, unforgettable final scene. Returning to theaters in February.
19. Luce
Octavia Spencer, known for a few different incredible performances now, tops herself as a high school teacher who discovers some disturbing undertones in an essay by a star student (Kelvin Harrison Jr., excellent here as well as this year’s “Waves”). The movie wiggles around some contentious political and social content without ever steering too far into melodrama. Available on home video.
20. John Wick Chapter 3 - Parabellum
Movies can be a lot of things, but sometimes they just need to be an excuse to stage an extended knife fight between Keanu Reeves and a room full of goons. Stunning fight sequences and a welcome embrace of its silly premise propel this title just above some more highbrow titles from 2019. Available on home video.
Honorable Mentions:
“Ford v. Ferrari”
“Her Smell”
“Apollo 11”
“American Factory”
“Dolemite is My Name”
“Long Shot”
“Honey Boy”
“Knives Out”
“The Nightingale”
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Tyler Wilson can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com. He’s been writing professionally about movies since 2000 and is the co-host of Old Millennials Remember Movies, available everywhere you get podcasts and at OldMillennialsRemember.com.