What a great year for movies. From the highest grossing film of all time, to small-budget indies, to Scorsese and Tarantino epics, to grown adults dancing in digital fur, 2019 had something for everyone.
After 55 trips to the theater this year, I’ve seen a lot, but not everything, so if one of your favorites is missing, feel free to drop your ranking in the comments or send me an angry DM.
And no, Cats will not come anywhere near this list. Let’s get into it.
25. The Lighthouse (Robert Eggers)
Eggers’ follow-up to 2015’s The Witch follows two lighthouse keepers slowly losing their mind on a remote New England island in the 1890s. While the film’s heavy accents and mysterious plot can make it difficult to watch at times, Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe’s masterful performances more than make up for it. Eggers’ direction is also impressive – I’m still thinking about Dafoe’s monologue at the bottom of a ditch in one long, unbroken shot.
24. Midsommar (Ari Aster)
More artsy horror from A24! After 2018’s Hereditary, Aster turns the lights on and brings terrifying horror to the sunny exterior of a Swedish festival. Confession: Midsommar scarred me, and I never want to watch it again. But that’s a testament to the unnerving filmmaking here, and some shocking images that I can’t shake from my head. And don’t even get me started on that final scene.
23. Glass (M. Night Shyamalan)
[minor SPOILERS for Unbreakable and Split, which you definitely should see]
M. Night Shyamalan brings the characters across his newfound trilogy together brilliantly across the first two acts, giving fans the David Dunn action they’ve been waiting for since 2000’s Unbreakable (James McAvoy is incredible as well). While M. Night’s desire for one-too-many twists ends Glass on a sour note, the film still makes for an exciting trilogy capper, and an interesting examination of the superhero genre as a whole.
22. Yesterday (Danny Boyle)
Come for the Beatles nostalgia, stay for the surprisingly heartfelt romance. Yesterday poses the great “what if” question of a world where the Beatles never existed, but at its heart, the film just wants to talk about love. While Yesterday is incredibly cheesy, Lily James and Himesh Patel’s great chemistry help this stand out as one of the more entertaining films of the year.
21. Joker (Todd Phillips)
The first R-rated film to gross $1 billion, Joker doesn’t hit on everything it’s hyped up to be. At times, it feels like a direct rip-off of the better Taxi Driver, rather than an homage, and the “twists” are telegraphed poorly. And yet, Joaquin Phoenix gives an absolutely magnetic performance, and the film is refreshingly bold for the superhero genre. Hopefully Joker‘s success means we’ll get more dark, villain-focused films.
20. Parasite (Bong Joon-ho)
Currently sitting near the top of most critics’ “best of” lists, and at 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, you might find it blasphemous that I have Parasite this “low”. But for me, Parasite‘s two distinct halves, while entertaining and exciting on their own, led to an inconsistent tone, and an ending that didn’t quite stick the landing. Still, I’m nitpicking – this is a film unlike any other released this year, explores timely themes of class warfare, and it’ll stick with you long after the credits roll.
19. Ready or Not (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett)
Another film about class distinctions! Ready or Not sets up a deadly game of hide-and-seek, as the newly married Grace must run from her wealthy, murderous in-laws. Ready or Not was one of the most surprising films of the year, deftly balancing comedy and horror to deliver an engaging ride at the theater. With this, Samara Weaving (“wait – that’s not Margot Robbie?”) announced herself as a star, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.
18. Marriage Story (Noah Baumbach)
Well-acted and complex, Marriage Story stars Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson as a couple going through a divorce, with the accompanying challenges of moving across the country and having a son. While it’s not a film that’s necessarily saying anything new about marriage, Marriage Story is surprisingly funny, realistic, and heartfelt. Review here.
17. The Art of Self-Defense (Riley Stearns)
The Art of Self-Defense follows a down-on-his-luck loser who decides to enlist in a local dojo under a mysterious sensei. What ensues is like a black comedy version of Fight Club, with twists and revelations that you won’t see coming. Jesse Eisenberg is great in the main role, but the real standout is Alessandro Nivola as Sensei, who hilariously encapsulates masculine energy at its most stereotypical.
16. Knives Out (Rian Johnson)
Knives Out brings back the classic murder mystery genre with one of the years’ best casts and a whole lot of twists. The result is an entertaining crowd pleaser that allows each cast member to shine, especially Daniel Craig, Chris Evans and Ana de Armas. Review here.
15. El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (Vince Gilligan)
El Camino plays out like an epilogue to the Breaking Bad story, seamlessly continuing Jesse Pinkman’s story. Although that means the entire TV show is required viewing to enjoy this film, El Camino benefits from the audience’s established understanding of this world and the stakes at hand. Overall, El Camino is intense, exciting, and ultimately triumphant.
14. Spider-Man: Far From Home (Jon Watts)
Tom Holland’s second Spider-Man feature effectively wraps up loose ends from Endgame while also standing out on its own. The first act takes some time to set up, but once a twist kicks in about halfway through the film, Far From Home moves at a relentlessly fun pace. Combine that with a great villain from Jake Gyllenhaal, jaw-dropping visual effects, and one of the MCU’s best post-credits scenes, and you have one of the best superhero movies of the last 5 years.
13. Ford v. Ferrari (James Mangold)
James Mangold, after 3:10 to Yuma and Logan, establishes himself as one of the most underrated directors working today with Ford v. Ferrari. This is a true story done right – in addition to the high-octane racing, tension is expertly built through the internal conflicts within Ford. Thanks to Matt Damon and Christian Bale’s top-tier screen presence, I also found myself genuinely invested in Caroll Shelby and Ken Mile as characters too.
12. Luce (Julius Onah)
Luce announced Kelvin Harrison Jr. as the breakout star of 2019, which was further bolstered by a film later on this list. Harrison Jr. portrays the titular high school student Luce, whose model character is called into question by one of his teachers. The performances here are top notch: Tim Roth, Naomi Watts, and Octavia Spencer all knock the dialogue out of the park. In addition to being one of the best psychological thrillers of the year, Luce has poignant things to say about race in today’s society.
11. Toy Story 4 (Josh Cooley)
Toy Story 4 may be the best unnecessary movie ever. While Toy Story 3 perfectly wrapped up the series in 2010, I’m not complaining about getting another film if it’s this good. Toy Story 4 smartly focuses on Woody as a character, and asks surprisingly existential questions about what it means to live a fulfilling life (I’m not reading too much into the animated toy film, am I?). Plus, bonus points for the creepy dolls and The Shining reference.
10. Waves (Trey Edward Shults)
More Kelvin Harrison Jr. as a troubled high school student! Waves was the most surprising film of 2019 for me – equal parts intense thriller and examination of love. Broken into two vastly different halves, Waves feels epic and intimate at the same time. Review here.
9. The Irishman (Martin Scorsese)
As far as I’m concerned, if your film stars Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci, and your name’s Martin Scorsese, then your film is allowed to be 3.5 hours long. The Irishman is a meditation on all the Scorsese epics that came before it, and explores the lasting impact of violence and crime. Watching this cast in another gangster film is like seeing Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman get back together on the hardwood.
8. Doctor Sleep (Mike Flanagan)
Doctor Sleep somehow pulls off the high-wire act of simultaneously being a Stephen King book adaptation and a sequel to Kubrick’s 1980 masterpiece. Ewan McGregor’s portrayal as a grown-up Dan Torrance feels like a natural evolution of his character, and Rebecca Ferguson is awesome as the villainous Rose the Hat. Doctor Sleep impressively establishes its own worth as a standalone film with fascinating new characters and world building in its first two acts. By the time you get to its intense climax and homage to The Shining, everything else is just icing on the cake.
7. Avengers: Endgame (Anthony & Joe Russo)
I don’t have to tell you anything about Endgame, because you’ve likely already seen it. After Infinity War impressively upped the stakes, Endgame manages to keep them high, while also serving as a capper to a 22-film series. Everyone in the stacked cast gets their moment to shine, and Endgame ends on an emotional payout that was built up over the past 11 years. This is how you end a saga properly (*cough*STAR WARS*cough*).
6. Us (Jordan Peele)
How do you follow-up a debut that transformed you from sketch comedian to the next Alfred Hitchcock? Although not quite on the level of Get Out, Us is still masterful in its execution of thrills-mixed-with-social-commentary. Lupita Nyong’o is incredible pulling double duty as the lead, and the entire Wilson family feels real and lived-in. Peele’s trademark humor is still there, and he has officially announced himself as one of the best horror directors working today.
5. 1917 (Sam Mendes)
1917 is an absolutely wild ride. If it wasn’t so intense, I would have spent the whole time wondering how Mendes pulled off the one-take filmmaking style. 1917 gives us some of the best war action set pieces and strings it throughout the film in one long assault on your senses. Review here.
4. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (Chad Stahelski)
Parabellum cements John Wick as the Bourne of this decade, and one of the best action franchises ever. Once again, Wick‘s “gun fu” action is jaw-dropping, and once again, the sequel outdoes its predecessor in terms of set piece insanity. Plus, this has the 2nd best NBA player appearance in a film this year. John Wick is so good it simply makes other action movies unwatchable. I mean, come on, Parabellum has the library scene… the throwing knife scene… the horse fight scene… And that’s just the first 15 minutes of the film.
3. Uncut Gems (Josh & Benny Safdie)
I’m obsessed with Uncut Gems. The Safdies have written an iconic character in Howard Ratner, and Adam Sandler embodies this crazy character to perfection. This is the best NBA player appearance in a film this year, by the way – Kevin Garnett is legitimately really good, and his presence furthers the hyper-realism that makes Gems so entrancing. (True story – Uncut Gems inspired me to bet on a 6-way basketball parlay, and if the Kings hadn’t blown a 17-point lead at home to the Knicks, I would’ve won $363. Am I becoming Howard Ratner?). Review here.
2. Ad Astra (James Gray)
Ad Astra spoke to me like no other film this year. Aside from its incredible special effects and eerily realistic sci-fi world, Ad Astra tells a remarkably human father-son story. Brad Pitt is phenomenal as a protagonist we don’t fully get to know until the end, and his deeply flawed character is both heroic and tragic. The story feels grand, like Apocalypse Now in space, and when the action set pieces come (like the moon rover sequence), they’re some of the best of the year. Equal parts epic, exciting, and emotional, Ad Astra is a masterpiece in big budget filmmaking, and it’s criminal that more people didn’t see it in theaters. (Another true story – director James Gray made an appearance at the opening night screening I attended. I lost my mind).
1. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Quentin Tarantino)
But, despite all the amazing films that came out in 2019, my personal favorite comes from Quentin Tarantino. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood expertly weaves Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth, two of the best characters Tarantino has ever written, into the history of 1969 Los Angeles. The entire film feels like a passion project from Tarantino, who painstakingly recreated 60s L.A., and serves as an ode to filmmaking as a whole. And with all due respect to The Irishman and Avengers: Endgame, OUATIH gives us the best cast of the year, with DiCaprio, Pitt, Robbie, and cameos from all the Tarantino regulars. This is Tarantino at his funniest and most sentimental, but you still get everything you’ve come to expect from a Tarantino film in possibly the best climax to a film this year.
What a year for movies! Drop a comment with your favorite movie of the year below, or let me know what you think I missed. And if you like this list, click Subscribe to see my Top 50 Movies of the Decade ranking later this week. Cheers!
Uncut Movie Reviews 