The years just get crazier and crazier, don't they? Our theaters were filled with horrors, maniacs, and badly needed heroes – as always, holding up a mirror to the world we live in.
Having a look back at last January's 2019 preview, I can't help but notice that only about half of the films I ended up putting on my "Best of" list below were on my radar last January as being hotly anticipated. Meaning there were plenty of surprises this year that I wasn't expecting. Overall, it felt like a bit of a middling year, without nearly as many earth-shattering watershed moments as I was hoping for.
There are still quite a few top contenders for 2019 that as of this writing, I have yet to see, including 1917 (which I have a very good feeling about), Parasite, Marriage Story, Jojo Rabbit, Dolemite Is My Name, Knives Out, Little Women, Ford v Ferrari, Bombshell, Judy, The Two Popes, Rocketman, Hustlers, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, The Farewell, The Lighthouse, and Just Mercy.
That's a pretty big list, and my choices below may very well morph a bit, once I'm a bit more caught up.
But sitting here on New Year's Eve, as we prepare to turn the old page, these (links to full reviews below) are my top six that are giving me the most lasting impressions:
Us – Jordan Peele continues to weaponize the horror genre to make deft commentary on race, society, and the current state of life in America. Unsettling as hell, and hard to shake.
Avengers: Endgame – A phenomenal, rip-roaring finale to this initial chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Many threads both epic and intimate are finally woven together, in a crowd-pleasing and emotional farewell to some truly iconic heroes.
Midsommar – For pure mind-rattling dread, it's hard to beat director Ari Aster right now. Midsommar is the polar opposite of what many folks will expect atmospherically from a horror film – which only serves to make it all the more effective. Unforgettably disturbing.
Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood – Can we really be nearing the end of Quentin Tarantino's oeuvre? If so, he's in no danger of wearing out his welcome – not with films like this. Some of the best work you're ever likely to see from Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio, in an unrepentant love letter to the late nineteen-sixties. Sorry, Charlie.
Joker – Probably my favorite film of the year – and the one I was most skeptical regarding. Thanks to the phenomenal work of director Todd Phillips, and a sure to be legendary performance by Joaquin Phoenix, Joker is an entirely new way of upending a comic book villain's origin story – equal measures heartbreaking and terrifying. An unflinching look at the outcome of trauma.
Uncut Gems – A genuine sneaker wave, with an unlikely lead, Adam Sandler redefines his image in an off-putting, panic-inducing ride of compulsion and consequences. The most stressful time you'll have at the movies this year, and hypnotically unforgettable.
UPDATE!
Dolemite Is My Name – Just watched this phenomenal Eddie Murphy bio about the career of seventies cult comedian turned blaxploitation star Rudy Ray Moore, and it's utterly glorious! Murphy has never been better and it's easily the best comedy of the year. Currently on Netflix. Watch it!!!
There you have it – not nearly as big as a list as last year, when I picked eleven.
Honorable mentions to Toy Story 4 and The Irishman, with fond appreciation for Downton Abbey, The Lion King, Captain Marvel, Frozen 2, and Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker, plus big portions of both Alita: Battle Angel, and Terminator: Dark Fate. These were all plenty of fun in their own way.
This means it will very shortly be time for my annual look ahead at the 2020 films I'm most excited for – and that promises to be one heck of a list, as we step into the first year of the Roaring Twenties. So stay tuned!!!
Having a look back at last January's 2019 preview, I can't help but notice that only about half of the films I ended up putting on my "Best of" list below were on my radar last January as being hotly anticipated. Meaning there were plenty of surprises this year that I wasn't expecting. Overall, it felt like a bit of a middling year, without nearly as many earth-shattering watershed moments as I was hoping for.
There are still quite a few top contenders for 2019 that as of this writing, I have yet to see, including 1917 (which I have a very good feeling about), Parasite, Marriage Story, Jojo Rabbit, Dolemite Is My Name, Knives Out, Little Women, Ford v Ferrari, Bombshell, Judy, The Two Popes, Rocketman, Hustlers, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, The Farewell, The Lighthouse, and Just Mercy.
That's a pretty big list, and my choices below may very well morph a bit, once I'm a bit more caught up.
But sitting here on New Year's Eve, as we prepare to turn the old page, these (links to full reviews below) are my top six that are giving me the most lasting impressions:
Us – Jordan Peele continues to weaponize the horror genre to make deft commentary on race, society, and the current state of life in America. Unsettling as hell, and hard to shake.
Avengers: Endgame – A phenomenal, rip-roaring finale to this initial chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Many threads both epic and intimate are finally woven together, in a crowd-pleasing and emotional farewell to some truly iconic heroes.
Midsommar – For pure mind-rattling dread, it's hard to beat director Ari Aster right now. Midsommar is the polar opposite of what many folks will expect atmospherically from a horror film – which only serves to make it all the more effective. Unforgettably disturbing.
Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood – Can we really be nearing the end of Quentin Tarantino's oeuvre? If so, he's in no danger of wearing out his welcome – not with films like this. Some of the best work you're ever likely to see from Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio, in an unrepentant love letter to the late nineteen-sixties. Sorry, Charlie.
Joker – Probably my favorite film of the year – and the one I was most skeptical regarding. Thanks to the phenomenal work of director Todd Phillips, and a sure to be legendary performance by Joaquin Phoenix, Joker is an entirely new way of upending a comic book villain's origin story – equal measures heartbreaking and terrifying. An unflinching look at the outcome of trauma.
Uncut Gems – A genuine sneaker wave, with an unlikely lead, Adam Sandler redefines his image in an off-putting, panic-inducing ride of compulsion and consequences. The most stressful time you'll have at the movies this year, and hypnotically unforgettable.
UPDATE!
Dolemite Is My Name – Just watched this phenomenal Eddie Murphy bio about the career of seventies cult comedian turned blaxploitation star Rudy Ray Moore, and it's utterly glorious! Murphy has never been better and it's easily the best comedy of the year. Currently on Netflix. Watch it!!!
There you have it – not nearly as big as a list as last year, when I picked eleven.
Honorable mentions to Toy Story 4 and The Irishman, with fond appreciation for Downton Abbey, The Lion King, Captain Marvel, Frozen 2, and Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker, plus big portions of both Alita: Battle Angel, and Terminator: Dark Fate. These were all plenty of fun in their own way.
This means it will very shortly be time for my annual look ahead at the 2020 films I'm most excited for – and that promises to be one heck of a list, as we step into the first year of the Roaring Twenties. So stay tuned!!!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment