Top 10 Best Films of 2019
It’s that time of the year again when we, finally, compile our best top 10 list. It’s coming unusually late this time around, but only because we wanted to watch absolutely everything in order to publish a final and comprehensive ranking.
And here it is.
10. The Two Popes
The Two Popes, while surely flawed because of those commercially necessary flashbacks, remains in this list due to its fantastic script and beautiful exploration of often disregarded topics. While this may be a personal favorite (not everyone loves dialogue based movies), we do believe there is great craftsmanship behind many aspects of The Two Popes.
9. Marriage Story
Marriage Story was originally off this list; we suppose it had to simmer in our minds for true appreciation. While lacking originality and style within the story, this film manages to stay beautifully coherent. It may not explore much, but what it does explore – it explores deep. It’s simple, yet powerful; minimalistic, yet enough; small, yet big.
8. Honey Boy
The reason this ranking comes out so late is because we had to wait for Honey Boy to drop on Amazon in order to complete it; and it was worth the wait. The film manages to present and explore a deeply layered and painfully complicated relationship; and its mostly unlike anything we’ve seen on screen. Honey Boy keeps you thinking, it doesn’t spoonfeed, but rather – masterfully stimulates.
7. Joker
Yes, it’s flawed; but it’s also deeply artistic and powerful. Joaquin Phoenix’ performance is the best of the year and Todd Phillips manages to implore his unique artistic visions onto an already familiar and explored character – and he definitely succeeds. Joker remains enticing, dark, and, most important, intelligent filmmaking.
Read about the Joker controversy here.
6. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
This sneaked up on us. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood does well what so many try, but fail: it teaches us the power of good. It presents the beauty of the beautiful – not in a cheesy, overused way, but rather realistically and generously. It reminds us that film can still explore the light, the good; it’s not overused, just the means by which its explored. There is always more light to explore and this film proves it.
5. Midsommar
Now this — this is an interesting one. Because Midsommar is definitely the most flawed film on this list; and yet, it holds a higher position than most. This feature suffers macro pacing issues and some plot-holes. However, it is also extremely original and revolutionary; it’s a layered story, it’s a philosophical piece, it’s something that, months after watching, we’re still eager to talk about and explore. That is damn rare these days, so for extraordinary smarts, Midsommar is high on our list.
Read our pseudo-review of Midsommar here.
4. The Peanut Butter Falcon
What a remarkable comeback for Shia LeBeouf — it’s definitely his year. The Peanut Butter Falcon, like many indies in 2019, came unexpected. It is such a rich, truthful, heartwarming and heartbreaking story. It’s a film made from the heart to the heart, coherent, powerful, hilarious, uplifting, and brave.
3. Jojo Rabbit
Speaking of brave, and entering the long-respected top 3 of the year, in comes Jojo Rabbit. Taika Waititi is using everything he has and imploring ownership of a new style of satirical cinema that truly belongs to him and no one else. Jojo Rabbit is one of the funnies productions of the year and masterfully presents the horrors of war in an unseen light. It’s original, brave, careless, and handles opposing storytelling tones better than ever before. A true masterpiece.
2. Avengers: Endgame
Before you get upset — we understand, and truthfully acknowledge, that this film has problems. Plot-holes, mainly, and some storytelling issues here and there. And yet, we stand ground by saying that Avengers: Endgame was a perfect culmination to the most epic saga in the history of cinema. Beloved character, beloved stories, beloved action — all highlighted in this deeply intelligent resolution. Avengers: Endgame may have problems, but that feeling when all of them went into battle? That’s unrepeatable.
1. The Lighthouse
And, of course, our favorite film of 2019. The Lighthouse. Robert Eggers’ second feature is not only the best film of the year, but one of the best films of the decade. The Lighthouse is contextualized philosophy; it is layers with a story. It’s a story run by chaos, controlled chaos, and characters living in it. The storytelling is masterful to a completely new level; it’s control of the pacing and tone, control of the story, manipulation, visual power, beauty, ugliness; it’s art in its highest form. And it deserves a spot in the heights.
Our annual Our Movie Life Awards are coming to you next week, Monday.
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— Pouty Boy