My 20 Favorite Films of 2019

What is cinema?  Never mind...I'll leave that question to Martin Scorsese.

Every year in my TV list, I talk about trying to watch less TV.  With film, I'm trying to do the opposite.  And I did pretty well with that last year, watching a total of 104 new releases, way more than I ever had before.  That would be tough to top, but I at least wanted to stay somewhere close, as opposed to the 75 I ended up hitting.  Part of that is because this year marked the debut of the Criterion Channel streaming service and I chose to spend more time watching MGM musicals from the 1950s and Akira Kurosawa films instead of whatever new algorithmically generated movie Netflix released onto their system.  But another part might be that it was a weaker year overall.  It was very top-heavy in 2019, with many masters and soon-to-be masters putting out excellent work, but it just didn't seem to have the overall depth that 2018 did.  Even some of those aforementioned masters could barely get their movies shown in theaters.

Okay, maybe Marty was right.

The rules: As long as a film got an official United States release in 2019, it was eligible for placement on this list.  This is an important thing to remember, since some of the films that appear in my top 20 premiered at film festivals in 2018, but didn't get released in theaters until this year.  And in the case where a film got no theatrical release, then a VOD debut in 2019 will make it eligible.


Honorable Mentions (25-21)
Ash Is Purest White has a languid pace, but the experience of watching this sprawling crime romance is hypnotizing.  It's hard to put a finger on what director Craig S. Zahler's politics are, but Dragged Across Concrete is another one of his great pulp flicks.  Terrence Malick's increased rate of output hasn't dulled his distinct style -- A Hidden Life is another one of his lyrical meditations on faith and grace.  The tightly wound Uncut Gems delights in the specificity of its world and an electric performance from Adam Sandler.  An amiable spirit and genuinely therapeutic philosophy about pleasure-seeking propels The Beach Bum, Harmony Korine's goofiest ode to oddballs yet.

20. Climax (Directed by Gaspar Noe)

Climax is one of the most exhausting, agonizing, and obnoxious cinematic experiences ever.  It's also one of the most exciting.  Such is the nature of the beast when you're dealing with Gaspar Noe.  He uses this story about a dance troupe who goes mad when somebody drugs the punch at a practice session as an excuse to stage one bravura sequence after another.  There's some sort of abstruse political message he might be trying to get across here, but what really matters is the audiovisual experience of watching chaos in its purest form.  This might even be Noe's most tame and straightforward film, which is certainly saying something.

19. Ford v Ferrari (Directed by James Mangold)

We spent so much of the decade lamenting the death of the movie star as a concept, but this year proved that maybe we can't count it out just yet.  Ford v Ferrari is one of 2019's biggest testaments to the power of the movie star, as it's largely a vehicle for Matt Damon and Christian Bale to command the screen with their megawatt charisma.  That's not to discount the film's many additional merits, like its thoughtful ideas about creative expression under corporate control, the excellent way it lays out the process of preparing for the 24-hour Le Mans race, and those thrilling racing scenes.  But it's the twin performances from Damon and Bale that really linger, effortlessly selling the bond between these two men trying to achieve greatness.  Ford v Ferrari is a textbook dad movie, but it's a damn good one.

18. Gemini Man (Directed by Ang Lee)

Ang Lee seems to be following the trajectory of a James Cameron or Robert Zemeckis, masters who have achieved all the acclaim they need to and have spent the latter part of their careers falling down the rabbit hole of trying to push the medium forward technologically.  Lee's personal pet project is high frame rate, and after testing the waters with Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, he stretched it out to blockbuster proportions with Gemini Man.  It's a film in the classic 90s action movie vein -- which makes sense, since the script had basically been languishing in development hell for that long -- where Will Smith is confronted by a younger, digitally constructed version of himself.  Ang Lee seems to understand that the hyper-real feels a little unreal, and he uses that to his advantage in the film's jaw-dropping action setpieces.  But it's not just a tech demo disguised as a film -- Gemini Man is also a pretty soulful look at confronting one's own obsolescence.  It's a shame that a master filmmaker experimenting with the medium got met with such dismissal and derision.

17. The Lighthouse (Directed by Robert Eggers)

Director Robert Eggers is a big, in-the-weeds detail guy.  It's the kind of quality that made him write The Witch based on real regional dialects from the 1630s, and it's also what caused him to shoot The Lighthouse in a boxy aspect ratio and photographed to look like faded pictures you see of old sea captains.  There's not really any deeper meaning to the movie because there doesn't need to be -- its phantasmagoric oddness and commitment to depicting its characters losing their sanity is enough to make it a worthwhile two-hander.  Sometimes movies can just be pure audiovisual experiences, and in that case The Lighthouse is one hell of a ride.

16. Peterloo (Directed by Mike Leigh)

Mike Leigh never gets the credit he deserves but his latest, Peterloo, flew particularly under the radar this year.  The film chronicles the events of the 1819 Peterloo Massacre, but chooses to structure it around a series of speeches that various leaders fighting for reform give.  It's both a display of oratory power and another example of Leigh's gift with actors, giving them the platform to really carve out and make the most of a performance.  Peterloo feels like the exact kind of rousing and timely film that should've been big in 2019.

15. High Flying Bird (Directed by Steven Soderbergh)

Steven Soderbergh, ever the restless experimenter, introduced a new aspect to his bag of tricks last year with his iPhone-shot Unsane.  And this year he gave us his software upgrade with another iPhone film, High Flying Bird, which tells the story of a fictional NBA lockout and how that leads one agent to embark on a radical plan to democratize the sport. Disruption is built into every aspect of the film.  This time, the use of an iPhone isn't just a technological experiment, but crucial to the underpinnings of Tarell Alvin McCraney's lively script.  Even the fact that it was released through Netflix feels like a deliberate thematic statement.  In a year where there's been alot of lamentation about the changing tides of the film industry, Soderbergh chose to go the other way and greet the challenge with open arms.  Change can be hard, but sometimes it represents a way forward.

14. Toy Story 4 (Directed by Josh Cooley)

Pixar continues to tempt fate with the Toy Story series.  Not only are the first three films all five-star masterpieces, but the third one in particular served as a satisfying conclusion for these sentient toys many children grew up with.  So it seemed like a disastrous idea for them to attempt to make a fourth film.  Well...it turns out we shouldn't doubt Pixar when it comes to Woody and the gang.  Toy Story 4 is not quite at the level of its predecessors, but it's yet another moving ode to obsolescence and what it means to be a toy, replete with great jokes and dazzling technological flexes.  Toy Story 4 is a fantastic time at the cinema.  Now please don't make Toy Story 5, Pixar.

13. John Wick: Chapter 3 -- Parabellum (Directed by Chad Stahelski)

The second installment of the John Wick franchise ended on a tantalizing tease: What if the man who seemingly can't be killed was being hunted by the entire criminal underworld?  And right from its brutal opening salvo, John Wick: Chapter 3 makes good on that promise, throwing inventive and entertaining setpieces at the audience in a dizzying succession.  This latest entry in the series is everything you love about this franchise -- from its ridiculous mythology to its clean action choreography -- and gives you more of it than you could ever imagine having.  The story may be pushing itself to the limit, but as long as John Wick can keep delivering incredible action filmmaking, let's pray he never dies.

12. Booksmart (Directed by Olivia Wilde)

If you close your eyes and listen closely, you can still hear the splish-splash of white women's tears as they mourn Booksmart flopping at the box office.  Jokes aside, it really is a shame that more people didn't see what should have been a major crowd-pleaser.  Led by the great duo of Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein, and populated by even more comedic talents in its supporting cast, Booksmart provides wonderful teen comedy antics with its "one crazy night" structure.  But what truly makes it pop is its delightfully empathetic spirit, where everyone gets a moment to display their hidden depths.  We may never get a R-rated comedy about teen girls again if the doomsayers are to be believed, but at least we got one as good as this.

11. Marriage Story (Directed by Noah Baumbach)

Who knew we needed a procedural movie about divorce?  That's how Noah Baumbach's latest Netflix exclusive movie plays.  This isn't Baumbach's first ride around the divorce movie track, but this is a much softer, more sober look at the subject than The Squid and the Whale and is all the better for it.  In its quest to tell a story about two people trying to have an amicable split and finding that that's not so easy, the film lands on so many subtleties and grace notes.  You feel invested because the script drags you through every step of the process, from arcane divorce laws to awkward arbitration meetings.  Noah Baumbach has had quite an impressive decade and with Marriage Story, he concluded it with another winner.

10. Spider-Man: Far From Home (Directed by Jon Watts)

Though the era-concluding Avengers: Endgame was the MCU movie that made the most waves in 2019, their peak this year came in the form of Spider-Man: Far From Home.  Peter Parker's second adventure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe found the series perfectly balancing the larger aims of labyrinthine continuity and the small stakes of teenage life.  It's in the latter where the film truly shines, capturing the true Spider-Man charm in the adolescent hijinks of Peter's school trip to Europe, where everyone (including the fantastic supporting cast) gets time to shine.  Sometimes some good old-fashion superhero fun is all you need.

9. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Directed by Marielle Heller)

People often equate flashy directing with great directing, so it's easy to overlook the stellar work that's being done in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.  Though Mr. Rogers is the main selling point of the film, it really functions as an extended therapy session for Lloyd Vogel, the guarded journalist charged with profiling him.  Director Marielle Heller achieves this with her use of close-ups, which transform the faces of her subjects into gigantic canvasses of emotion.  And she exhibits a confident sense of patience as she lets the camera sit and watch small emotions and revelations play out uninterrupted.  Like its jaded protagonist, you go in skeptical and come away completely buying into the magic trick.  A Beaufitul Day is one of the most moving films I've seen in a long time.

8. Us (Directed by Jordan Peele)

It's only once every few years that a movie comes along that's critically acclaimed and also becomes a cultural touchstone among casual moviegoers.  Not only was Get Out one of those occurrences, but it was also a directorial debut on top of that.  With the kind of pressure that was on Jordan Peele's shoulders, most wouldn't take as big of a swing as he did with his second offering.  While it may not be as immediate and entertaining as Get Out, Us has that ability to etch its way into your brain.  Peele plays cagey with the film's slippery metaphor, which has left many divided on what it actually means -- hence, all the Rorschach imagery in the initial promo art -- but its general ideas about the rot at the core of America and the dangers of trying to bury it are still fascinating, especially in the hands of someone with such a striking visual sensibility.

7. Under the Silver Lake (Directed by David Robert Mitchell)

The funny thing about the year's most divisive film is that its supporters and detractors generally agree on what the movie is trying to get at, but they have differing angles on how to take it.  Thus, liking or disliking it becomes a series of decision trees: Does the fact that it's satirizing the objectification of women in film allow it to engage in that same leering male gaze?  Is the dunking on its yearner of a protagonist nullified by the film having at least some sympathy for his yearning?  That's a fascinating litmus test, but debates around it tend to just arrive at dead ends.  The detractors say "it's not as smart as it thinks it is" and the supporters respond to any criticism by saying "but that's the point," both of which tend to shut down interesting conversations.  If you've seen the movie you're likely not going to be convinced from one side to the other, but its dangerous tightrope walk is what made it so compelling to me.  It's playful and hypnotic and deeply despairing.  All these things we pour our energy and passion into are not going to save us. Under the Silver Lake knows it won't either, and that's what makes it so good.

6. Knives Out (Directed by Rian Johnson)

People like to throw around the term "genre subversion" when talking about Rian Johnson films, but that's a bit of a misnomer.  Sure, there are high concepts and clever plot turns in his work, but they don't subvert the genre so much as they embrace them wholeheartedly.  And Knives Out is a glorious send-up of the kind of Agatha Christie murder mystery you don't see anymore, complete with a hilariously complicated parlor room scene.  Johnson revs up the plot with a madcap energy and populates the playing field with characters that function like broad 2019 avatars, mixing it all together for dizzying, dazzling fun.  If all whodunnits can be this fizzy and euphoric, maybe the genre is due for a comeback.

5. Ad Astra (Directed by James Gray)

Ad Astra serves as a sort of celestial cousin to James Gray's previous, earthly film The Lost City of Z.  Both feature male protagonists who embark on obsessive quests to distant destinations in a search for answers.  They both also feature men wrestling with the sins of their abandoned fathers.  But Ad Astra makes Lost City look like a mere dry run, as it offers an even more moving and thorough psychological profile of its main character (Brad Pitt, in what turned out to be a banner year for him) and the prison of masculinity he finds himself trapped in.  It may seem easy to dismiss the film as a mopey film about man pain, but it's not every day that something allows itself to be so nakedly earnest as Ad Astra is in its attempts to crack the shell of Pitt's character.  Ad Astra is a gift.  Don't be afraid to accept it with open arms.

4. Little Women (Directed by Greta Gerwig)

This year's Little Women is the seventh film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's classic coming of age novel, and you would think that there's no new ground to cover regarding this story from the 1860s, but writer-director Greta Gerwig's attempt feels refreshingly modern and spry.  By playing around with the novel's chronology, she creates a version of this tale of four sisters where the golden-hued memories of girlhood and the frigid air of adulthood exist side by side.  The film is an emotional spin cycle, painting the lives of the March sisters with warmth and humanity, which makes their tragedies all the more heart-wrenching.  With Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig was flooded with breathless adulation and seen by many as the next great hope of cinema, and Little Women proves that she's more than deserving of such an anointment.

3. The Irishman (Directed by Martin Scorsese)

We don't expect directors to maintain the vibrancy of their early years well into their 70s.  Apparently Martin Scorsese didn't receive the memo, because even as so many of his other New Hollywood peers have fallen off or simply retired, he's still churning out blazing masterpieces at the age of 77.  On a superficial level, The Irishman is a gangster epic like previous Scorsese touchstones such as Goodfellas, Casino, and The Departed, but there's an added elegiac quality that sets it apart.  The film uses its titanic runtime to give weight to its story about the ravages of time, as protagonist Frank Sheeran is left with less as more years go by, until he's just a scraped out husk begging for absolution.  It's a wrenching late-career statement with an overwhelming current of humanity.  Scorsese can be the arbiter of what is and isn't cinema any time he wants to -- he's earned that right.

2. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Directed by Quentin Tarantino)

Sitting through someone telling you about a dream they had is almost always torture, but apparently not when it's Quentin Tarantino.  At least that's what Once Upon a Time in Hollywood feels like: an entrance into Tarantino's vision of a different yesterday, told through the sideways lens of the aging also-ran actor, Rick Dalton.  The result is a surprisingly melancholic, tender, lived-in amble from a man who may be entering the twilight years of his own career.  Once Upon a Time still has the Tarantino trademarks -- flashes of extreme violence, long wordy scenes, odes to the director's favorite curios -- but it's all a little softer, which is fascinating.  Early reports surrounding the movie stated it would be about the Manson family murders, but it turned out that was just a Trojan Horse for a much more beautiful and generous film.

1. Parasite (Directed by Bong Joon-ho)

Seeing Bong Joon-ho make East-West hybrids like Snowpiercer and Okja was all well and good, but many fiends were itching to see a return to that raw, uncut yayo from the Korean madman.  He answered our prayers with Parasite, his wild film about an upper class Korean family, a poor Korean family, and how they intersect in ways too entertaining to reveal.  What makes the movie such a feat is the way every element works in unison to further its examination of class and the lengths capitalism makes one go to in order to beat its game.  And because Bong is such a master, he layers this all in the middle of a twisty, rollicking story that truly feels like it can go anywhere at any moment.  Films often have a hard time being thoughtful and entertaining in equal measure, and Parasite's effortlessness in doing so is what makes it a total gem.


Well, that wraps things up for my best films of 2019 list.  I love reading other lists, so feel free to share yours in the comments.  Or if you have any thoughts on my list, then you can do that too.  To see a complete ranked list of all the 2019 films I've seen this year, along with a list of my favorite performances and some other data, you can find them on this Google Doc.

Previous lists
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013