Top 10 Films of 2019

It seems like just yesterday that I wrote my list of Top 10 Films for 2018. Nevertheless, another year has come and gone. Annually, I enjoy reflecting on every film I watched that was released in a given year and determine my ten favorites. This is my list of subjective favorites. They may not be the "best" of 2019, but they were the ones that stuck with me most in the 365 days. This probably won't match your own selections because we all have different tastes.

This year I saw 100 new 2019 releases in total, which is a record high for me. Therefore, several films I was sure would top my list earlier in the year were relegated to honorable mentions or barely missed that criteria. Chances are if there's something you're surprised I didn't mention, it narrowly missed being an honorable mention. As always, there were still some films which alluded me, but I'll be sure and catch those soon before determining my favorite films of the decade. 

If you read most of my reviews, some of these selections may not surprise you, but I think there are a couple choices that people won't see coming. Like always, I've noted some honorable mentions and will write a brief blurb about each film to justify its place on my list. I uploaded reviews for everything here, so if you're interested and haven't done so already, you can read my more in-depth thoughts by clicking the blue title or image once you're done perusing my list. 

Top 10 Films of 2019

Honorable Mentions (Alphabetical order): A Vigilante, Ad Astra, Avengers: Endgame, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, The Farewell, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, Joker, Ready or Not, Toy Story 4, and Us.

10. Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood

Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood is unlike anything else in Quentin Tarantino's filmography. This docile, nostalgic love letter to a bygone era of Hollywood is perhaps the most casual film of the year. It's very laidback and relaxed, slowly immersing viewers in the atmosphere of 1969 Los Angeles. Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt prove to be one of the best onscreen pairings of the year while Margot Robbie's Sharon Tate is treated with the utmost respect. It's the type of movie that harkens back to simpler times and doesn't get made too often. I can't help but relish in that rarity. 

9. Knives Out

Rian Johnson's dunnit again. The writer-director continues to prove himself as one of the most capable creative minds out there. His entertaining ode to the work of Agatha Christie is a gripping, original murder mystery with a razor-sharp screenplay and an incredible all-star cast. Those don't come around too often, but Knives Out is guilty as charged.

8. How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is one of the year's quintessential endings. It brought the trilogy full-circle and stuck the landing. In a year stacked with franchise finales, that speaks volumes. It remains my favorite animated film of the year with an abundance of visual splendor and a rich musical score from John Powell. Few other films this year possessed the gravitas, emotional heft, and high-flying adventure as this terrific trilogy capper.

7. Jojo Rabbit

Taika Waititi accomplished the impossible and made an anti-hate satire about Nazis that was profoundly moving, and hysterically funny. Waititi deftly balanced the extremes of slapstick satire and bleak consequences of Germany's Nazi regime. For a farcical comedy, Jojo Rabbit is surprisingly mature with an essential message about recognizing immoral authority. It also introduced the world to Roman Griffin Davis and Archie Yates, for which I'm eternally grateful.

6. The Irishman

Martin Scorsese's three and a half hour long mobster epic quietly contemplates morality and mortality. In many ways, it's the culmination of his storied career as a pensive meditation on life's inevitabilities. Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci each operate on drastically different wavelengths but are uniformly exceptional. As one comes to expect from a distinguished auteur, the craftsmanship is impeccable. It will be dissected for years and years to come. 

5. 1917

Sam Mendes' one-take First World War epic is a technical marvel by all means. Every technical aspect of this production is incorporated to the fullest, culminating into an experience that's explosive, immersive, and intimate.

4. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is an imperfect finale to my favorite franchise, but I cherish it nonetheless. In relation to the greater saga, I love how it unifies the distinct approaches of all three trilogies. It operates on the operatic level of Revenge Of The Sith, is as adventurous as the Original Trilogy, and mythic as The Last Jedi. There are certain things I'd tweak about it, but I don't have any ownership of this story. Since my first viewing, I reconciled most of the choices I wasn't initially thrilled with. At this point, I've seen it seven times, and the ending remains just as fulfilling. 

3. Portrait of A Lady On Fire

Céline Sciamma's Portrait of a Lady on Fire is seared into my memory. Every frame of this film is picturesque and utterly breathtaking to behold, often resembling eighteenth-century paintings. The intimacy and attraction that slowly builds between the painter and subject, as played by Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel, feels remarkably sincere. I was transfixed before the sparks began to fly, and have remained spellbound long after the credits finished rolling. 

2. Parasite

Bong Joon Ho's commentary on classism is simultaneously sophisticated and straightforward. There's an abundance of subtext to savor with successive viewings. Still, first-time audience members will be equally riveted by Bong's engrossing narrative without reading into it. Once you're comfortable yielding to the story's rhythm and feel confident in predicting the outcome, Bong pulls the rug right out from under you. As I saw it for the first time, Parasite stealthily infiltrated my mind and has pervaded there ever since. The less you know, the more blown away you'll be. Trust me.

1. Marriage Story

No film resonated stronger with me this year than Marriage Story. Not even the ending of the episodic Skywalker Saga. Shocker? I know. I'm sure being a child of divorce had something to do with it, but I must give credit where credit's due to Noah Baumbach. The crushing realism with which Baumbach depicts the calamity of divorce makes Marriage Story so resonant. Baumbach wisely observes the couple from an objective viewpoint to discourage the audience from choosing a side. Deeply affecting and littered with profound messaging about the nature of love, Marriage Story is one of the year's best films that will move even the most steadfast soul. You'll laugh, and you'll cry, often at the same time.

'Marriage Story' Review

Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Actor; Adam Driver, Best Actress; Scarlett Johansson, Best Supporting Actress; Laura Dern, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Original Score.

Won: Best Supporting Actress; Laura Dern.

Synopsis: A stage director and his actor wife struggle through a grueling, coast-to-coast divorce that pushes them to their extremes. An incisive and compassionate portrait of a marriage breaking up and a family staying together.

Runtime: 136 minutes

MPAA Rating: R (for language throughout and sexual references)

Who should see it? Teenagers and adults who are interested in emotional indie dramas.

Written and directed by Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story ranks among the filmmaker's most personal work. Earlier this decade, Baumbach experienced a divorce of his own, and I'm sure creating Marriage Story was his eventual catharsis. While I'm not married, I could at least relate to the onscreen heartbreak as a child of divorce. And in case it wasn't already apparent, you better have tissues ready because it packs an emotional wallop. However, I'd rather not reduce Marriage Story to the simple designation of "tear-jerker." There's surprisingly a proper dosage of humor to be discovered as well. Baumbach finds natural comedy amidst the tragedy, never forcing a joke for the sake of a laugh.

Aside from deftly handling contrasting tones, Baumbach strikes a delicate balance in presenting the perspective of both his leads. Baumbach has no interest in choosing a side or encouraging the audience to gravitate towards either corner. Instead, Baumbach depicts divorce as it is. A messy, complex disagreement between people who love one another. Both sides have valid concerns and interests in the details of their separation. Marriage Story feels especially authentic in that regard, as the couple begins on amicable terms, and animosity is encouraged by those surrounding them.

Baumbach's direction is subtle, but emotional beats are enhanced a thousandfold by the technical presentation. Everything from the blocking-to-Robbie Ryan's intimate cinematography channels the honest intensity of the piece. Notably, it's the work from editor Jennifer Lame and composer Randy Newman that hits the hardest. There are specific cuts, transitions, and motifs that will shatter your heart into a million pieces due to their symbolic connotations.

Sustaining the film's raw emotional core are first-rate performances from an incredible ensemble. Adam Driver is an actor who I've followed with intense interest since I was first introduced to him via Star Wars: The Force Awakens and this role is undoubtedly the apex of his career thus far. As Charlie, Driver's reserved introspection speaks volumes while his passionate outbursts gave me goosebumps. Opposite Driver, Scarlett Johansson also turns in one of the best performances of her career. She's three-for-three this year in my eyes. As Nicole, Johansson demonstrates a tenderness and ferocity in both the heartwarming and heartbreaking moments. The two really share a convincing connection to the extent that their history together is palpable. From the first frame, you'll believe they've been married for several years. Even though I knew their marriage was unsalvageable, I become very invested in their relationship throughout the runtime. To the extent that I suddenly began sobbing uncontrollably during one of their heated arguments. Even as an objective observer to a couple falling out of love, you find yourself concerned with the outcome.

It should go without saying, but the supporting cast is also exemplary. Laura Dern, Alan Alda, and Ray Liotta portray three wildly different lawyers with a varied array of eccentric personalities, and each one leaves a distinct impression. Meanwhile, Azhy Robertson provides a poignant illustration of a kid lost in the shuffle of a decision outside his grasp. 

Deeply affecting and littered with profound messaging about the nature of love, Marriage Story is one of the year's best films that will move even the most steadfast soul. You'll laugh, and you'll cry, often at the same time. But it's the crushing realism with which Baumbach depicts the calamity of divorce that makes Marriage Story so memorable.

Film Assessment: A+