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.

'Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood' Review

Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Director; Quentin Tarantino, Best Actor; Leonardo DiCaprio, Best Supporting Actor; Brad Pitt, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing.

Won: Best Supporting Actor; Brad Pitt and Best Production Design.

Synopsis: A faded television actor and his stunt double strive to achieve fame and success in the film industry during the final years of Hollywood's Golden Age in 1969 Los Angeles.

Runtime: 161 minutes

MPAA Rating: R (for language throughout, some strong graphic violence, drug use, and sexual references)

Who should see it? Adult fans of Tarantino's filmography.

Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood is the ninth film to be written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino's been vocal about calling it quits after his tenth, so Once Upon A Time In Hollywood may perhaps be his penultimate feature. Regardless, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is a unique entry in his robust filmography. Though distinctly Tarantino on account of extended dialogue and peculiar, prominent emphasis on feet, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood differs considerably from the rest of his work. Morally ambiguous protagonists are absent while brutality is reserved for choice moments. Instead, Tarantino reminisces on a bygone era of Hollywood with a lighthearted, sentimental love letter.

Contrary to most contemporary releases, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood takes the time to immerse the audience in a pseudo-1969 Hollywood and the routine lives of its fictional and factual subjects. Tarantino's careful approach will risk being labeled as tedious and inconsequential by many viewers. Patient audience members will no doubt be rewarded as lunacy ensues in the form of a gloriously insane third act. However, the meticulous journey is meant to expand our understanding of these characters and establish the geography and atmosphere of Los Angeles fifty years ago. There's painstaking attention to detail in Los Angeles' significant '60s landmark recreations as well as the ensemble's wardrobe and hairstyling. Not to mention, everything is magnificently captured by Tarantino's frequent cinematographer Robert Richardson, and the film features a groovy soundtrack of curated '60s hits. Nobody makes movies quite like Tarantino.

Though Tarantino's body of work is often tinged with dark humor, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is the closest Tarantino's come to making a full-blown comedy... And it's hysterical, but also profound. The auteur remains wholeheartedly committed to crafting elaborate scenes depicting DiCaprio's Rick Dalton acting in television serials solely dedicated to underscoring a punch-line or emotional beat. As viewers are treated to a taste of Dalton's waning fictional film and television career, they also get a glimpse of real-life actress Sharon Tate on the rise. A bittersweet notion considering her actual fate, and one that lingers over the proceedings as audiences wonder whether Tarantino will rewrite history where the Manson Family is concerned ala Inglorious Basterds. A question I dare not answer here.

Leading Tarantino's star-studded cast, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt share sacred chemistry that will surely go down as one of the best all-time onscreen bromances. In his first performance following his long-deserved Oscar win for The Revenant, DiCaprio lends a multifaceted portrayal of an insecure actor struggling with the bumpy road of stardom. This vulnerability is a side of DiCaprio audiences have hardly seen before, and he's tremendous in the role of course. On the other hand, Pitt exudes a cool bravado as Dalton's laidback stuntman, driver, and best friend, Cliff Booth. A pantheon of movie stars, crew members, and free-spirited hippies are brought to life by the likes of Al Pacino, Kurt Russell, Bruce Dern, Mike Moh, Timothy Olyphant, Margaret Qualley, Dakota Fanning, and Austin Butler. 

As Sharon Tate, Margot Robbie secured prominent billing in the marketing. However, the character's ultimately unrelated to the primary plot. Robbie imbues Tate with warmth, kindness, and a jubilant spirit that was a joy to watch, but she had less screen time and dialogue than I expected. When the film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, a journalist asked Robbie and Tarantino why Robbie didn't have more speaking lines. Though I understand the intent behind the question, I think the question was a bit inappropriate and presumptuous considering the story's not really about Sharon Tate and additional dialogue wasn't really necessary. It was evident to me that Tarantino was interested in honoring the lesser-known qualities of Sharon Tate that are overshadowed by the tragic circumstances of her death.

Unexpected scene-stealers included Cliff Booth's pit bull and the young Julia Butters. Portraying a precocious method actor (the character deems the word "actress" restrictive) named Trudi, Butters held her own sharing the screen with DiCaprio. A commendable feat in-of-itself and Butters' mature demeanor made the scene all the more amusing.

If the marquee names associated with Tarantino's latest flick weren't enough to tell you Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood is a must-see motion-picture, I'll happily oblige in further supporting that notion. It's entertaining, original, remarkably well-crafted, and harkens back to simpler times. How often does a film like that come around?

Film Assessment: A