2019: A Year in Review

2019 was a troubling year. Not many good things happened in the world, and not many good things happened in the movies. It was a predictable and lazy year in Hollywood, and in some ways it would be easier to make a list of the worst movies of 2019 rather than the best. In fact, I can’t even come up with 10 great movies from 2019, so instead, here are my Top 9 films of 2019     

9)   Doctor Sleep is the best possible way to make a sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece. It is nostalgic but tasteful and isn’t just a sequel to The Shining; it turns itself into its own thing by including new villains and characters. It is also intriguing  to see the Overlook Hotel aged and decrepit in the modern era.     

8)   Endgame was not a film; it was a pop-cultural event. Everyone and their mother has seen it by now and references have permeated social media and the hallways at school. I believe that Endgame was the pop culture event of 2019. And we will see if it stands the test of time.

7)  Midsommar is confusing and convoluted in its imagery and story, but it ends up being as well-realized as it is disturbing. It is hard to explain what this movie achieves, but director Ari Aster manages to flip horror on its head. This folk film is shot in broad daylight. If you are a fan of very weird cult movies about cults then watch Midsommar.

6)   Uncut Gems is chaotic and loud, which would usually indicate low quality production, but in this case these elements telling the story of a chaotic and loud man in possession of a million dollar gem. He then loses it and bets all his money in this nail-biting thriller. This man is sad, pathetic, and stupid but you care for him because he is played by Adam Sandler, who transforms into an uncut gem on screen. This movie is anxiety producing, and it is literally the only movie that I was on the edge of my seat in the theater.

5) Parasite gives off very Hitchcockian vibe. It is a tale about class and poverty in South Korea with enough allegory and bone-chilling thrills to make you unsettled the whole way through and for days after. It shows both sides of the same story: the higher class and the lower class perspectives. There is one shot that I still think about and will think about forever. Also the whole movie is in Korean which for me adds to the slow-burn effect. The first kill isn’t until the last 20 minutes where all the terror crescendos into a 3-minute bloodbath.

4)   Joker is a film about a man torn by society and mental disability. There is something about this film that resonates with the audience. I think this has to do with the setting: a crumbling New York City, filled with garbage and economic injustice. The setting plays as an allegory for our economic and environmental despair that characterizes the postmodern society we live in.  

3)  Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood  is Quentin Tarantino’s ninth film and one of his best. It is a love letter to the golden age of Hollywood and is about the relationship between a TV actor and his stunt double. It also features a side plot about Charles Manson that puts a devilish  twist the famous Tate murders.

 2)    The Lighthouse is about madness and isolation. Usually I’m not a fan of films about people going insane because I think it’s an excuse for filmmakers to show weird and disturbing things to the camera, but the lighthouse is different. It is shot in black and white with a cubed aspect ratio. The film takes advantage of this focuses on long one-take streams of dialogue that brings to light the harsh reality of two men going crazy. 

 1)   US is the second film written and directed by Jordan Peele and it is scary as hell. All the elements–down to the smallest detail like what movie is on the shelf and what commercials are playing on the screen–are successful and intentional. The result is an amazing blockbuster film that conveys the message that we are own worst enemies, a message that resonates no more than ever.