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. 

Joker is the most realistic take on a comic book character I have ever seen. 

This is the first time that the audience has ever seen a normal, human name and face for the Joker. 

This Review will be split into four categories

1. The film making 
2. Joaquin Phoenix’s performance
3. The Plot 
4. The Verdict

The Film Making

First off, Joker is shot as if the pictures are flying off a page. Some shots are framed like comic book panels and it is truly amazing. For instance, there is a shot of Joker opening a pair of curtains to the fictional Live with Murray Franklin. Comics tell a story with a single image. This shot shows the Joker’s dream come true. He is backstage about to finally be in the spotlight, we see the production crew, the lights queuing him to the stage and his body language which shows his sense of victory. All this in one frame,   

and the only way I can describe it is “truly epic.” 

The direction is also very good. This is Todd Phillips’s best work since the first Hangover movie. The visuals are amazing and immersive. You see rats crawling through the subway, and it really captures how gross and grimy Gotham (New York) is and how difficult it is for the main character to live there. This is the first time in a Batman movie that Gotham looks like a real and terrible living environment. 

I will give the filmmaking a 10/10

Joaquin Phoenix’s performance

I mentioned in the introduction briefly that this is the most realistic take on a comic book character ever and it is all because of the performance by Joaquin Phoenix. He has an emotional, special and encapsulating performance. You truly feel bad for Arthur Fleck before his transformation into the seminal joker, you believe that Joaquin is Arthur. Arthur is a lower class man in Gotham City (New York City), who starts a revolution against rich people. Arthur is a depressed and pathetic, middle aged, self-aware loner. Phoenix embodies the character. Phoenix took method to the next level when he lost almost fifty pounds in order to get a single shot and to seem more pathetic. 

He seems to be really miserable and like he is going to hurt himself but then the audience is surprised when he pulls out a gun and shoots Murray. This whole time it has seemed like he is depressed, suicidal and dangerous to himself. As soon as he suits up and transforms into the joker he becomes a menace to society. When Arthur Fleck transforms into Joker he changes into this havok wrecking psychopath, that is happy and energized while he is taking on these acts of pure terror. 

I will give Joaquin Phoenix’s performance a 10/10.

The Plot

Joker is a tale of misery in a declining economy and it is almost perfect, but there is one huge flaw. 

The main flaw is the inclusion of Bruce Wayne/Batman as a child, it is confusing and overall messy. The movie would have been stronger if Joker was just about a regular guy with a mental disability. In the beginning you feel like you have struck cinematic gold. The movie is a slow burn character study on Athur Fleck. The audience goes so deep inside the character that you get disappointed when it turns into a Batman origin story.

Ultimately because of the Batman sub-plot the character gets lost and becomes a campy comic book villain. The film draws unnecessary connections to Batman and the franchise. The film would have been stronger if it only focused on the main character and not another character that will only be important in a future movie. 

I will give the plot a 9/10.

Verdict

Still there is something about this film that resonates with the audience. This is clear by the way the now iconic “joker” stairs have become an instagram destination photo op and how people are remixing and remaking the joker trailer. 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.

I will give Joker a 9.5/10, one of the best this year!

fi·na·le

/fəˈnalē,fəˈnälē/

noun

the last part of a piece of music, a performance, or a public event, especially when particularly dramatic or exciting.

Avengers Endgame is the finale to 22 films since Ironman in 2008, and it is a damn good film of callbacks to the original movies (phase one) and uplifting storytelling.

I am going to organize this Avenger’s Endgame review into six relevant and important categories:

1. The Comedy
2. The Fan Service
3. The Characterization & Performance
4. The Action
5. The Storytelling
6. The Verdict

THE COMEDY

The Comedy is one of the best in the series. I would say the jokes are melancholy and sour at first, but then they just turn mean-spirited and realistic if you’ve ever gone through tragedy and loss, then you can understand the type of dry humor employed in this film. Antman (Paul Rudd) carries the comedy on his back for most of the movie with amazing jokes and delivery, I loved fat Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and how they turned the manliest character into a slob that plays video games, The contrast between the god and the goof is surprising and subverted expectations, Especially after watching Infinity War.  

For an action movie, the comedy is solid.

THE FAN SERVICE

Good fan service calls back to the original in a subtle way that rewards loyalty. This film does that almost perfectly. An amazing example is when they return to the attack on New York from Avengers 1. They reshot and overlayed footage from the 2012 blockbuster, filled with easter eggs and jokes for the fans. The amazing thing is that all the fan service in this movie makes sense in the context of the story. It never stops the pacing or slows down the movie. The movie also never jumps the shark. Everything feels grounded in the laws and realities of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and the pieces of the story fit together perfectly. When I saw Captain America dancing with Peggy in the final scene, I was frozen because I was invested in the emotional payoff.

The fan service is AMAZING

THE CHARACTERIZATION & PERFORMANCE

Good performances have emotional weight, and this film is full of them. Karen Gillan has a very good performance as Nebula and plays two versions of her robot self. Mark Ruffalo has a very convincing performance as The Hulk, who after half the universe gets reduced to dust, integrates the Monster and the Man into Professor Hulk, a social media celebrity. Scarlett Johansson has a sad yet realistic portrayal of Black Widow.

Outstanding performances can carry a movie, and Endgame is no exception. Josh Brolin and Robert Downey Jr. are two of the best actors I’ve seen in the last ten years. Josh Brolin plays the infamous Thanos, and Robert Downey Jr. needs no introduction as Ironman. I believe Robert Downey Jr.’s performance is Oscar-worthy because of the emotion it carries.

Overall, the characterization and performances are the best in the series.

THE ACTION

In an action movie, the stakes are high when anyone can die at any moment. This is true in Endgame. The film begins and ends with whole civilizations being wiped

out in acts of genocide. Also, major characters like Black Widow and Ironman, who we are deeply invested in, meet their untimely demise. This movie has consequences, and major characters are lost forever.

The whole final battle is breath-taking. Characters, who we thought were lost, come back for last epic fight. When I saw the film opening week, the audience literally cheered to see Spider-Man, Black Panther (and his army), Doctor Strange, and others reappear to take on Thanos and his massive army of Chitauri, aliens with laser weapons, who look great on screen battling the Avengers. The visual effects are excellent, and the choreography of the fight scenes is so natural it doesn’t look choreographed.     

The action meets and exceeds audience expectations.

THE STORYTELLING

In this movie every plot point is relevant. There are many details that demonstrate that these writers, unlike David Benioff and D.B. Weiss of Game of Thrones, had a plan from the start and a vision for the finale. For example, at the end of Ironman (2008), Tony Stark gives a press conference in which he admits, “I am Ironman.” This line then comes back at the very end of Endgame. When Thanos gets the gauntlet, he says, “I am inevitable.” Then Tony Stark steals the infinity stones, and his last words before he dies are, “I am Ironman.” This creates a bookend and a sense of closure.

In the movie, there is no retconning of any sort. The writers handle their decision with integrity. Even the time travel, which is almost always messy, is handled with class.

I liked the idea that even if someone dies in the past, the future will not be affected because when going to the past, the past becomes the present and the present becomes future, so “the present is going to stay the same regardless” of what happens during the time traveling sequences. Even if they wanted to, the Avengers can’t go back in time to kill baby Thanos or have Thor go for his head before he snaps. Instead, they have to find a way to get the infinity stones, recreate the infinity gauntlet, and make a new future.
From a business standpoint, the tangent timelines are a brilliant strategy, opening many avenues for prequels, sequels, and spinoffs for streaming services like Disney+ and Netflix.

In this movie no one is safe and everything is purposeful.

The storytelling is compelling and impactful.

THE VERDICT      

I don’t want to give this movie a grade. Slapping a number on it will only take away from the overall experience. Endgame is not a film; it is a pop cultural event. Everyone and their mother has seen it by now and references are permeating social media and the hallways at school. Last week a teacher at my school referenced Endgame by saying, “Math is inevitable.”

Endgame is definitely an inevitable part of pop culture today

by Levi Jacobson

You might be excited for Jordan Peele’s new project US based on box office numbers alone, but other movies that have reached and exceeded that number ($173,980,920 at the moment) have not been as good (for example Scream 3, which grossed $161.8 million in its overall run). But US has grossed more than that in less then two months, and US is not Scream 3. It’s also not Get Out. To compare US to Get Out is to discredit both films because they are so different. It is like comparing The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable; it doesn’t make sense and its insulting to both films. US has “classic” written all over it, and Jordan Peele might just be this generation’s Alfred Hitchcock. Or maybe he’s just Jordan Peele, a term I predict is going to be used in future generations to indicate quality, originality, humor, and great direction. This film is OVERALL AMAZING.

This review will be split into five parts:

1. The Scare Factor
2. The Hilarity (the Jordan Peele-ness)
3. The Direction
4. The Plot
5. The Verdict

THE SCARE FACTOR

I will start by saying this movie is scary as HELL, The doubles (the tethered) are very frightening, and the make-up on Lupita Nyong’o’s tether, Red, is Oscar-worthy and terrifying. The grunts the tethered make are unsettling and creepy. The incredible acting makes the tethered look and act like different people. The soundtrack is also a standout among other films of this genre. Especially the “I Got 5 On It (Tethered Mix from US).” In this film, I felt the most unsettled and uncomfortable since The Shining.  

I am going to give THE SCARE FACTOR a 10/10

THE HILARITY

I will start by saying this movie is very Jordan Peele, meaning it uses subtle humor that regulates and paces the funnies and frights. For me, the name Jordan Peele equals masterful comedy. This movie has great comedians Tim Heidecker (of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! and Tim and Eric’s Bedtime Stories!) and Winston Duke, who both have perfect timing and delivery. And yes this movie is basically a horror flick with a strong dose Key and Peele humor in it. So the combination is amazing.

I am going to give THE HILARITY a 10/10

THE DIRECTION

This movie is incredibly well shot. If you saw Get Out, you know the type of direction Jordan Peele uses here. He has mastered the only showing what’s important but not being flashy and obnoxious technique only a few have perfected: Hitchcock, John Carpenter, Stanley Kubrick, and Wes Caven to name a few. But Jordan Peele has taken techniques from everyone and has mastered them.

I am going to give THE DIRECTION a 10/10

THE SCRIPT

The basic plot is an African American family goes to their summer home and encounters mysterious doubles of themselves. The meaning is ambiguous and thought-provoking. I would further dissect what makes the plot so good, but this would make my review full of spoilers, so just take my word for it.

I am going to give THE SCRIPT a 10/10

THE VERDICT

All the essential cinematic elements (such as the score, the screenplay, the acting, and the direction) factor into the verdict. In this film, all the elements–down to 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. All and all, this movie was a blast and I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of art, media and/or film.

I AM GOING TO GIVE US A 10/10