George MacKay in “1917.”
When September rolled around last year, I looked at what films and performances that stood a chance of making my year-end best and worst list. Admittedly, I tend to ignore the few films I see that are truly horrible because I try to steer away from them in advance of screenings. So, I’m always looking at the films that moved me in some way to see if they would stand the test of time to the end of the year. Of course, by October and the beginning of “awards season” kicking into gear, films that looked promising in the first nine months, like “Rocketman,” “Yesterday,” “Gloria,” “Brittany Runs a Marathon,” and “Where’d You Go Bernadette,” might fall to the wayside.
Studios always stack their best stuff until the end of the year, namely November and December, parading their best movies for awards consideration. Releasing your best stuff in March or April is problematic in gaining momentum at the end of the year. Voting bodies like the National Board of Review, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and countless numbers of critics associations, like in Chicago, all have short-term memory loss. Yes, DVD screeners can be sent out to those voting groups to recharge their memory, but it is understood that the end-of-the-year barrage of releases get the most attention…and win the most awards.
South Korea’s “Parasite” won NYC, L.A. and Chicago as Best Picture, and by mid-December had gained tremendous momentum expected to carry into the big stuff following. It’s tracking exactly like last year’s “Roma,” which performed admirably at the Golden Globes and Academy Awards, but fell short of earning Best Picture as other small-budgeted “art films” did in the past like “Birdman,” “Spotlight,” and “Moonlight”…not that
“The Shape of Water” and “Green Book,” the last two year’s winners, were a huge productions. But with the onslaught of releases in November and December, it has all crystallized going into the next five weeks of awards starting with the Golden Globes and ending with the Academy Awards (Feb. 9).
Though I see a fraction of what full-time critics see annually, I’ve always felt my selections for best-this and best-that reflected an international following. The areas I just don’t have time for are the really small independent films that play exclusively at film festivals, hardly ever getting theatrical releases, or foreign-language and documentaries. Yes, some of them are sent via DVD screeners, but at the end of the year with deadlines looming, it can drive you crazy cramming in a plethora of movies all vying for your vote. As it is with everything in our society and the world at-large, there is just too much to absorb, resulting in massive over-choice.
Without further ado, here are my picks for films and performances for 2019 that bubbled to the top and deserve credit, or discredit, for why they’re there. The one category that’s very subjective is for Worst Films because I’m in a position to avoid films you know are going to be stinkers…but not all. I wish all the Journal readers a very Happy New Year…and may you all continue seeing movies at the theaters in 2020.
TOP 10 FILMS OF 2019 (in order):
1. “1917” (compelling story of bravery — visually stunning)
2. “Marriage Story” (profound breakup of a couple)
3. “Jojo Rabbit” (political satire mixed with heartfelt fantasy)
4. “Bombshell” (effective docudrama with great performances)
5. “The Report” (fact-based political thriller)
6. “Joker” (fascinating portrait of a supervillain)
7. “Dolemite is My Name” (Eddie Murphy shines)
8. “How to Train Your Dragon” (a heartfelt conclusion to the trilogy)
9. “Avengers: Endgame” (this is how to do a Superhero movie)
10. “Rocketman” (insightful look at the legendary singer)
HONORABLE MENTIONS 11-20 (in order):
11. “The Irishman”
12. “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”
13. “Toy Story 4”
14. “Judy”
15. “Little Women”
16. “Frozen II”
17. “Dark Waters”
18. “Ford v. Ferrari”
19. “The Two Popes”
20. “Apollo 11”
FIVE FILMS THAT VIED FOR No. 20:
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
“Knives Out”
“Just Mercy”
“Harriet”
BEST PERFORMANCES BY ACTORS (lead and supporting), in no particular order:
Adam Driver, “Marriage Story” and “The Report”
Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
John Lithgow, “Bombshell”
Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker”
George McKay, “1917”
Jonathan Pryce, “The Two Popes”
Eddie Murphy, “Dolemite is My Name”
Mark Ruffalo, “Dark Waters”
Roman Griffin Davis, “Jojo Rabbit”
Taron Egerton, “Rocketman”
Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Al Pacino, “The Irishman”
Tom Hanks, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
Adam Sandler, “Uncut Gems”
Shia LaBeouf, “Honey Boy” and “Peanut Butter Falcon”
Christian Bale, “Ford v. Ferrari”
BEST PERFORMANCES BY ACTRESSES (lead and supporting), in no particular order:
Scarlett Johansson, “Marriage Story”
Charlize Theron, Margo Robbie, “Bombshell”
Renee Zellweger, “Judy”
Cynthia Erivo, “Harriet”
Cate Blanchett, “Where’d You Go Bernadette?”
Julianne Moore, “Gloria”
Laura Dern, “Marriage Story”
Elisabeth Moss, “Her Smell”
Thomasin McKenzie, “Jojo Rabbit”
Sienna Miller, “American Woman”
Saoirse Ronan, “Little Women”
Daisy Ridley, “Star Wars”
UNDERAPPRECIATED FILMS:
“The Lego Move: Part Two”
“Alita: Battle Angel”
“Wonder Park” (animated)
“Gloria”
“Dumbo”
“American Woman”
“The Lion King”
“The Sound of My Voice” (Linda Ronstadt documentary)
OVERRATED FILMS:
“Us”
“The Farewell” (but good)
“Parasite” (but good)
“Midsommar”
“Hustlers”
“The Lighthouse”
“Uncut Gems”
GUILTY PLEASURES:
“Cyrano, My Love”
“Dumbo”
“Last Christmas”
BIGGEST SURPRISES:
“Jojo Rabbit”
“Little Women”
“Just Mercy”
“Star Wars”
“Honey Boy”
MOST DISAPPOINTING:
“Terminator: Dark Fate”
“Queen & Slim”
“Waves”
“Charlie’s Angels”
“Cats”
“The Goldfinch”
BURIED TREASURES:
“Blinded by the Light”
“Yesterday”
“Peanut Butter Falcon”
“Last Christmas”
“Brittany Runs a Marathon”
And now for the WORST FILMS of the year — a very subjective category — only the ones I saw (in no particular order):
“Glass”
“To Dust”
“Captive State”
“Little”
“The Hustle”
“Brightburn”
“Secret Life of Pets 2”
“Men in Black – International”
“The Intruder”
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