Top Ten Films of 2019 (1/10/2020)
- Heather German
- Jun 26, 2020
- 5 min read
Despite the overall average-ness of 2019, there were some great films that were released this year - some of which rank up the best of the decade. Countless franchise came to a close, and the indie and foreign scenes were as vibrant and teeming as ever. In order to honor the great films that came out this year, here is my Top Ten Films of 2019 list.
10. Shazam!
Shazam is some of the most fun I’ve had in theaters all year. It’s a witty and energetic new take on the superhero film that injects some sorely-needed wholesomeness into the DCEU. With great action scenes, hilarious dialogue, and a wonderfully campy storyline straight from an 80’s blockbuster, Shazam provides an endlessly fun and heartwarming action comedy about superheroes and found family.
9. The Irishman
The Irishman is not a film that I was easily able to relate to, as I fit almost none of the demographics it was geared towards. However, it is a three and a half hour odyssey of crime and bloodshed that is well worth undertaking regardless. It’s Martin Scorsese’s best proper crime film in years, and it provides what feels like an ultimate statement on upholding a life of criminal behavior. It’s not an easy watch, and the ending is truly haunting, but it’s one of the most interesting and distinguished films of the year.
8. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum
This year was the year I finally jumped on board the John Wick hype train, and this is definitely the best chapter yet. With this, John Wick finally hit the absolute perfect balance of storytelling and technical prowess for an action film. The story and world building are fascinating and filled with colorful, memorable characters, yet they all intertwine perfectly with the action scenes, in which bullets and punches ring out like a symphony, and adrenaline-packed violence is turned into a cinematic art form. I can’t wait for the next one.
7. Knives Out
Rian Johnson has proven himself to be an incredibly unpredictable and versatile director, and at his best he plays with genre conventions in delightful ways and serves up a delightfully familiar and yet wholly unique offering. Knives Out is just such a film, delivering a fun, fresh spin on the whodunnit genre while offering one of the best nights at the movies I had all year - all while injecting some juicy social commentary that fits nicely with the themes of the film.
6. Avengers: Endgame
Avengers: Endgame concludes an 11 year saga that started with 2008’s Iron Man. Going through multiple phases with multiple characters coming and going, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been an unprecendented undertaking in film history, and while this may not be the single best film from it, it’s certainly a worthy send-off. Epic in scope and nearly three hours long but earning every minute of it, Avengers: Endgame combines all the loose threads from the Infinity Saga and gives the characters the ending they deserve. It’s also thrilling, funny, and surprisingly emotional in the process.
5. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
2019 wasn’t a particularly great year for animated film (though I did miss Toy Story 4, which I heard was great). Fortunately, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World continued Dreamwork’s strong streak with this franchise, concluding Hiccup and Toothless’s journey in epic and emotionally satisfying form. While it suffers from a somewhat rushed ending and a plot that too closely mirrors its companion TV series, this trilogy closer is still a fulfilling conclusion to what has become one of my personal favorite film series of all time. I will always remember these characters and the joy they have brought me. Also, this movie is goddamn gorgeous.
4. Booksmart
Booksmart is a breath of fresh air in a landscape of stale American comedy. It’s probably the best movie Judd Apatow has never made. Continuing in the vein of previous coming of age comedies such as Superbad, Booksmart proves that you don’t need to be sexist or homophobic to have some good, raunchy, offensive comedy. The two leads are charismatic and likeable characters, and their escapades are incredibly fun to watch - and heart-tugging as well, as some of the harder growing pains of maintaining a friendship post-graduation kick in. Booksmart is destined to be a queer cult classic, and it’s one that I loved tremendously.
3. Jojo Rabbit
Taika Waititi has been on an absolute role this decade, with excellent comedies such as What We Do In the Shadows and Hunt for the Wilderpeople under his belt. Jojo Rabbit is perhaps his most ambitious concept yet - to create a satire of hate groups told in the midst of Nazi Germany. Setting a comedy in this period while not trivializing the horrors of the time period is an incredibly tricky line to walk, but Jojo Rabbit executes it marvellously. Hilarious and emotional in equal measures and with some of Waititi’s most memorable characters to date, Jojo Rabbit is a creative success.
2. Parasite
Parasite is a film unlike ever you’ve seen before. Completely unwilling to be defined by a single genre, this tale of class deconstruction is dark and hilarious in equal measure. With this, Bong Joon-ho proves why he’s so well regarded even in the West, as Parasite is a well crafted and well acted ensemble piece that does a phenomenal job at deconstructing and satirizing the differences and stereotypes associated with the upper and lower class. Furthermore, it’s easily the most unpredictable film of the year; as soon as you think you know what kind of movie you’re watching, it morphs into something far, far more sinister, and while you start off laughing, by the time the credits roll you’re completely sober, as the film shows you the ugly truth beneath its light-hearted first impression. Even if you don’t watch many foreign films, you need to watch Parasite.
1. The Lighthouse
For the longest time, I thought Parasite was going to be the number one on this list. For many people, that will be higher than this one, but for me, I realize that nothing this year had succeeded at getting under my skin quite like The Lighthouse did. Nothing made me want to watch it again more, to re-experience all of the weirdness that I had just seen. As unique as Parasite is, nothing this year was anything like The Lighthouse. From its incredible 4:3 black and white cinematography to its perfect blending of psychological thriller and dark comedy to the incredible performances by Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson to the constant, claustrophobic atmosphere that constantly hangs over the characters like a wet, suffocating blanket - everything in this film is masterfully handled. It’s a bizarre, engaging and memorable at every single turn, and I can’t be true to myself without ranking this as the best film of 2019.
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