And here
we are again at the start of another year. I watched 124 films from the year 2019,
within the calendar year itself. Yes I know that might be a bit excessive but
what can I say, I’m probably compensating for not being hugged enough at some
point. A full list of films I saw is published below, with a basic rating, in
case you are interested. As you know I live in the wonderful city of Prague,
and excellent as it is, the release dates for some films may differ from other
countries, hence why some of the films listed as watched here might have been
released in 2018 elsewhere, and some films from 2019 have not been released
here yet (i.e. Jay and Silent Bob Reboot), and will therefore be in next year’s
list (if I get down to watching them). Beware as usual this is a superhero/comic
book film heavy list.
So how
was 2019 for films? I would say it was quite a good year, there were a lot more
films that I rated Good or Excellent,
than there were ones I rated Bad or Awful. Also this was a fantastic year for
music in film, both the use of pre-existing songs and with soundtracks in
general.
Also please be aware that this post might contain unintentional
spoilers
The Top Twenty One
21) Happy Death Day 2U
This was
a great sequel to the horror comedy Happy Death Day from 2017, this time we not only get an explanation (well science
mumbo jumbo) about what caused the time loops in the first film, we are also
introduced to multiple universes created by diverging timelines, which strangely
is my jam. Jessica Rothe is again immensely watchable as Tree Gelbman, the girl
who got stuck in a time loop previously where she was constantly murdered. I
can’t think of any actress who I have seen acting exasperated as well as I have
seen Ms. Rothe, at least not recently, and I know a thing or two about
exasperating people.
20) The Peanut Butter Falcon
This was
an enchanting film, following Zak (Zack Gottsagen) a young man with Down
syndrome, who escapes from the retirement home, where he has been placed, in
order to attend a wrestling school run by his favourite professional wrestler
“The Salt Water Redneck” (Thomas Haden Church). En route he meets up with Tyler
(Shia LaBeouf) a man on the run from two crabbers he has wronged. Tyler takes a
shine to Zak and decides to help get him to his destination. This is a slow
moving film as Zak and Tyler first walking towards their destination and then
raft down the backwaters, chased by both the crabbers and Eleanor (Dakota
Johnson) a social worker who cares for Zak and is trying to bring him home.
LeBeouf is at his most likable in this film and shows a quiet tender side that
you don’t usually see from him.
19) Jumanji: The Next Level
A
brilliant follow up to the 2017 Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, this time we
see Spencer (Alex Wolff) from the previous film having a very rough time of it,
and deciding to fix up the console he and his friends destroyed at the end of
the last film, in order to enter Jumanji so he can feel the confidence of being
Dr. Xander "Smolder" Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson) again. His friends
thinking he may be in trouble, decide to go in and rescue him, however as the console
is not functioning properly, it also pulls in Spencer’s grandfather Eddie (Danny
DeVito) and Eddie’s frenemy Milo (Danny Glover) in with them, assigns the
characters randomly, and puts them into a completely new adventure. This film
is full of impressive performances from the actors playing the characters within
the game having to take on many different personalities, and though Dwayne
Johnson acting as Eddie is fantastic, the MVP is definitely Kevin Hart playing
a super slow talking and meandering Milo.
18) Ready or Not
This is
another fantastic horror comedy from this year. Grace (Samara Weaving) a bride
on her wedding night, is told of a family tradition, that any person marrying
into the board game dynasty, has to play a randomly picked game on their first
night, what she is not told is that if she get the game Hide and Seek (which
she obviously does), then she must hide, while the remaining family members hunt
her down. They do this as they believe that one of their ancestors made a pact
with the mysterious Mr Le Bail (possibly the devil or a demon), and if a
sacrifice of the hider is not made by daybreak then they will all die. This
film is a lot of gory fun, with as many laugh out loud moments, as moments that
will make you wince. It possibly also has the best last line of any film this
year.
17) Ad Astra
Some
people thought that this film was a bit slow, however I really enjoyed it (I
mean it made this list). I found Brad Pitt’s subdued performance intriguing as
an astronaut going out into deep space to try and find his father, who had long
been thought dead. Beautifully shot, and superbly acted, this film is filled
with metaphors about sons and fathers, and moving on. It also has space pirates,
laser fights and super scary space baboons. So something for everyone.
16) Rocketman
After 2018’s
Bohemian Rhapsody this biopic of Elton John could have been seen as a cash
grab, however in my not so humble opinion this is a superior film. It
integrated Elton John’s music in interesting and fun ways throughout as a
fantasy musical numbers. It also did not shy away from the uglier parts of
Elton John’s life such as his drug problems and abusive relationships. I was a
bit sceptical about the casting of Taron Egerton as Elton John, however his
performance won me over and the scenes between him and Jamie Bell playing
Bernie Taupin, Elton John’s long time songwriter are really touching. Also
though he doesn’t sound like Elton John, Egerton actually singing the songs
himself added something real to his depiction of Elton John.
15) Hail Satan?
An
excellent documentary following The Satanic Temple as they try and assert their
own freedom of religion and bring light upon the issue of religion
(Christianity) creeping its way into government Institutions of America. This
documentary tries to expose the hypocrisy within a society that is supposedly
built upon the separation of church and state. The film also charts the
creation of The Satanic Temple and its key tenets, their campaigns to have
religious iconography (specifically Ten Commandments monuments) removed from
state government buildings, as well as their other community works, such as
promoting women health rights and charity drives. Definitely worth watching,
even if it’s just to give you a new perspective on a much maligned group.
14) Spider-Man: Far From Home
How do
you follow up the biggest film of all time? Not only did Avengers Endgame bring
together almost every hero in the MCU together to fight Thanos and his army, it
also successfully capped off a story arc going back 21 other films. Well Marvel
went the correct route and bought everything down to a smaller scale, focusing
on Peter Parker (Tom Holland), as he deals with the aftermath of Endgame,
trying to get away from Spider-Man and just have a normal summer on a class
trip around Europe, maybe tell MJ how he feels. All this of course is set aside
when Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) pulls him in to help with a potentially world
ending crisis. Though everyone is again great in this, special mention must go
to Jake Gyllenhaal playing the mysterious Mysterio (see what I did there), who
is able to pull off being super likable and/or sleazy and detestable at the moment’s
notice.
13) Shazam!
In comparison to the MCU, The DCEU (or whatever dumb thing they are calling it currently) films have been very disjointed and inconsistent. You’ve had the good one’s (Wonder Woman and Aquaman), the bad one (Suicide Squad), the really awful ones (Batman vs Superman, Justice League) and the OK one Man of Steel. So going into Shazam! I wasn’t sure what to expect, and though not a perfect film by any standards (awful CGI villains is a regular DCEU issue), this comes the closest to bringing an actual DC comic book to the big screen. All the actors here are good in their roles, Zachary Levi is charming as ever as the eponymous hero who is really a child in an adult body, and has fantastic chemistry with Jack Dylan Grazer, playing his foster brother and almost as big a superhero nerd as yours truly. The film finally brings some joy to the DCEU, hopefully this trend will continue when needed (Batman doesn’t need joy).
In comparison to the MCU, The DCEU (or whatever dumb thing they are calling it currently) films have been very disjointed and inconsistent. You’ve had the good one’s (Wonder Woman and Aquaman), the bad one (Suicide Squad), the really awful ones (Batman vs Superman, Justice League) and the OK one Man of Steel. So going into Shazam! I wasn’t sure what to expect, and though not a perfect film by any standards (awful CGI villains is a regular DCEU issue), this comes the closest to bringing an actual DC comic book to the big screen. All the actors here are good in their roles, Zachary Levi is charming as ever as the eponymous hero who is really a child in an adult body, and has fantastic chemistry with Jack Dylan Grazer, playing his foster brother and almost as big a superhero nerd as yours truly. The film finally brings some joy to the DCEU, hopefully this trend will continue when needed (Batman doesn’t need joy).
12) Yesterday
I am a huge fan of the works of Richard Curtis and Danny Boyle (Sunshine is a super underrated film) and the music of the Beatles, so a film combining all three was obviously going to appeal to me. Jack Malik (Himesh Patel in his big screen debut) a failed musician, wakes up after an accident in a world where the Beatles never existed and their songs were never released, though he still remember them. He of course takes advantage of this to help launch his own career by releasing their songs himself. This is a sweet and funny film which sees Jack dealing with feelings of guilt and being a fraud, as well as finally realising his love for his best friend Ellie (Lily James) and coming to terms with his career driving them apart. Though I found Kate McKinnon as a ruthless music agent over the top and slightly distracting the rest of the cast were great, special shout out to Joel Fry as Jack’s friend/roadie Rocky.
I am a huge fan of the works of Richard Curtis and Danny Boyle (Sunshine is a super underrated film) and the music of the Beatles, so a film combining all three was obviously going to appeal to me. Jack Malik (Himesh Patel in his big screen debut) a failed musician, wakes up after an accident in a world where the Beatles never existed and their songs were never released, though he still remember them. He of course takes advantage of this to help launch his own career by releasing their songs himself. This is a sweet and funny film which sees Jack dealing with feelings of guilt and being a fraud, as well as finally realising his love for his best friend Ellie (Lily James) and coming to terms with his career driving them apart. Though I found Kate McKinnon as a ruthless music agent over the top and slightly distracting the rest of the cast were great, special shout out to Joel Fry as Jack’s friend/roadie Rocky.
11) Dolemite is My Name
Even at the start of 2019 if you had told me that one of my favourite films of the year would be an Eddie Murphy led vehicle, about a 1970’s musician/comedian/Blaxploitation star who I had not heard of, I probably would have said “Okaaaaaay?” while backing away slowly. However if such a series of improbable events had taken place, I would have been mistaken (but they didn’t so I wasn’t). Based on a true story this is a fantastic film, Murphy is astonishing as Rudy Ray Moore, a down on his luck middle-aged man who by the sheer force of his will makes himself a star. This is a true underdog story and I am glad that Murphy told it and I’m glad to have Murphy back to his best.
Even at the start of 2019 if you had told me that one of my favourite films of the year would be an Eddie Murphy led vehicle, about a 1970’s musician/comedian/Blaxploitation star who I had not heard of, I probably would have said “Okaaaaaay?” while backing away slowly. However if such a series of improbable events had taken place, I would have been mistaken (but they didn’t so I wasn’t). Based on a true story this is a fantastic film, Murphy is astonishing as Rudy Ray Moore, a down on his luck middle-aged man who by the sheer force of his will makes himself a star. This is a true underdog story and I am glad that Murphy told it and I’m glad to have Murphy back to his best.
10) Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Though
this is not my favourite of Quentin Tarantino’s films (Jackie Brown in case you
are interested), this is still a fantastic film. Set in 1969, Rick Dalton
(Leonardo DiCaprio) a Hollywood actor whose career is in decline, and his best
friend is his stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) are the main protagonists of
this story. Tarantino bring late 60’s Hollywood to life, with many cameos by
actors and actresses playing famous people of the era. At the fringes of the
story is the spectre of Charles Manson and the Manson Family, with the murder
of Sharon Tate seemingly the ultimate destination of the film. This film has
all the style and verve of a classic Tarantino film along with a killer
soundtrack, as well as performances of the highest order from the entire cast.
9) Knives Out
I love a
good mystery film, and this is a really good one. This film is an old school
detective story akin to the best episodes of Poirot or Columbo. It introduces
us to an original private detective Benoit Blanc (played by Daniel Craig
playing with the most fascinating accent you will have heard in 2019), as he
investigates the suicide of an 85 year old mystery writer Harlan Thrombey
(Christopher Plummer) on the night of his birthday. The suspects include the pit of vipers that
is the Thrombey family, most of whom are hiding secrets and have reasons to
want to off the patriarch. A story full of twists and turn, and another great
ensemble cast. I am hoping that Rian Johnson will make some more of these, we
definite need some more Benoit Blanc.
8) Captain Marvel
Yes this
film only came out in 2019. Now even though I am a huge comic book fan (I might
have mentioned his once or twice), I have to say that Captain Marvel has never
been a character I have been interested in, mostly because I tend to prefer DC,
Vertigo and Image comics to Marvel, so I went into this film with the most
basic knowledge of the character, and I left the cinema wanting to read
everything I could featuring her. Brie Larsson is fantastic as Carol
Danvers/Captain Marvel as a super-powered being from the planet Hala, who ends
up on Earth in the year 1995, following Talos (A brilliant Ben Mendelsohn) and his
group of Skrull terrorist, though things may not be what they first appear to
be. I loved this film, Brie Larsson kicks ass as the eponymous hero, Samuel L
Jackson is the best version of Nick Fury we have seen so far and the 90’s soundtrack
rocks. The other thing that endears me to this film is that it has my favourite
of all the MCU Stan Lee Cameo in it, as he plays himself preparing for his role
in Mallrats (meaning both Stan Lee and Kevin Smith exist in the MCU Yay!).
7) Blinded By the Light
This is
probably the film that I related to most this year. Based on a true story, it
follows Javed Khan a British-Pakistani teen in the 1980’s, who is struggling
with the conflict of having his own aspirations and the more traditional
desires of his family. Feeling alone and misunderstood, Javed finds solace in
the music of Bruce Springsteen, and it opens up his world. This is a film about
the effect music can have on you, to lift you up and to comfort you in
solidarity. Though not exactly my experience (I’m of Indian origin and about 5
years behind from the events of this story), I also went through a similar
phrase and therefore this film really spoke to me. Though it doesn’t sound very
funny it is full of some quite humorous moment. It also does an excellent job
of portraying how the song lyrics relate to what Javed is going through at time,
especially that moment that he first hears Dancing in the Dark.
6) Joker
Not a
traditional interpretation of the Joker, this film is grim to say the least.
Joaquin Phoenix plays Arthur Fleck, possibly the most down trodden person in
the history of comic book cinema, he is a mentally ill man in 1980’s Gotham,
who makes his living as a clown, but dreams of being a stand-up comedian. He is
constantly beaten down both figuratively by the system that is unable to
provide for him and his ailing mother, and literally by people who attack him
physically. That is until one night when he just snaps and commits and act of
violence himself. What follows is Arthur’s decent (rise?) through madness. As
he starts to turn more confident and sinister, the city around him reacts to
his actions lauding him and turning on the upper crust of society. The actions
taken by Arthur and his followers are extreme to say the least and Arthur
should in no way be seen as a heroic figure. Phoenix’s performance is
exceptional, the film is shot beautifully and Hildur Guðnadóttir’s soundtrack
is magnificent.
5) John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum
It’s God
Damn John Wick! Again like Chapter 2 this film expands the John Wick Universe
(The Wickerverse?), this time on a global scale, as John (Keanu Reeves) attempts
to dodge what seems to be all the assassins, and make amends for his transgression
in the previous film. The remarkable world building this film doesn’t come at
the expense of the action and fight scenes either, in fact it actually has more
action than the previous film and a larger variety of it too. At various points
in the film you have book-fu, horse-fu and dog-fu, as well as other great
fights. This is not a one man show though, this film has a great ensemble cast,
with Ian McShane, Lance Reddick and Laurence Fishburne returning and the excellent
addition of Halle Berry, Mark Dacascos and Asia Kate Dillon. I had assumed
before going in that this would be the end of a trilogy, I left impatient for
the next chapter.
4) Avengers: Endgame
I mean
obviously this was going to make my list, though some may be surprised that it
is as low on my list as it is. Well in my opinion as awesome as this film is
(and it is awesome), at successfully juggling the huge number of characters in
it, and how gracefully it capped the Infinity Saga, I probably didn’t enjoy it
as much as Avengers: Infinity War (Shock! Horror!). I think that after the last
film, this one suffers from not having enough Thanos (Josh Brolin) in it.
Thanos was the most compelling character in Infinity War. Don’t get me wrong, I
will re-watch this film over and over and over again, especially the last hour
(Fucking Portals Hell Yeah!) and the fight against Thanos and his forces, had
some truly classic comic book moment in that (Captain America fighting with
Mjolnir!, Captain Marvel going toe to toe with the big purple one), however in
Infinity War Thanos was a fully fleshed out character, whose motivations were
well intentioned, not matter what you thought of his methods. In Endgame he is
relegated to almost being a moustache twirling villain. Having said that the
Russo brothers and Kevin Feige should all be congratulated for what they have
accomplished here.
3) Booksmart
This was
definitely the best out and out comedy I saw this year, and was top of my list
for a huge chunk of the year. Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever)
are best friends, who on the last day of high school find out that while they
have worked super hard, alienating all others to achieve their goal of getting
into Yale, all the other students have also gotten into good universities (or
careers) and they have also had fun throughout high school. Molly and Amy
decide to cut loose and make up for as much of the missed fun they can in one
night. This leads to much hijinks. There are many males focused coming-of-age
comedies out there, so it is good to see a female focused one, it is even
better to see a coming-of-age comedy that is actually very funny and is this
smart, no matter what the gender of the protagonists. The two leads are
fantastic, and though I can’t speak from experience I have heard that this is
very accurate depiction of female friendship, and first time director Olivia
Wilde (yes that one), does a great job.
2) Jojo Rabbit
Taika
Watiti is one of the most interesting writers and directors currently working
in the film industry, he’s not a half-bad actor either. In this comedy he plays
Adolf Hitler as the imaginary friend of a 10 year old boy living in Germany at
the later stages of World War Two. The boy Johannes “Jojo” Betzler who lives
with his loving mother (Scarlett Johansson), has grown up in the shadow of the
Nazi propaganda machine and has complete faith in it. That is until he
discovers that his mother is hiding a Jewish girl Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie) in
their home, and though at first it confuses him, as the film goes on he starts
to question, what he has been bought up to believe. Now there have been some
concerns bought up that the portrayal of Hitler and the Nazis in this film will
make them seem not as bad as they really were, however I believe that the film
attempts to depict how a 10 year old boy in that situation would see the world,
and this well might be how that boy would understand his world. Also Nazis are
fucking assholes, and mocking them can never be a bad thing. Great performances
throughout, though a very special mention should go to Archie Yates, who play
Yorki, Jojo’s best friend, whenever he is on screen, he steals the scene.
1) The Farewell
This
bittersweet comedy based on a true story (a few of those in the list this year),
sees Billi (played by Awkwafina), a Chinese-American writer, who is told that
her beloved grandmother Nai Nai (Zhao Shuzhen) is dying of cancer, and then is
told that her family are not going to tell Nai Nai that she is dying, instead
they are putting on a fake wedding for Billi’s cousin as an excuse for the entire
family to all go home and spend some time with Nai Nai before she passes. There
are no antagonists in this film, (well unless you consider cancer the
antagonist, Fuck you cancer!), it is just about a family dealing with an awful
situation, and the conflict Billi is finding between at her western ideals
pushing her to tell her Grandmother, and the families more traditional values
of taking the emotional pressure away from Nai Nai and taking it upon
themselves. Everyone is brilliant in this, and their portrayal of a family is
very believable. And yes I know what you are thinking, this film doesn’t sound
funny, but it is. It might not be as laugh out loud as some of the other films
in this list, but it does have its moment. I would definitely recommend it. Be
warned a lot of it is Mandarin.
And my worst film of the year for 2019 is.........
6 Underground
Apparently
this is what happens when you give Michael Bay carte blanche, this film is
truly abysmal. There is a kernel of a good idea here, and the cast is made up
of some good actors. However the characters, the dialogue, the attempts at
humour, the way the film is cut and the general look of it is awful. At points
it is actually jarring to watch, and that starts within the first few minutes.
Also I say this as a huge fan of the female form, Michael Bays attempt to
shoehorn in women in bikinis and lingerie is just sad and detracts from what
little storyline is actually happening. Also if you are going to call your film
6 Underground not having the Sneaker Pimps song in it, just seems wrong to me.
Give this a miss, even if you already have a Netflix subscription and have
watched everything else on it.
Complete list of Films watched in
2019
Ratings
Excellent = Must watch
Good = Should watch
Meh = Fine
Bad = Can be avoided
Awful = Avoid
6
Underground - Awful
A
Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood - Good
A Score
to Settle - Meh
Above
the Shadows - Meh
Ad Astra
- Excellent
Aladdin
- Good
Alita:
Battle Angel - Bad
Always
Be My Maybe - Good
Amazing
Grace - Excellent
Anna - Meh
Arctic -
Meh
At
Eternity's Gate - Good
Avengers:
Endgame - Excellent
Batman
Hush - Meh
Blinded
by the Light - Excellent
Booksmart
- Excellent
Border -
Meh
Brightburn
- Meh
Bumblebee
- Good
Captain
Marvel - Excellent
Captive
State - Bad
Code 8 -
Meh
Cold
Pursuit - Good
Crawl - Meh
Dark
Phoenix - Awful
Deadwood
the Movie - Meh
Doctor
Sleep - Good
Dolemite
is My Name - Excellent
Doom
Annihilation - Bad
Downton
Abbey - Bad
Dumbo - Awful
El
Camino A Breaking Bad Movie - Good
Fast
& Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw - Good
Fighting
with My Family - Good
Ford v
Ferrari - Excellent
Free
Solo - Good
Frozen 2
- Good
Fyre - Meh
Gemini
Man - Bad
Glass - Awful
Godzilla:
King of the Monsters - Bad
Greta - Meh
Hail
Satan - Excellent
Happy
Death Day 2U - Excellent
Hellboy
- Meh
Hustlers
- Good
I Am
Mother - Meh
In the
Shadow of the Moon - Bad
It
Chapter Two - Meh
John
Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum - Excellent
Jojo
Rabbit - Excellent
Joker - Excellent
Jumanji:
The Next Level - Excellent
Klaus - Good
Knives
Out - Excellent
Knock
Down the House - Excellent
Late
Night - Good
Little
Monsters - Excellent
Long
Shot - Good
Men in
Black: International - Awful
Midsommar
- Meh
Miss
Bala - Meh
Missing
Link - Good
Once
Upon a Time in Hollywood - Excellent
Paradise
Hills - Awful
Parasite
- Good
Point
Blank - Meh
Pokémon
Detective Pikachu - Good
Ralph
Breaks the Internet - Good
Rambo:
Last Blood - Bad
Ready or
Not - Excellent
Rocketman
- Excellent
Scary
Stories to Tell in the Dark - Meh
Shaft - Bad
Shazam!
- Excellent
Shiny
Shrimps - Good
Slaughterhouse
Rulez - Awful
Sometimes
Always Never - Meh
Spider-Man:
Far From Home - Excellent
Stan
& Ollie - Good
Star
Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - Meh
Stockholm
- Bad
Stuber -
Good
Teen
Titans Go Vs Teen Titans - Good
Terminator:
Dark Fate - Good
The
Addams Family - Good
The
Aeronauts - Meh
The Art
of Self Defense - Meh
The
Beach Bum - Bad
The Best
of Enemies - Good
The
Curse of La Llorona - Bad
The Day
Shall Come - Good
The Dead
Don't Die - Meh
The
Death of Dick Long - Awful
The
Farewell - Excellent
The
Favourite - Good
The
Highwaymen - Good
The
Hustle - Awful
The
Irishman - Good
The Kid
Who Would Be King - Meh
The King
- Meh
The
Laundromat - Bad
The Lego
Movie 2: The Second Part - Meh
The
Lighthouse - Bad
The Lion
King - Meh
The Man
Who Killed Don Quixote - Meh
The
Nightingale - Good
The Old
Man and the Gun - Excellent
The
Peanut Butter Falcon - Excellent
The
Professor and the Madman - Meh
The Two
Popes - Good
The
Upside - Good
Tolkien
- Meh
Toy
Story 4 - Good
Triple
Frontier - Bad
Triple
Threat - Good
Us - Good
Velvet
Buzzsaw - Bad
Welcome
to Marwen - Meh
Where'd
You Go, Bernadette - Meh
Wonder
Park - Meh
Wonder
Woman: Bloodlines - Meh
Yesterday
- Excellent
Zombieland:
Double Tap - Good
