Well, we have experienced 2019 and into the big bright future ahead in 2020 and while 2020 looks to have some great movies in store, there will not be quite a year like 2019 where there were so many movies this year and conclusions to big epic franchises that made these film releases feel like events. There were so many movies to be excited for that a lot of people were seeing, so naturally being the film fan that I am, I could not wait to see what was in store. But along the way, there was a variety of all types of films to enjoy whether smaller releases, or big blockbusters, but the top 10 you’ll see will be the ones that appealed to my tastes the most. Disclaimer due to a busy life schedule I did not have the chance to see EVERY movie that released in 2019, but I was confident with the 10 I selected and felt these were the movies that even if I saw more they would still wind up being the ones that connected with me the most by the end of the year and years to come. Here we go.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
#10
In spite of the “genre” films I’ve greatly enjoyed this year that you’ll most certainly see on this list, it is so refreshing to see a Martin Scorsese film that feels so authentic to his style released in a time of these modernized blockbusters. I just love how his directing style took a part of history and made this story feel so important and investing with pitch-perfect filmmaking and all-around stunning performances throughout by Scorsese regulars like Robert DiNero and Joe Pesci (who came out of retirement to act in this and was freaking awesome). Al Pacino, as always, was a chameleon, completely becoming Jimmy Hoffa. I was thoroughly impressed and not to mention that in spite of such a long runtime, it managed to be so engrossing that I didn’t even care how long it was.
#9
I’ve thought about it for a while and I think this is my favorite live-action Spider-Man film because it encapsulates the essence of who Peter Parker and Spider-Man are and the struggles of living his life as a hero and an average teenager. It captures the spirit of the source material well and invites us in, what to me, was such a fantastically hilarious and moving story that reminds me why Spider-Man is a great, relatable superhero and why Marvel Studios is so strong with telling amazing stories about amazing characters while also building on other corners of the world and story we get to discover with fresh eyes.
#8
I think to me this movie will be the closest I will ever see to an epic in the form of a horror movie. It just feels so grand with bigger and more horrifying scares, but there is a big finish to the movie. A catharsis that makes the journey we saw the Losers Club go through that finally made this entire adventure feel worth it. The cast in place for the adult members of the Losers Club all felt perfectly cast and Bill Skarsgård as the big daddy of them all still manages to be one of my favorite horror movie actors of all time as Pennywise. I love both Chapters 1 and 2 and kudos to them for making me love horror movies more than I ever have before.
#7
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a movie where even though I was disturbed by it there were still a lot of layers to it that make me want to revisit it multiple times. Joaquin Phoenix delivered one of the best performances I’ve ever seen maybe in cinema. You genuinely felt conflicted because, in spite of how evil he became which doesn’t necessarily make you root for him, you feel bad how he wound up there. It is one of the most fascinating movies of the year and an astonishing achievement in taking a comic book character into a whole other element with such brutal, shocking and thought-provoking art.
#6
Breaking Bad is one of my favorite shows of all time and in spite of it ending on a pretty perfect note the fact that the original creator Vince Gilligan was going to come back to do a follow up about Jesse Pinkman was a story I was more than welcome to see. This movie still gives you that amazing suspense that was felt in the original show. Some truly nail-biting scenes that lead to an even more satisfying conclusion to the Breaking Bad series. Aaron Paul delivered his absolute best reprising the role of Jesse and not to mention seeing some OG cast members return was nothing short of excellent. It made the entire Breaking Bad journey worth it and did a phenomenal job convincing me that this series deserved to be bookended the way it did for such an incredible character in Jesse Pinkman.
#5
I know this man has had its critics due to a little space movie that came out a couple of years ago, but due to such a stupendous filmography thus far Rian Johnson is one of my absolute favorite directors. I loved how he was able to take a murder mystery and make it work so well with such a beautifully shot, cleverly written and well-acted film. It had such an amazing ensemble of actors and I also loved that it was full of surprises and the parts I thought weren’t going to be as strong convinced me with such a well-thought-out script. I honestly felt the passion, appreciation, and hard work that was put into this film because of how Johnson lead the ship and I thought he delivered.
#4
What amazed me the most about this film was that it still felt almost exactly like its predecessor in The Shining, which is another one of my favorite horror movies. Director Mike Flanagan utilized his style to not only celebrate and honor Stanley Kubrick’s horror masterpiece but took his spin to deliver another epic entry to The Shining story that certainly makes you rethink the world that film is set in and gives you the bigger picture on the psychological impact that was left on Danny Torrance, who’s played tremendously well by Ewan McGregor (Hello there, indeed). Even though it’s a film adaptation of Stephen King’s work and I’m not sure how the world building was treated in a literary sense, but to see how this world expanded visually and how I was so emotionally invested in the story and the characters whether it was the heroes or villains, it was due to such incredible craftsmanship in all departments of the filmmaking process. This reminded me why I love horror movies and how powerful they can be if done with such an incredible flair that honors a masterpiece like The Shining but was also able to enrapture me in the modern world of movies.
#3
Quentin Tarantino will always be one of my favorite filmmakers and with a film like this, it reminds me why he’s still one of the single greatest filmmakers working today and will be for years to come. The chemistry between Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt’s characters was just magic. I loved seeing the two of them play off of each other on-screen and not to mention that each scene they were in also had a lot of fun to be had. Margot Robbie also playing such a lovable presence in her depiction of the late actress Sharon Tate.
Throughout my viewing, I honestly wasn’t sure where the movie was going for all the right reasons, but in retrospect, I thought of it more as build-up, for the movie led to one of the most jaw-dropping, satisfying, and priceless endings I’ve probably ever seen. I had tears in my eyes! It was the best! Not to mention the way Tarantino captured the 60s time era was highly commendable because I’ve always been fascinated and enjoyed the arts and culture to come out of that era, especially the music. The way it's incorporated is amazing. It was classic Tarantino in all the best ways and will certainly be another one of my new favorite movies.
Throughout my viewing, I honestly wasn’t sure where the movie was going for all the right reasons, but in retrospect, I thought of it more as build-up, for the movie led to one of the most jaw-dropping, satisfying, and priceless endings I’ve probably ever seen. I had tears in my eyes! It was the best! Not to mention the way Tarantino captured the 60s time era was highly commendable because I’ve always been fascinated and enjoyed the arts and culture to come out of that era, especially the music. The way it's incorporated is amazing. It was classic Tarantino in all the best ways and will certainly be another one of my new favorite movies.
Okay folks, so these next two I thought hard about because these next two movies were tied for me. I do love these next two movies equally, heck, in essence, I love all these movies on this list for my reasons in spite of the ranking, but for the sake of honoring this list I made sure I gave a slight edge to the movie that REALLY spoke to me on so many levels even after I first saw it. So here’s #2.
#2
To those who are reading this know me, it’s a little bit of a shock this isn’t my #1, but as I said in my Most Anticipated Movies of 2019 video I did last year you’ll see why (hint hint). But The Rise of Skywalker is what I hoped it would be in the most unexpected of ways. Were there things that caught me off guard my first viewing? Of course, but there was so much in this movie and even as a fan, there was so much for me to process. But I think because of all that it’s why this last entry in the saga has replay value. As of now I’ve only seen it the one time and hope to get around to another viewing soon, but the movie did really speak to me in terms of the joy I get every time I watch a Star Wars movie or, heck, anytime I invest in a Star Wars anything. These stories in the saga will stand the test of time and I feel that in years to come this saga will be seen with fresh eyes and examined differently in a time where the fan theories and leaks won’t be as prevalent because we know how the story turns out. Sure, maybe these movies have their flaws, but nothing will ever take away the adventure and fun I had with this movie, the sequel trilogy, or any of the Star Wars stories that I love with all my heart because there ain’t nothing like the tales told in a galaxy far, far away.
So my favorite movie of 2019 gets the slight edge because it felt like an achievement for finishing up this story arc that was years in the making and did the difficult task of taking the stakes to the highest of levels while also balancing out all these lovable characters. It was a culmination of all genres and took what was so rich and fun in the source material and was made into an instant classic and that movie is...
#1
This was quite a special year for cinema and although there won’t be quite the event movies like this past year, 2020 is not looking too shabby as well. I was grateful to enjoy all these movies this year and look forward to a brighter future in cinema. And because I’d rather celebrate cinema, I decided not to do "Worst" of the year posts because I’d rather enjoy the movies I’m interested in and stay more on the positive side of this art-form that can have its share of critics (and maybe too much).
I can’t wait for what 2020 has to offer and stay tuned for My Top 10 Most Anticipated Movies of 2020 list coming at you guys soon. Hope you all dig that and enjoy some entertainment.
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