Most conversations about the current state of cinema tend to have a pessimistic tone — streaming is disrupting the industry, big-budget blockbusters are hogging the multiplex, box-office numbers are down, etc…
These are all true statements, but I defy anyone to watch the movies on this list and tell me that cinema is dying. In fact, 2019 was an unusually excellent year for film, the kind that only comes around once or twice in a decade. There were so many interesting films to see that I needed most of January to finish watching and/or rewatching everything in consideration for this list. In particular, the top five films on this list are all so good that it was virtually impossible to rank them, and they all would have a shot at number one in most years.
Some of my choices are shared by many others, while a few of my picks are unlikely to show up on anyone else’s list. But if you’re even remotely passionate about movies, I strongly encourage you to give all of these films a shot.
10. It: Chapter Two (Andy Muschietti)
Stephen King’s It was a seminal book for me growing up and I was thrilled with the first half of Andy Muschietti’s film adaptation, released in 2017. The second part doesn’t reach the same heights and has some clear flaws, but it still delivers a strong and satisfying conclusion that captures the most important parts of the book.
Just as in the first film, the casting is spot-on — the adult actors all match their child counterparts well, with a scene-stealing Bill Hader being the standout. Bill Skarsgard is also great once again as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, sure to take his place in the pantheon of iconic horror movie villains. Actually, one of the weaknesses of this film for me is that there are too many CGI monsters and not enough Pennywise.
In general, It: Chapter Two isn’t nearly as intense or creepy as the first one, though that was sort of inevitable – most of the show-stopping moments in the book are in the children’s portion of the story. The script tries to compensate for this by upping the humor, which is mostly successful though occasionally overused.
Ultimately, the combination of Muschietti’s visual flourishes, solid performances, and a killer sound design helps the film triumph over any shortcomings in the script. While there are many aspects of this sequel I could pick apart, it never failed to entertain me and I still found myself emotionally moved when it was over.
9. Ready Or Not (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett)
When Grace (Samara Weaving) marries into the extremely wealthy Le Domas family, she agrees to participate in a family game of hide-and-seek on her wedding night. She doesn’t realize that the goal of the game is to find and kill her before dawn, a part of some ancient ritual that the family believes is necessary to maintain their wealth.
The premise sounds kind of silly, but the movie succeeds because it never takes itself seriously at all. It’s actually downright hilarious at times, as the various members of the Le Domas family show themselves to be shockingly incompetent. For instance, one character struggles to use a crossbow and has to look up instructions online, while another character seems to shoot the wrong person every single time.
The script delivers consistent laughs and plenty of suspenseful moments on its way to a satisfying, blood-soaked finale. Weaving also delivers a solid performance that keeps you invested in her character and rooting for her to escape. While it may not have a lot of depth, Ready Or Not stands out as one of the most purely entertaining films I saw last year.
8. 3 From Hell (Rob Zombie)
Love him or hate him, Rob Zombie is an undeniably talented filmmaker with an unmistakable aesthetic. The Devil’s Rejects is his masterpiece and it couldn’t have ended the story of the Firefly family on a more perfect note. 3 From Hell undoes that ending and brings them back to life, a move that didn’t sit well with me at first — but the film is so damn entertaining that it totally justifies resurrecting these characters.
Bill Moseley and Sheri Moon Zombie give their best performances yet as the sadistic Otis and deranged Baby, while Richard Brake makes a strong first impression as new character Foxy. Sadly, Sid Haig’s health issues limited Captain Spaulding’s screentime to just one scene, but it’s a great scene that takes on added resonance since it turned out to be the actor’s last.
If you have a problem with morally depraved characters who commit acts of sadistically brutal violence, stay far away from this film. But if you’re a bit twisted like I am, 3 From Hell is an absolute blast that’s filled with hilarious dialogue exchanges and classic character moments. I was skeptical at first, but it’s great to see the Firefly clan back in action.
7. Joker (Todd Phillips)
What’s there even to say about Joker at this point? The film has become so controversial and many critics seem to hate it with a passion. I don’t agree with those critics or with the opposing end of the spectrum — I don’t think this movie is a masterpiece or a brilliant commentary on current society. In my opinion, Joker is simply a damn good movie and nothing more.
Joaquin Phoenix delivers the performance of the year as tormented loner Arthur Fleck, who frequently devolves into fits of choking laughter at the most inappropriate times. When he takes his shirt off, you can see every bone in Phoenix’s rib cage. Arthur is bullied, beaten, and ridiculed for most of the movie — he seems so meek and delicate at first that it’s hard to imagine he’s capable of hurting anyone. But everything changes in a big way when Arthur is pushed past his breaking point, and Phoenix nails every nuance of Fleck’s transformation into the legendary homicidal maniac known as Joker.
Phoenix’s performance works in tandem with Lawrence Sher’s cinematography, Hildur Guanodottir’s score, and Todd Phillips’s direction to create a radical new interpretation of this character unlike any previous iteration. The film is unapologetically dark and violent, it doesn’t feature Batman, and there’s no big-budget action sequences, all choices that I found refreshing. In fact, this film shares more DNA with Martin Scorcese’s Taxi Driver than it does with any comic book movie. While it doesn’t quite reach that level of greatness, Joker is a bold and riveting cinematic provocation that will keep audiences arguing for years to come.
6. Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood (Quentin Tarantino)
Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood is like a time machine that transports you to Los Angeles in 1969. The attention to detail is impeccable, managing to generate a healthy amount of nostalgia even for those of us who weren’t alive back then. The script arguably relies a bit too much on this, as the meandering plot is far from Tarantino’s most intricate or exciting creation. However, the film is great fun and filled with enough classic moments that it’s easy to forgive Tarantino a little self-indulgence here and there.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt deliver timeless, award-caliber performances that make the movie worth seeing on their own. The supporting cast is stacked as well, with Margot Robbie, Julia Butters, Margaret Qualley, and Al Pacino all killing it in small roles. The cinematography, production design, costumes, and soundtrack are all top-notch, working together seamlessly to immerse you in the world of the film.
Oddly enough for Tarantino, the script is probably the weakest aspect of the movie. The uneven pacing and awkward structure prevented me from enjoying this on quite the same level as his best works (Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill, Django Unchained). But any minor issues are forgotten when the story reaches its thrilling climax, one of the most satisfying endings that he’s ever written. Even if it’s not quite peak-level Tarantino, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood is a terrific film that no one who loves cinema should miss.
5. Waves (Trey Edward Shults)
Waves is the kind of film that works best if you go in not knowing much about the plot — all I’ll say is that it focuses on the struggles of a wealthy black family in suburban Florida as their lives are thrown into chaos by a devastating tragedy. The film takes a dramatic shift just over halfway through, switching to a new character’s perspective and defying expectations at every turn.
This is a story that could’ve easily slipped into melodrama and cliche, but it never does thanks to the brilliant technique of writer/director/co-editor Trey Edward Shultz. Waves earns my vote for the most visually stunning film of 2019 with its vividly colorful cinematography, restlessly swirling camera, and seamless transitions between scenes.
This is all aided by one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard, combining an excellent score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross with pitch-perfect music cues from artists including Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, Alabama Shakes, Radiohead, and Animal Collective. On a personal level, seeing two young lovers run through a shower of sprinklers as Animal Collective’s “Bluish” swells to its climax just about lifted me out of my chair.
As brilliant as this film is on a technical level, none of it would matter if the actors didn’t deliver such raw and riveting performances. Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Taylor Russell are both astonishing in breakout roles, while Sterling K. Brown is award-worthy as their father. Renee Elise Goldsberry makes the most of a small role as their step-mother, and Lucas Hedges continues his recent hot streak with another excellent performance. Together, this amazing ensemble helps to cement Waves as the most emotional moviegoing experience I had last year.
4. Parasite (Bong Joon-Ho)
Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite has become an international sensation, and rightfully so. I’m thrilled that Americans are overcoming their aversion to subtitles for this film — it’s an instant classic that deserves to be seen by as wide an audience as possible. I think part of the key to Parasite’s global success is that even though it’s set in South Korea, it could just as easily take place in America or most other countries.
The plot centers on the Kims, a poor family that lives in a sub-basement, as they infiltrate the home of the extremely wealthy Park family under the guise of being tutors, chauffeurs, and other service people. To say anything more would be criminal — this film never goes where you think it will and it’s best to just let the story unfold without knowing too many details.
The first half of Parasite could be labeled as a dark comedy, an absurdist satire of class struggles. Then, it morphs into something much darker and more sinister before finally exploding in violence and tragedy. Bong and his terrific ensemble of actors handle every sudden tonal shift with ease, keeping you on edge until the final shot. The result is a wild roller coaster of a movie that’s entertaining and thought-provoking in equal measure.
3. The Lighthouse (Robert Eggers)
If not quite the best film of 2019, The Lighthouse is certainly the weirdest. A black-and-white fever dream shot in Academy ratio to look like an old silent film, writer-director Robert Eggers’s follow-up to 2016’s The VVitch proves beyond a doubt that he’s no one-hit-wonder.
Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson star as two lighthouse keepers who slowly descend into madness, consumed by the belief that some sort of supernatural enchantment resides within the light. Whether this enchantment really exists or not is hard to say — the film is deliberately ambiguous and delights in bewildering its audience. It may be frustrating to some viewers but I think this ambiguity pays off, encouraging multiple viewings and allowing the story to be interpreted in a variety of different ways.
The film is meticulously designed, to the point I could almost believe it was shot in the 1890s. Jarin Blaschke’s cinematography completely immerses you in the world onscreen, while the sound design abrasively pummels your nerves with foghorn blasts, seagull squawks, and mermaid screams (yes, you read that right). Eggers’s script, co-written with his brother Max, is packed with thought-provoking symbolism and delightful dialogue that sounds like Shakespeare being read by pirates. There’s even a surprising amount of humor that prevents the film from ever feeling too oppressive.
But ultimately, it’s the performances that elevate this movie to another level. Pattinson is better than he’s ever been, showcasing an emotional range that I hadn’t previously seen from him. Dafoe seizes one of the best roles of his career and absolutely crushes it, in a performance that should have earned him an Oscar nomination. These two actors carry the entire film on their backs without a single false move, ensuring that The Lighthouse will haunt you long after the credits roll.
2. Uncut Gems (Josh & Benny Safdie)
The Safdie brothers’ last film, 2017’s Good Time, showed the promise of great things to come — all they needed was a better script and a more multi-dimensional protagonist. Uncut Gems checks both of these boxes while retaining the fast-paced, anxiety-inducing style that worked so well in that previous film.
Adam Sandler stars as Howard Ratner, the owner of a jewelry shop in Manhattan’s diamond district that attracts celebrity customers such as Kevin Garnett (the movie is set in 2012, when Garnett still played for the Boston Celtics). He has a habit of betting money that’s not really his, a habit that gets him into constant trouble throughout the film. The plot kicks into motion when he loans a rare opal to Garnett, setting up a series of complications that only continue to multiply as the story progresses.
Howard’s life is basically a string of endless stressful situations, with hardly a moment to rest. The Safdie brothers capture that energy perfectly, aided by rapid-fire editing and a transcendent score by Daniel Lopatin (aka Oneohtrix Point Never). It feels like we’re trapped in Howard’s brain as he makes one bad decision after another, continuously increasing the suspense until it’s almost hard to breathe.
Kevin Garnett, Julia Fox, Idina Menzel, and Lakeith Stanfield all do strong work in supporting roles, but this is Sandler’s movie and he delivers an unforgettable performance. I could easily imagine running into this character on the street, and it’s a testament to the power of Sandler’s acting that he feels so believable. He also manages to make you root for him, an impressive accomplishment considering that Howard is detestable in many ways. No matter how much he screws up, he never learns from his mistakes, leading to a shocking ending that elevates the entire film.
1. The Irishman (Martin Scorcese)
When I heard that Martin Scorcese was making another gangster movie and that it would star Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci, I could hardly contain my excitement — but I also feared that it would be impossible for the film to live up to the legacy of Goodfellas and Casino. I needn’t have worried, as The Irishman is a stunning masterpiece that finds Scorcese and company in peak form.
De Niro is brilliant as Frank Sheeran, a hitman who does jobs for mob boss Russell Bufalino (Pesci, in one of the greatest comeback performances of all time). Bufalino connects Sheeran to Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino at his absolute best), the extremely powerful president of the Teamsters union who eventually disappeared in circumstances that are still unsolved to this day.
The plot sprawls across several decades, relying on advanced de-aging technology to allow these legendary actors to portray their characters as younger men. The effects work well enough that I forgot all about them as the film went on.
Many people have taken issue with the epic three and a half hour runtime, but I can’t think of a single moment I would want to cut. In fact, the length is necessary to make you feel the accumulating weight of Frank Sheeran’s lifetime, which yields a strong emotional payoff in the film’s sensational climax.
This feeling of mortality and regret is what separates The Irishman from Scorcese’s other gangster movies. While he still employs many of the signature techniques he’s known for, Scorcese tells this story in a patient and methodical fashion that’s far more concerned with the consequences of his characters’ actions than it is with the excitement of the mafia lifestyle. It’s a clear message to detractors who have criticized him for making mob life look too attractive, and it feels like a eulogy for the genre that he helped create.
I can’t even put into words how thrilling it is to see De Niro, Pacino, and Pesci all at the top of their games for the first time in decades. Harvey Keitel even shows up in a wonderful cameo that I really wish had been extended to more scenes. That’s about as close to a flaw that this film has, though. The Irishman is illuminating and ultimately devastating in a way that few movies are capable of. It’s not only the best film of 2019, but one of the best films Martin Scorcese has ever made.