The 10 Best Films of 2019

The time has come.

By: Josh McCormack

As the decade comes to a close, as does the 2019 cinematic year. While much of this year was full of disappointments, the final few months proved to bring in some of the most exciting films of not only this year, but the entire decade as a whole.

There are plenty of movies I wish I could've fit on this list (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Doctor Sleep, Toy Story 4, Rocketman, Ready or Not etc.), but I've narrowed it down to the ten films that stick with me at this very moment.

Without any further ado, let's get into it...

10. Dolemite Is My Name

I really hope Eddie Murphy doesn't pull a Norbit and completely destroy the goodwill he's earning for this performance as he did in the midst of his Dreamgirls acclaim, because Dolemite Is My Name is one hell of a comeback for one of the greatest comedic performers living today.

As B-movie star/comedian/musician Rudy Ray Moore, Murphy gives his best and most committed performance in years. On top of that he's surrounded by a tremendous supporting cast ranging from Keegan Michael Key to a gut-bustingly funny Wesley Snipes. A love letter to the underdogs of filmmaking and an Ed Wood for a new generation.

9.  Little Women

It takes a lot for me to get wholly invested into a genre of film I don't care for. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not one for costume heavy period dramas. But leave it to Greta Gerwig to make an adaption of a 150-year old literary classic and turn it into one of the most engaging, lively, and surprising dramas of the year.

Bolstered by the most talented actresses of our time, Little Women finds the perfect balancing act between affinity for a source material while also being current and feeling entirely fresh. There's a warmth that radiates off the characters when they are together and a coldness that is palpable when they are apart, wonderfully displayed in stylistic choices from the lighting to the score by Alexandre Desplat. Gerwig's first two solo directorial efforts have both proven to be masterpieces.

8. Joker

The most controversial film of 2019 has also proven to be one of my favorites. Joker certainly isn't groundbreaking on its own, taking an immense amount of influence from films like Taxi Driver, The King of Comedy, and even Sidney Lumet's Network. Yet, all of these elements work together in creating one of the most ballsy and unforgettable comic book films I've ever seen, all spearheaded by Joaquin Phoenix's terrifying portrayal of Arthur Fleck.

Some of the film's fan base is quite toxic and its director, Todd Phillips, continues to make comments on the discourse of the film's release that I find eye-roll worthy, but whenever I watch the film I put all of these personal issues aside and find myself completely sucked in. I might not like the discourse the film triggered, but I love the film.

7. Knives Out

From the man some basement dweller on 'Reddit' said "ruined" Star Wars, comes a whodunnit for people who don't care for whodunnit's. I have as little interest in murder mysteries as I do in the costume heavy period dramas I mentioned earlier, but Rian Johnson does what he does best by subverting the viewer's expectation of what a film of this type might be and creates one of the most exciting theater going experiences anyone could've had this whole year.

The cast is also fantastic as well, with these characters being so unique and not just stereotypical cogs in a machine that many characters of this genre seem to be. Ana de Armas and Daniel Craig are the real scene-stealers though, and I mean it with every fiber of my being when I say I want to see a whole franchise of these characters' future adventures.

6. John Wick: Chapter 3-Parabellum

My favorite action film since Mad Max: Fury Road and my personal favorite of the John Wick films. Keanu Reeves is in top form from start to finish and throwing in Halle Barry, Anjelica Huston, Mark Dacascos, and a couple of crotch-biting dogs into the mix just shoots the quality of this film into the stratosphere.

The cinematography is gorgeous and the fight scenes are so fluid, raw, and well-choreographed that I felt like I was falling into a dream state every time they commenced. The most exciting summer movie of the year and one of the few franchises where I eagerly anticipate more to come. Also, that knife throwing sequence is the very definition of art.

5. The Lighthouse 

Robert Eggers made one of my favorite films of the decade with The Witch and his sophomore feature is no disappointment. Where The Witch was a psychological assault, The Lighthouse feels much more visceral as we see two lighthouse keepers (played INCREDIBLY by Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe) descend into madness over the course of five weeks...or is it two days? Well the film doesn't tell you, as an audience member you are completely in the disturbed and drunken mindset of the two characters as they argue, reveal secrets, and attempt to bottle up their sexual desires.

It's certainly not a film for everyone, but it's a horrifying experience with jet black comedy that I loved from the very start

4. Once Upon a Time In...Hollywood

Once Upon a Time In...Hollywood has that rare power that many of Tarantino's films have where after only one viewing, you already feel like you've watched a classic. Having only seen the film in its entirety twice (but listened to the soundtrack an unhealthy amount), I already feel like there's so much I could quote along to and images that have seared themselves onto my brain.

Tarantino, despite his flaws, still knows how to make films that are daring, bound to rouse passionate debate, and that give us incredibly colorful and unforgettable characters. His dialogue never fails to keep me sucked in and the cathartic violence that comes at the final act of this film is genuinely some of his most satisfying ever. I can understand having issues with this film, but to hate it entirely proves that there has to be something wrong with a person.

3. The Irishman

Martin Scorsese's return to the mafia epic is not a nostalgic, rose-tinted look back to the filmmaker's earlier days, but rather an admission of guilt. Where Goodfellas ends with our main character lamenting about no longer being a gangster, The Irishman shows what damage staying in the mob has on a man as he grows older and how it affects the friends and family around him.

Our main character, Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro giving the best performance he's given in decades), is never forced to rat out his friends or spend his final days behind bars, but instead must deal with the reality that his complicit nature within a life of crime leaves him alone and unloved. It is a violent, meditative, and heartbreaking masterwork from one of the all-time great filmmakers.

2. Parasite

A story of the "haves" and the "have nots" for the ages. Bong Joon Ho's Parasite is one of the rare modern-day moviegoing experiences that nothing can prepare you for. So layered, consistently adding new elements and new twists that just keep the story so engaging and funny, all while maintaining a very strong, socio-political edge throughout the whole thing.

Parasite is also a masterclass of suspense. I saw the film at an early morning press screening and every critic in the theater was on the edge of their seat and audibly gasping at almost every moment. It's rare to see a filmmaker so great at what they do and to have an audience so tight in their grip. I've been a fan of Bong Joon Ho's work in the past, but this is next level filmmaking and worth all the hype.

1. Marriage Story

Noah Baumbach's simultaneously lovely and heartbreaking divorce story is the film that moved me more than any other in 2019. Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson each give the greatest performances of their career, each of them sparring with each other from scene to scene in a way that is utterly hypnotic to watch. But to me, it was the moments that didn't involve them shouting that I found so wonderful. These are two people who shared so much together, loved each other so much for so long, that even in the midst of a separation they can never truly put aside the feelings they have for each other. This comes out in beautiful moments such as Samantha cutting Charlie's hair or the two of them fixing a gate together and looking at each other longingly. It's moments like this that wouldn't be in other films of this type and what makes this stand far above those.

Randy Newman's score just punctuates these moments beautifully and the supporting cast from Alan Alda to Laura Dern to Ray Liotta all bring their A-game. I've said before on this blog that my favorite directors are the ones who love people and don't look down on characters. And it takes a lot for a director to take the most heartbreaking element of a relationship and not pick sides and somehow find the love in the midst of love being lost. Marriage Story is a triumph in every sense of the word.