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    • Jan 3, 2020

The Best (and Worst) Films of 2019: The Best

Top tier consists of the best of the best, undisputed heavyweight champions of the world. I usually try to keep it to 10 but this year had so many great movies I felt bad leaving 11 & 12 out. So here is the measuring stick all 2019 movies have to be measured against, the Beatles.

#12. 1917

There are plenty of war films out there, but none of them look and feel like 1917 does. It's an absolute cinematic marvel, a visual spectacle the likes of which are best experienced on the largest screen you can find. The film's single shot presentation brings an urgency and immersive experience to the war genre we haven't seen since Saving Private Ryan. The story is admittedly a bit thin but the technical achievement here is enough to warrant the price of admission. It's a cinematic thrill ride that everyone should take at least once.

#11. High Flying Bird

Steven Soderbergh's third film since his short lived retirement is a biting indictment of the professional sports world and moreover the overarching exploitation of race and class throughout our economic landscape. Tarell Alvin McCraney's engrossing script is a beautifully layered commentary on the disruption of power distribution in the modern age. Andre Holland delivers the breakout performance of the year as the sports agent at the center of the film while Zazie Beetz, Sonja Sohn, and Bill Duke fill out an all-star cast that deliver the sprawling lines of dialogue brilliantly. It may be a bit difficult to follow for those not well versed in the sports world, but if you commit to it's dense plot - you'll see this film is about much more than sports.

#10. Parasite

Following in the footsteps of Jordan Peele, Bong Joon-Ho's latest film walks the line between dark comedic social satire and Twilight Zone inspired horror absolutely perfectly. It's a film that tackles class inequality in such a fascinating and unexpected way that you're never really sure where this film is leading you and yet you can't take your eyes off of it. The genre hopping modern fairy tale is at times unsettling, hilarious, and heartbreaking. Bong Joon-Ho's film refuses to be pigeon holed as any one thing. One can simply only define it as captivating entertainment. But perhaps the most fascinating thing about Parasite is that as integral as the story's Korean setting is, the class division depicted seems to be a universal common ground across cultures.

#9. The Nightingale

Jennifer Kent's nightmarish sophomore effort is an unflinching and visceral tale of revenge wrought with hypnotic visuals and gut wrenching violence. It's utterly captivating from start to finish with a breathtaking performance from Aisling Franciosi that anchors the redemption arc perfectly. And while the graphic elements rival that of Kent's horrific Babadook, it's the unlikely friendship that blossoms between Clare and Billy as they find common ground on their disenfranchised positions in society that really gives the film it's most endearing quality.

#8. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

With the final entry in the Skywalker Saga, J.J. Abrams blasts through so much exposition it feels as if you're trying to read a novel off of highway billboards while traveling at lightspeed. It's a lot to unpack, especially with Abrams seemingly throwing in his pitch for what his abridged version of Episode VIII would have been. But while this scattershot structure makes it hard to fully feel out the magnitude of the film's most dramatic events, it's an absolute blast none the less. The quickened pace felt like a welcomed change up and for a film that was 2 and a half hours long, leaving the theaters I already wanted to watch it again. While I didn't love the introduction of Force Healing (which seems way too convenient to toss in for the final entry) or tying all of the Galaxy's evil back to one source (when Last Jedi's biggest success was shattering the "chosen one" narrative that everything is connected), Rise of Skywalker provided a very fitting conclusion for the series.


See where The Rise of Skywalker ranks among the entire live action Star Wars universe here.

#7. The Report

2019 seems to be the year Adam Driver establishes himself as the best actor on the planet. The Report is a politically charged investigative drama that shines a spotlight on both political parties' complicit attitude in addressing the immoral and brutal interrogation tactics implemented in our country's War on Terror. And while a film centered on a report thicker than the bible may seem a bit dry, Driver's passionate portrayal as investigator Daniel Jones carries this film almost entirely on it's own. The details are troubling but necessary to expose the full magnitude of what actually happened and it tells a detailed and tragic story of our country's dark recent history.

#6. The Beach Bum

It's been 6 years since Harmony Korine blessed us with his surreal take on late capitalism in his neon drenched fever dream Spring Breakers and with The Beach Bum, he delivers pretty much what you should expect in a follow up. This time, instead of our cultural obsession with excess, Korine aims more directly at what it is to be a celebrity in 2019. Matthew McConnaughey's intoxicating charisma is what carries this film for a large portion of it's running time and it's also the perfect symbol for Korine's message about celebrity culture. It's Moondog's undeniable charm that seems to let him get away with everything. He's a reckless drunk, wastes every opportunity he's given, and receives praise for the most minuscule of accomplishments just because of his larger than life persona and the fact that people know who he is.


#5. The Art of Self-Defense

An incredibly smart and twisted examination of the psychology of toxic masculinity, The Art of Self-Defense isn't always laugh out loud funny, but more an insightful and humorous social satire. The film's incredible perspective on the ridiculousness of the testosterone driven need for success through the hilarious vehicle of a karate studio works brilliantly. But perhaps what's most impressive is how writer/director Riley Stearns is able to tackle the subject matter in such a humorous way while retaining a sense of sincerity through Imogeen Poots, who absolutely steals the film with her sympathetic portrayal of a young woman trapped in a competition rigged against her.


Check out our Full Review here.

#4. Marriage Story

Noah Baumbach further establishes himself as the millennial Woody Allen with his captivating character study of two passionate and thoughtful individuals pushed to their absolute worst during an excruciating long-distance divorce. And while the character development is top notch, Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson breathe so much life into their respective roles that you grow to love and hate each of them equally. Rather than the typical big screen divorce which vilifies one party, Marriage Story depicts a much more grounded and humanizing depiction of a deteriorating relationship without malice or evil intent.

#3. Joker

Joker is deeply effective in portraying the downward spiral of a mentally disturbed man.

The tone of the film is absolutely perfect. From the gritty 1980's New York City feel to the uncomfortable character study of a lost and lonely man trying to find his identity - the film resonates with an emotion we haven't seen in the comic book genre in some time, if ever. The entire films buzzes with an uncomfortable tension that finally swirls completely out of control in a beautiful conclusion where the Joker is finally unleashed on the world. Societal messages aside, as a film, it's hard to deny how powerful it's depiction of pain and despair are. The narrative may be a little confused but the work of Phoenix and Phillips will make this a hallmark for comic book cinema for years to come.


#2. Under the Silver Lake

After finding breakout success in horror, David Robert Mitchell takes a wildly ambitious left turn, plunging into an opioid induced neo-noir Hollywood satire. Think Repo Man meets Donnie Darko meets Chinatown, through the gaze of a desensitized millennial. Or Who Framed Rodger Rabbit if you replaced the cartoons with pop culture. It's that fucking bizarre. It's so unexpected at it's every turn that you can't help but become entranced by the dizzying mystery that unfolds as you chase the narrative further and further down the rabbit hole. Mitchell pulls so many different threads, extracting meaning from every single encounter that eventually the perplexity of it all is too enticing to look away from. You truly wont see another film like this in 2019 and for that, I feel like this has all the signs of a cult classic in the making.


#1. Uncut Gems

In what feels like a manic episode of anxiety fueled despair and greed, Uncut Gems perfectly captures the adrenaline induced panic of a degenerate gambler incessantly chasing his next potential score. Adam Sandler's performance is absolutely breathtaking and the dizzying, self destructive journey he embarks upon is an incredibly layered embodiment of a cultural materialistic obsession. The entanglement of debts and looming threat of collection intensifies every moment as Sandler completely crumbles into a shell of a man swept up in meaningless possessions and yet you can't help but get caught up rooting for his redemption along with him even though you know the odds continue to climb past astronomical heights. Josh and Benny Safdie cultivate the tension of a classic heist film with an unrelenting pace and an atmosphere that will have you on edge until the final buzzer. Yet ultimately, through all the film's ups and downs, wins and losses, Sandler's still the same empty vessel of greed and consumerism that the film began with.



View the Rest of the 2019 Tiers Here:



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