Unlike most people who compile such lists, I waited until 2020 was with us before presenting you with the list of my Favorite Movies of 2019. In all, I saw 31 movies in 2019. Up until this year, I would only include movies on a list such as these if I actually saw them in a movie theater. That paradigm has changed with the advent of streaming of movies directly to the public (after a brief time playing in theaters in selected cities in order to qualify for Academy Award consideration; call it the "Netflix/Scorsese Effect") so I have had to change with the times in that regard.
So, before I give the Favorite Ten, a few qualifiers...
- I am not a professional movie critic, and this is not intended to be an all-inclusive list. I only go to movies that I want to see, and those are movies that am inclined to like in the first place, otherwise, I wouldn't be going.
- As an example of the above stipulation, I will seldom see any sci-fi movies or comic book movies. God bless all of you who love Star Wars movies and flicks about the Marvel Universe, but they are just not my cup of tea.
- Because this is a matter of preference, I am calling this my Ten Favorite movies, not the Ten Best movies. It's a subtle but important distinction. I can appreciate the art of film making, and that does make for better movies, but more importantly, it has to be a good story and entertaining to me.
- I am listing movies here that are 2019 releases, movies that will be eligible for the Academy Awards for 2019. That took one movie off of my list - "Green Book". It won the Best Picture Oscar for 2018, but I saw it in January of 2019, so it didn't qualify for either my '18 or '19 list. An unfortunate no man's land for what was a terrific movie.
Okay, all that said, here you go. My Ten Favorite Movies of 2019.
10.
The story of how designer Carroll Shelby and driver Ken Miles took on the task of making the Ford Motor Company a player in the field of automobile racing in the 1960's, taking on the Italian giant in the field, Ferrari.
Movie is highlighted by great performances by Matt Damon and Christian Bale, and some terrific racing scenes.
9.
Biopic traces the last year of singer Judy Garland's life when, broke, uninsurable, and unemployable, Garland accepted a nightclub gig in London in an effort to salvage her career and regain control of her life and custody of her children. The movie itself is a bit uneven at times, but worth seeing for the incredible performance of Renee Zellweger as Garland. She is a lead pipe lock for a Best Actress Oscar nomination, if not the Award itself.
8.
Another biopic, this one of 1970's comedian and Blaxploitation star Rudy Ray Moore. The movie stars Eddie Murphy, in a comeback role of sorts, as Moore and he is terrific in it. This is a very funny movie, but rough, hard R-rated language means that it might not be to everyone's taste, but worth seeing because of Murphy's great performance.
7.
Wonderful documentary about 1970's and -80's era popular singer Linda Ronstadt. It traces her from her childhood roots in Arizona near the Mexican border to her may iterations as a folk, rock, standards, operetta, and Mexican folk singer to how she lost her ability to sing due to Parkinson's disease. It is a terrific film, and, if nothing else, it will prompt you listen once again to the musical catalog of Linda Ronstadt, and how can that be a bad thing?
6.
Yes, doing a movie of the hit Masterpiece Theatre series that took the world by storm earlier in the decade can be looked upon as a cynical money grab, but so what? The story told in this movie about how the denizens of Downton Abbey react to a visit from the King and Queen of England may have been a bit contrived, but gave fans of the series everything that they wanted, and it was flat out gorgeous to look at. Plus, Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess!
5.
"Toy Story 3" of a few years back was so good, what was the need for this one? Well, the Pixar folks did it again with a beautiful looking and touching story involving Woody, Buzz, Jesse, and the rest of the gang, including a new member, Forky, who just wants to go back to the garbage can. A very touching ending should wrap-up the story of these toys once and for all, but who knows?
4.
Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers. Need I say more? Actually, Mr. Rogers is almost a secondary character in this story of a cynical journalist sent to interview Rogers for a magazine article. The lessons that the journalist, played by Matthew Rhys, learns from Mr. Rogers, encapsulate the lessons that Rogers sought to teach. In a current day world filled with rancor, cynicism, and hatred, this is a lesson that needs to be reinforced, and this move, which deserves to be seen, does just that.
3.
Martin Scorsese's three and one-half hour epic movie tells the story of the disappearance of Teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa in 1975 from the point of view of Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran. All of the Scorsese trademarks are in this Mob Movie, including brilliant performances by Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci. This is a Netflix movie that I had to see on my home TV screen, rather than a movie theater. I regret that, but given it's length, maybe that wasn't a bad thing. As Pesci says in the movie, "it's what it is."
2 (or maybe 1-A).
Director and screenwriter Greta Gerwig makes an absolutely brilliant and beautiful movie in this telling of the Louisa May Alcott classic. Great acting performances all around, but an absolutely astonishing performance by Saoirse Ronan as Jo March. You simply cannot take your eyes off of her when she is on the screen.
I was tempted to move "Little Women" to the #1, slot on the list, but in the end, I had to go with the movie that I just thought was the flat our best movie that I saw last year:
1.
Writer and director Quentin Tarantino gives his take on the Charles Manson/Sharon Tate murders of August 1969 through the eyes of nearly washed up TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his washed up stunt double, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt). In doing so, Tarantino recreates the 1960's era vibe of Hollywood (and America) right down to the advertising billboards and the music that played on the cars' AM radios. Margot Robbie plays Sharon Tate with delightful sweetness and naiveté, and she is wonderful. The movie is 2 hours and 40 minutes long, which almost kept me from seeing it, but I never looked at my watch once throughout the entire time I was watching.
I will bet that movies 1 through 3 on this list will produce a ton of Academy Award nominations among them, and one of them will win for Best Picture and Best Director.
As for acting performances, these were ones that struck me as especially good, if not great. I write them here in no particular order of preference.
Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Margo Robbie
ONCE UPON A TIME...IN HOLLYWOOD
Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, and Laura Dern
LITTLE WOMEN
Joe Pesci, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro
THE IRISHMAN
Tom Hanks, Matthew Rhys
A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Eddie Murphy
DOLOMITE IS MY NAME
Renee Zellweger
JUDY
Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Tracy Letts
FORD v FERRARI
Taron Egerton
ROCKETMAN
Meryl Streep
THE LAUNDROMAT and LITTLE WOMEN
Emma Thompson
LATE NIGHT
Woody Harrelson
THE HIGHWAYMEN
Chris Cooper
A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD and LITTLE WOMEN
Tracy Letts
LITTLE WOMEN and FORD v FERRARI
Oh, and what movie was last on my list? That would be "Dumbo", Tim Burton's dark - very dark - live action remake of the Disney animated classic comes in at #31. Some cool special effects don't make up for the grim retelling of the story. And definitely do not take the kids to this one.
There you go. That's a wrap for 2019. The Oscar nominations are due out in a couple of weeks, and we'll see how they stack up to what The Grandstander had to say.
See you at the movies in 2020!
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