I haven't been doing Top 10s of the year lately because, well, the past few years kind of underdelivered. Sure there were movies I really enjoyed and watch fondly, but not enough films reached the pinnacle of greatness that deserved to be listed in a "Top 10." But 2019 saw an overwhelming explosion of excellent films from master directors, coupled with some truly excellent indie films and documentaries that rounded out 2019 to be quite a year. So without further ado, here is my top 10 of 2019.
10.
Honeyland, 89 min. Unrated
One of the great wonders of documentaries to me is how the filmmakers find their subjects. So much of great documentary filmmaking is purely accidental, of the right people being in the right place at the right time to capture a great story. With
Honeyland the filmmakers were making a documentary on the environment and stumbled across Hatidze, a Macedonian woman who lives in a small village and keeps beehives in very old fashioned manners. Things escalate when a Turkish family moves into her area, causing disruption to her natural order and way of life. This film is a marvel to behold, a tender portrait of a life that strikes a resonant chord. One of the most unexpected and beautiful films of the year.
9.
Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, 161 min. R
Quentin Tarantino's ode to Hollywood circa 1969 is a fairly self-indulgent endeavor; with his amazing production design team, parts of LA were completely restored to their former glory 50 years ago for exterior scenes in the film. As far as the film goes, it's probably his lightest film on plot, as an aging TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt double buddy Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) navigate the twilight years of their careers and friendship. Concerning three separate days in that year, the film also intertwines Sharone Tate (Margot Robbie) as Rick's neighbor, and if you know your history you have a sense of where things will lead for her. The film is a little long and aimless, but Tarantino's assured dialogue and love for the era, and the lead performances all still make this a stellar film.
8.
Knives Out, 131 min. PG-13
Rian Johnson's latest, a whodunit in the mold of old Agatha Christie stories, is a fairly tight and terrific little piece of entertainment, bolstered by a fantastic ensemble cast and a silly but convincing central performance by Daniel Craig, affecting a treacly Foghorn Leghorn accent as detective Benoit Blanc. The central mystery is a good one, the sudden suicide of the patriarch of a murder-mystery novel empire called into question when it is revealed several family members had a motive for offing their beloved father. The mystery unspools in surprising ways, revealing key elements at unexpected moments and even pitting you against the detective. It's all handled with deft by Johnson, who cements himself as a slick, crafty storyteller who's next film I eagerly await.
7.
Climax, 97 min. R
Gaspar Noé is an intentional provocateur; his filmography is full of films that want to shock you for the sake of shocking you, often gratuitously. Yet with
Climax, he aims high and doesn't go as far as you might expect. That's not to say horrible things don't happen; they do, but the context is clear. Based very loosely on a true event, the film follows a dance troupe at a rehearsal at a remote gym in France in the dead of winter. During their party, it is slowly revealed that someone spiked the punch bowl with LSD, and everyone begins losing their collective minds. With a cast of dancers, Noé uses their physicality to full effect in a wild, trippy experience that escalates into a horror show you can't look away from.
6.
The Irishman, 209 min. R
Yes, this movie is long. Yes, I do think it was too long. But I can't deny that
The Irishman is the rare masterclass of filmmaking that we see so little of now. With Martin Scorsese working in peak form, the film details the life of hitman Frank Sheeran (Robert DeNiro), his life in the mob, and his friendship with Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). For much of the runtime, the film is classic Scorsese, reminiscent of his other mob epic
Goodfellas. Yet once the film reaches the 2 and a half hour mark, it changes gears, gets quieter, and more introspective. It's this final hour that stuck with me and is why despite my quibbles with length, I find this to be one of the best films of the year. We will likely never get another film like this, featuring DeNiro, Pacino, and Joe Pesci (pulled from retirement). I do look forward to sitting through it again.
5.
Marriage Story, 137 min. R
Noah Baumbach's semi-autobiographical film about divorce is about as heart-wrenching as you'd expect. Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson are terrific Charlie and Nicole, the couple whose marriage is slowly unraveling. Torn between LA and NY, battling for custody of their son, the film is sometimes painstakingly real, as each party doesn't want to harm the other, but in the end, a separation is a difficult thing. The film tries to balance the blame between the two parties, although I can't help but feel the film favors Charlie's perspective ultimately, as Nicole begins escalating the situation due to his inaction. Regardless, it's a thoughtful, painful film that can enrich our understanding of each other.
4.
Pain & Glory, 113 min. R
Another semi-autobiographical film, this one about Pedro Almodovar, here portrayed by Antonio Banderas as Salvador Mallo. Penélope Cruz plays Mallo's mother in flashbacks to his modest childhood in poverty, while present-day Mallo reflects on his career and relationships. It's a very touching film, and Banderas is particularly effective at portraying the man who helped start his career many decades ago. Almodovar is another director who can be unnecessarily sensational, but here he is restrained, his melancholy and remorse seeping into every frame of the film. In life, we have many regrets, and this film beautifully touches upon what it means to reflect, and maybe even get a second chance.
3.
Apollo 11, 93 min. G
Many, many, many films and documentaries and tv series have been made about the Apollo space program, and specifically about the Apollo 11 mission that successfully placed a man on the moon on July 20th, 1969. But few documentaries can place you in the center of the action as effectively as
Apollo 11. Featuring brand new 70mm footage from the day of the launch, the documentary places you in the moment of the mission, using audio from Mission Control and shuttle to detail the events of those many days Apollo 11 flew to the moon. It takes an event many know very well, and makes it suspenseful, holding you on the edge of your seat. So much could've gone wrong, and, amazingly, everything worked out to take Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins to the moon and back.
2.
Maiden, 97 min. PG
One of the most incredible stories I've ever heard,
Maiden is a documentary about the first all-female crew to participate in the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1989. Told with talking-head interviews from the crew and footage from the event, the documentary tells an incredible tale of overcoming adversity and beating the odds. It's a classic sports-film set-up, with all the drama and heartbreak of real-life sprinkled in. So few films have taken me on such an emotional ride, and
Maiden is a film I cannot recommend enough.
1.
Parasite, 132 min. R
Parasite just gets better and better with every passing month. A masterpiece by director Bong Joon-Ho, the film concerns a low-income family who can barely make ends meet, even leaving their windows open to get free fumigation from street crews. One the son, Ki-woo, gets an opportunity to tutor the daughter of a very wealthy family, he sees an opportunity to get his family positions in every service position in the house. The film is a deft balancing act between comedy and horror, masterfully balancing genres and tone. It's a tight script that beautifully pays off all its set-ups, and in a year full of social class commentary, offers maybe the most intriguing example of class warfare. It's a terrific film, full of terrific performances, and is a film I eagerly revisit whenever I can. If you haven't seen it, seek it out immediately.
