Best Films of 2019

There were some pleasant surprises during this past year, and of course some resounding disappointments; but there were very few films that I regret having paid to see ... mainly because I saw most of the really bad ones on second run, and there just aren't many movies that are a waste of a dollar (or two; prices have gone up). One came really close, though.

The year's best (in descending order):

All is True: Shakespeare in retirement. This film would get my vote for best movie of the year, and for Oscars for Kathryn Wilder ("Judith") and director Kenneth Branagh.

Judy: Renée Zellweger absolutely becomes Judy Garland. Poignant, subtle, intense and moving.

Stuber: Seriously, a very good buddy film. Very funny, and very well written. A real surprise.

Shazam: Good performances, excellent special effects and a not-too-

silly coming-of-age story combine with a solid script that was, mercifully, light on Marvel Studios' usual shallow philosophy.

Black and Blue: A surprisingly insightful look at the struggle people face with expectations of divided loyalties, it manages to avoid most cheap sentimental mush.

Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood: What would've happened if the Manson Family had gotten the wrong address that night. A better screenwriter could've told the story in about half an hour less, though, and a better director would have made him get the writing tighter.



The best of the rest (kind of in descending order): 

On the Basis of Sex: the Ruth Bader Ginsburg's story from her entrance to law school to hir first big court win. A good story, a good performance, a good period piece.

Hotel Mumbai: A telling of the story of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, and a very good telling at that: effective but brief set-up to introduce the scene and the characters, then deep exploration of the reactions of hotel staff and guests, with minimal "humanizing" of the terrorists.

JoJo Rabbit: World War II through the eyes of a ten-year-old Hitler Youth. This touching film is beautifully shot and the writing is amusing, despite the sad subject. Plus, it's always impressive when a child actor give a subtly nuanced performance.

Instant Family: A real tearjerker, with a choppy script but a wonderful story. I really wanted to slap the bitch playing the adoptive mom, but someone in the film did it for me.

Gemini Man: Once you get past the "youthification" technology that can make Will Smith look 25 again, you find you're watching a pretty good action film.

The Best of Enemies: The technical limitations of a small budget are masterfully overcome by a stirring, even amazing, story and solid performances by all the principals.

Brittany Runs a Marathon: I laughed a little; I cried a little more. A warm, funny story and workmanlike film. 

The Upside: Predictable, yes, and unlikely "based-on-a-true-story" story, it was kept surprisingly interesting by good performances from both principals, Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston.

Rocketman: The music makes a good accompaniment to this Elton John biopic, looking back through 50 years of fantasy-filtered memory. An excellent performance by Taron Egerton makes it hard to remember that, in reality, Bernie Taupin's lyrics weren't usually about Elton John.

Long Shot: Seth Rogen gets hired by his former babysitter, who is now Secretary of State. If you can ignore the politically correct claptrap, there's some really funny stuff in this movie -- much more than one usually finds in his work.

Downton Abbey: An opulent continuation of a television series that I gave up on after three seasons. The situations are contrived, and the script tries to cover too many characters' problems, making the film's story feel superficial. Still, it's gratifying to see the honour of unglamourous work presented without apology.

Knives Out: Crammed full of stars from the B+ list (including former Marvel Action Heroes hoping to have further careers), this film's entertaining but silly plot amuses with red herrings but doesn't actually twist.



The rest that were good enough (in no particular order):

Bumblebee: another surprisingly good action film, from the Transformer series. The story's good, albeit trite, and the cardboard villains are ... well, cardboard. Excellent special effects help make this movie entertaining, though it really could have used some development of the potentially romantic side-story.

The Kid Who Would Be King: Morgana's costume was magnificent, and the English countryside was a great asset to this production. The special effects were all well-designed, but execution was not always to the highest standard: while Merlin's transformations were exemplary (and generally amusing as well), the movement of the Undead Warriors' horses seemed too jerky. And these kids' acting was wooden, a sign of perhaps rushed directing. Compare these performances to the child actors in JoJo Rabbit, above, or the early Harry Potter films.

Cold Pursuit: Revenge in the snow with some black humour to lighten the mood; well-written, well-acted, well-made, though no part was a stretch for anyone in the film.

Fighting With My Family: Unattractive characters that make you feel empathy makes this a suprisingly inspirational story. The acting is stiff in places, and the pacing is iffy.

Yesterday: This Beatles-based rom-com would have been far, far better if they'd actually performed whole songs: the only one done all the way through was over the closing credits. The ending is kind of lame, too.

Hobbs and Shaw: Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Kevin Hart's small part is the best bit.

Angel Has Fallen: Despite the plot having as many holes in it as the hospital wall after the big gunfight scene, it's an enjoyable shoot-em-up.

Avengers: Endgame: It didn't seem as long as it was, but thank God they didn't feel the need to actually introduce characters, or it would have been an hour longer. It's just another well-made action flick running on the usual shallow substance.

Ford Versus Ferrari: Excellent sound work, done with artistic restraint. There were some really funny moments to lighten the gritty work of auto racing.

The Good Liar: A complex plot and good performances from the leads (Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen, who are capable of more than we see here) raises questions about when retribution ceases to be justice and becomes mere vindictive revenge.

Honey Boy: Interesting without being in the least memorable.

Jumanji 2: the Next Level: as good as the earlier issue, despite the usual silly story line.


Not really good enough:

The Favourite: Lavish, but the dialogue misses a bit and the feminism is too on-the-nose.

Alita: Battle Angel: Very good special effects and a fairly good story (except for the idiotic romantic bit), but the whole movie is just a set-up for a franchise that, if it comes to fruition, will suck investment dollars away from more deserving pictures.

They Shall Not Grow Old: A World-War-One documentary by Peter Jackson. It's very slow to start, but picks up after a while, yet the Director's Notes after the closing credits are more interesting than the actual film.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse: Fascinating animation, sometimes more difficult to follow than a modern rapid-cut fight scene on film. It's really just a politically-correct origin story for yet another Spiderman, complete with all the trademark Marvel Studios shallow philosophy.

Aquaman: The star-power of Nicole Kidman doesn't make up for the comic-book production qualities, a throwback to earlier films from Marvel Studios; nor for the jejeune story, nor for special effects that aspire to more than they achieve. I can't resist saying, I would throw this one back.

Isn't It Romantic: I'm not sure if this Rebel Wilson vehicle is meant as a send-up of rom-coms, or as just a rom-com itself. Either way, it falls short, though it remains a pleasant enough little movie, I suppose; sillier than I'd expected.

Alladin: Kind of hokey. The cartoon version was much better. Will Smith did alright as the genie, but the guy playing Aladdin seems to have no particular talent beyond the right ethnicity.

 

Good Boys: It must be really hard to get kids to recite dialogue in a natural way. That chore is made even harder when the dialogue they have to recite is kind of stilted to begin with. A weak coming-of-age film.

The Art of Self Defense: One of my least-favourite actors (Jesse Eisenberg) in a black comedy about a guy who joins a karate class after being mugged. The interesting plot twists and absurd situations are hampered by a relentingly slow pace.

Hustlers: Two-dimensional female characters having fun and stealing from one-dimensional male characters. As a man, I find its portrayal of men insulting, but at least the music was good. (And another plus: having just seen the movie two weeks before allowed me to actually recognise one of its stars in a real-life encounter. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known what JLo looks like.)


Worst of the lot (in descending order):

The Current War: Slow, dull, disjointed; a movie full of uninteresting villains, with nary a flawed hero in sight.

Booksmart: Biggest disappointment of the year: a politically-correct coming of age rom-com set in a painfully outré LA high school. I literally wanted to fast forward through the lesbian sex scene (and thank goodness there was only one). I only laughed twice -- actually, guffawed -- both times near the end of the film when relief was in sight.

John Wick 3: Parabellum:  A spectacle of almost uninterrupted carefully choreographed quick-cut fight scenes held together only by the loosest and most ludicrous hint of a plot.

Robin Hood: No redeeming features. So-so action and special effects, Taron Egerton and Jamie Foxx at their worst, and an utterly silly telling of the legend. Comes as close as any movie ever has to making me want my dollar back.