This year I saw 122 new releases in the theater but I didn't give very many of them a five star rating on Letterboxd. The movies that I did rate with five stars are an eclectic group (I thought that last year's list was unusual) but they all really resonated with me on some level. Here are my top ten favorite movies of 2019 (click on the title for my original review).
10. Ad Astra
I really enjoyed Ad Astra because, although it does feature some spectacular action sequences (the free-fall from a space antenna is very exciting), it is mainly a psychological character study of a man who both reveres his father and fears that he is becoming like him. Brad Pitt's performance, among one of his best, is understated yet riveting. I also really liked the ultimate message about the universe because I found it to be strangely positive. The depiction of space travel is a lot of fun, especially the flight to the moon operated by Virgin Atlantic, and the visual effects are fantastic. Ultimately, it is a meditative and haunting masterpiece that not everyone will like but I certainly did.
I loved Ford v Ferrari because it is a compelling true story about two outsiders who overcome their own personal demons and corporate interference to do something that had never been done before and it makes you want to stand up and cheer! The racing sequences are an adrenaline-fueled rush with squealing tires, shifting gears, and fiery crashes and, even though I am not a huge fan of racing, I found these scenes to be thrilling, to say the least! Both Matt Damon and Christian Bale give brilliant performances and I especially enjoyed how their characters play off each other. It is an epic movie that everyone is sure to enjoy.
8. Jojo Rabbit
Jojo Rabbit is an absolutely hilarious satire that made me laugh out loud but it is also unexpectedly poignant. It tells the story of Jojo, a ten year old boy who becomes a fanatical member of the Hitler Youth to compensate for his lack of self-esteem. He discovers that his mother is hiding a Jewish girl named Elsa in the attic and, through his relationship with her (which is beautifully portrayed), realizes that everything he has been taught about the Jewish people is a lie and ultimately risks his life to save her. It is a powerful and touching story about learning to understand your enemy that is also one of the funniest movies I've seen this year.
To me Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood is a beautiful and meditative ode to a Hollywood that no longer exists. The juxtaposition of an angst-ridden Hollywood veteran named Rick Dalton who has an emotional breakdown after forgetting his lines with the innocence of newcomer Sharon Tate watching herself onscreen with unbridled joy is absolutely brilliant. Both Leonardo di Caprio and Brad Pitt, who both seem like they could have been genuine movie stars during Hollywood's golden era, give very powerful performances. It is a Quentin Tarantino movie with the requisite violence and profanity but I really appreciated the message about wanting to return to a simpler time before the innocence of the 1960s was irrevocably destroyed.
The Lighthouse is a dark psychological thriller about two men who descend into madness that drew me into the action on screen with such intensity that I could hardly breathe! Robert Pattinson realistically portrays a man slowly losing his grip on reality in the best performance of his career and Willem Dafoe is also outstanding as a man who is already unhinged. I loved the story filled with mythology and allegory, the unsettling sound design, the atmospheric lighting, the black and white cinematography, the 1.19 to 1 aspect ratio, and the astonishing period verisimilitude. This pretty much blew my mind and is definitely one of the most thought-provoking movies I saw this year.
The Nightingale is one of the most brutal movies I have ever watched (I don't think that I could sit through it again) but is is also a beautiful and powerful story of friendship that moved me to tears. Set in Van Diemen's Land (present-day Tasmania) in the early 1800s, an Irish convict laborer and an Aboriginal tracker form an uneasy alliance with each other to elude a British officer and, eventually, they come to rely on each other and then care about each other while suffering unspeakable atrocities. This movie is filled with a powerful message, beautiful symbolism, riveting performances, and stunning cinematography. It is difficult to watch but it is absolutely amazing.
4. Parasite
Parasite is a brilliant social satire that kept me guessing until the final frame. At first this movie is an amusing story about a group of con artists who take advantage of a gullible family but in the final act it takes a 180 degree turn and becomes a scathing indictment of how the wealthy survive on the labor of the poor. You are left wondering who the parasites referred to in the title actually are. I really enjoyed the shot composition because the division between the rich and poor is shown in almost every scene, particularly the juxtaposition between the cramped and claustrophobic basement hovel where the Kims live and the open and spacious modern house (which is almost a character) where the Parks live. All of the performances are fantastic in this riveting and thought-provoking movie.
3. Booksmart
I really loved Booksmart because it is an absolutely hilarious and heartwarming story about two best friends who discover that they may have misjudged all of their classmates on the eve of graduation. I loved the message that you must look beyond the labels to see the real person beyond them and there are some really poignant scenes about stereotypes. I also really enjoyed the portrayal of friendship because the two main characters are so complimentary to each other and supportive of each other. The young cast is fantastic and I particularly enjoyed Beanie Feldstein because she has great comedic timing and Billie Lourde who steals every scene she is in with her over the top antics. This movie also really resonated with me because I saw so much of myself when I was in high school in the character of Molly ("Why be in theatre when you can be in debate?"). Comedies are a hard sell for me but this one kept me laughing out loud through the whole thing!
2. Little Women
A more comprehensive review for Little Women is coming soon but I had to include it in this list because I loved literally everything about it!
1. The Farewell
I loved The Farewell so much! I had an incredibly emotional response to this beautiful and poignant movie because, once again, I saw so much of myself in the main character. Billi is a Chinese-born writer living in New York who learns that her grandmother in China has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Her entire family decides not to tell Nai Nai that she is dying but they all contrive to return to China so that they can say goodbye to her. It is a funny portrayal of family relationships but, to me, it is a touching exploration of identity. There are several moving scenes that exactly mirror my own experience as an immigrant, particularly one where Billi looks out the window to see her Nai Nai crying as she drives away, which had me crying so hard that I had to sit through all of the credits so that I could compose myself enough to leave the theater. Awkwafina gives one of the best performances I have seen this year. This movie definitely affected me on a personal level but I think it is universal enough to appeal to everyone.
Honorable Mentions: Honey Boy, Clemency (both of which I saw at the Sundance Film Festival), Apollo 11, They Shall Not Grow Old, and Transit.
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