Top Ten Films 2019

Here are my top ten films of 2019.

10. High Life

It's really difficult to put how I feel about this film into words. It's not a film you enjoy as much as one that you just take in. It's existential dread as atmosphere, relationships as a lifeline and a curse. It's horrible and hopeful. It's human. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it

9. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum 

This has the best action of all the John Wick films, maybe even some of the best action in all of cinema. The simplicity of the storytelling helps elevate everything surrounding the film as the world around Wick gets larger and the stakes higher. It’s very creative in the way it keeps the action interesting and not repetitive. The John Wick films ooze coolness, I love that they exist and I hope this series never hits a low point.

8. Avengers: Endgame

This film truly is the culmination of 22 films, its the end of an era and Marvel knows it, closing this chapter of the MCU with a victory lap of fan service of epic proportions. If you're not a fan, you're probably going to hate it. If you are a fan, then like me, you're going to be grinning so much it will probably hurt.  I was 14 when Iron Man came out, I'm now 25, I've spent a big chunk of my life watching these films, being obsessed, being hyped. It's a very satisfying conclusion to just over ten years worth of storytelling, it has the right to pat its self on the back, though maybe at times a little too much!

 7. The Last Black Man in San Francisco

The thing that I loved most about this film was its unique story of a man and a house, which acts as the stepping stone for the portrayal of change, gentrification, generational clash, but above all, the love for the city in its title. The colours pop off the screen, the characters are extremely interesting to watch and the score might just be the best of the year with an emotional punch at every needle drop. It is a film that wholly immerses and is a completely original cinematic experience.

6. Paddelton 

I was triggered by this film. This film brought up old memories and emotions that I have not felt in a long time. I was an emotional wreck by the end of this film, what a ride it took me on. The story is simple but beautifully portrayed with two stunning performances from Mark Duplass and Ray Romano. It’s powerful, touching, manipulative and it all works together to create a very human story of friendship and heartbreak. It’s just one of those films that shows that you can do so much with so little. I can’t wait to watch it again... at some point.

5. Bait

The themes of Bait are worn in the fabric of the film stock it was made on. It's a beautiful film, depicting the cornish coast in a way that is rarely seen on film. Having lived in Cornwall for a large portion of my life, the constant struggles between the locals and the tourists is one that rings true, but also one that will resonate with audiences unaware of county's issues because the issues run deeper than Cornwall; The fight between old and new, tradition and innovation, industry and community. I loved this film, it's refreshing and original and I was constant struggles hypnotised by its style and swept up in its world.

4. Booksmart

It’s rare that a comedy film comes out that’s as consistently funny as Booksmart. Straight away you recognise the influence, its colourful cast of characters with their many comedic quirks harkens back to the likes of Fast Time at Ridgemont High and Clueless. Like them, Booksmart will transcend generations as the emotional gravitas it has will hit home with all. The characters feel human, their relationships feel real and the story of their night before graduation will make you laugh and cry all at the same time. Olivia Wilde’s feature directorial debut is an absolute surprise of a masterpiece, not merely another high school comedy, but one full to the brim of humanity, growth and love.

3. The Irishman

Hindsight is the key to everything. Martin Scorsese’s latest feel like a look to the past with all the lessons learnt from the future. Yes, it may not be as fun as Goodfellas was but it’s a more mature and sombre take on the world of Gangsters. It’s long but it’s a look at life through the eyes of the reluctantly conflicted Robert De Niro, giving one of his best performances alongside Joe Pesci and Al Pacino, who all deserve awards for their incredible performances. I can’t stop thinking about this film, that feeling of growing old and thinking back on past decisions, good or bad, it’s just a painful but fulfilling experience to watch on film. I don’t think Scorsese will ever phone in a film, the man is a master of cinema and whilst the way we watch films is changing, his attention to detail and the craft of storytelling is not. Another masterpiece.

2. Midsommar

The fact that this came from someone’s mind, made it to the page and then made it to the big screen baffles me. This film is messed up and completely disturbing and I loved it. I thought I was on the fence with Ari Aster but this has solidified him as the next big thing, I won’t be missing any of his films in the cinema from now on. So much attention to detail is put into every frame, every camera movement evokes an emotion, hypnotises or creates even more unease than the last. I feel like the film only scratched the surface of the cult but you just know if you wanted to look deeper, you wouldn’t be disappointed, this is not a film that was made with a half-arsed attempt at lore. Each character created intrigue, you loved them, you hated them, you wanted to see some of the dead and you wanted to see some of them thrive. I am in awe of this film.

1. Marriage Story

Heartbreakingly beautiful. Seriously, I’ve never seen love portrayed in such a bittersweet way. The story is so well put together, every edit feels monumental, every shift in perspective is subtly powerful, each quirk and flaw laid out bare by both lead actor’s stunning performances. I couldn’t look away, I loved every minute of it, almost like I was torturing myself, but this is an absolute masterpiece, Noah Baumbach’s best film to date. I do think it leans more into Adam Driver’s character more than Scarlett Johannsen’s despite laying out the groundwork for a 50/50 split in perspective. It doesn’t bother me though; your allegiances change throughout before realising that no one is perfect, and each character is just trying their best in their own flawed ways. It was terrifyingly relatable. We all need to take a step back at times and get through our own stubborn human nature to realise that we can hurt people without even realising it.

Keep an eye out and I will post my favourite films of the decade soon!

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Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

I love Star Wars and despite feeling disappointed by this film, I still wanted to find something to love. Unfortunately, there was not much. I have really enjoyed seeing these new characters over the last four years but here they felt distant, remnants of their former selves even. It’s partly the fault of the film's pace, it doesn’t take a breath, ever. It’s all go from the start of the film, even the opening crawl contains a plot point that I would much rather have seen unfold in real-time.

You never get a moment to let the characters breathe, to feel their pain and their struggle as they fight their way to what the film tries to make an emotional climax. I feel here like Disney got scared, scared of the loud minority of toxic fans that hated The Last Jedi with a passion and, instead of ignoring them, they pandered to them. Here JJ Abrams tries to please everyone and inevitably will probably annoy more people because of that. You can’t please them all and trying to forgive certain plot points of previous films without ever thinking about how it actually relates to the story left a sour taste in my mouth.

Here we get action for action’s sake and never any build-up to those moments that could have been epic elsewhere. I remember getting goosebumps throughout The Force Awakens as it led up to a climactic and powerful battle on Star Killer Base, same with The Last Jedi as we only see relationships develop in unique ways, making the pivoting of Kylo Ren's morality in that film even more emotional in its conclusion. Here we get lightsaber fights aplenty but they don’t have the emotional weight that we’ve seen before and they’re even mainly shot in close-ups making it difficult to follow the action.

The film feels rushed, I’m sure a lot of effort went into it but it lacks the love and affection that the previous films in the trilogy oozed. Even the special effects don’t feel so special, Leia’s part in the film feels disjointed and you can tell she’s not there. It only works to undermine her incredible performance in The Last Jedi as here she serves little to no purpose other than saying lines that feel better placed in a fortune cookie. I feel like it would have been better just to leave her out entirely than to shoehorn old footage of her into the film. They make the effort this time to turn Maz Kanata into a puppet and she feels like she’d be more at home in a theme park than a movie.

The dynamic between Kylo and Rey still remains the high point of this trilogy and there’s some fun to be had with them here. However, nothing feels as nuanced or as human as the interactions we saw in the last film. The whole film is just plain lazy at times; with its awkward dialogue, a multitude of MacGuffins and five or six death fake-outs that render any of the peril you are supposed to feel useless.

I would have happily waited longer to see a more carefully created and original closure to the Star Wars saga but instead, we get a rushed sprint to the end: a lazy attempt to link everything together and the characters we’ve seen grow throughout two films reduced to stereotypes of their former selves. Love or hate The Last Jedi it opened doors for an exciting new universe for Star Wars but instead, the studio got scared and backed away into a conclusion that takes no risks and ultimately feels bland and lifeless. I’m not angry, I’m just disappointed.

2.5/5

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