Top 10 Movies of 2019

The year is ending, this decade is ending, and we’ve had another awesome year of movies. I’ve been thinking about my top 10 movies of this past year a lot. There were some great sequels and original movies, exciting things happening behind and in front of the camera, and overall some really memorable stuff. I’m pleased to say that looking back, I have a wide range of favorites for a lot of different reasons. It was hard to rank these movies, but I finally came to a decision after hours of deliberation.

I did want to give a special shout out to a few movies I didn’t get around to seeing but really really REALLY wanted to watch. Parasite, The Lighthouse, and Jojo Rabbit all looked incredible. I’ll be seeing them at some point in 2020. I haven’t heard much about Jojo Rabbit, but it looks fascinating. I’ve heard nothing but great things about Parasite and The Lighthouse. Both seem to be right up my alley, and regarding Parasite, director Bong Joon Ho has yet to disappoint me. These are movies I would recommend checking out even though I haven’t seen them, because they’re high on my list. Now with that out of the way, I’ll start at number 10.

10. Marriage Story

I literally watched this in the last week of the year, and I watched it not expecting much. I’m not the biggest Scarlett Johansson fan, but I love Adam Driver, so I decided to give it a watch. If you want to be emotionally destroyed, then watch this movie. It’s so damn sad to see how a divorce spirals out of control, and how even when the intention was to split without hurting each other, it devolves into a bloodbath. I felt so sad after watching it, and Scarlett and Adam are absolutely phenomenal to watch. Even Laura Dern and Ray Liotta’s lawyer characters were great, balancing funny and awful very well. If you like acting and character development, this one is worth a watch. Every performance was powerful.

9. Us

I love horror movies. Horror movies have been suffering a bit as of late, with the heavy reliance on jump scares and high kill counts prevalent in many of the genre flicks nowadays. When I heard about Jordan Peele’s Us, I knew I was in for something different. That was exactly what I got. Lupita Nyong’o was fantastic in her dual role in this movie, and the atmosphere was tense and chilling. I also appreciated the balance of horror and humor, a risky choice that played out super well in this movie. The twist was great, and it made me gasp when I saw it in the theater. While this movie wasn’t the scariest thing I’ve seen all year (as you’ll see soon), I was on edge for a majority of the movie, and you should definitely watch this one with the lights off.

8. Detective Pikachu

I am a massive Pokemon fan. It shouldn’t be too surprising this is on my list. While so far the movies on the list are all about the acting and atmosphere, this one is all about fun. Come on, when’s the last time you say a video game movie that wasn’t a massive flop? This one included funny Pokemon moments (I’m looking at you, Ludicolo) and touching ones as well. It was like a reminder of why we all love Pokemon so much. Not to mention, they took risks that paid off. Pikachu being fuzzy? That sounded weird to me, but it worked. They took fictional, hand drawn characters, and turned them into CGI characters that were believable alongside actual actors. This movie was so much fun, and I was happy that I enjoyed it as much as I did. It was a standard “save the world” type of plot, but that was all it needed to be. Also, this movie gets a million bonus points from me for featuring Bulbasaur, my absolute favorite Pokemon in the whole world.

7. John Wick: Parabellum

Everyone, I love John Wick. The movies are all great, and the third one is no exception. The John Wick movies are renowned for their action sequences, and this one is arguably the best at that. I cringed a lot from the violence, and stared open-mouthed at most of it, but it was all creatively and realistically done. I mean, John Wick riding on a horse in Manhattan taking out gunmen on motorcycles? It sounds ridiculous, but he does it and it looks believable. The stuntmen were awesome, and I never felt like they were waiting to rush John Wick one by one. There was choreography put into it, and the effort paid off. This was such a wild ride to watch. All the action was amazing. I could clearly see what was happening, and there was no shaky camera nonsense in every action movie nowadays. Also, Keanu Reeves is just the best. If you’re into action movies in any capacity, John Wick Parabellum is a masterclass in how to stage and shoot action.

6. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

This movie was incredible. I’m a big Tarantino fan, and this might be my favorite one of his yet. You can read my full review here for my in depth thoughts about it, but to sum everything up, there were many things I enjoyed about this movie. Brad Pitt’s character was easily one of my favorites in movies all year. The dialogue was snappy and funny, exactly what you’d expect out of Tarantino. The music was strong, the ending was both horrible and humorous. It didn’t move too fast, but I didn’t mind the slower pace. I liked how Tarantino played with fact and fiction in this movie. It’s Tarantino, and that pretty much tells you everything you need to know about the style of the movie.

5. Avengers: Endgame

It was hard to put this so low on the list, but that just shows you how I felt about the rest of the movies released this year. Endgame was a force, and it was so enjoyable. It wrapped up an era of superhero movies very well and gave us all a satisfying Avengers conclusion. I’ve been watching these movies for years, and I was sad to see it end. However, everything about it was awesome. Our main Avengers had touching emotional moments that made me tear up. The final fight was gripping. I listen to the soundtrack for this one pretty often, and whenever it gets to the part where those portals open up at the end…goosebumps every time. There isn’t much to say about this one because it’s such a cultural phenomenon, and if you haven’t seen it by now, then you don’t know what you’re missing.

4. The Art of Racing in the Rain

I can’t fully go into details about why this movie was so incredible to me. The book was fantastic, and I was elated to see they were making a movie adaptation. My dog passed away this year, about two months before this movie came out. I wrote a pretty in depth review about it as well, which would be worth checking out if you enjoyed this movie or if you’re familiar with the loss of a pet. This movie was so well done. It was heartfelt and honest, and it was a great depiction of what it’s like to have a dog in the house. The perspective from Enzo the dog’s point of view is unique. It lends wonderful insight into how dogs feel about the humans they love, both with humor and intelligence. This is a great movie, and I don’t think any other movie moved me as much as this one in a long time.

3. Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Can you believe this ranked so high? I’ll tell you why. Actually, click here if you want to see me gush about this giant lizard that I love so much. I paid extra money to see this in IMAX. I’ve been a Godzilla fan for a very long time. The previous Godzilla didn’t satisfy me. It had maybe ten minutes of Godzilla in a two hour movie about the giant lizard, and so King of the Monsters had to deliver. Oh. Boy. Rodan, King Ghidorah, Mothra, GODZILLA!! I was hyped the whole time. The CGI was everything I wanted, and I loved every minute of it. It was a nonstop action fest with crazy scenes of Godzilla being a badass. I can watch Godzilla kick ass and breath atomic breath and stomp all over the place forever.

2. Midsommar

I can’t even describe how much I adored this movie. Everything was precise, calculated, and had meaning. This movie was creepy, unsettling, and a great allegory for grief and mental illness. Ari Aster is a phenomenal creator, and Midsommar was absolutely stellar. I’ve re-watched it a few times and caught new things every time. The music was great, the acting was stellar, the writing was off the charts. Everything about this movie was just so perfect. I love the eerie vibe of the whole thing. It’s a very unique brand of horror that Aster is now known for thanks to both this movie and his previous film Hereditary. I have a very detailed look at it here, so if you have an interest in all the little reasons why this movie should be at the top of your watch list, check it out.

1. Promare

Anyone who knows me knows that this movie has consumed me. This anime movie is probably the most entertaining movie I’ve seen all year. I loved each character and their motivations. The animation was stunning. There was so much care put into this movie. I watched the subbed version and the dubbed version and each one is worth watching. Basically you have to watch it at least twice. I was totally floored by the plot, the action, the characters, everything about it. I could gush about this movie forever, and I have in the past. Promare is such an entertaining ride, you simply have to see it if you have any love of animation. I saw this movie three times in one week, and it was a limited release movie too. THREE TIMES. I’ve actually looked around for additional screenings to take another friend who hasn’t seen it yet, but it isn’t playing anymore. The second it’s available, I’m re-watching it again. Actually I plan on buying a DVD of this movie so I can own it, that’s how much I enjoyed it. Each time I watched it felt like the first time, and that kind of movie magic is pretty rare to find. The bottom line is that you need to watch Promare.

I had a blast going to the movies this year, and I’m looking forward to seeing even more awesome things next year. A lot of amazing trailers have already come out, so it looks like we’re in for a great start to the next decade.