TOP TEN Movies of 2019!

Another year, another list! This year I didn't really keep up with my movie blog, but that doesn't mean I haven't been writing about films this whole time! Due to time constraints, now I pretty much exclusively write reviews on my Letterboxd profile - so please feel free to follow me on there for my up-to-the-minute opinions.

Besides that, 2019 was a great year for movies! Making this list was difficult, and I tried to only pick movies that I have either seen more than once or have tried to convince others to see! I can't detect any overarching themes that apply to all the films, but one that sticks out this year are movies about outsiders. Many of these films reflect the dangers of our current polarized world.

10. Lords of Chaos
Jonas Åkerlund

For those not up to speed on their Norwegian Black Metal history, in the 80s, the band Mayhem quite lived up to their name. At only 17, their lead singer, Euronymous (Rory Culkin), used increasingly shocking publicity stunts to put their name on the map. However, when he started to cross the line - I'm talking breaking some serious laws - some bandmates left while others, like "Dead" (Jack Kilmer), reveled in their newfound notoriety and "evilness." Lords of Chaos does a fantastic job conveying the idea that adolescents will do anything to fit in or seem cool, but deep down they're just trying to cover up their individual insecurities. It's a disturbing film, but totally reflects our current age of disgruntled male youths.

2019: BEST and WORST Superlatives

2019 has been a wild year for movies! Box office records were routinely broken: Avengers Endgame dethroned Avatar as the highest-grossing movie of all time, Frozen II earned the highest opening weekend for an animated film, Joker became the biggest R-rated film of all time, and 7 films crossed the billion-dollar mark (5 of them from Disney). In an unprecedented merger, Disney also bought out out Fox Studios, bringing the industry ever-closer to a monopoly.

We also said "rest in peace" to a number of film legends. Some directors that left us include French new wave maverick Agnes Varda, Singin in the Rain director Stanley Donen, John Singleton (Boyz n the Hood), and b-movie icon Larry Cohen. Actors that passed include singer/actress Doris Day, Rip Torn (Men in Black), Peter Fonda (Easy Rider), Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner), German actor Bruno Ganz (aka, the Downfall Hitler meme guy), horror icon Sid Haig (the saddest one for me!), character actor Robert Forster (Jackie Brown), and Chewbacca himself, Peter Mayhew.

But while there's a lot to mourn when it comes to cinema (as Martin Scorsese infamously pointed out in his controversial New York Times piece), there's also a lot to celebrate! This blog post is meant to illuminate aspects of films that really stood out to me this year, both the good and bad!

THE BEST

BEST ACTOR: Joaquin Phoenix, Joker

Todd Philips' Joker is one of the most controversial movies this year - whether it's concern over its ability to spark violence, or cinephiles complaining that it steals too much from Scorsese. But one thing I hope both fans and naysayers can agree on is that Joaquin Phoenix gives a fantastic performance. His fresh, realistic take on the clown prince of crime makes the character more honest and disturbing than ever before.

The pre-Joker Arthur Fleck is someone who feels a total lack of control over his own life - even that iconic Joker laugh is a painful, involuntary action for him. Fleck's transformation into the Joker feels inevitable - the uncaring world of Gotham allows his demented worldview to fester and grow. The lack of care for the mentally ill resulting in violence is something we still sadly see all the time in the news, and Phoenix brilliantly brings this lonely, tragic character to life.

Album Review: Slipknot's We Are Not Your Kind

I realize this has nothing to do with movies, and that no one asked for this, but because they're one of my favorite metal bands... I decided to write a review of the new Slipknot album: We Are Not Your Kind! I must say, I'm not a musician, just a fan. I don’t actually know much about the technical musicality of what goes into each track, nor do I actually know the true meaning behind the songs/lyrics, but for whatever reason I felt compelled to write my thoughts anyway! 

Summer 2019 Box Office Predictions

It's the summertime, right? At least according to Marvel/Disney it is! Calendars, seasons, time... they're just human constructs. And due to it soon being the inaugural "summer" movie season, it's also time for my annual box office predictions! The rules are listed below; if you'd like to play along leave your predictions in the comments!

- Pick 1-10 movies you think will top the US summer box office (April 26th through August 31st)

- 13 points for getting 1 or 10 exactly correct

- 10 points for getting 2-9 exactly correct

- 7 points if movie was one spot away

- 5 points if movie was two spots away

- 3 points if movie was anywhere in the top ten

- 1 point for each dark horse (pick three)

1. Avengers: Endgame
Release Date: April 26

This movie already is breaking records in online pre-sales alone, making this fourth and ostensibly "final" Avengers film an easy bet for the #1 spot this year. Although I anticipate it will be massively front-loaded, making most of its bank on opening weekend, I expect Endgame to be a seismic hit.

Predicting the 91st Academy Awards [UPDATED]

The Academy Awards: the final destination for movie awards shows. Voted on by about 8,000 members across the film industry, it's basically Hollywood's Super Bowl, and film nerds like me love to try and predict the winners! It hasn't always been easy, and this year in particular, with the Academy seeing a new influx of voters from around the world, accurately guessing which films and performances will come away with a gold statuette will be a challenge. A challenge I accept!

* = Haven't seen it YET

10 Biggest Oscar Snubs of 2019

It happens every year: the Oscar nominations are revealed, and movie nerds everywhere weep in disappointment after one of their favorites is inevitably left out of the party. This year in particular I found so many snubs and some truly baffling nominees (seriously - The Ballad of Buster Scruggs? Vice?), so, who am I to end a tradition? Here are, in my opinion, the top ten Oscar snubs of 2019:

10. Paddington 2
Snubbed for: Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Picture

Although it saw a number of nominations last year from the BAFTAs (essentially the "British Acamedy Awards") - including Supporting Actor, Screenplay, and Picture - it turns out that Oscar voters must have forgot about this amazing, heartwarming sequel to Paddington since its stateside release in January. It's too bad - it's one of my favorites of the year!