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.