Best films of 2019

[zico]

Best film winner. None. I can't remember a worse year for films.

Best film I saw in 2019 - The Favourite, weird & wonderful historical black comedy (but actually released in 2018, so technically not a 2019 film).

Good films - Bohemian Rhapsody (but again, it's from 2018)

OK, so any good 2019 films? None really.
Lowering expectations, it's onto :-
Most Vaguely Competent If A Bit Uneven And With Occasional Boring or Silly Bits films - Long Shot, Joker, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Worst films - well, how long have you got?

Avengers - Endgame, a colossal waste of everyone's time and money, but in 2019, it doesn't even come close to being in the top 3 worst films.
3rd worst - Mary, Queen of Scots. Cinematic equivalent of the reverse-Midas touch, turning a fascinating true story into dull dross.
2nd worst - X-Men, Dark Phoenix. Even for a superhero movie, this was exceptionally awful, and would have won Worst Film hands down, in any other year, if not for ....
Worst film - Holmes & Watson. This isn't just the worst film of 2019, I've never seen a worse mainstream film release (or should that be "escape").

2020 just must be better.

[Howyoudoin]

Totally agree Zico. Horrible year for good films.

In no particular order, my top 3 films of 2019 are:

Bait

Joker

1917


HYD

[nimnarb]

Ditto...

Think I mentioned this a while back but was referring to the last few years. Can't even mention one really outstanding film for 2019. Sad.

Here is a take from RT. No.1 was good but was quite surprised to see it there.

https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/gu ... s-of-2019/

Plus more reviews.
https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/m ... s-of-2019/

Just watched Serenity with McConaughey and Hathaway. Starts off ok but like Hereditary(still waiting to hear comments from those who might have seen it) if you have to look up an explanation of the ending and to search for answers because you just don't understand what the hell is going on, either I'm losing it, as in mentally, plus wasting hours of my life or need to pay more attention..............Please bring back something like Where Eagles Dare. "Broadsword calling Danny Boy" and "second rate punk". I understand it, it has action, it has scenery, it has humour and it passes the time well, plus I still remember it, what...50 years later....
Ok, I will get my coat.

[todthedog]

Totally agree with the above posters, months went by with nothing to tempt me to the flicks.

Saw 'Knives out' the other day an up to date old fashioned who dunnit. Passed an agreeable couple of hours and for this year high praise!

A question why are films getting soooooo long.

What is wrong with a decent story and script?

Grumpily heads for the new year.

A very happy and healthy 2020 to you all

[Itsallaguess]

Best film of the year was probably 'Parasite' for me - https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/parasite-movie-review-2019

Worst film of the year was 'Ad Astra', a rare mis-fire from Pitt and a complete waste of time for everyone involved - https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/ad-astra-movie-review-2019

Biggest disappointment for me was 'Midsommar', which I had massive hopes for following Ari Aster's absolutely superb 'Hereditary', but it turned out to be a pretty poor tick-box exercise in Wicker-Man clothing...

I've still got a couple to watch that I'm hopeful for (Knives out / Once upon a time in Hollywood / Marriage Story / The Lighthouse / A Hidden Life), so the above is said with this in mind...

I agree that it's been a pretty poor year for films. I think the major streaming services are raising their game substantially and the film industry is paying a price for that unfortunately. I think it's interesting that some of my favourites from this year have been foreign-language releases.

Shout out too for Joker, which I thought was another rare highlight for the year, and also Arctic, which I really enjoyed too.

I'm looking forward to Tenet, the 2020 film from Christopher Nolan - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdOM0x0XDMo

I'll also be taking a very keen interest to see what Denis Villeneuve can do with Dune...

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[didds]

A question why are films getting soooooo long.

off the top of my head thought... because TV _episodes_ of various series are now often 90 minutes long?

As for best/worst films and a poor year... again back to TV. Is it just because TV provides so many feature film length "stories" multiple times a week, every week, plus the box swet availability via barious other forums, that making films is no longer overly "worthwhile" ? all the ebst scriptwriters now write for TV? Something like thatr ?

merely suggestions

Maenwhile we've just got a firestick and have been busily looking at the 80 gazillion films available at the press of a button. There arent many that are acually enthralling us with the propsect of watchuing them. meanwhile BBC's Christmas carol and that Vienna blood thiung (is that its name - we watched half the fierst episode - a 90 minute episode - last night)

[monabri]

I've just watched "The Irishman" ..all 3hours and 20 minutes. I've got to ask myself "Why?". I didn't find it all that entertaining and the storyline was slooow!

TBH , it was 3rd time lucky. I started to watch the film on two previous occasions but something more interesting came along.

[AF62]

In 2019 I went to see 65 films at the cinema (I went 66 times as I saw Yesterday twice - not because it was particularly good, but because it was when the temperature was ridiculous in the summer and the cinema was air-conditioned!).

I agree, not a great year for films.

The best - probably Apollo 11, but also following up Joker and Once upon a time in Hollywood, The White Crow, and most recently, Motherless Brooklyn - almost an 'old fashioned' sort of film

Enjoyable films - Ford v Ferrari was entertaining tosh, The Peanut Butter Falcon was heartwarming, Fast & Furious presents: Hobbs & Shaw was 'brain out' enjoyable and not as 'stuffy' as the usual F&F franchise.

Most surprisingly enjoyable film was Stan & Ollie - never a fan of the duo, but thought the film superb.

Bad films - well bottom of the pile is Alita: Battle Angel, but closely followed by Charlie's Angels - good grief, spend millions on CGI and £2.50 on a script.

Most disappointing film - The Mule - Clint, give up now.

[PinkDalek]

[Most surprisingly enjoyable film was Stan & Ollie - never a fan of the duo, but thought the film superb. ...

I was going to mention Stan & Ollie the other day but checked the release date and saw 2018. Turns out it was released in the UK in January 2019 (whereas 30 December 2018 over the pond).

- never a fan of the duo

Don't tell HYD:

Stan and Ollie
viewtopic.php?p=261281#p261281

[Itsallaguess]

Best film of the year was probably 'Parasite' for me - https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/parasite-movie-review-2019

I've still got a couple to watch that I'm hopeful for (Knives out / Once upon a time in Hollywood / Marriage Story / The Lighthouse / A Hidden Life), so the above is said with this in mind...

And having now recently watched Marriage Story, I am revising my 2019 'Best Film' accolade to this Noah Baumbach film, which, although I've always been a fan of Scarlett Johansson, has now convinced me that she's one of the best female actresses of my generation.

A great, great film, with everything I would ask of a Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Actress, and even Best Supporting Actress nomination, for Laura Dern's great role. Best Actor though? not so much...

Highly recommended...

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[nimnarb]

Turned it off after 20 minutes.........oh well, think I need to look again.

[nimnarb]

So i watched it through to the end. Just keep in mind that like food, all our tastes are different. Better title would have been "Divorce Story"(imho).

Kramer v Kramer anyone? Acting, Ok. Nothing awe inspiring. Best Picture, Screenplay, Actress, etc, etc? I suppose someone has to win. As for Laura Dern, as possible best supporting actress. Why, she was only in the film for what, all of 10 minutes? Fair performance. Sensational one, no. Yes, there is a possible moral to the story and since I haven't been divorced with kids involved, perhaps I'm not at liberty to comment, understand or appreciate it all, as opposed to the millions of those who have been through what is a very painful(and costly) process. Regardless, for me, yet another depressing, sad and forgettable film....and that will no doubt collect a bunch of Oscars for its crew and good luck to them. It just wasn't for me. Apologies if I have offended anyone.

[Itsallaguess]

Regardless, for me, [Marriage Story is] yet another depressing, sad and forgettable film....and that will no doubt collect a bunch of Oscars for its crew and good luck to them.

It just wasn't for me. Apologies if I have offended anyone.

No apologies necessary at all nimnarb, and you're certainly not going to offend anyone by reviewing a film here - if anyone is owed an apology then perhaps it's you that I should apologise to, given that you gave the film another chance after reading my post and still didn't enjoy it!

I saw a great deal more humour in the film than you seem to have done, although you're quite right that it was also very sad for much of the film.

I don't see that as a bad thing though, given the subject matter. I suppose we could see it as a modern-day Kramer vs Kramer, but I thought Baumbach did a great job here.

I thought the final few minutes were some of the most powerful moments I've watched recently. I'm not one for blubbing much, but Adam Driver was utterly fantastic in those closing moments. I hope it does well in the awards season.

Scarlett Johansson though - she's simply brilliant throughout....

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[SalvorHardin]

Best film: "Ride Like A Girl". Very few people in the UK will have seen this; it's an Australian film that was only released there last September, and which hasn't been released in the UK. It's the true story of Michelle Payne, the youngest of ten children brought up by their widowed father. She, like most of her siblings, became a professional jockey and the first woman to win The Melbourne Cup (Australia's biggest horse race).

The DVD arrived by airmail last week. Got our film night group to watch it a couple of days ago - at the end there wasn't a dry eye in the house. Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJTZsCG7kv0

Honorable mentions: "Alita: Battle Angel". A discarded female cyborg head is recovered from a rubbish dump by a cybernetics specialist who uses it to build a substitute for his dead daughter. It's a cyberpunk take on Pinnochio, with violence, set in an extremely dystopian future. Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3D2vmWD88w

HBO's "Deadwood"; set ten years after the series ended it's well worth a watch, even if you haven't seen the series (though obviously the entire film is a spoiler if you haven't seen the series but were planning to). Almost all of the cast whose characters were alive at the end of series 3 are back. Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejqSTxm8Fws

Asides from that the only 2019 release that I saw was the third John Wick film. If you liked the first two you'll like it.

The problem nowadays is that there's so much good television that it crowds out the films. I'd rather watch a new episode of "The Brokenwood Mysteries" or "The Witcher" than go to the cinema. Getting old, I guess!

[77ss]

Best film winner. None. I can't remember a worse year for films.

Its been a long time since I can remember a good year for films and I don't often go these days - mostly I see them as captive audience on an aeroplane. Speaking of which, I thought Alita was total dross - perhaps the cinematic experience might have been better.

Honourable mentions go to the charming Wild Rose and the interesting but flawed Red Joan. Outstanding experience was Marianne & Leonard. Riveting - but I expect that has much to do with my age! The other enjoyable 'musical' one was Western Stars - but then, I'm a Springsteen fan.

[AF62]

Speaking of which, I thought Alita was total dross - perhaps the cinematic experience might have been better.

It wasn't...

The problem nowadays is that there's so much good television that it crowds out the films.

It can be if you step away from the mainstream broadcasters to Netflix, Apple, Amazon, etc, where they seem to be willing to take a little more risk to spend time developing stories. For example I have just been watching 'For All Mankind' on Apple TV, and alternative history of space exploration where the Russians got to the moon first - a good slow burn to develop stories and characters, but with a direction.

[nimnarb]

Agree with Itsallaguess. Just seen Parasite. Wow!! Has it all. Best film of 2019 by far. Without giving any spoilers away, I understand one's obsession with their phone(not really) but sitting on the bog with crap spewing all over the place whilst on the phone, was something else. Won't forget this one for a while. Just about deserves a 10/10.

[Itsallaguess]

Just seen Parasite. Wow!! Has it all. Best film of 2019 by far. Without giving any spoilers away, I understand one's obsession with their phone(not really) but sitting on the bog with crap spewing all over the place whilst on the phone, was something else. Won't forget this one for a while. Just about deserves a 10/10.

Glad you enjoyed it nimnarb - it is a cracking film.

Slightly off-topic, but there's an interesting story on the BBC site today regarding the type of 'basement living' that the Kim family endure initially. These types of apartments are called 'banjiha', and anyone who's seen the film might find the following story interesting -

Parasite: The real people living in Seoul's basement apartments - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-51321661

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[Itsallaguess]

I'm looking forward to Tenet, the 2020 film from Christopher Nolan

I see that a new TENET trailer was released a couple of days ago - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=potF2Mn7FPU

I think this may well turn out to be my first post-lockdown cinema visit if the release timing suits..

Who'd have thought that such a fantastic Writer, Producer and Director could do so many great films on the single subject of time....

Cheers,

Itsallaguess