2019 Top
Listing personal favourites from the year 2019
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- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsSong Kang-hoLee Sun-kyunCho Yeo-jeongGreed and class discrimination threaten the newly-formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.A true masterpiece. Gorgeous visually, fleshed out characters and the way it manipulates different tones make it a true experience. //
There is no such thing as a perferct film, nor will there ever be. I don’t know what a perfect film would be like, but from all the films I’ve seen, Parasite feels the closest to perfection. I don’t really have much to add, there’s a reason why this film is #1 in Letterbox’d. I doubt Bong Joon-ho can make something as universally acclaimed as this again, but I will most certainly seek out his films for the rest of my life. - DirectorCéline SciammaStarsNoémie MerlantAdèle HaenelLuàna BajramiOn an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman.Personal.
- DirectorRobert EggersStarsRobert PattinsonWillem DafoeValeriia KaramanTwo lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity while living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.Wow. Never before have I seen a movie commit so hard on achieving and keeping a very specific tone throughout the whole movie sacrificing nothing along the way. It's tonally so incredibly consistent and the tone and themes itself were extremely interesting to me. Visually it's one of the best movies I have ever seen.
- DirectorAlex LehmannStarsChristine WoodsMark DuplassRay RomanoAn unlikely friendship between two misfit neighbors becomes an unexpectedly emotional journey when the younger man is diagnosed with terminal cancer.Absolutely perfect film and my only complaint would be that the first half didn't *quite* live up to how incredible the second half would be. Maybe this will change on subsequent viewings. // Well, it’s not perfect but I still think the second half of it is incredibly good. The performances are what carry the film. I think Karen Ham sums up my thought about it perfectly: ”Whatever may feel annoying or disingenuous about Paddleton is trumped by the emotional honesty of its ending, and the remarkable tenderness of Romano's work.”
- DirectorSteven BognarJulia ReichertStarsJunming 'Jimmy' WangRobert AllenSherrod BrownIn post-industrial Ohio, a Chinese billionaire opens a factory in an abandoned General Motors plant, hiring two thousand Americans. Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class America.Such a depressing film by only showing the reality of things and by never appearing to take one side over another. We see the positive impacts of the Chinese investment and we also see the negative impacts of it. Extremely important as a documentary should be. Changes have to be made to stop the class division.
- DirectorTaika WaititiStarsRoman Griffin DavisThomasin McKenzieScarlett JohanssonA young German boy in the Hitler Youth whose hero and imaginary friend is the country's dictator is shocked to discover that his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home.Unique look into Nazi-Germany. Sad, yet ultimately heartwarming movie is a joy to look at.
- DirectorJérémy ClapinStarsHakim FarisVictoire Du BoisPatrick d'AssumçaoA story of Naoufel, a young man who is in love with Gabrielle. In another part of town, a severed hand escapes from a dissection lab, determined to find its body again.Very neatly animated movie which manages to make the viewer sympathize with a wandering hand.
- DirectorBenny SafdieJosh SafdieStarsAdam SandlerJulia FoxIdina MenzelWith his debts mounting and angry collectors closing in, a fast-talking New York City jeweler risks everything in hope of staying afloat and alive.Very good performance from Adam Sandler was a pleasure to look at and even though the movie kept me engaged throughout, I wish I could have taken even more from it.
- DirectorFernando MeirellesStarsJonathan PryceAnthony HopkinsJuan MinujínBehind Vatican walls, the conservative Pope Benedict XVI and the liberal future Pope Francis must find common ground to forge a new path for the Catholic Church.Despite me having some narrative issues with the film, the performances by our two leads is remarkable. // The performances are indeed remarkable. I also really love how sort of happy and humanistic the film is despite serious content. I love how most of it feels like it has low stakes which is not the case. I enjoy the levity of the cinematography and I liked the directorial flexability with the use of so many different formats and ideas. The editing is also neat. But I’m still not entirely sure what’s the purpose of the movie.
- DirectorAitor ArregiJon GarañoJose Mari GoenagaStarsAntonio de la TorreBelén CuestaVicente Vergara1936. A country taken by the fascism. A husband marked for the killing. A wife determined to all for saving him. An endless incarceration in his own home.Pretty much perfect in every technical aspect(didn't like the shaky-cam in one scene) and that is the reason why this movie with a pretty predictable (due to obvious reasons) script managed to affect me so much.
- DirectorGreta GerwigStarsSaoirse RonanEmma WatsonFlorence PughJo March reflects back and forth on her life, telling the beloved story of the March sisters - four young women, each determined to live life on her own terms.A feel good movie if I have ever seen one. The main characters are all interesting and you can feel the warmth of their home.
- DirectorGalder Gaztelu-UrrutiaStarsIvan MassaguéZorion EguileorAntonia San JuanA vertical prison with one cell per level. Two people per cell. Only one food platform and two minutes per day to feed. An endless nightmare trapped in The Hole.Such an engaging script but the direction is mostly incompetent. Doesn't respect the viewer but the script leaves enough for the imagination.
- DirectorDome KarukoskiStarsNicholas HoultLily CollinsColm MeaneyTolkien's novels were inspired by his mom's storytelling, falling in love with another orphan, Edith, forming a brotherhood with 3 other misfits at school, the trench war of WWI and later telling stories to his own kids.Me being a Tolkien fan probably made me give this film a higher rating than it probably deserves. I liked the idea to visually show how the war affected his craft but the movie needed more of that sort of storytelling for it not to feel like a gimmick.
- DirectorNoah BaumbachStarsAdam DriverScarlett JohanssonJulia GreerNoah Baumbach's incisive and compassionate look at a marriage breaking up and a family staying together.I liked it for the most part. The cinematography is very good and doesn’t draw attention to itself. The performances from Driver and Johansson are incredible. However, I felt that at times it tried way too hard to be funny when it wasn’t necessary. The humor could have worked, but in the context it felt forced. Didn’t feel as impactful at the time of watching as I wish it had.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroAl PacinoJoe PesciAn illustration of Frank Sheeran's life, from W.W.II veteran to hit-man for the Bufalino crime family and his alleged assassination of his close friend Jimmy Hoffa.The length would’t bother me if I wasn’t so out of loop of the the history of the Trade Unions and its relation to the story. For the most part the pacing is quite fast and new characters are introduced constantly. The final hour is what I appreciate the most because then we really see Sheeran reflecting on his life. It made me genuinely quite sad.
- DirectorTodd Douglas MillerStarsNeil ArmstrongMike CollinsBuzz AldrinA look at the Apollo 11 mission to land on the moon led by commander Neil Armstrong and pilots Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins.A quite raw and beautiful looking documentary, wish it could have given even more something that the public didn't know.
- DirectorTodd PhillipsStarsJoaquin PhoenixRobert De NiroZazie BeetzDuring the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.One of the greatest acting performances of the year by Phoenix. Joker manages to keep the tension up well. /// I am deeply conflicted by this movie. The score, the coloring and lighting, the cinematography and Joaquin Phoenix’s performance made me feel quite disgusting. Joaquin Phoenix’s performance especially had me perplexed staring at the screen for it was one of the most powerful performances I have seen in a while, hell, ever. The conflict, in my eyes lies in what the film is and what it tries to be. It is set in a superhero universe and is targeted to a very mainstream audience. This makes the film seem rather conventional by structure and plot which is I very much in odds by the aspects I praised earlier. It makes it clear that the film is supposed to entertain, but I couldn’t be entertained by Phoenix’s performance; I was feeling disgust more than anything. Maybe, if Joaquin Phoenix had played Travis Bickle in the film this one is incredibly heavily inspired by, Taxi Driver could be amongst my top films.
- DirectorMong-Hong ChungStarsChien-Ho WuYi-Wen ChenSamantha Shu-Chin KoA family of four fractures under the weight of unmet expectations, unexpected tragedy, and uncompromising pride.I really enjoyed the blend of drama and dark humor in this, it really worked and always felt natural. I also think the cinematography of it was a key factor of making this long movie never feel boring. Every performance is also believable. My issue with is that I’m not entirely sure what it’s trying to say.
//
If someone asked me ”What is ”A Sun” about?”, it would be difficult for me to answer. On the surface level it seems pretty clear: it’s about dealing with trauma. But plenty of times I felt as if the film was about something different and this caused the film feel like plenty of beautiful scenes that don’t align together perfectly. Personally, I could’t piece out a reading for the film that I was satisfied with.
The film is beautifully shot. What impressed me the most is the use of sunlight. Explanation for the title of the film is given quite early on and this information really makes you pay more attention to the cinematography; when the sunlight is present or when it is absent. The sun itself is rarely shown, but when it is, it adds a ton of weight into those moments. That’s a really cool use of a motif.
I wish the film had delved deeper into the idea behind its title. Or maybe it does but I just didn’t understand the film quite well enough. Either way, I can see myself revisiting it in the future. - DirectorNobuhiko ÔbayashiStarsTadanobu AsanoTakuro AtsukiMickey CurtisThe story centers on a group of young people who travel back in time when they are in a movie theater just before closing time. They witness deaths during the closing days of Japan's feudal times and on the battlefront in China before they are sent to Hiroshima just before the Aug. 6, 1945, atomic bombing of the city.
- DirectorSergio PablosCarlos Martínez LópezStarsJason SchwartzmanJ.K. SimmonsRashida JonesA simple act of kindness always sparks another, even in a frozen, faraway place. When Smeerensburg's new postman, Jesper, befriends toymaker Klaus, their gifts melt an age-old feud and deliver a sleigh full of holiday traditions.Pretty animation but I’m not someone who can appreciate as much as it probably should. The idea to tell a santa claus origin story is nice and the story is told competently. The story, however, follows typical storybeats and tonally it wasn’t my thing at the time of watching.
- DirectorNawapol ThamrongrattanaritStarsChutimon ChuengcharoensukyingSunny SuwanmethanontSarika SartsilpsupaA woman wants to reorganize her house and convert it into a home office. She will throw away anything that has been lying around unused. However, she faces a great challenge when she comes across some items that belonged to her ex-boyfriend.Quite slow and tonally consistent. The message is a bit cluttered but a strong cast, interesting characters and nice cinematography make it enjoyable.
- DirectorMati DiopStarsMame Bineta SaneAmadou MbowTraoreIn a popular suburb of Dakar, workers on the construction site of a futuristic tower, without pay for months, decide to leave the country by the ocean for a better future. Among them is Souleiman, the lover of Ada, promised to another.Truly potential for me liking it way more. I thought the soundtrack was fantastic and the editing and cinematography at times very impressive. I think the story drags in the midway, however, and I’m not sure if the mystery element is pulled off quite well enough. The themes also feel a bit heavyhanded although the ideas are cool.
- DirectorVince GilliganStarsAaron PaulJonathan BanksMatt JonesFugitive Jesse Pinkman runs from his captors, the law, and his past.Jesse Pinkman being one of my favourite characters of all time was probably the only reason I gave this movie such a high rating. It looks nice but ultimately feels very pointless.
- DirectorGrant SputoreStarsLuke HawkerRose ByrneMaddie LentonIn the wake of humanity's extinction, a teenage girl is raised by a robot designed to repopulate the earth. But their unique bond is threatened when an inexplicable stranger arrives with alarming news.For whatever reason, I didn't find it compelling. Maybe it was because too often I didn't find the daughters actions reasonable. Also, I think it was too slow-paced because visually it was quite bland. I wasn't impressed by the performances either. Maybe it would have better worked as a book because I found the story quite interesting.
- DirectorAnna BodenRyan FleckStarsBrie LarsonSamuel L. JacksonBen MendelsohnCarol Danvers becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races.Meh... The 5/10 rating feels very high considering I don't remember liking anything about this movie, but I don't remember hating anything either.