Yes, you are correctly reading that I am posting a best movies of 2019 in late 2020. The simplest answer I can give as to why is that I just finished watching all the 2019 movies I thought might make a list such as this. I had more or less ignored movies in the actual year of 2019 and didn't get the train moving on watching 2019 movies until the pandemic hit.
I watched every conceivable movie I could with the exception of two movies. I think one of them was rather unlikely to make my list and the other had a better shot, but I don't think it would have ranked that highly. I made my list by looking at every movie that had pretty good reviews and/or was nominated in relevant categories at the major award shows, which included the Oscars, the BAFTAs, and the Independent Spirit Film Awards.
I still probably missed movies, even aside from the movies I knowingly skipped, that probably could have made such a list as this, but I wanted to get these rankings in before Christmas of 2020. With all of that said, let's start with the honorable mentions.
Honorable Mention
Burning Cane - No less a filmmaker than Ava DuVernay gives a glowing review to this film made by a literal teenager - Phillip Youmans, born in 2000, who wrote, directed, and edited this movie. (Full disclosure: it was distributed by her company) But ultimately, it's a very slow movie that can barely sustain it's very short 77 minute length.
Blow the Man Down - A movie about two young sisters who have to cover up a crime and while it's ostensibly about them, the movie ends up being stolen by Margo Martindale, June Squibb, and Annette O'Toole. Entertaining enough to watch.
Colewell - Another short movie that nonetheless is very slow. Tom Quinn wrote and directed this movie and thankfully for my self-respect, he is not a teenager. This is a good look at growing old and the death of small towns with a great performance from Karen Allen.
The Great Hack - This is a good primer movie for learning how data mining companies, specifically Cambridge Analytica, helped target ads as propaganda to unsuspecting internet users. There is stuff in it that you probably know, but it's a fairly easy watch for being a documentary about the destruction of democracy!
Honey Boy - I honestly thought I was going to like this more than I did. If you're at all interested in why Shia LeBeouf is the way he is, this is a movie to watch. I was, and yet, I can't help but feel something is missing from this movie.
Missing Link - If you're someone who will end up watching movies with small children, whether that be your own or someone you have to watch, this is the type of movie you should put on. Enjoyable and family friendly.
Rocketman - As far as biopics of legendary singers is concerned, this is vastly superior to Bohemian Rhapsody. It does not rely on playing Elton John's greatest hits and actually manages to separate itself somewhat from the cliche biopic that many fall prey to with some interesting choices.
#50 Avengers: Endgame
When I did my Marvel rankings, one thing I should probably have done is ranked Endgame lower than I did. I have a higher Marvel movie on this very list, and it was below Endgame on my original Marvel list. When I paired the two movies together, I just wanted to watch one more than the other. My feelings on this film are conflicted and I might think differently about this movie in a year.
#49 Klaus
Fun fact: this is currently the #176th best movie on IMDB. I... would not have predicted that. So long as you significantly lower your expectations from that, this is another fun animated, family friendly film. And hey Christmas is around the corner and this is a Christmas film.
#48 Greener Grass
I'm not sure I've ever actually watched a cult film that wasn't a cult film yet. This is one weird ass movie. I watched this sober, but I'm pretty sure I should have watched it high. This is the type of movie where the two main leads have braces for reasons that are never explained. It's a surreal comedy skewering suburbia.
#47 Dolemite is My Name
Some movies on my list I would never recommend to anybody, because I know it's not a movie that appeals to everyone. Greener Grass is one such movie. Dolemite is My Name is the opposite, a movie that I think just about everyone would enjoy. I do think this movie got a bit more praise than it otherwise would have because it was the first thing Eddie Murphy has done in forever that was good. Wesley Snipes steals the movie though, not Murphy.
#46 Spiderman: Far From Home
Like I said above, I actually ranked Endgame higher on my Marvel rankings, but I couldn't bring myself to put Far From Home below it. I think it was just the scale of Endgame felt so massive that I had to rank it above other movies I'd rather watch. In any case, Far From Home purposefully goes smaller scale and is a "you get what you came for" type of movie and nothing more.
#45 Apollo 11
Your interest in space and specifically Apollo 11 could drive your level of interest in this film. I'm not particularly into space, but I was pretty captivated by the newly uncovered footage on the moon. Not all of it, unfortunately is quite as gripping as the beginning, but if you're at all into space, watch this.
#44 Shazam
This is the highest ranked superhero movie mostly because it's fun and it's an original take on the superhero movie. I have not a whole lot else to say about Shazam, which is weird because I watched it last week.
#43 Hustlers
I'm oversimplifying, but the structure and story of Hustlers is pretty much like every mob movie ever made. Except with strippers. A slight change to a formula that is done well is usually worth watching though and this is no exception.
#42 Richard Jewell
This movie has one huge flaw that is holding it back and that is in its depiction of real life reporter Kathy Scruggs, who is shown trading sex for information, which is objectionable in its own right, but is also just lazy and cliché. Good performances help make this movie better than it probably should be.
#41 John Wick: Chapter 3
I'll confess: I'm getting a little burnt out by the John Wick action formula. I liked Chapter 3 better than I liked Chapter 2, but at this point I feel like I'm getting diminishing returns. I'm still ranking it here, so I still liked it.
#40 Just Mercy
Another movie where performances make all the difference. The story isn't really anything new and Michael B Jordan's character is a fairly boring movie character (though awesome person in real life). But good performances help elevate the material.
I'm not going to only do ten rankings at a time. Depending on length, tomorrow I will write up the next 25 or 30 spots, and finish the rankings on Wednesday. Theoretically, I'll have more to say about the top 10 (or 15), which is why I'll cover more tomorrow.
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