If this is the first part of the rankings you're reading, you've missed the back end of the rankings, posted above. This is part three. No need to have a long intro, let's get right to it.
#15 Luce
This is a thriller disguised as a commentary on race or a commentary on race disguised as a thriller. Either way, it all hinges on the performance of Kelvin Harrison, a model student who's pretty much the perfect student in every way. But there are cracks in the foundation and there are moments where you wonder if he's a sociopath. He has loving and supportive parents, played by Naomi Watts and Eric Roth, who adopted him when he was a child soldier. An essay earns the concern of a teacher played by Octavia Spencer, who uses the essay as a pretext to search his locker, where she finds something else.
Without spoiling it, it gets into the demands of the seemingly perfect black All-American student who might feel he has to live up to a certain burden given his race and background. So you're never sure if this kid is seriously deranged or just a poor guy who has impossible demands for himself. And the reason you are able to question all this is the seriously excellent performance by Harrison. It wouldn't work without him at all.
#14 Dark Waters
I'm apparently a sucker for dry legal thrillers. Back in 2016, Nathanial Rich wrote an article about a lawyer "who became DuPont's worst nightmare." Funny enough this guy started as a corporate defense lawyer, but was just helping out a family friend, when he discovered much more than he bargained for. He ends up discovering that the supposedly safe DuPont plant is anything but and that they aren't actually regulated by the EPA for certain dangerous chemicals by a loophole essentially.
And well, then he sues the fuck out of them and it takes forever to get results, and he's still suing DuPont today. A good look at the truly soulless depths some corporations are willing to go to fuck over anyone just to make a profit and the efforts by one man to make them pay just a portion of what they should. Any legal thriller requires a lead performance to instantly root for and Mark Ruffalo can seemingly play a likable guy in his sleep. Anne Hathaway plays a thankless role as his wife and Tim Robbins is better than he needs to be as his boss. Everyone involved seemed to be disgusted with DuPont's actions and wanted to do this right.
#13 A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
This is described as a biographical film, and it's somewhat of a misleading genre. Because it's not actually a biography of Fred Rogers. It's not really even a biography of the man who interviewed him. Because the character as he exists on screen and played by Matthew Rhys is apparently not all that similar to the real life guy. There are surface similarities as with any "based on a true story" movies, but do not think of this as inside look into Mr. Rogers.
With that said, I think this is about as good a movie as one about Mr. Rogers will ever be (that's not a documentary at least). The man just does not lend himself well to being a movie character. He appears to be as close to a saint as you can get, and that kind of lead character in a movie just isn't interesting. He's not the lead character though, Lloyd Vogel is. And Vogel is interesting. If you've ever seen The Americans, you know how capable Rhys is of trying to repress his emotions while on the verge of tears, a thing he does multiple times in this movie. And I honestly think it's the best look we'll ever see of Mr. Rogers, with the central question of the movie being "Is he really as good as he seems?"
#12 The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao
The first question I'd have to ask of anyone who asks whether they'd like this movie would be "Have you ever seen My Brilliant Friend?" After they inevitably answer no, I'd struggle to gauge their interests. If you have seen that show and like it, you'll like this movie. There are some similarities. It looks at two young sisters, who through a tragedy of fate, end up separated at a young age. One sister comes to think her sister abandoned her, the other sister has no idea where she is or if she's even alive.
This movie would not exist if social media were a thing in the 1950s. In case you think all social media is bad. The two sisters just have no way of contacting each other or even knowing where they are. One forms her own life, disconnected from her family. The other never stops searching. Invisible Life won the Un Certain Regard from the Cannes Film Festival, which an award for films with unusual styles and non-traditional stories. It's not only a look at the sisters, it's a look at growing up as a woman in a patriarchal and repressive society. Like My Brilliant Friend, which I also recommend.
#11 The Nightengale
I could describe the plot of this movie to you and you'll probably go in thinking it's a much more fun movie than it is. That's because it's essentially a revenge movie. But unlike Django Unchained or many other revenge movies, revenge does not seem fun. It's set in the early 1820s in what is now Tasmania, but was then an island for convicts. This was a time directly preceding the "Black War" which was a war between European colonists and Aboriginal Australians. And hoo boy. The film does not shy away from the realities of the racism that it probably brought at the time.
Claire, a convict from stealing, was sold into "indentured servitude" but her time ran out six months ago and the lieutenant makes it clear it's more like slavery, because he needs to actually release her from servitude and he won't. And well, let's just say the lieutenant is very much the bad guy and kicks the plot in motion. And this needs to come with a huge, huge warning to know what you're getting into. Because you'll know what I'm talking about 25 or so minutes in the movie when you'll need to pause, walk around, and maybe even give up watching. It's not exploitative violence, but it is brutal to watch at times. Hell of a follow-up to The Babadook from Jennifer Kent (but VERY different).
#10 American Factory
Guys, I'm sorry if you're a fan of corporations. But you need to snap out of it. Watch The American Factory, which looks at a Chinese company who bought out an abandoned General Motors plant in Ohio. The Chinese company thinks this is a good idea, because American laws are a fucking joke in some places and they can make more money than they would in China. The filmmakers were granted unprecedented access because this was supposed to be a feel good thing.
Well, it sure wasn't. Chinese workers, American workers, the theme of this movie was that the working class is the one who gets fucked. The leaders of the corporation that run the company look very bad in this movie - they would never have approved the access if they saw this coming. If you think this movie is just a commentary on how Chinese companies are bad, you seriously missed the point of this movie. The best part is that the documentary doesn't have talking heads explain this to you, they just let the results speak for itself.
#9 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
I'm very glad I watched this in theaters. It was a blast. I can't honestly say that I would have liked this movie less if I hadn't, but being with the crowd towards the end made the theater experience totally worth it. The audience reaction was great. At this point, you either like Quentin Tarantino or you don't. You're probably familiar with his style, his movies, and you can get a sense of whether or not you're in - or you're out.
When the Sharon Tate murder was announced to be the subject of his next movie, I had serious doubts at how Tarantino would pull it off. And to my great surprise, he not only pulled it off, I actually think he helped you realize the true extent of the tragedy of what happened through how he did it. Sharon Tate, for large portions of this movie, seems to just be in it because they cast Margot Robbie. I do wonder what your reaction to this movie would be without knowing the backstory - someone at some point will experience that movie without knowing the backstory - and I think they're going to be seriously confused, because you NEED that knowledge for her story to make sense.
#8 Jojo Rabbit
I had the pleasure of watching this twice, and it wasn't until my second viewing that this movie really clicked for me. Wish I had the time to do that for every movie, but at least it happened for a movie I initially under-appreciated. And I think maybe that's why its Metacritic is only 58? I don't think my score would be that high after my first viewing if I'm being completely honest, so I wonder if that's part of it.
It was clearly appreciated by the Oscars, which I find interesting because if it wasn't necessarily well-reviewed (though hardly panned), and it wouldn't really seem to be an Oscar type movie. Nonetheless, I think this movie mashes tones pretty well, with the performances help the comedy land in a terrible situation. Specifically, Taiki Waititi as Hitler is one part that really helps give the movie it's satirical tone. In fact, I actually wonder if this movie even works without his performance it's so essential.
#7 Little Women
Little Women is a movie that has been adapted many, many times. Here's how many times it's been adapted. It's been a silent film twice, it was adapted as soon as sound came to movies in 1933, and then had a adaptation in color 1949. Not until 1994 was it adapted again until 2018 with a contemporary re-telling and then finally the Greta Gerwig version on this list. It will surely keep being adapted until the end of time. And I confess the Gerwig version is my first here. I've never even read the book. So I essentially learned the plot of this for the first time watching the 2019 version.
Did this impact how much I liked it? Who's to say? I think I'll have seriously trouble liking the older versions. The '33, '49, and '94 versions are all on classic film lists and I feel like it's going to be tough jumping from a modern filmmaker who has some sort of pulse on what modern audiences like to older filmmakers who weren't thinking how audiences would respond beyond that specific year. But that's a worry for the future.
#6 Booksmart
It's seriously hard to avoid the Superbad comparisons. But I mean that truly as a compliment as Superbad is one of the few comedies from its time to hold up. And it certainly doesn't help that Beanie Feldstein is Jonah Hill's sister. I've only watched this once, but like Superbad, I feel like this is a movie that will be endlessly rewatchable.
The plot differs from Superbad slightly. The two high schoolers are goodie two shoes who realize when they're about to graduate that they haven't really experienced high school - they've never gone to parties or done anything even remotely that they weren't supposed to. So they have one night to do it. Joined by Feldstein is Kaitlyn Dever, truly great as a child actress on Justified who seems to have not lost the touch for acting that some child actors do. Thankfully.
#5 Honeyland
This is another accidentally great documentary. It was planned as a short film about a region surrounding a river when they met a lone beekeper who is able to make a living by selling honey. She has a rule. She takes half for herself, half for the bees. Take too much, the bees can't live, it hurts you long-term. Well while the filmmakers were there, a seemingly nice, crowded family moves next door. They ignore her advice.
And the unplanned documentary turns into a commentary at large of humans and the planet, who disregard it to make a buck because they have to. If this wasn't a documentary, this movie would work just about as well - the fact that it's actually a documentary is insane because how well the movie works as a narrative by itself. And the movie is so, so beautiful. Just look at the trailer and you'll see what I mean. It's no wonder they went there to shoot a short film - I'm just glad they ended up with more than that.
#4 1917
I suppose me writing this now is timely, because I'm going to end up watching zero 2020 films in theaters. And that's a shame, because this movie, along with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, are two movies that I think would have less of an impact on me were I to watch it at home. Something about the theater experience forces me to get lost in the movie. The moviemaking magic of 1917 worked completely on me. At the end, when he's running, I can't even describe the feeling it had on me.
But I don't want to diminish 1917 by saying that. Because I could have said the same thing about Dunkirk. Except I watched Dunkirk at home. And its impact on me was no less effective and I'd find a hard time thinking it would be more effective in theaters. Sometimes when it works, it works. And as far as the "gimmick" of following the characters in real time with one, prolonged shot - well I'll put it this way: I watched this with my dad, who didn't even notice that, so it's not distracting to say the least.
#3 Parasite
I've mentioned before in my list that the burden of high expectations sometimes can ruin a movie for me. Ruin might be a bit strong, but I'm always looking for the thing that will blow me away. This was not an issue with Parasite, a movie I did have high expectations for, but which managed to still blow me away. I think, when recommending movies to friends, keep in mind which movies might be hurt by raised expectations and which will live up to them, and keep in mind their tastes, because I am always surprised at how much expectations impact my enjoyment of a film.
This is another movie about our times, which even though it's set in a different country, could just as easily apply to America. What I especially liked was that the wealthy family wasn't actually mean, they in fact would think of themselves as generous and nice, but that their wealth put them so far out of touch of the poorer family that it's impossible for them to truly see their struggle or their privilege for what it is.
#2 Knives Out
You know what puts this movie over the top for me? For being a simple murder mystery - well it's not simple actually - but for seemingly being a fun murder mystery, there's a nice message about immigrants. The moment the Thrombey family turns truly villainous is the moment that Michael Shannon's character threatens deportation to Ana de Armas. And suddenly, this movie became more than just a complex and fun murder mystery.
And yet the sense of fun is always there. Rian Johnson managed something truly difficult. He managed to say something while making an audience friendly movie that appeals to everyone. The dense among the moviegoers will not really even pick up on the theme even though it's not exactly in the background, but if you're at all paying attention to the movie beyond a surface level, you see it. And that's what turns the movie for me from fun to one of the best of 2019.
#1 The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Before I compiled my list, I knew this would be my #1 movie of 2019. It's the only thing I knew. I talked about expectations above. This is the type of movie that, if you were to watch it based on me saying it's the best movie of the year, you'd probably be underwhelmed. It's not that type of movie. Some movies can withstand high expectations, I don't think this is one of them. And I'm speaking for myself too. I had no expectations going into this movie. If I did, I don't think it'd be my #1 movie. I am aware this may not make sense.
That's just a long-winded way of saying: please temper your expectations watching this movie. I want you to love this movie like I do, but am worried you'll keep waiting for the moment it becomes the #1 movie. And the longer the movie goes on, the more you wonder why exactly is it that high, and by the time the movie can theoretically deliver on that promise, you're much to disappointed for it to course correct. This is all in theory anyway.
The soundtrack is my favorite of the year. In fact, I think the soundtrack is a large reason it's here. Because the images and the music together can make you emotional by itself. I'm hesitant to recommend a song before you see the movie, because hearing the song for the first time in the movie is part of the power, but I'd recommend the movie just for the music itself.
In the first half, one thing I'll say is that it's clear the director is somewhat showing his abilities off - he uses every filmmaking trick he has up his sleeve. By the second half, he's gotten that out of his system and makes only right choices. But honestly the tricks are still good filmmaking - it's not like too much editing or something truly distracting - you just notice he's trying to direct the hell out of this movie. There are worse things.
I could tell you the plot, but it truly doesn't do the movie justice. The plot does not sound like a great movie. A man tries to reclaim his old house, which is now so ridiculously out of his price range that he could ever afford it. And when the old tenants move, for a moment, he can live there as a squatter. A truly great performance from Jonathan Majors, who plays a very different type of character here than he did on Lovecraft Country.
In the future, I'll probably just stick to a top 15 or top 20. But this was an interesting experiment.
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