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Best, Worst, and Favorites of the year.

posted 5 years ago by MichaelPacino (179)
12 replies | jump to latest

2019 was a great year for movies! We had series ending big, we had new films arise, and even the bad stuff wasn’t too bad. So with me having seen 27 movies this year, I want to throw in what I thought was the best, the worst, and my personal favorites of the year. These are my top 5.

WORST:
5. Gemini Man- I actually really enjoyed this movie a lot. I liked the action, and Will Smith’s performance. I could easily rewatch this movie. That being said, this movie’s plot is basic, and the characters, aside from Smith, are not that interesting. I think it’s worth a watch, but not on the big screen IMO.

4. Motherless Brooklyn- Edward Norton writes, directs, produces, and stars in this noir mystery thriller, and it does not work. While the acting is good, and the element of noir oozes out of the screen, it really fails to keep people entertained, and it is ridiculously slow, and doesn’t really hold any interest. An attempt at least, but still fails to live up to what it could have been.

3. Captain Marvel- This movie is basically the marvel formula with nothing new added in. The visuals were unimpressive, a lot of jokes fell flat, and I just have to say it, Brie Larson’s performance was terrible. You know there's a problem when Hayden Christiansan as Anakin Skywalker has more emotion in it, and actual thought. If this is what we’re going to say is the female protagonist for girls to look up too, boy we’re in trouble. The movie is so lifeless, so flat, and so uninteresting, I'm still shocked it’s getting an insane amount of praise for something so boring.

2. The Goldfinch- A lot of people didn’t see this movie, and watching it, it’s not hard to see why. This movie is boring! While the acting is decent, nothing held my interest. The color palette in this movie is some of the worst uses of color i’ve ever seen in any movie, it’s way too slow, and for such an interesting premise, this movie really doesn’t know how to tell it.

1. IT: Chapter 2- Dear Lord in heaven, this movie is awful. While Bill Hader, and Jessica Chastain are good, the rest of the acting is horrible. The effects in this movie are super weak, the writing is terrible, the ending is awful, everything about this movie is bad. BAD! Do not watch this movie at all.

Dishonorable mentions: (funnily enough, i do like these movies, they just weren’t as good as the rest)
Glass
Judy
Aladdin

BEST:

5. Knives Out- This is one of the best murder mysteries i’ve seen. From the acting, to the writing, to the editing, to the cinematography, this was a pleasant experience from start to finish. It’s a movie that should really be studied on how to make movies that are entertaining and thought provoking.

4. Joker- What can I say about this movie that hasn’t already been said? Joaquin Phoenix is phenomenal, the cinematography is excellent, the dream-like psychological study is wonderful! It truly is a strong work of art, and great commentary on how we treat people with mental illness.

3. JoJo Rabbit- Do yourself a favor, and watch this movie!! The anti-hate satire of Nazi Germany is excellent. From making me laugh extremely hard, to making me cry for these characters, this movie about Nazis from the eyes of a 10 year old boy whose imaginary friend is Adolf Hitler is so worth every second of screentime.

2. The Irishman- Martin Scorsese has made “The Avengers” for gangster movies, and yes, I can’t imagine cutting any of it out of its 3 and a half hour runtime. De Niro is phenomenal, Pesci is wonderful, Pacino is a freaking supernova!!!! The whole story is fascinating, beautiful, and heart breaking. A true masterpiece from a master filmmaker.

1. The Lighthouse- This movie is a dark, psychological, masterpiece. Robert Pattinson is absolutely phenomenal in this, Willem Dafoe gives one of the best performances of his career, the screenplay is hauntingly beautiful, and the whole movie oozes with atmosphere. This movie will not be for everyone, but in my opinion, it is the best movie of the year.

Honorable mentions:
A Beautiful day in the neighborhood
Avengers: Endgame
Ford V Ferrari
Uncut Gems

(Continued down below)

[–] MichaelPacino (179) 5 years ago

FAVORITE: (Not necessarily the best movies of the year, but the ones I will return too)

5. Avengers: Endgame- The climactic conclusion to 11 years worth of movies is in every way amazing. It is long, but it takes its time being a character study of heroes, which is something we hadn’t seen before on this scale from Marvel. The final battle is probably one of the best in movie history, and for one reason. We knew a lot of those characters. As great as “Return Of The King’s” final battle is, the massive amount of soldiers were mainly there to sell the action. In Endgame, we know most of those heroes, and/or what they stand for, so to them taking out that massive army is truly amazing both on a spectacle level, and an emotional level.

4. Lego Movie 2- Beautifully animated, and hilarious at every level of humor. I’ve talked to a few people about this, and I noticed those who didn’t like the movie don’t have siblings, or don’t have that close of a connection to them. Everyone who does that I’ve talked too loved this movie, and it is the perfect movie about siblings IMO. It’s a wonderful movie that should be watched, especially by family.

3. Jojo Rabbit- See above about my thoughts on this movie, but honestly, this movie also spoke to me on a deep emotional level. As a kid, you’re so easily blind sided by the world, and sometimes parents contradict that view point. The movie is about growing up and getting ready to face the world. That’s what makes it so amazing to me, and why I loved it.

2. The Rise Of Skywalker- The ending to my childhood saga is obviously going to be one of my favorites. This has some of the best action, some of the best (and worst) twists, and some of the most inventive fighting I have seen in a movie, but why is it not number one?

1. Alita: Battle Angel- I had never read the manga, or seen the anime. I went into this with no expectations. I walked out in complete shock. I loved every single second of this movie. The acting, the writing, the effects, the act

[–] MichaelPacino (179) 5 years ago

The acting, the writing, the effects, the action, all of it was amazing!!! The whole movie just oozed with brilliance, and inventiveness. I talked with a few friends who were fans of the series about this movie, and they said it was one of the best anime adaptations to happen yet. This movie has stuck with me since March. While Rise Of Skywalker had expectations that were met, Alita had to really grab me, and it’s fair to say, this little angel had my heart.

Those were my picks. Anything you agree or disagree with? Let me know! Thanks for reading!

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

My Worst 5 of 2019:

5. Alita: Battle Angel
4. Dark Phoenix
3. The Beach Bum
2. Triple Frontier
1. Someone Great

My best 5 of 2019:

5. Joker
4. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
3. Avengers Endgame
2. Marriage Story
1. The Irishman

Honourable mentions: Parasite, Toy Story 4, Frozen II, Jojo Rabbit, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Pain and Glory, Midsommar, Aladdin, Dora and the Lost City of Gold, Rocketman

[–] MichaelPacino (179) 5 years ago

Any personal favorites?

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

I don't make distinctions between best and favourite. The best of list is equivalent in my mind to my favourites.

[–] MichaelPacino (179) 5 years ago

That's fascinating. I've always found that, even though I can be highly critical with the movie *stares at Rise Of Skywalker*, the movie can still have me love it and enjoy it for what it is. I think there can be a difference between best and favorite movies.

[–] andreaahr (2337) 5 years ago

I liked IT chapter 2. I liked the first one better though.

[–] rudeboymurray (3270) 5 years ago

Best/Favourite

1. Parasite
2. Pain & Glory
3. The Nightingale
4. Honey Boy
5. And Then We Danced

Worst

1. The Two Popes
2. The King
3. Avengers: Endgame
4. Missing Link
5. Atlantics

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

favourites:
(i make no claim on knowing what's the best of anything. i'll leave that to the experts to be the final authorities on such matters).

1 tigers are not afraid
2 parasite
3 climax
4 apollo 11
5 avengers endgame
6 once upon a time ... in hollywood
7 honeyland
8 holiday
9 one cut of the dead
10 dragged across concrete

least favourite:

1 yesterday
2 hellgirl
3 deadly playthings
4 return to horror hotel
5 black christmas

[–] KvlhokVjequs (285) 5 years ago

[deleted]

[–] FredBurroughs (21447) 5 years ago

I'll qualify these three categories.

The Tippity-Top: Movies that delivered far beyond expectations to achieve a mesmerizing combination of technique, performance and narrative. No other movies I saw from this last year surpassed these titles.
==================
Apollo 11
The Death of Dick Long
Honey Boy
Little Women
The Lighthouse
Mister America
Ms. Purple
Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood
Parasite
Shazam!
Uncut Gems
Under the Silver Lake

Dumb But Fun: Movies with notable flaws that nevertheless possessed clear filmmaking merit and provided tremendous entertainment value.
=============
Avengers Endgame
The Beach Bum
Dora and the Lost City of Gold
The Fanatic
Joker
Knives Out
(Pokemon:) Detective Pikachu

Curious Doo-doo: These movies were trite slogs despite possessing fairly lofty ambitions. All of these titles failed at what they set out to do, but they failed in unique and intriguing ways.
=============
Dark Phoenix
The Dead Don't Die
Jojo Rabbit
Loqueesha
Marriage Story

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

i really liked under the silver lake a lot. not quite in my top 10, but i thought it was terrific - fun, weird, spacey, much better than the somewhat sniffy reviews might lead one to believe.