Lina LecaroIt was a year filled with reboots and remakes, throw-away cartoons, mourn porn tear-jerkers, CGI-over-loads, and Cats, but 2019 was still great for film-goers. Creative narratives, powerful performances and gorgeous shots galore made movie-going exciting again, and many from big directors became bonafide events, getting fans out to the theaters, even in the case of Netflix-produced films that made their way to our TV sets at home soon afterward. Awards are subjective, but The Golden Globes (which air this coming Sun., January 6) seemed to miss a lot of the most deserved films and performances this year, opting to honor star-power over dramatic artistry, though many films offered both. It’s anybody’s guess if the Oscars will do any better in acknowledging our favorites when they’re announced at the end of the month, but our writers will be watching and weighing in. L.A. Weekly‘s film and TV critics shared our Top 10 lists (end of this post) and from them, we created this Best Movies of 2019 list with links to read more about each. Enjoy.
10. Us
The Horror of Us: Jordan Peele's Exploration of Cultural Duality Is Exquisite
9. A Hidden Life
8. Joker
7. Uncut Gems
Review: Uncut Gems Sees Adam Sandler in His Hardest, Sharpest Role To Date
6. Parasite
Review: Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite Feeds Your Mind With Savage Social Critique
5. The Lighthouse
Review: The Lighthouse is a Masterful Mix of Myth and Mariners
4. Marriage Story
3. Dolemite Is My Name
Eddie Murphy is Big Pimpin’ in Netflix’s Dolemite is My Name
2. The Irishman
Review: Scorsese’s The Irishman is His Electrifying Elegy to the Gangster Film
1. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Nathaniel Bell:
1. The Souvenir
2. Sunset
3. A Hidden Life
4. Transit
5. Varda by Agnes
6. The Lighthouse
7. 63 Up
8. Doctor Sleep
9. The Irishman
10. Olivia
Lina Lecaro:
1. Once Upon a Time In Hollywood
2. Us
3. Dolemite Is My Name
4. The Irishman
5. Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker
6. The Two Popes
7. JT Leroy
8. Toy Story 4
9. Hail Satan
10. The Black Godfather
Chad Byrnes:
1. The Irishman
2. 1917
3. Marriage Story
4. Parasite
5. Midsommar
6. Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
7. Dolemite Is My Name
8. Little Women
9. Knives Out
10. The Souvenir
Chuck Wilson:
1. Uncut Gems
2. Parasite
3. Ford v. Ferrari
4. 1917
5. Dolemite Is My Name
6. Waves
7. Luce
8. Give Me Liberty
9. Marriage Story
10. Fast Color
Asher Luberto:
1. A Hidden Life
2. A Portrait of a Lady on Fire
3. Marriage Story
4. The Nightingale
5. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
6. Booksmart
7. The Irishman
8. The Two Popes
9. Uncut Gems
10. Ford V Ferrari
Erin Maxwell:
1. Joker
2. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
3. The Irishman
4. My Name is Dolemite
5. Parasite
6. Jojo Rabbit
7. Climax
8. Knives Out
9. Marriage Story
10. The Lighthouse
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