Favorite Movies of 2019!
Favorite movies of 2019.
It has been a minute since I have posted a blog post, so I decided that it was time to reflect on my movie-going moment from 2019 and list my top ten favorites, which was surprisingly harder than I thought it would be. So, here goes nothing; these are in no specific order.
1. Parasite. What a fantastic film this was; it had so many good elements that I love in a film. It was funny, sweet, dramatic, suspenseful, and deeply disturbing. I am so glad I saw it in theatres and gave it my full attention. The acting was perfect; you forget that you are even reading subtitles. I do not want to tell you much about it because it helps if you don’t know anything about the story going in, but definitely check this one out.
2. Knives Out. This was a fun, frolicking romp. I laughed so hard and loved the story, but the acting and directing is what made this one. And not to be shallow or anything, but I could look into Daniel Craig’s eyes all day long, and that sweater (with a delicious Chris Evans in it), was a major motion picture itself! This is one that will be fun to watch over and over again. I have seen it three times and still will watch it again. It is really a delectable film.
3. Honey Boy. While I am not usually one for sad films, this one sure did capture my attention and love. It is a story about Shia LaBeouf’s life as a child star and his eventual decline into drug addiction and mental health issues. He plays his dad in the film, and this strikes me as both a nice touch and probably a really difficult thing for him to do. The life of a child star is fascinating, for sure, and most have troubling home lives. I feel like this film does a good job of focusing on his upbringing and life as a child, while not using it as a cop out for his more troubling behavior as an adult.
4. Luce. This film was really good and I’m not sure why more people aren’t talking about it. I went to see it without even seeing a trailer and was very pleasantly surprised. It is a taut thriller that focuses on the story of Luce, an adopted teen, from a war torn country. With some superb acting, and a great score, this movie is truly a thriller without any scares or movie tropes that are usually overdone. Luce is a valedictorian, track star, all around perfect teen with loving parents. Or is he?
5. Ready or Not. Good golly, what fun this murderous, violent horror movie is! It has so much life for a movie about everyone getting killed. It is fast paced, fun, and original. If you think you know what is happening, chances are you are totally wrong. It has a mix of pretty much all of the elements of the horror genre- crazy family, supernatural stuff, marriage drama. Lol. It really is a horror movie that will be a cult classic, I bet.
6. Late Night. I saw this movie with my office as a team builder screening and we all loved it. It is the right mix of comedy, real life, and office drama. I feel like Amazon Studios is upping their game and this movie proves it. It feels like a movie that everyone can probably relate to on some level, because who hasn’t worked in a toxic work environment at some point? Plus, workplace cupcakes are always a good idea.
7. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. This was one of my favorite Tarantino films (but nothing beats Pulp Fiction). It was a slow burn, but that was perfect, with great performances by Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio. The ending was the best, so it was truly worth all the slow moment. If only this moment in history had ended the same way as this film!
8. Doctor Sleep. Maybe I just like Stephen King (true) and Ewan McGregor (double-check) and The Shining (yep), but I really loved this sequel. I read the book when it came out and it was easily one of my favorite King novels, so I was totally stoked to see Danny coming back to the screen all these years later. It was much more horrific than The Shining and explained a whole lot that went unexplained before. I know it is not a film for everyone, but I really enjoyed it.
9. Shazam! I remember this TV show back in the day, so I was just old enough to appreciate the cheesiness of it and love this modern rendition. It is really fun to watch an adult actor play a kid (like in Jumanji, for example) and truly nail it. Zachary Levi did it perfectly! Kale and I made multiple trips to the theatre to see this one (and Spiderman Far From Home) and I’d venture to say that as much as we loved other superhero movies this year (it was a good year for superheroes), this one stands out as cool, quirky, and original.
10. Booksmart/ Long Shot. It was hard to choose which one to go with, but both are raunchy comedies that had enough heart to not simply be a Hangover franchise (although anyone who knows me well enough knows my love for the Hangover franchise). Both of these flicks had belly laughs and tender moments. They were smart comedies with great casts.
What were your favorites from 2019? Is there something I missed on my list? I want to hear from you!
Happy 2020 and happy movie going.
Kimber
