BEST FILMS OF 2019

Midsommar (Dir. Ari Aster)

Mass suicide, cannibalism, rape, incest, murder and other weird satanic rituals are all here in this mesmerizing cult-horror film. After Hereditary, Ari Aster is back with more crazed pagan-wickedness. Pure horror in broad daylight and beautiful visuals. I’ve never seen anything like this. The 1973 Wicker Man is not even close. If you don’t see this in a big screen, it’s your loss.

 

Doctor Sleep (Dir. Mike Flanagan)

A faithful adaptation to Stephen King’s book, this slow-paced psychological horror is a must for fans of the original ‘The Shining’. 

 

Crawl (Dir. Alexandre Aja)

A simple horror story that will make every claustrophopic at the edge of their seat. Always loved Alexandre Aja’s works since High Tension (2003). This time the premise is simple: A girl is being chased by deadly alligators inside a flooded house. If that doesn’t interest you, i don’t know what will.

 

Under The Silver Lake (Dir. David Robert Mitchell)

This is a pretty weird (but good) neo-noir. If Jack Nicholson’s ‘Chinatown’  had a baby with Kubrick’s ‘Eyes Wide Shut’, it would be this movie. 

 

1917 (Dir. Sam Mendes)

Another Sam Mendes X Roger Deakins joint. An epic WWI film that gives no room for breathing. 

 

Dolemite Is My Name (Dir. Craig Brewer)

Eddie Murphy is back at his game with this blaxploitation comedy about Rudy Ray Moore. Fun times!

 

Luz (Dir. Tilman Singer)

This horror film is part Fulci, part Lynch, part Von Trier. This film knows what it’s doing, whatever it’s doing.

 

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (dir. Quentin Tarantino)

Another genre mish-mash by video-store auteur Tarantino. This time he potrays a golden era of Hollywood with many film references that will put a smile in your face. Seeing this golden age of cinema in the big screen is a big plus. A masterclass in directing.

 

Joker (Dir. Todd Phillips)

From a guy that directed frat-comedy like Oldschool, Todd Phillips really proves that he can also direct a heavy character study. You can see a lot of Scorsese’s Taxi Driver and King of Comedy references, but Todd executes this one brilliantly. Joaquin acts like there is no tomorrow.

 

John Wick 3 (Dir. Chad Stahelski)

The quintessential action movie of 2019 is here. Perfectly executed. You’ll even feel every punches, every stab, bones breaking and every bullet that lands. Now this is how you direct a fight scene, Paul Greengrass. Fuck Jason Bourne, John Wick is here to stay. 

 

The Lighthouse (Dir. Robert Eggers)

What’s the worst that can happen when 2 guys stranded for 4 weeks guarding a lighthouse? post-twilight Robert Pattinson and Wilem Dafoe goes batshit crazy in black and white, just for your entertainment! 

 

Uncut Gems (Dir. Safdie Brothers)

If you wanna see Adam Sandler losing his shit for 2 hours, then ‘Uncut Gems’ is exactly what you’re looking for.

 

Us (Dir. Jordan Peele)

A rare and different breed of horror. Us is a social commentary disguised as a slasher horror. I’ve liked Jordan Peele’s Get Out better but Us is a paragon of filmaking in it’s execution, visuals and sound designs. And it’s so meta.

 

Jojo Rabbit (Dir. Taika Waititi)

Satirical Anti-Nazi film directed by Taika Waititi with Scarlett Johansson in it? I’m in.

 

Waves (Dir. Trey Edward Shults)

Just watch the trailers and see for yourself. 

 

Knives Out (Dir. Rian Johnson)

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a disaster, but let’s remember Rian Johnson as the genius auteur who directed the neo-noir Brick (2005) and the sci-fi time travel action Looper (2012). He is back in form with this whodunit crime thriller. If you love whodunit murder mystery, this film is one of the best murder mystery ever filmed. Rian Johnson, you are forgiven.

 

Ash Is Purest White (Dir. Jia Zhangke)

Razor-sharp potrayal of guilt, patriarchy and alienation. A hardboiled criminal underworld story at it’s best.

 

The Irishman (Dir. Martin Scorsese)

A 3 hour long gangster tour-de-force. While this film doesn’t hit the mark as Scorsese’s epic gangland film Goodfellas (1990), The Irishman proves that Scorses is a force to be reckoned with. All the bad guys are here: De Niro, Pacino, Pesci, even Harvey Keitel. Sadly, Thelma Schoonmaker already passed away and don’t edit this one.

 

Parasite (Dir. Bong Joon-Ho)

Again, Bong Joon-Ho proves that he can combines many film-genres seamlessly. There’s a hint of horror, heist/caper film, comedy, drama even political themes mixed in this epic story. One of the year best film.

 

 

Honorable mentions:

 

1. El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (Dir. Vince GIlligan)

2. High Life (Dir. Claire Denis)

3. The Farewell (Dir. Lulu Wang)

4. Transit (Dir. Christian Petzold)

5. Peanut Butter Falcon (Dir. Tyler Nilson & Michael Schwartz)

6. Honey Boy (Dir. Alma Har’el)