Thirteen Favourite
Films of 2019
Another year has come to pass, a new decade is upon us, and I’m back at it with the countdown lists! First up are the best movies I saw in 2019, and upon review, I saw more great ones than I initially thought. Instead of doing three honourable mentions, I’m making a top 13 list this year, because why not?
13. The Dirt
The Dirt was the
first new movie I saw in 2019 that genuinely stuck out to me as really
enjoyable, and it continued to stick with me. I’m a big Motley Crue fan, and a
viewer’s love for the band (or lack thereof) will likely correspond with how
enjoyable they find it. Though still a significantly flawed film with clumsy
writing and pacing, the performances and dialogue are extremely entertaining,
and obviously the soundtrack is kick ass. It felt like this year’s hard-core
R-rated version of Bohemian Rhapsody.
Though only a small glimpse into the world of these off-the-wall rock stars, it
reignited my love for them, spawned some new music, and even got the actual
band back together by year’s end. If you’re a Crue fan or just a metal fan in
general, you need to check out The Dirt.
12. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
Not since Toy Story
has there been a trilogy of animated films as cohesive and enjoyable as How to Train Your Dragon. The first
movie is utterly delightful, and the second one is emotionally resonant, but
the third one did not suffer from diminishing returns. Hidden World opens up the mythology even more, has more of the fun
from the previous two, and is perhaps even more emotional than the second movie,
which is saying a lot. It also ends in a very satisfying way, and while there
may be more How to Train Your Dragon
sequels or spinoffs in the future, this third one wraps up the trilogy and
serves as a great farewell.
11. Spider-Man: Far From Home
Coming out in the wake of the devastating finale to the
Marvel Cinematic Universe (or the ending to the Infinity Saga, at least), Spider-Man: Far From Home was posited as
an epilogue and the true conclusion to Phase Three of the MCU, but we’ve seen
Spider-Man how many times in the past two decades? Like over ten times? Spider-Man movies used to feel special,
but they don’t any more. Having said that, Far
From Home managed to do something a little different while still giving
fans what’s become expected, and proved to be a very fun, entertaining, and
comedic Spider-Man adventure. Though
this version of Peter Parker will forever be weighed down by the inescapable
Iron Man influence and Stark technology, he is still my favourite superhero
going, and I’m continually impressed with the ways the writers keep the
material fresh and surprising. It’s definitely not as good as Spider-Man: Homecoming, but a good Spider-Man sequel nonetheless.
10. El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie
Rumors of a Breaking
Bad movie had been swirling for years since the conclusion of the series, and
I was surprised by the amount of anticipation accumulated for El Camino in such a short time, given it
was only announced a couple months before its release to Netflix. Being able to
tune in to the story of what happened to Jesse Pinkman following the series
finale from the comfort of the same living room in which I experienced all 62
episodes of the series was a real treat this year. It wasn’t a mind-blowing
experience by any means, but given it was writer/director Vince Gilligan’s
first feature-length film, I thought he did a great job giving Aaron Paul the
spotlight one last time in this role—the role he will surely be associated with
most strongly for the rest of his career (and he gave a great performance,
too)—as well as bringing back nearly all of what fans loved about Breaking Bad. While not really a
necessary film, it was still a very cool experience to be able to return to the
world of Breaking Bad once again.
9. The Irishman
Every year Netflix steps up their game with high-quality
films released to the streaming service, and in 2019, they delivered their best
release yet. Martin Scorsese has directed some of the greatest films of
all-time, including such crime classics as Goodfellas
and Casino, and I expected The Irishman to be a return to that same
style and content. It’s a three-and-a-half-hour gangster epic depicting
characters across many decades, with Robert de Niro and Al Pacino, two of the
greatest actors ever, reunited once again after far too long, and under the
direction of Scorsese no less. Digital de-aging technology made the actors grow
old right on screen before our very eyes, and while it definitely harkens back
to Goodfellas and Casino, it also takes a poignant look at
the toll a life of crime takes on even the toughest criminals. I had no doubt The Irishman would deliver, and did it
ever. 
8. Joker
A lot of criticism has been levelled at Joker, but to me, it was an engaging, disturbing dive into the mind
of a dark character that just happened to use the backdrop of Gotham and the
recognizable character of the Joker to tell its story. Joaquin Phoenix pretty
much made the movie what it was thanks to his stellar performance. With a
lesser actor in the role, the movie probably would have been so-so, but he
elevated the material significantly. The cinematography was excellent, the
production design was distinct, the music was incredible, and the balance of
dark humour and brutal violence was unnerving. It may have played out in a
predictable manner, but was still engaging and increasingly disturbing, until
culminating in a surprisingly satisfying conclusion. Joker was not a fun, enjoyable experience, but certainly a
memorable and potent one.
7. Booksmart
This movie was perhaps the most pleasant surprise I got in
2019. The trailer looked so-so, but the premise sounded like a classic
coming-of-age high school dramedy (a sub-genre for which I am an absolute
sucker), and it was the first directing effort of actress Olivia Wilde. Booksmart not only delivers numerous
high-quality laughs, it offers realistic, relatable insight to the modern world
of high school, with just enough of an original take on the material to feel
fresh and inspired. The chemistry between the lead actresses is fantastic, the
cinematography is sharp, and there are a couple emotional moments that really
hit. There’s no doubt in my mind that Booksmart
will be in the conversation of best high school films of the 2010s. 
6. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Back in July, I ranked all of Quentin Tarantino’s movies in
anticipation of his ninth feature, which I hadn’t seen yet. While I wouldn’t
rank Once Upon a Time in Hollywood at
the top of his filmography, it was still one of the most engaging and purely
entertaining movies of the year. Despite a nearly three-hour runtime, the
pacing is so excellent it just ticks by and never feels boring or drags.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt are as good as they’ve ever been, and both were
way funnier than I expected them to be. It digs into old-time Hollywood the way
only Tarantino could, while spinning a surprisingly optimistic fairy-tale-like
story. I don’t have much else to say on this one, except that it is, in a word,
great.
5. Knives Out
Rian Johnson escaped the trappings of Disney’s Star Wars and delivered a murder mystery
(as much a “who”dunit as it is a “how”dunit) that truly shocked me. I had been
looking forward to it, but didn’t think it would wind up being so high on my
favourites of the year. The ensemble cast doesn’t have a single weak link, the
dialogue is witty, and it has more than a few surprises in store. The marketing
failed to show that Ana de Armas as Marta is the main character, and she does a
great job, especially during her interactions with Daniel Craig’s detective
Benoit Blanc: a character I would be more than happy to see return in another
film. Knives Out is funny, unique,
and very fun. 
4. Good Boys
Speaking of being funny and very fun, I didn’t laugh harder
at a movie in 2019 than I did at Good
Boys. There isn’t a lot of substance to this one, it’s basically just a
trio of middle-school boys on an adventure to get out of trouble with their
parents, but damn is it hilarious. The kids spout R-rated dialogue with tons of
cursing and sexual content, they find themselves in extremely inappropriate
situations, and the older characters supply many additional laughs as well. I
went into this thing not knowing what it was about, but had a really good time.
I’m not as fresh on this movie as some others on this list, and perhaps it
won’t be as funny upon repeat viewing, but at this point, I remember Good Boys as being one of the
most-entertaining movie-going experiences this year.
3. Godzilla: King of the Monsters
I’m not going to be *that* guy and say the critics were
wrong on this one…but as a life-long Godzilla fan, I thought this sequel was
pretty exceptional. I had many problems with it, and lament certain decisions
made by the creators and studio, but the parts they got right they got really right. Seeing Mothra and Rodan
and King Ghidorah on the big screen was a sight to behold; I felt like a kid
again seeing these classic monsters battling it out. What I really connected
with in King of the Monsters was the
focus on the monsters themselves. The entire story and every human character
present is focused on the monsters, which are treated as living animals instead
of generic creatures. I’ve already talked at length about this movie, but even
as I saw more and more movies over the course of the year, the thrilling return
of Godzilla never left my mind.
2. Avengers: Endgame
After repeatedly defying expectations with every new chapter
in the sprawling narrative, the Marvel Cinematic Universe pulled one last
miracle. While Avengers: Infinity War
was the culmination of everything previously built up in the MCU, Endgame was the celebration. Dealing
with the fallout of the devastating cliff hanger ending of Infinity War, Endgame has
our remaining heroes go on one last epic adventure to bring back those who
perished. In terms of satisfyingly concluding a narrative while paying respect
to what came before and delivering fan service and payoff for things set up
years earlier, Endgame did what I
thought would be impossible. It succeeded at nearly everything, but most of
all, made for an emotional finale with real consequences that won’t soon be
forgotten. Avengers: Endgame is
arguably one of the best superhero movies ever made, and I can’t think of much
else to say about it that hasn’t already been said. I will never forget the
feelings of joy and sadness I felt while watching this decade-defining story
come to a close.
1. The Lighthouse
I saw many great movies in 2019, but only one was what I
would call “the whole package” and instantly struck me as something more than
just entertaining, but profound. The
Lighthouse is a small indie film from the director of The Witch, and it’s just Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe living
on a small island, looking after a lighthouse, and slowly going insane. They
are basically the only two actors in the whole movie, the entire thing takes
place on the island/in the lighthouse, it’s shot in black-and-white and in a
unique aspect ratio, and it’s absolutely brilliant. The Lighthouse is genuinely funny and terrifying and intriguing,
both performances are career-best, the music, sound design, editing, lighting,
cinematography, and visual effects are all top notch, and, most significant of
all, I can’t think of any other movie quite like it. There’s a timeless quality
to The Lighthouse. Not since Mad Max: Fury Road or Sing Street has a movie captured my
attention and imagination and stayed with me so clearly. The Lighthouse won’t be for everyone, but for me, it was more than
just a good movie, it was one of the best of the whole decade.
With 2019 being the conclusion of the 2010s, I’ve decided to
compile a special CCC list just for the occasion. Tune in again soon for my
picks for the best movies of the entire decade!
