Wicked Mike's 13 Best Movies of 2019
The spin of the earth and rise of the moon can always be counted upon but the only contribution humankind makes towards reassurance is good movies. Although there were too few quality action and adventures, dramas ensured 2019 was another amazing year!
I begin with actors that delivered double delights.
Admittedly, I never expected Adam Driver to become a star but he's regularly chosen projects that beome unlikely hits. He follows the quality of 'Paterson' with 'Marriage Story' and 'The Report'. Unfortunately, his third movie of the year, 'The Dead Don't Die', was average.
Brad Pitt was reliable in 'Ad Astra' and indispensable in 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'.
Willem Dafoe skipped his usual solid work on the sidelines to shine in 'Togo' and 'The Lighthouse', respectively a Walt Disney treat versus visceral darkness.
Male actors may have been more successful but it's the ladies who most win and tear my heart.
I was especially pleased with Aisling Franciosi ('The Nightingale'), Naomi Watts ('Luce'), Jodie Turner-Smith ('Queen & Slim'), Scarlett Johannson ('Marriage Story'), Penélope Cruz ('Everybody Knows'), and the shared effort of Vasilisa Perelygina and Viktoria Miroshnichenko ('Beanpole was remarkably their first movie).
Johansson also appeared in 'Avengers: Endgame' and was support in 'Jojo Rabbit'. Penelope Cruz was support in 'Pain and Glory'.
Asghar Farhadi, one of Iran's best directors and writers, previously birthed monster dramas such as 'The Past' and 'About Elly'. 'Everybody Knows' was more complex than his usual storyline, and with extra dialogue. It may have taken me longer to find a viewer's rhythm but, at conclusion, it was as good as anything else he's done... and Cruz was terrific. I prefer her as a natural Spaniard than as an exotic foreigner in an American movie.
The female team that resulted in 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire' deserves applause. It was elegant and profound.
There's no love story like 'Beanpole', a post-war drama about psychologically damaged women desperately seeking for love.
Rene Zellweger gave her career high performance as Judy Garland but my favourite of 2019 was Joaquin Phoenix as the 'Joker' tortured by the weight of this unfair world. The new Avenger's may have been as perfect as a sci-fi-action-fantasy can be yet 'The Joker' will become more memorable because it was more human than superhero, something we can relate to rather than the fantasy we can never be.
Overall, I think foreign films (or, to be more precise, non-English language movies), will make the longest lasting impressions. The lack of big budgets has ensured a culture of characters to believe in and identify with. They're also more poetic e.g. "He was the loneliest man death had ever seen" is a line from director Pedro Almodovar's 'Pain and Glory'.
Whereas France and Germany have been the leaders, there were several movie magic moments in 2019 that equalled their best. Almodovar wasn't the only icon returning with a winner. Yimou Zhang delivered 'Shadow' as a worthy follow-on to 'Hero', 'House of Flying Daggers' and 'Curse of the Golden Glower'. And Nuri Bilge Ceylan gave us 'The Wild Pear Tree', his next best after 'Winter Sleep'.
'An Elephant Sitting Still' is the most underrated movie of the year. Artsy-fartsy critics raving about it means that the mass public will never know it. After all, it's a 3hr50min slow moving, Chinese epic about depression. In a world of super heroes and Instagram, patience is considered handicap. Thankfully, there's real life sadness and irony. It was the only movie by Bo Hu, the director and writer. He killed himself afterwards, ensuring his suicide 'letter' becomes a cult classic.
Documentaries continue to be exceptional. 'For Sama' and 'Honeyland' made me, for a moment, feel as if I were lost in war and poverty. 'American Factory' emphasised culture differences to extreme - there's no right or wrong, just the awkward fact that Westerners and Asians are unable to understand each other. 'Edge of Democracy' not only educated but disturbed me. 'The Cave' ripped my guts out. All hail its power for making me cry.
The intimate one-shot '1917' was my biggest fiction movie of the year but, out of all 100 listed here, 'Queen & Slim' is most likely to become cult classic.
Note: I spent most of 2019 alone, from writing a book and blogging, to fighting politicians and a hunger strike. That time alone wasn't loneliness. I reflected on my existence, and every night watched one or two movies. Screen stories were my only friends and lovers, their company looked forward to from the time I awoke.
I begin with actors that delivered double delights.
Admittedly, I never expected Adam Driver to become a star but he's regularly chosen projects that beome unlikely hits. He follows the quality of 'Paterson' with 'Marriage Story' and 'The Report'. Unfortunately, his third movie of the year, 'The Dead Don't Die', was average.
Brad Pitt was reliable in 'Ad Astra' and indispensable in 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'.
Willem Dafoe skipped his usual solid work on the sidelines to shine in 'Togo' and 'The Lighthouse', respectively a Walt Disney treat versus visceral darkness.
Male actors may have been more successful but it's the ladies who most win and tear my heart.
I was especially pleased with Aisling Franciosi ('The Nightingale'), Naomi Watts ('Luce'), Jodie Turner-Smith ('Queen & Slim'), Scarlett Johannson ('Marriage Story'), Penélope Cruz ('Everybody Knows'), and the shared effort of Vasilisa Perelygina and Viktoria Miroshnichenko ('Beanpole was remarkably their first movie).
Johansson also appeared in 'Avengers: Endgame' and was support in 'Jojo Rabbit'. Penelope Cruz was support in 'Pain and Glory'.
Asghar Farhadi, one of Iran's best directors and writers, previously birthed monster dramas such as 'The Past' and 'About Elly'. 'Everybody Knows' was more complex than his usual storyline, and with extra dialogue. It may have taken me longer to find a viewer's rhythm but, at conclusion, it was as good as anything else he's done... and Cruz was terrific. I prefer her as a natural Spaniard than as an exotic foreigner in an American movie.
The female team that resulted in 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire' deserves applause. It was elegant and profound.
There's no love story like 'Beanpole', a post-war drama about psychologically damaged women desperately seeking for love.
Rene Zellweger gave her career high performance as Judy Garland but my favourite of 2019 was Joaquin Phoenix as the 'Joker' tortured by the weight of this unfair world. The new Avenger's may have been as perfect as a sci-fi-action-fantasy can be yet 'The Joker' will become more memorable because it was more human than superhero, something we can relate to rather than the fantasy we can never be.
Overall, I think foreign films (or, to be more precise, non-English language movies), will make the longest lasting impressions. The lack of big budgets has ensured a culture of characters to believe in and identify with. They're also more poetic e.g. "He was the loneliest man death had ever seen" is a line from director Pedro Almodovar's 'Pain and Glory'.
Whereas France and Germany have been the leaders, there were several movie magic moments in 2019 that equalled their best. Almodovar wasn't the only icon returning with a winner. Yimou Zhang delivered 'Shadow' as a worthy follow-on to 'Hero', 'House of Flying Daggers' and 'Curse of the Golden Glower'. And Nuri Bilge Ceylan gave us 'The Wild Pear Tree', his next best after 'Winter Sleep'.
'An Elephant Sitting Still' is the most underrated movie of the year. Artsy-fartsy critics raving about it means that the mass public will never know it. After all, it's a 3hr50min slow moving, Chinese epic about depression. In a world of super heroes and Instagram, patience is considered handicap. Thankfully, there's real life sadness and irony. It was the only movie by Bo Hu, the director and writer. He killed himself afterwards, ensuring his suicide 'letter' becomes a cult classic.
Documentaries continue to be exceptional. 'For Sama' and 'Honeyland' made me, for a moment, feel as if I were lost in war and poverty. 'American Factory' emphasised culture differences to extreme - there's no right or wrong, just the awkward fact that Westerners and Asians are unable to understand each other. 'Edge of Democracy' not only educated but disturbed me. 'The Cave' ripped my guts out. All hail its power for making me cry.
The intimate one-shot '1917' was my biggest fiction movie of the year but, out of all 100 listed here, 'Queen & Slim' is most likely to become cult classic.
Note: I spent most of 2019 alone, from writing a book and blogging, to fighting politicians and a hunger strike. That time alone wasn't loneliness. I reflected on my existence, and every night watched one or two movies. Screen stories were my only friends and lovers, their company looked forward to from the time I awoke.
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