My Favorite Films of 2019

Ad Astra: It has some really stupid moments and everyone saying it is a cross between 2001 and Apocalypse Now. I kinda think 2001 comparisons are a little lazy, much like Interstellar it is far too grounded in my opinion to be compared to 2001. I liked the cosmic tone and the scale of the action. At times I knew too much the BS science. A ship going that fast, for example, is never slowing down for a mayday. Brad Pitt gives a simple but effective performance. The effects are amazing, and James Grey has a brooding cosmic drama that deserves to be experienced on the big screen.

Alita Battle Angel: Considered a domestic flop I hope the fact that it was a huge success overseas is enough to get us more movies. I don't see the problem with this movie. It is a fun popcorn Sci-fi adventure. I admit I stayed away because I am not a big Robert Rodriguez fan. I wish I had heard the interviews when he said he made a James Cameron movie. He certainly did.

Wandering Earth: This a super fun ridiculous movie. The special effects are mostly amazing. The action and drama are so over the top and silly. I loved seeing a huge budget sci-fi film like this coming from China. See it on the big screen if you can I know it is not playing in many theaters in the states but it is making Baaazillions in China. Based on the Cixian Liu (China's answer to Arthur C Clarke) novel they took a pretty insane sci-fi concept and threw as much rubble, earthquakes, giant waves and disaster as they could computer animate.

John Wick 3: I think it was better than chapter 2 but I think the surprise of the first one still leaves that as my favorite. This is the first Hollywood action movie to really get to the level of action that Asian action like Hardboiled, The Raid or The Villainess have reached. The levels of brutality and intensity are of course dialed to 11, the goofy ridiculous mythology is fun even though it gets cornier with each film. I think that is fine.

Doctor Sleep: Loved Doctor Sleep, I think I actually liked it better than the novel. partly because I always thought DS felt like two novels. I feel the film did a better job of smoothing everything into one story. Some of the Dan working at the hospice staff was rushed but holy hell was the casting perfect. Ewan was perfect as Dan Torrance, Rebecca Fergason was amazing as Rose the Hat. There were two incredible scenes that make this worth seeing on the big screen. there is much I want to say but I don't want to spoil. If you are a SK fan or of the movie The Shining you should see this on the big screen.

Shadow: The whole film is shot with blacks and greys giving it a feel like it was drawn. The contrast to the color of the actors remains breathtaking throughout the film. Yimou's use of nature in the form of water and rain is nothing short of Kurasawa like in execution. The story is super melo-dramatic royal court drama that will not hook everyone. It is a good 45 minutes before any really action happens. The last act is a bloodbath with bizarre weapons and it is all fantastically staged. I loved every second of this movie but I suspect it will not be for everyone.

This might be my favorite of the 5 Yimou Wuxia films. and I love four of them. If you like martial arts epics you can't go wrong!

Us: Jordan Peele's second horror film proves that Get Out was not a fluke. I promise I won't spoil any plot points. The movie is an impressive piece of horror that balances suspense, character and creepy tone. What is more impressive than all that is that there is Rod Serling level social-political allegory here. Get Out was about Racism, US is about privilege, the haves and the have nots. It is about the fear of the other coming to get US. A genius piece of work. Was it perfect? No there was at least one scene that I felt totally sucked and took me out of the movie. People who want everything to be explained and make perfect sense will waste their time nitpicking it. I like that some of them are unexplainable. Don't overthink it.

Apollo 11: This is the film made up of restored real-life footage of the mission that first put human beings on the moon. Edited together like a narrative of the 10-day mission is a goosebump-inducing emotional experience that makes you feel like you are part of history. The restored footage looks amazing good. I actually felt emotional during some of the most famous moments. It is a seriously powerful cinematic experience that left us all saying wow over and over. Saw it in the theater it is worth every dime. Last film I saw in the theater with my father.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: Once upon a Time in Hollywood could've been called Hollywood Fantasia. I like the weird QT version of Hollywood. While not perfect I found it to be pretty darn close but hard to talk about without major spoilers. One of my favorite things in the film was something that went unanswered 99%.9 of writers would get notes from studios/editors saying that the scene needed to be ended or explained. None the less Leo and Pitt were great on screen together and the tiny details are pretty great for the most part. Lots of great cameos. 5/5 for me. But I am a sucker for QT.

Parasite: The amazing new Joon-Ho Bong movie! His first fully Korean production since Mother. While I liked Snowpiecer and Okja this is an equally bonkers but FAR better movie. It won the big prize at Cannes for good reason. This movie is beautifully filmed and acted but it is the story of classism at the heart that makes this movie so interesting.

(I have yet to see Knives out and The Lighthouse I suspect I will love them both)