2019 "Top 10" (Categories) - #3

3. Crank These Up to Eleven and Roll Down the Window!

These movies were just what I wanted and needed and I lovelovelove them.

Avengers: Endgame

There are some hinky moments, but this was a very satisfying conclusion to an immense undertaking. The final battle is obviously the centerpiece we were all waiting for (PORTALS!), but I was not prepared for that time jump after the first act. Just boom, five years later. This world has been torn in half and the movie just leaves the characters there, forcing them to live with that reality and deal with it and work through it. Cap’s in group therapy over it, Tony has blown off to a cabin in the woods with Pepper and become a dad, and bless her, Natasha is still on the phones in case the remaining Avengers are needed. It gives the final battle its much-needed stakes and makes that final sacrifice so powerful. (Available on Disney+ and for rent on other streaming services.)

Captain Marvel

It took me a while to get into this one, even to figure out what was going on in the early scenes, but it ultimately works so well. I love the reveal about the Skrulls. I love the mystery of Carol’s backstory. I love the lady friendships. I love that Carol is just Not Here for men’s approval -- she doesn’t wear a sexy costume, she doesn’t need to smile, and fer cryin’ out loud she doesn’t need a man to tell her what she can and can’t do. Also, there is a cat/Flerken named Goose and he is the real star of this show. (Available on Disney+ and for rent on other streaming services.)

Daniel Isn’t Real

On the surface this looks like the worst kind of bro horror, but what I love about it is how it examines the notion of an id and gives its protagonist’s id a body and a will of its own, eventually outside of his control. There are some clumsy ideas about mental illness in this movie, but that’s hardly a first for horror. The titular Daniel looks an awful lot like the President’s oldest son to me, which only adds to his creepiness. Perhaps my favorite thing about the movie, though, is the casting of Mary Stuart Masterson, who I literally have not seen in a movie in over 20 years (1996’s Bed of Roses, to be exact). (Available on some streaming services.)

Doctor Sleep

I haven’t read the novel (or its predecessor, The Shining), but I know enough about King’s canon to know that this movie makes a lovely bridge between Kubrick’s film and the novels. There are a lot of great emotional beats in this movie, but there are some genuine scares as well — that scene with Jacob Tremblay is one of the most upsetting things I saw in a movie this year. I love the uncanny nods to Kubrick's The Shining — the bike down the hallway, Alex Essoe as Shelley Duvall as Wendy Torrance, and Henry Thomas as Jack (sort of?). And though this is Ewan McGregor’s show, Rebecca Ferguson steals every scene as Rose the Hat, unquestionably a villain but you understand why people are drawn to her. (Available to buy on VOD; will be available on disc in February.)

Dolemite Is My Name

PUT YOUR WEIGHT ON IT! A few years ago, the Yonkers Alamo Drafthouse screened a few of Rudy Ray Moore’s movies, which gave me a chance to see Dolemite. Moore’s movies are not great cinema (whatever that means), but they are wildly entertaining and you have to admire (or at least I do) the ambition. I would much rather see a fun, interesting bad movie than a technically proficient but lazy and cynical movie. Eddie Murphy stars as Moore and this movie follows its hero from record store worker to club MC to aspiring stand-up comic to HIT stand-up comic to film director and movie star. This movie has such a heart and such admiration for Moore and what he accomplished. I loved seeing all the film students he had working on the film sticking around, even after the money ran out to pay them, because they were rooting so hard for him. Eddie Murphy is obviously the star here, but Wesley Snipes and Da'Vine Joy Randolph are incredible as well. (Available on Netflix.) 

Extra Ordinary

My goodness, what a delight! A hilarious send-up of all kinds of supernatural movies, including The Exorcist, Poltergeist, Ghostbusters and every movie about Satanists. A heroine who’s a driving instructor by day and a reluctant ghost-hunter by night. A man named Martin whose last name is also Martin — seriously, Martin Martin. Will Forte gnawing on every bit of scenery he can find. A flashback about a man who is possessed by a dog *and* a haunted pothole. Jars of ghost goo. Someone finally solving the “virgin sacrifice” dilemma in the way you wonder why they never seem to do in horror movies. And an absolutely perfect ending. (Not yet released; not date set yet.)

Fighting with My Family

This movie had me at Motley Crue’s “Wild Side” and never let me go. Florence Pugh has been on fire this year with this movie, Little Women and Midsommar, and I loved seeing her in a role like this, with this great family dynamic with Nick Frost, Lena Headey and especially Jack Lowden who plays her brother. I love the conflict at play when Paige is the one chosen to go train for the WWE, because everyone had just assumed it would be her brother. And I really liked that she was forced to reevaluate her preconceptions of the other women in the program. There has been a theme of that in a lot of my favorite movies this year. (Available to buy on most streaming services.)

Ford v. Ferrari

I wonder if I would have enjoyed this as much if I hadn’t done SpeedVegas this year and gotten the experience of actually driving a Ferrari (*coughs* and a Porsche and a Lambo) around a track. Whatever, this was a great, solid, grown-up movie with excellent performances and great driving scenes. I especially love the scene (and this is hardly original) where Shelby takes Ford for a ride-along (seen in the pic above). Everyone’s talking about Bale and Damon, but I also really dug Caitriona Balfe in the “Claire Foy in First Man” role (and whose character I found a lot more compelling). (In theaters.)

Good Boys

The whole concept of this movie seems so wrong, but anyone who remembers their middle school and junior high years knows there’s some truth to it. It’s a great spin on the “one wild night” plot and an even better exploration of how friendships change as we grow out of childhood (not unlike Superbad) and how at this age your choices in friends have been limited and your friends are your friends because you all live near each other and are in the same class. All three boys are incredible, but my personal fave is Keith L. Williams who plays Lucas and who wins my just-made-up award for Greatest Scream of the Year. (Available on most streaming services.)

Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror

This was a fascinating documentary. Horror as a genre has relegated black actors and characters as supporting players, caricatures, and almost always That First Death, Showing The Audience How Serious The Situation Is. Even in movies made for black audiences, with predominantly black casts, accurate explorations of the black experience have been hard to come by, mostly because those movies were largely made by white directors. This is a great documentary about the importance of having black people tell their own stories, and how Get Out in particular has changed the horror landscape. (Available on Shudder.)

In Fabric

I’ve loved Peter Strickland’s two previous films, Berberian Sound Studio and Duke of Burgundy, but In Fabric is a whole other animal altogether and I was Here. For. It. On the surface, it’s a story about a cursed red dress, but it has so much more going on and will leave you with so many questions that you will never want to be answered. It’s supposedly set in 1993, so why does it feel so very 1980s (especially the commercials for the department store)? What exactly are the saleswomen doing with those mannequins at night (besides the obvious)? Why do those men get turned on by descriptions of appliance repair? Why does every unmarried man in London have a coupon for pudding? (Available on most streaming services.)

John Wick 3: Parabellum

Holy worldbuilding, Batman! How do these movies keep raising the stakes and complicating the relationships and leaving us with such great cliffhangers and fascinating questions?! It seems like every time I think “it would be cool to see such-and-such,” the movies deliver it to me (case in point, the deconsecration of the NYC Continental). How long can they keep this up? What will a war against the High Table look like? Whose side is Winston really on? Will we see more Mantzoukas in the next movie? WTF HOW WILL THE UNIVERSE HANDLE JOHN WICK 4 AND THE MATRIX 4 COMING OUT ON THE SAME DAY NEXT YEAR?!?! (Available on most streaming services.)

Knife + Heart

I love me a good slasher, and the seedier the better, so a slasher that takes place in the world of gay porn in the seedy late 1970s seems like a perfect fit. It pairs well with William Friedkin’s 1980 film Cruising, which is set in a similar world, but it feels less lurid than that movie. It also handles the “Bury Your Gays” trope better because nearly everyone — perhaps literally everyone — in the movie is gay and there is far more to these gay characters than just being, errr, bladed dildo fodder. There’s a great sadness about this movie as well, as it depicts a wild and reckless world that AIDS tragically destroyed forever, and you can’t help seeing the murderer in the film as a symbol for the virus itself. And oh wow, that ending! (Available on Shudder and to rent on some streaming services.)

The Lighthouse

The story of two lighthouse keepers (played by Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson) stationed on a remote island who go crazy when they are stranded by a storm, this is a delirious hallucination of a movie. Director Robert Eggers, whose previous movie The Witch was one of my favorite films of 2016, used all kinds of old-fashioned camera techniques and lenses, as well as sound design, to create a very particular sense of time and a feeling of claustrophobia, and the smaller frame deliberately hides things from the audience. Watching this, you get the feeling you might be going a bit mad as well as the characters you’re watching. The use of “Doodle Let Me Go” in the closing credits is just the right touch to cap off the experience. (Still in a few theaters.)

Ma

This was wild and ridiculous and I loved every minute of it. Between this movie and Greta, this was a good year for movies about young people who don’t want to hang out with middle-aged women and who pay the price for it. Octavia Spencer is clearly having a ball, and at a certain point you realize that there’s a lot more going on than just a sad lady who buys beer for minors so she can have someone to hang out with. Juliette Lewis is pretty great in this as well, and I was glad to see Diana Silvers in this too, having seen her earlier this year in Booksmart as mean girl lesbian Hope. (Available on most streaming services.)

Queen & Slim

Gosh, this movie is gorgeous. People have been comparing it to Bonnie and Clyde, but I think it’s closer to Thelma & Louise. Two people on a Tinder date (and not a good one) get pulled over by a cop on the way home. As the two in the car are black and the cop is white, you can guess how this goes, but it’s actually even worse. The situation escalates until the cop shoots the woman and the man shoots and kills the cop in self defense, and suddenly these two are on the run, stuck together. And they don’t even like each other that much. I love a lot of what this movie has to say, but there are also things about it that are squishy and don’t feel quite right. Some decisions that are made and actions taken feel far-fetched or out of character. It’s still a hell of a movie, though. That shot of the two of them on the hood of the car is iconic. (In theaters.)

Rocketman

More musicals should be like this, and more biopics should be like this: unafraid to lean in to the medium and do things that only cinema can do. Not long before this movie came out I’d seen Elton John in concert for the first (and I’m guessing the last) time and I’m sure I don’t need to explain why he’s such an icon. All the musical numbers in this are incredible, particularly the dreamlike title number (and I love how they inserted Taron Egerton into the “I’m Still Standing” video). Speaking of Taron Egerton, I’ve been a huge fan of his since the first Kingsman movie and he CRUSHES it as Elton, showing everyone why he should be a way bigger star than he is. I have zero interest in comparing this to Bohemian Rhapsody (which I also dearly love), except to say that this movie makes me wonder what BoRhap would have been like with Dexter Fletcher as its sole director (though it sadly would have meant he probably couldn’t have directed this). (Available on most streaming services.)

Us

I like the metaphor of this a lot, and I love the ideas at play here, particularly about class, which reminds me quite a bit of Parasite. The “Who are you?” / “We are Americans.” exchange is the movie in a nutshell. There are some tremendous dual performances in this, most notably from Lupita N’Yongo, who, if there were any justice and awards bodies respected horror at all, would be at the forefront of the Best Actress conversation. I would never compare this to its predecessor, Get Out, but I didn’t love this quite as much and it mostly has to do with the twist. It just comes too late, considering who is involved and what they both must know and weirdly never say anything about to each other. It’s still an outstanding movie, and genuinely unsettling. Incredible use of a Siri-esque device. Also, Winston Duke can get it. (Available on streaming, but only to buy.)

You Don’t Nomi

I had not seen Showgirls until a few days before I saw this documentary, so I probably didn’t have quite the perspective needed to fully appreciate this movie, but it was better than not having seen it at all. This is a pretty great deep dive into many of the ways Showgirls is both a disaster and deservedly iconic, and how it has become a cult favorite. All of the most ridiculous elements of the film are examined — Elizabeth Berkley’s bizarrely aggressive delivery, everyone’s obsession with well-painted nails, the diet of brown rice and vegetables, the truly astounding “doggie chow” conversation, and the way every black person in this film exists to keep Nomi’s story going. This movie made me want to program a series of Paul Verhoeven’s American films. Also a triple feature of Valley of the Dolls, Mommie Dearest and Showgirls — all of which were referenced in this movie as films centered around performances that are bizarre and over-the-top in similar ways. (Not yet released; no date set.)

2019 "Top 10" (Categories) - #4

4. Delightful Surprises

No wait, *this* is my largest category. These were movies where I went in going “ehhhh?” and came out going “WOW!” As satisfying as it can be to see a movie that lives up to high expectations, I also really love when a movie surprises me. 

1917

I have a really hard time with war movies. It’s a completely foreign language to me. I don’t understand the maneuvers, I don’t understand the ranks, and I just cannot follow what is going on in most of these movies. Exceptions include movies like this, where we spend most of our time with just a handful of characters and see everything from their point of view. 1917 follows two soldiers who are tasked with getting a message to another regiment that is about to mount an attack that they don’t know is going to be an ambush. Telephone lines have been cut, so these two guys have to deliver this message by hand or 1,600 soldiers will die in the failed attack. I still had a *little* trouble following some scenes, and I’m skeptical of whether the last moments of trying to get the message to the right people were really that much of a close call in real life. But this was outstanding. You’ll hear a lot about this movie as “one long take” -- technically, it’s not, but it’s shot to (mostly) look like it is, which puts you so close to the central characters it’s not possible not to be terrified for them. Also, EVERYONE is in this — Sherlock *and* Moriarty/HotPriest, Robb Stark and Tommen Baratheon (as brothers), Merlin/Septimus, the One True Mr. Darcy, and the theater version of Harry Potter, among others. (In limited release; opens wider on January 10.)

Apollo 11

This is a documentary about the 1969 Apollo 11 mission to the moon and it is like nothing I’ve seen before. It consists entirely of archival footage, some of which has never before been publicly released, and has no interviews or talking head segments. No narration. Just the footage and the sound of transmissions between the command center and the space vessel. You’ve probably seen that moon landing hundreds of times at this point, but never like this. This is truly spectacular and the definition of authentic. (Available on Hulu and for rent on other streaming services.)

The Art of Self-Defense

This was a brilliant movie tackling toxic masculinity. It has a sort of mock-serious tone that lends itself well to the inherent absurdity of the uber-machismo the protagonist is trying, for his own survival, to emulate. I saw the reveal coming long before it revealed itself, but it was still effective. And the end is incredibly satisfying. I wholeheartedly agree with Alan Cerny that this is a much better version of Joker (though I still kind of liked Joker!). (Available on most streaming services.)

Atlantics

This is a Senegalese ghost story, but I wouldn’t call it a horror movie. It starts with a group of construction workers, building a big tower for a rich businessman, who haven’t been paid for months. Late one night, they decide to cross the sea to another country to try and find a better life, but they are never seen again and are presumed dead. The film mostly follows the lover of one of them, Ada, who is engaged to another man but still pines for Souleiman, who left her behind. Slowly, the people in the town start to become possessed by the spirits of the dead workers, most of whom haunt their former employer for the money he owes them. Souleiman, however, only wants to be with Ada. I had some questions about agency in this movie, as “possession” stories are rife with those issues, but other than that I found this beautiful and heartbreaking. I love when there’s a situation that can’t be explained because no one will believe it, and then people are *forced* to believe it because they’ve seen it with their own eyes. This was genuinely great. (Available on Netflix.)

Bacurau

A Brazilian “weird western” with a touch of The Most Dangerous Game. Sonia Braga is #HBICgoals in this movie and Udo Kier is always a welcome presence. I was reminded a bit of Lagaan and even more of the second half of Death Proof in that the villains have no idea who they’re messing with. There are some silly elements, but overall I really loved this. (Opens in March.)

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

This movie is not what I expected, in the best way. There’s a weirdness that feels appropriate to a story about Fred Rogers, especially as he is seen through the eyes of the actual protagonist of the movie, Lloyd Vogel, a journalist based on Esquire’s Tom Junod. Tom Hanks is phenomenal and really the only actor who had sufficient audience goodwill to play Rogers. I liked last year’s documentary about Mr. Rogers a lot, but it did leave me wanting a bit more, and I wonder if there is anyone who loved that movie that didn’t already love Mr. Rogers. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is more impressive to me because it starts from a place of skepticism and you can see how life-changing it is for Vogel to meet Rogers. I was hooked just a few minutes in, after hearing Mr. Rogers give the most incredible description of forgiveness that I have ever heard. And I love that Hanks plays Rogers not just as some perfect human, which no one is. It might be hard to see, but there’s a defensiveness there, especially in one scene where Vogel is needling him about his sons, that was honestly kind of refreshing to see. (In theaters.)

Bombshell

However you feel about Fox News and its personalities, there’s no denying that Gretchen Carlson and the other women who came forward about Roger Ailes — many of whom won't even call themselves feminists — were at the forefront of #metoo and #timesup. It was nice to be reminded that, whatever I could say about their politics (and I could say a LOT), they were human beings in a terrible situation. Charlize Theron is rightly being praised for her performance as Megyn Kelly, but I feel like the heart of this movie is Margot Robbie’s Kayla, who is an amalgam of several women who came forward and who has some especially great scenes with Kate McKinnon (a closeted Democrat and lesbian who applied to lots of news outlets, but Fox was the only place who offered her a job, and now she can’t get a job anywhere else because she works at Fox). It’s Robbie’s scene with John Lithgow’s Roger, though, that’s the film's centerpiece and is truly upsetting to watch. (In theaters.)

Brittany Runs a Marathon

It’s hard to sell what movies like this are really like, and maybe you shouldn’t give so much away before people have seen your movie, but this was so much more than a hilarious “watch this human disaster try and accomplish an unrealistic goal” story. It reminded me of Trainwreck a bit, but I think it’s actually better. And it doesn’t tie the character’s growth to a romance, which is nice. Jillian Bell is phenomenal in the title role, but I also really loved Michaela Watkins as the neighbor who first gives her the idea to start running. This is a good ladies-helping-ladies movie, but it’s an even better ladies-helping-themselves movie. These kinds of movies always have a third-act setback and ensuing struggle to get back to where the character was, but Brittany’s is especially heartbreaking, relatable, and ultimately uplifting. (Available on Amazon Prime and for rent on other streaming services.)

Crawl

I wasn’t expecting much out of this, honestly, but it was a really effective creature horror movie. It can be easy to look at the situations and character decisions in this movie and say “lol Florida,” but I was reminded how in real life these people know their own land better than outsiders and they have a better idea of what’s too dangerous or what’s survivable than people watching on the news. I saw this movie in one of those fancy enhanced sound theaters and got at least one good jolt when the seat rumbled to indicate a nearby croc. Legitimately scary, with ridiculous but compelling stakes. And the dog lives! (Available on most streaming services.)

The Farewell

I avoided this when it was in theaters because it came out in the summer and it just didn’t feel like a movie I would best appreciate in the summer, when I want to see mostly fun stuff. So I caught it over Thanksgiving and I’m glad I did. It’s really hard for me to relate to the situation here, though, and I’m so on Billi’s side in this. I can’t stand the idea of lying to someone about something like having cancer, especially when so many things like medication and doctor’s visits revolve around that reality. I appreciate the notion that telling the person sometimes makes it worse because the patient gives up, but dude, sometimes they fight back and get better! I did love, however, the reasoning that the family is taking on the grief so that the grandmother doesn’t have to bear that burden. I just wonder how long that charade can last, even given what we learn in the film’s closing moments. (Available on most streaming services.)

Hail Satan?

Okay, this is legitimately a good movie, but I was raised Southern Baptist and the idea of liking a movie that portrays real-life Satanists in a positive light makes me nervous. Still, it is utterly fascinating and a great tonic to the Satanic Panic nonsense. These people don’t worship Satan — they don’t even believe he exists in any real sense — but he serves as their avatar, as the ultimate troll. They use the “church” as a vehicle for political activism, mostly in support of separation of church and state (especially when it comes to public display of Christian symbols in/near government buildings), but also women’s bodily autonomy. I could have done without the chanting, though. For people who claim they don’t worship Satan, they sure do chant his name a lot. But I suspect that’s part of their trolling, because they know it will freak people out. (Available on Hulu and for rent on other streaming services.)

Hustlers

If you didn’t see this you probably heard about it, but the hype is definitely real. Jennifer Lopez has never been better and plays her personal notoriety to her advantage, making her character larger than life. The relationship between her and Constance Wu is wonderfully complex and serves as the emotional core of the film. That scene with the fur coat tells you everything you need to know. And the movie manages to make what they did to these guys complicated — there’s no question that what they’re doing is wrong, and we’re shown how it hurts people, but it’s also hard not to cheer them on when some of these guys are just absolute monsters. (Available for rent on most streaming services.)

Jumanji: The Next Level

I didn’t see the previous Jumanji film because I wasn’t terribly excited about it, and while I remember liking the original from the 1990s it wasn’t super iconic for me. So I was in no rush to see this. But I ended up seeing this with a friend and it is SO GOOD and I need to make plans to see the first one soon because these characters and their avatars are great. And even though I hadn’t seen the previous movie, I had no problem following this. A huge part of the movie’s charm is in seeing the avatars of Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Jack Black and Kevin Hart play these different characters and play them so well that you know exactly who they are. Johnson as Danny DeVito is … okay, but the other character who plays his avatar (kind of a spoiler to say who) is amazing. And Kevin Hart doing Danny Glover is off-the-charts great. I was a little nervous when Jack Black had to do “Fridge,” but he’s very careful not to slip into parody and plays the character remarkably well (still, I was glad when everyone got in the “right” avatars and Jack Black was the omg teen girl, which I’m guessing he was in the first movie). So funny, with high stakes and characters you care about. If you’ve been avoiding this or the previous one because it looks dumb, it’s MOST CERTAINLY NOT. Check it out. (In theaters.)

Long Shot

I don’t know why I continue to be surprised when Seth Rogen creates something sensitive and heartwarming. He does it nearly every time, though this might be the first time (that I recall) that that sweetness doesn’t revolve around a bunch of guys. Charlize Theron in this movie gets to be brilliant and strong but not unapproachable (at least once you get past her security detail). And Seth Rogen is not just some burnout here; he’s really smart and principled, and you can absolutely see why she falls for him. If you saw the trailers for this and thought it was just another amazing-woman-falls-for-schlubby-loser movie, you should give it a shot. I think it will surprise you in the best way. (Available on most streaming services, but only to buy.)

The Peanut Butter Falcon

I sat on this one for most of the year, because something about the title put a version of it in my mind that did not interest me and, ultimately, had ZERO to do with the actual movie. Zack Gottsagen, an actor with Down syndrome, plays Zak, a man with Down syndrome who is forced to live in a senior citizens’ facility because there’s no other place in town to put him, even though this facility can’t really address his needs. He escapes one night and soon teams up with Tyler (played by Shia LaBoeuf in his other great performance this year), and the two of them get their Huck Finn on as they try to get Zak to a wrestling school to meet his idol and pursue his dream of becoming a professional wrestler. This movie is an absolute delight and like no other movie I’ve seen about a person with special needs. (Available on most streaming services.)

The Perfection

This has some problematic elements, but I LOVED it. If you like DePalma movies (this isn’t one, but it’s a lot like them), you will like this. It is similarly trashy to peak DePalma films, and I mean that as a compliment. A former cello prodigy (played by Get Out’s Allison Williams), who had to stop studying to take care of her sick mother, goes back to her old conservatory, where another student has become the star. The two catch up (and hook up) and decide to go on a road trip together until wackiness ensues and someone starts puking bugs and someone’s arm gets cut off and there’s all kinds of reveals and reversals that I can’t even begin to get into here. It starts out kind of Black Swan, but ends up more like Boxing Helena. It’s amazing. (Available on Netflix.)

Pokémon Detective Pikachu

I don’t know if I’d be as into this if I hadn’t played a lot of Pokémon Go on my phone and recognized the different varieties of Pokémon and had at least a minimal understanding of levels and whatnot. In any case, I really dug this. Ryan Reynolds does a lot to make this work, and the juxtaposition of his voice on that adorable Pikachu is magical. I loved seeing Justice Smith from The Get Down in this as well. There’s no reason for this to be as good as it is, but here were are, and that’s one of my favorite kinds of creative endeavors. (Available on HBO and for rent on other streaming services.)

Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street

A lot of people feel like Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2 is the bane of the franchise, but I feel quite differently. (I’m sorry, but Freddy turns into an actual motorcycle to kill someone in Part 5, which is just about the worst thing I’ve ever seen, so don’t come at me about Freddy’s Revenge.) Mark Patton, who played the lead in Part 2 (a very rare male scream queen), took the brunt of the blame for why it didn’t work, with many people (including the movie’s screenwriter) saying he made it “too gay.” The backlash ruined Patton’s life for a long time, and he only just stepped back in the spotlight a few years ago, making appearances at cons and appearing in another documentary about the Elm Street series as a whole. This movie gave him a chance to confront the screenwriter and sort of make peace with his place in the franchise — a place that, not for nothing, has been enthusiastically embraced by a lot of fans, particularly LGBTQ fans. (Not yet released; date not set.)

Shazam!

I remember seeing part of the old Captain Marvel serial at BNAT 5 and liking it, and I wanted to see this if only for Zach Levi and the asthmatic kid from It. It was so much better than I was expecting. All of Billy’s foster brothers and sisters are amazing (especially tiny Darla who is the LITERAL BEST). This was such a cool version of the power/responsibility arc and I loved that they committed to the importance of Billy’s foster family and didn’t just forget about them to focus on the superhero shenanigans. And the moment when all the kids … err, spoilers, but if you’ve seen it YOU KNOW WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT … was legitimately one of my happiest moments in a movie this year. (Available on HBO and for rent on other streaming services.)

Waves

I’ve seen some people who don’t like the flashy filmmaking on display here and the different aspect ratios, but this movie took my breath away. What starts as a story of a young man who makes a series of bad decisions in response to increasing pressure from several angles in his life turns into an amazing story about healing. All of the performances in this are stellar. Sterling K. Brown is getting most of the attention here, but Taylor Russell and Kelvin Harrison Jr. are both incredible as the brother and sister and alternating protagonists of the film. And I can’t BELIEVE more people aren’t talking about Renee Elise Goldsberry in this, because she is out of this world. It is so good, and I was so afraid that there was one more tragic thing waiting for me at the end, but thank goodness this movie doesn’t play those games. (Still in some theaters.)

2019 "Top 10" (Categories) - #5 & 5A

5. I Love You But I’m Not *In* Love With You

Every year there are movies where I recognize that there’s a great deal of artistic and cinematic merit, but the movies didn’t stick with me for whatever reason -- either I didn’t emotionally connect with it, or I was too bummed out for it to take hold, or something. This is different than my number 9s, because if you came up to me and asked me about any of these, even though I probably won't gush about them, I’d still say “oh yeah, that’s a great movie.” Put another way, these were movies that engaged my head but not my heart.

Ad Astra

The phrase “daddy issues” gets thrown around a lot, but this movie is full of them. That’s not exactly a knock, but I do think we’ve seen a surfeit of movies where a man’s biggest problem is that his father wasn’t around to play catch with him or whatever, and while “Cat’s in the Cradle” is a great song, it can get a bit tiresome after hundreds of plays. I’m just sayin’. That said, this is still a lovely film, with a wonderful, understated performance from Brad Pitt. There are lots of slow, contemplative moments, peppered with “whoa, that escalated quickly!” (in reading the summary to refresh my memory on the plot, I’d completely forgotten about Space Shakma!). There’s a lot to like here, and I can see where this would be very much some people’s jam. It just left me a little cold, which might to some extent be the point, but I just wish I had felt a little more for it. (Available on streaming services.)

American Factory

Fascinating, and more compelling than the subject matter might suggest. But ultimately infuriating — once the factory bosses started badmouthing Senator Sherrod Brown for promoting unions (and even saying that he should not be allowed on the premises again), I was like yeah, screw these guys. And every time the management talked about the American workers it sounded so condescending, like the Americans were a bunch of babies that had to be coddled. (Hey, I know that’s accurate in a lot of ways, but it just speaks to how differently these two cultures view workers.) It’s frustrating to see the two cultures struggle against each other because their work ethics are so different, and yet everyone is trying really hard to make it work because so much is at stake. But it’s worth telling these stories because people need to understand the complications of huge undertakings like this. It’s easy to talk big ideas in a political speech; it’s something else to actually make it happen. (Available on Netflix.)

Ash Is Purest White

I liked a lot about this, but this is one of those movies where the circumstances and/or the choices of the characters bum me out so much that I can’t enjoy it. Which is a testament to the filmmaking, I think, because you’re feeling for the characters — which you should be! — and it’s hard to watch them struggle. I do think, though, that the first half of this movie works much better and is more compelling than the second half. But again, that could be just my own personal enjoyment and I'm sure other people feel differently. (Available on streaming services.)

The Beach Bum

I didn’t like this nearly as much as Korine's previous film, Spring Breakers, perhaps because I found it more easy to identify with the characters in that film. It’s not that there isn’t plenty to like here, but I found McConaughey’s character kind of exhausting to watch after a while. I think we all know people kind of like this guy, who can be fun in small doses but if you had to be around him all the time you’d want to kill him. (Available on Hulu or for rent on other streaming services.)

Dragged Across Concrete

The presence of Mel Gibson in this is an understandable dealbreaker for some. That said, I still find him a compelling actor and I’ve been fascinated by the kind of roles he’s been given in the last 10 years or so (I doubt he’ll ever play a heroic lead again, and that’s more than fair). He and Vince Vaughn in this movie are not meant to be exactly likable (bullying white cops never are), but they’re still interesting to watch and made me invested in what happened to them, which is all I ask. This is a great “breaking bad” plot, with characters in law enforcement turning to a one-big-score crime, thinking they’re smart enough or have chosen just the right mark so that they don’t have to feel too guilty about it and won’t get caught. It all culminates in a pretty extraordinary shootout set piece and a satisfying conclusion. I still like Zahler’s previous two films more, but this was quite good. (Available on streaming services.)

Fast Color

This is a superhero movie without the costumes and gadgets and Batsignals and stuff. A true examination of what it would be like if human beings had the power to transcend what we’ve always accepted as the laws of the universe. Chronicle did this a few years ago, and it was one of my favorite movies of 2012, but I think this does it even better, even if as a movie I enjoyed it less. I love everything that’s going on here. But I feel like the movie holds its cards too close for too long. It waits too long to show its magic to us, which I’m sure was an effort to make the climax more powerful, but it felt like I needed to already know what was happening to understand what was happening (not unlike The Souvenir, though I liked this a lot more). GREAT performances in this, especially Gugu Mbathta-Raw, who I will pretty much see in anything at this point. I'll also be on the lookout for the series based on this, which is supposedly being developed. (Available on Hulu and for rent from other streaming services.)

Gloria Bell

An experience worth having, if only for Julianne Moore’s characteristically wonderful performance and Sebastián Lelio’s vibrant, hypnotic direction. John Turturro is also quite good, and I love seeing people over 40 being allowed to be romantic and sexual and full of life. This is another one, though, that makes me too sad to really love it. I can understand the pull that Turturro’s character feels to his demanding daughters, but sheesh, cut the cord, dude. They’re grown-ups and they’re being selfish. I do appreciate that the point is for us to see Gloria bounce back from a humiliating situation and keep dancing, keep living, but ugh, I wish life didn’t suck so much for her so much of the time and it’s hard for me to love movies like this. I just want to pluck her out of this movie and put her in one of the Mamma Mias where she belongs. (Available on Amazon Prime and for rent from other streaming services.)

High Life

Beautiful, but very weird. Juliette Binoche is always the queen of whatever she is in, and this movie is no exception, even though she’s a first-class creep (and I *LOVE* when a movie lets a woman, especially the kind of beautiful woman that we’ve been conditioned as moviegoers to instantly trust, be a straight-up monster). This movie reminded me a bit of Moon, actually, where we experience the solitude of space and the sense of the futility of characters in an impossible situation. Robert Pattinson continues to pick projects that put his Twilight days well in the rearview mirror and I’m here for it. I love a lot of what’s going on here; it’s just not a strong flavor on my own cinematic palette. (Available on Amazon Prime and for rent from other streaming services.)

The Long Walk

This is a fascinating low-key sci-fi story about a man who travels back in time and visits his younger self, trying to change the past. It raises all kinds of interesting questions about whether trying to change what happened can actually make things worse. It’s beautiful, but slow, and I know the part of me that likes to think I have good taste would wonder whether what I really mean is “deliberate,” but I’m stuck on “slow” with this one. The director, Mattie Do, is Laos’s first and currently only female filmmaker, as well as its only horror filmmaker of any gender. (The Long Walk isn’t a horror film, but her previous film, Dearest Sister, is.) This is lovely, but you might want to enjoy it with a cup of coffee. (Not yet released; no date set yet.)

The Nightingale

Maybe this whole category just should have been “I was too bummed to enjoy this, but I recognize that it’s very good” because this is ANOTHER one. I can see why people found it off-putting, but I think the brutality of the film is absolutely necessary to understand the choices the lead character makes. Kent’s previous film was The Babadook, which is much easier to have fun with, but both of these films deal with prickly topics in profound ways. (Available on Hulu and for rent from other streaming services.)

5A. That Was Great, Babe, But Can We Never See Each Other Again?

This is a spin-off subcategory of movies that are beyond just too much of a bummer to really enjoy and are actively anxiety-inducing and I’m not eager to see them again.

Climax

Gaspar Noe’s films are frequently exercises in sadism (he’s said as much himself), and while this movie was less sadistic than most, that’s a very low bar. It’s about a group of dancers who are having a post-rehearsal party and people start going crazy from some spiked sangria and start killing each other. I liked the slow reveal of what’s happening to these characters and the increasing feeling of dread, and how this is essentially a really messed up version of a “hangout” movie. But this movie, like the next one, is a one-time experience. (Available on Amazon Prime and for rent from other streaming services.)

Uncut Gems

Great movie, great camera work, great performances (every 10 years or so, Adam Sandler reminds us that he’s an actual actor). But this was incredibly tense, in ways I had not anticipated. Look, I live in this city, and there are moments when you just happen to be in the middle of someone else’s screaming match or some other extremely tense situation and you just have to tune out and hope you don’t draw their attention, but that usually only lasts a minute or so. This was TWO HOURS of that. As much as I wanted to see what happened next, I also REALLY wanted it to be done so that I could breathe. It was great. You should see it. But I’m done. Wow. (In theaters.)