2019 "Top 10" (Categories)

I'm increasingly starting to feel like Top 10 lists are stupid. Why is 10 inherently a better number than 11 or 9? Because it's round? I've done some sort of “Top 10/20/25” list every year since 2007, and narrowing it down to a round number interests me less and less. Recently I’ve ended up writing about everything new I’ve seen in a particular year because I don’t do as many reviews anymore and I like to say at least a little about everything I’ve seen. And this year, I've done that again ... with a twist.

With so many movies (I saw 108 new movies this year), it’s natural that they fall into categories and that’s true for this year as well. But instead of categories based on subject matter or distinguishing characteristics, I’ve just gone with categories of my own reactions and impressions — what I loved, what everyone else loved but I didn’t, what I recognize as great but didn’t fall in love with, what was just okay, etc. So bear with me (or not) as I go through my “Top 10” (Categories) of 2019 Movies.

And to spare you scrolling through everything, I've linked to each category below, plus listed all the films in all but the top two categories (which might be all you care about anyway), if you want to pick and choose that way.

10. The Hyperbole-Breaker (Cats, natch)

9. Just Not My Jam (But Others Seem to Like Them and That's OK) (Brightburn, Hagazussa, The Mustang, The Souvenir)

8. Not as Bad as You May Have Heard (Aladdin, Dumbo)

7. Loved These More Than I Probably Should (Aquaman, Charlie's Angels, The Good Liar, Greta, Richard Jewell, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker)

6. Didn't Knock My Socks Off, But It Was Still Pretty Good (Blinded by the Light, Deathcember, First Love, Frozen II, Glass, Harriet, Honey Boy, The Hustle, It Chapter Two, Joker, Judy, Pet Semetary, Ready or Not, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Toy Story 4, VFW, VHYes, Why Don't You Just Die!)

5. I Love You but I'm Not *in* Love with You (Ad Astra, American Factory, Ash Is Purest White, The Beach Bum, Dragged Across Concrete, Fast Color, Gloria Bell, High Life, The Long Walk, The Nightingale)

5A. That Was Great, Babe, But Can We Never See Each Other Again? (Climax, Uncut Gems) (same link as above)

4. Delightful Surprises (1917, Apollo 11, The Art of Self Defense, Atlantics, Bacarau, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Bombshell, Brittany Runs a Marathon, Crawl, The Farewell, Hail Satan?, Hustlers, Jumanji: The Next Level, Long Shot, The Peanut Butter Falcon, Pokémon Detective Pikachu, Scream Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street, Shazam!, Waves)

3. Crank These Up to Eleven and Roll Down the Window! (Avengers: Endgame, Captain Marvel, Daniel Isn't Real, Doctor Sleep, Dolemite Is My Name, Extra Ordinary, Fighting with My Family, Ford v. Ferrari, Good Boys, Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror, In Fabric, John Wick 3: Parabellum, Knife + Heart, The Lighthouse, Ma, Queen & Slim, Rocketman, Us, You Don't Nomi)

2. The Gold Standard (A Normal Year's Top 10 15)

1. These Movies Changed My Life