When did Christmas get here? It feels like it was just the Fourth of July! It’s amazing how one’s sense of time can get warped from a solid crop of films in a given year, and 2019 has proven to be no exception. We’ve had some amazing films and some duds, but there has been something for every taste out there.
2019 will go down as a year in which the directors of these films showed a level of maturity in their respective films. Instead of doing a Top 10, because there are still a few films that I have not seen yet, I’m going to run down my 10 favorite films of 2019.
These films, for me, mark a highlight in cinema, not necessarily the best films of the year, and they are not in any particular order.
· “The Irishman”: This entry here might shock a few people because I’ve remained relatively silent on the film, but there is a strange beauty in the way Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) tells of the rise and fall of Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). The film runs just a bit long and there are details that don’t necessarily add to the overall exposition of the film, but it is Joe Pesci’s return from retirement as Russell Bufalino that makes the film one to watch.
· “Avengers: Endgame”: The end of an era is marked with a soulful as the Avengers try to right the transgressions of the past. It’s a bit cheeky and it runs a bit long, but I don’t think I’ve seen a finer performance out of Robert Downey Jr in the Marvel franchise.
· “The Lion King”: I’m going to get gruff for this because it’s a rehash of the 1994 classic animated film, but there was something about the way Jon Favreau injected life into the characters. Yes, the criticisms that the faces on the lions were expressionless and that’s where I thought the voice cast shined.
· “Toy Story 4”: Who would have thought that after all this time the folks at Pixar could come up with a new story involving Buzz Lightyear and Woody while still causing folks to bring their Kleenex to the theater.
· “Hobbs & Shaw”: I didn’t get to review this offshoot of the “Fast & Furious” franchise, but Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham are perfectly matched here against Idris Elba. The story presents a “Tron” like quality that drew me in to the mayhem and kept me there until the very end.
· “Cold Pursuit”: Even though the film was marred by Neeson’s name being run through the mud, this snowbound “Fargo”-esque murder mystery has just enough mayhem in the snow to keep us stuck to our seats.
· “Brittany Runs a Marathon”: This is a film for anyone who has ever felt that they couldn’t endure through change and come out the other side smelling like roses.
· “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”: Call it sentimentality, but seeing Tom Hanks occupy the personae of Fred Rogers is a master stroke in casting. The story itself doesn’t always work, but the framing devices make this one to tug at your heart strings.
· “6 Underground”: Michael Bay’s return to onscreen mayhem matched with Ryan Reynolds’s antics adds up to an explosively good time in front of your television screen.
· “Ford v Ferrari”: Another excellent showcase for Matt Damon and Christian Bale, the story suffers from being too much about the internal struggle within Ford to bring a car and a driver to the ’66 LeMans 24 Hour race. The over the top performances really capture the essence of the excitement and bring this non-driver into the racing seat.
