By Mark Goddard
With the movie awards season now underway, here is our pick of the best films released in 2019.
Joker
DC hit it out of the park this year with Joker, an original take on the clown prince of crime’s origin story that was masterfully executed. With Joaquin Phoenix capturing both the mental deterioration and aguish of both Arthur Fleck and the sadistic and slow burning rise documenting what takes him to take up the mantle and become one of Gotham City’s greatest villains.
Avengers: Endgame
Marvel has their own hit earlier this year with Endgame, picking up where Infinity War left off and dealing with the Avengers and heroes that remain after “the snap” and what happens next. With huge action set pieces and a huge cast of characters, there’s something for everyone to enjoy here and the final act of it kicks everything into overdrive.
Toy Story 4
After a 9 year hiatus (has it really been that long?) Woody and the Gang returned for a new outing, this time with some fresh faces, which only enhance the experience. For both old and new fans alike there is something for everyone to enjoy. Toy Story will always be one of Pixar’s flagship series and as an end to a saga Toy Story 4 is a good way to end things by me…at least for now.
Midsommar
Subtle horror is hard to do well. That kind of “something is amiss but I don’t know what” or unnerving feeling is tough to capture without it being too bizarre or just outright not there. After the success of Hereditary, director Ari Aster managed to do it yet again with Midsommar. I won’t go into details too much as not to shatter the mystique, but it’s about a group of friends who go to visit a small midsummer celebration in a Swedish town, and it portrays this all extremely well with choice shots and directing to make you feel so nervous…but also a little unsure what from exactly.
Ready or Not
A surprise entry with Ready or Not, as I was fully expecting it to fall flat into corny or just plain terribad…but it didn’t. About a woman who has to play a deadly game of hide and seek to evade her new husband’s murderous family. The absurd concept is fully accepted and the blend of horror and comedy works extremely well in its favour to tell a story that is so unrealistic, but has you rooting for the poor bride throughout.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Quentin Tarantino’s films have a reputation and his newest film takes a slightly different approach from what people may be used to. OUATIH is more of a slow burning mature piece, but still manages to entertain and shock at the same time. A personal love letter to Hollywood in the 1960’s and providing an interesting commentary on Hollywood both then and now, this is certainly a must watch for any Tarantino fans.
Film Review of 2019: Our Top Picks
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