It’s a weird time these days but it did give me a good opportunity to play a little catch up with 2019 movies, lots of stuff is streaming and it felt like a good project. There are fun ways to make your movies a project or more of a community like Focus Features Movie Monday Livestreams or AFI Movie Club or start your own movie club and talk about it with video chat. Or just revisit some old favorites, why not re-watch all The Fast and the Furious films for example. You can also find some critics’ picks consolidated into sites like Metacritic or Rotten Tomatoes. So knowing that this list could take various shapes and there are things that I could leave on or off, here’s my ten.
- Brittany Runs a Marathon – Our protagonist is the least likely marathon runner but her journey to get her health and her life in order is totally engaging, and you know it’s about more than the running.
- Knives Out – This mystery/comedy is a fun romp through the dysfunctional Thrombey family and the investigation into the murder of it’s crime novelist patriarch, the entire family of suspects, with odd but compelling turns from detective and caregiver.
- Jojo Rabbit – While the juxtaposition of comedy and the horrors of Hitler and the war might be at odds, for me it heightened the childlike POV and the unbearable.
- Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood – Enjoyed most of the latest Tarantino with a bit of ramble through the last days of Hollywood including an odd Manson overlap and signature flair for good and for bad, and Pitt and his dog Randy were really captivating.
- Booksmart – This coming of age comedy following two potentially too smart for their own goods BFFs through their final days of high school, has lots of hijinks but also lots of heart.
- Parasite – Good but odd and not necessarily in the way I expected with the cryptic things I knew about these two alternate class families and their engagement.
- Little Women – I think everyone’s got the gist of this tale but the update carried me through the family, the romance, and the tragedy.
- The Farewell – Enjoyed the trip to China in this heartfelt family, generational, and cultural tale of a fake wedding as a means to say goodbye.
- Uncut Gems – Tense from start to finish Adam Sandler tries to thread the needle with shady deals and bets along with managing his work and family in this gem.
- Portrait of a Lady on Fire – The slow burn romance and the journey of the 18th century female painter commissioned to paint the portrait of a reluctant bride to be.
What were some of your favorites?
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