Biggest Disappointments of the Year
I waited anxiously for these films, only to get…These films.
The Kitchen
Hellboy
Hobbs and Shaw
Captain Marvel
Child’s Play
Pet Semetary
Glass
Zombieland: Double Tap
THE TOP 20 MOVIES OF 2019
This list is NOT about art. It’s about movies I liked that I saw last year. And, Marty, it’s ALL “cinema.” From least-best to most-best.
20. The Brink. This Steve Bannon doc didn’t give us anything new, but he’s an endlessly fascinating asshole.
19. Midsomar and The Lighthouse. I’m including these because they’re obviously good–and I get that they’re arty. And very well acted. But they seemed pretty overrated to me. I mean, yeah, they make the list–but I’ve seen them towards the top of lots of other folks’ lists.
18. Booksmart and Good Boys. The Superbad rip-offs are getting a little predictable, but these were good.
17. Skin. An award-winning short is turned into a full length film about a white supremacist and his family.
16. Crawl. A B-horror movie that had alligators terrorizing a town. Awesome! Way, way better than it should have been. A similar movie was Ma, which I liked a lot but isn’t in my top 20.
15. Deadwood. One of the best HBO series of all time came back for a couple hours.
14. Dolemite is My Name. A Netflix drama about a B-movie legend.
13. The Apollo. HBO doc about the legendary theater, with incredible footage.
12. American Son. Another Netflix entry. It’s basically a play, but it’s powerful and moving.
11. Westside vs. The World. A documentary about the famous West Side bodybuilding gym. Fascinating.
10. Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood. Not Tarantino’s best, but that ending…Wow. And maybe Leo will finally…win…a…Naaaaah.
9. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. This film series keeps getting better.
8. Joker. More a character piece than a movie, but the acting is amazing. I can’t believe a DC movie made my list–first time since Nolan.
7. Luce. Tough to watch, tougher to reconcile when it’s over.
6. Spider-Man: Far From Home. So much fun!
5. Us. I liked this more than Get Out. I realize I’m alone in this.
4. Marriage Story. Maybe it’s because I’m going through a divorce this year, but man did this resonate.
3. Parasite. A quiet black comedy that takes a really, really dark turn two-thirds of the way through.
2. Avengers: Endgame. The movie I waited my whole life to see.
1. Honey Boy. A revelation. Brilliant. Powerful. Amazing.
