This Guy’s 2019 Movie Recommendations (So Far)

Nearing the end of 2019, nine of the top ten highest-grossing films of the year are remakes or sequels, a brainless graveyard of reanimated Disney zombies from the 90’s and – you guessed it – superhero flicks. If this is your bag, have at it. If you, like me, think CGI Timon and Pumbaa are the stuff of nightmares and tire of Spider-Twinks and Infinity Whatevers, this might be the list for you – a collection of the films that have stuck with me for one reason or another throughout the year, ranked in order of personal preference and updated regularly to include new releases. My hope is that it may light your way toward new cinematic offerings you may dig. Onward…

30. US

Release Date: June 18
Director: Jordan Peele
Starring: Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss, Shahadi Wright Joseph
What it’s about: Jordan Peele imagines a world where there are two Lupita Nyong’o’s and somehow it’s a bad thing.
My Take: Peele follows up his taut, elegant masterpiece of a debut (Get Out) with a film collapsing under the weight of its ambition and over-abundance of ideas. It’s worth seeing just for how beautifully shot it is, the promise of more expertly-directed films by Peele to come, and to hear the stunning score and see a dynamite dual performance by Lupita. Unfortunately, it trips its way into a final act that over-explains itself – a move that attempts to create a tidy ending but winds up opening a whole mess of logic-defying plot holes.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%
Oscar odds: The campaign is revving up, but don’t expect a big nomination haul like with Get Out. Its most likely nods are for Lupita and its score (if eligible).

29. FIRST LOVE

Release Date: September 27
Director: Takashi Miike
Starring: Masataka Kubota, Seiyo Uchino, Becky, Nao Omori, Maima Yajimara, Shota Sometani
What it’s about: Wacky and violent misunderstandings between a boxer, a prostitute, a bunch of gangsters, and a fierce-ass female assassin.
My Take: The title’s a fakeout, an excuse for director Miike to lure you into a completely mad piece of entertainment – crime thriller-meets-screwball comedy. Heads roll, a man rubs heroin on his genitals, and a female assassin played by an actress named Becky goes on a vengeful tear after her boyfriend is brutally murdered. At its heart is an unexpectedly lovely meet-cute between a jaded boxer and a tramautized prostitute, thrown into the middle of all this bloody chaos and facing the possibility of a new life together, should they survive the evening. A fun time with some great action sequences, if a little slight.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
Oscar odds: Nada.

28. PAIN & GLORY

Release Date: October 4
Director: Pedro Almodovar
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Penelope Cruz, Asier Etxeandria, Leonardo Spiraglia, Julieta Serrano
What it’s about: Less-trippy 8 1/2 with Antonio Banderas.
My Take: Almodovar brings the volume down for his most personal film – a reflective piece of work about art, imagination, regret, and forgiveness. It’s a lovely memory piece by its writer-director, but most notable for the character of aging auteur Salvador Mallo – a career-best turn from Antonio Banderas, who makes you feel Mallo’s every ache of the heart and body. This hits its pinnacle in a reunion scene between him and an old flame, as sublimely tender and beautiful a moment as you’re likely to see at the movies this year.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
Oscar odds: If Parasite is this year’s Roma, this is the Cold War. Expect the inevitable International Film nomination (the new name for Foreign Language Film), plus possible nods for Banderas and Almodovar, for both Director and Original Screenplay.

27. APOLLO 11

Release Date: March 1
Director: Todd Douglas Miller
What it’s about: First Man, but for real.
My Take: An astoundingly assembled collection of never-before-seen footage from the Apollo launch to the moon landing to the return home, Apollo 11 eschews talking head interviews and narration for a completely immersive look at that “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” It’s an overwhelming, awe-inspiring, and emotional companion to the landing’s 50th anniversary.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99%
Oscar odds: Easy Best Documentary Feature nod.

26. THE DEAD DON’T DIE

Release Date: June 14
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Starring: Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Chloe Sevigny, Selena Gomez, Tilda Swinton, Steve Buscemi, Tom Waits, Iggy Pop, Danny Glover, RZA, Caleb Landry-Jones, Rosie Perez, Carol Kane
What it’s about: Zombies invade a small town where Bill Murray and Adam Driver are cops.
My Take: Jim Jarmusch’s latest (and one of his laugh-out-loud funniest) falls into absolute shit in the homestretch, crumbling into a strange tangle of nothingness and heavy-handed existentialism. But for most of its running time, it’s a pretty fun excuse to see a bunch of A-list comedic actors fuck around in a weird-as-shit zombie movie.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 54%
Oscar odds: Lawl.

25. ROCKETMAN

Release Date: May 31
Director: Dexter Fletcher
Starring: Taron Egerton, Richard Madden, Jamie Bell, Bryce Dallas Howard
What it’s about: It’s the Elton John biopic.
My Take: First thing’s first, it’s a hell of a lot better than Bohemian Rhapsody. Sure, it shares its downfalls with most music biopics, including a cringe-worthy framing device and an awkward start with young Elton. But once a vivacious and electric Taron Egerton takes over, the movie becomes quite a good time, centering on its protagonist’s journey to find love and framing itself as a full-blown movie musical, where songs are full-out expressions of character rather than strictly concert performances. Sometimes this works (a surreal underwater take on the title song), sometimes it doesn’t (a long-winded rendition of “Tiny Dancer” where Elton vaguely pines for some girl in blue jeans). It’s a film most notable for being a rock biopic that feels truly dedicated to the spirit of its subject, and its most transcendent moments are those when it crosses into flamboyant musical fantasia territory, including (but not limited to) a sequence where Taron and Richard Madden go on a super gay shopping spree to “Honky Cat.”
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%
Oscar odds: Taron could see a possible Globe win for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy snagging him a highly-contested fifth slot in the Oscar race (he’s battling Banderas, Adam Sandler, Eddie Murphy, Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Robert Pattinson, Jonathan Pryce, George Mackay, and Daniel Kaluuya for it). More likely bids are Original Song (Elton wrote a new one for the credits), Costume Design, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing

24. YESTERDAY

Release Date: June 28
Director: Danny Boyle
Starring: Himesh Patel, Lily James, Ed Sheeran, Kate McKinnon
What it’s about: Dude becomes an overnight success when he wakes up in a world where he’s the only one who remembers the Beatles.
My Take: For some reason, this movie just didn’t catch fire with audiences or critics. There was only room for one feel-good movie about a young English and Indian man harnessing the power of an iconic music artist, and the critics sided with the likable, but far more twee Blinded By the Light. Yesterday cruises pretty hard on its high-concept idea (imagine there’s no Beatles), and the script is by Richard Curtis, so you can expect a lot of wistful optimism. But for my money, the film is actually one of the best explorations of how special the alchemy of The Beatles really was. Putting you in the shoes of those hearing these songs for the first time, the film weaponizes emotional manipulation in such a way that it reminds us all over again just how magical these songs are, how they’ve touched virtually everyone in the world through one way or another, and what a remarkable loss it would be to not have them in our lives.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 63%
Oscar odds: Dead in the water.

NEW – 23. CLEMENCY

Release Date: To be released December 27
Director: Chinonye Chukwu
Starring: Alfre Woodard, Aldis Hodge, Richard Schiff, Wendell Pierce, Danielle Brooks
What it’s about: Turns out being a warden on Death Row can be tough on your personal life.
My Take: Almost unbearably dark and tough to the point of suffocation, Clemency hinges on all the messy burdens of having to take a life. Chinonye Chukwu directs with both calculated cohesion and compassion for all the characters affected, but the overwhelming gut-punch of the film rests with the performances of Aldis Hodge, absolutely devastating, and Alfre Woodard, whose turn as the fractured Death Row warden ranks as one of the more powerful performances of the year.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
Oscar odds: Alfre Woodard would be a very worthy sneak into Best Actress, if people can get past the brutal subject matter and move this to the top of their screener pile.

22. AD ASTRA

Release Date: September 20
Director: James Gray
Starring: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Donald Sutherland
What it’s about: Daddy issues in space.
My Take: The Blade Runner 2049 of 2019, James Gray’s latest is a slow, meditative journey through the far reaches of space, beautifully shot by Hote van Hoytema and anchored by a captivating, introspective performance by Brad Pitt. Gray is dealing here with familiar daddy issues, transplanting them to a unique vision of the future – where commercial flights to the moon drop you off at the gate right next to a Hudson News and a Subway, and where space pirates engage in Road Warrior-esque duels for resources on the lunar surface. At times, it may feel as though Gray hits too hard on the nose; his themes are so mythic and timeless, that it can seem odd how little he trusts his audience to understand them, particularly whenever he employs overwritten voice-over (however beautifully performed by Brad Pitt, a true ASMR king). However, quibbles fade away at the sheer scope of the film, one that is as awe-inspiring as it is powerfully emotional.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%
Oscar odds: Sadly, the box office looks like it won’t give the movie the boost it needs to be a serious awards contender, although the cinematography could be recognized, as well as its visual effects, sound mixing and editing.

21. THE SOUVENIR

Release Date: May 17
Director: Joanna Hogg
Starring: Honor Swinton Byrne, Tom Burke, Tilda Swinton
What it’s about: Film school and a toxic-ass boyfriend don’t mix well.
My Take: Joanna Hogg’s incredibly personal new film is quietly devastating, with the texture and feel of a faded photograph discovered in a creaky old attic. While set in the 80’s, Hogg shoots it all like a period costume drama, underscoring the notion that this is long past, however formative its events might be to both Hogg and her primary character, Julie. Played by Honor Swinton Byrne in a breakout performance, Julie is a young woman coming into her own at film school at the exact same time as a toxic romance is blossoming between her and an older man, played by an eerie, wry, and heartbreaking Tom Burke. Hogg’s clear articulation of how these events shape Julie feels even more satisfying given how astutely she captures Julie’s inarticulateness at school – how at her young age, her reach often exceeds her grasp, how she just needs to live a bit more to become the artist she’s meant to be. Unfortunately, that also implies heartbreak of a most shattering kind. Fortunately, it yielded a filmmaker like Hogg, and a haunting film such as this.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
Oscar odds: It could always break into Screenplay, although it will be constantly duking it out for that indie slot with The Farewell, much more of an audience-pleaser.

20. ASH IS PUREST WHITE

Release Date: March 15
Director: Jia Zhangke
Starring: Zhao Tao, Liao Fan
What it’s about: Never try and cover for your gangster boyfriend or you’ll wind up super bummed.
My Take: Perfectly embodying the platitude “epic and intimate,” Ash is Purest White follows scrappy dancer and mob girlfriend Qiao through her trials and tribulations after she covers for her gangster boyfriend Bin and is sent to jail for five years. When she is released, she finds not only a boyfriend no longer interested in her, but a China she barely recognizes. Through Zhao Tao’s towering performance, Qiao becomes a tragic, yet fiercely strong character, and set against the backdrop of a speedily-evolving China, the film becomes a meditation on the impermanence of all things – love, architecture, and the popularity of the Village People.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99%
Oscar odds: None.

19. MARRIAGE STORY

Release Date: To be released December 6
Director: Noah Baumbach
Starring: Adam Driver, Scarlet Johansson, Laura Dern, Alan Alda, Ray Liotta, Julie Hagerty
What it’s about: Kylo Ren and Black Widow get a divorce. Shit gets sad.
My Take: Noah Baumbach’s most Oscar-baity movie is a compassionate look at both sides of a messy divorce between two artists. We’re on familiar turf here, the most direct comparison being Kramer vs. Kramer. But what separates things is Baumbach’s signature mixture of humanity and humor, combined with ace performances from its cast, particularly Adam Driver, Scar-Jo, and Laura Dern, whose turn here can be described as nothing else but “Renata on crack.”
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%
Oscar odds: A major player – expect nods for Best Picture, Actress, Actor, Supporting Actress, and Original Screenplay, with potential slots for Director, Editing, and Original Score. Could win Picture with Screenplay and Supporting Actress wins.

18. TOY STORY 4

Release Date: June 11
Director: Josh Cooley
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Keanu Reeves, Tony Hale, Annie Potts, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger
What it’s about: Woody faces an uncertain future on a road trip with his new owner and a suicidal plastic fork.
My Take: Did we need it? No. Is it the worst of the series? Yes. But we’re talking about a trilogy of masterpieces, and we’re talking about a consortium of storytelling geniuses adding another chapter to their flagship property. In other words, Toy Story 4 will still make you laugh and cry more than most anything else you’ll see this year. After the painfully moving, waterworks finale that was the third entry, this one feels pretty slight and unnecessary, despite its stunning animation. There’s not enough Buzz or Rex or Mr. Potato Head. But as a coda to the world’s best film series about toys in the midst of existential crises, it’s a highly-satisfying and melancholy treat. Also, Forky is an icon.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
Oscar odds: Best Animated Film, of course. Also potentially Adapted Screenplay and potentially Score.

17. ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD

Release Date: July 26
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie
What it’s about: Leo’s a fading movie star, Brad Pitt’s his stunt double, and Margot is Sharon Tate. They live their lives and then shit goes down.
My Take: All right, let’s get this out of the way – I can’t fully recommend this movie because I think its final act is so childish and cheap, such an obnoxious regurgitating of another Tarantino climactic twist, that it pretty much sinks the whole film. But barring the last 40 minutes, I have to say that, Pulp Fiction aside, this is Tarantino’s best and most mature film. Exercising restraint and utilizing a distinctly un-Tarantinoan tool – quiet – the film paints a textured and vivid portrait that synchronizes the end of Old Hollywood with the impending dread of one of America’s nastiest losses of innocence – the Manson murders. The threat of that bloodshed looms over the proceedings like a silent phantom. In the meantime, Leo (his best performance) just tries to get his lines right; Brad (one of his best, as well) flirts with hitchhikers; and Margot (hauntingly magical) goes to see herself in a movie. Random acts of horror will always exist in this world – all we can do is try to do our best with the time we have. That’s what I thought Tarantino was saying, anyway, until he caved to his baser instincts and did that ending. Still, see it.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%
Oscar odds: This could be the one. Tarantino has never won Best Director, and that “we owe you” philosophy combined with the film’s Hollywood vibe could signal a bit of a sweep. Regardless – nods for Best Picture, Best Actor for Leo, Best Supporting Actor for Brad, potentially Supporting Actress for Robbie, Director, Screenplay, Production Design, Costume Design, Editing, Cinematography, and Sound Mixing.

NEW – 16. THE LIGHTHOUSE

Release Date: October 18
Director: Robert Eggers
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Willem Dafoe
What it’s about: Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe masturbate, fart, and generally lose their goddamn minds.
My Take: I’ll admit, I still don’t totally know what to make of this. It strikes me as a movie whose parts are greater than the sum of them. But what parts! The cinematography! The seagulls! Robby Pats proves once again he’s here to stay, and Willem Dafoe so thoroughly cuts loose that it’s hard not to get swept up in just how bat-shit crazy this thing is. I don’t really know that it adds up to much, or that it’s as sweep-you-up crazy fun as it could be, but it also has Dafoe putting a curse on Pattinson for not liking his lobster, so… Cinema!
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%
Oscar odds: This seems like the Anti-Oscar movie, but the cinematography is fairly undeniable, especially for such an art-centric branch, and Willem Dafoe is an Oscar darling.

15. HER SMELL

Release Date: April 12
Director: Alex Ross Perry
Starring: Elisabeth Moss, Cara Delevigne, Ashley Benson, Dan Stevens, Amber Heard, Agyness Deyn, Gayle Rankin
What it’s about: Elisabeth Moss is a toxic pop queen.
My Take: Expertly-directed and featuring one of the most full-bodied and three-dimensional performances in recent memory, Her Smell begins as an oppressive, claustrophobic, grungy, warts-and-all deep-dive into the life of Moss’ damaged goods pop star, Becky Something. Through a series of extended real-time vignettes, Perry and Moss peel back the layers on Becky, creating a holistic portrait of the fall and rise of an artist and a surprisingly emotional look at mistakes and the baby steps that can be made to start making things right.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%
Oscar odds: It’s really too bad Moss probably won’t even be in the conversation.

14. THE BEACH BUM

Release Date: March 28
Director: Harmony Korine
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Snoop Dogg, Isla Fisher, Zac Efron, Jimmy Buffett, Martin Lawrence, Jonah Hill
What it’s about: Matthew McConaughey just wants to smoke weed and have a good time.
My Take: Well, it’s certainly an acquired taste. But Harmony Korine’s latest seems to me to be the quintessential stoner comedy for the Age of Trump, a surreal comedic Odyssey populated by characters just trying to find happiness in a world that doesn’t seem to make much sense anymore. As crass and stupid as you’d expect, shot as though it’s Gone With the Wind and performed by an ensemble at the top of its game (Fisher, Lawrence and Hill are particularly aces), it’s a surprisingly beautiful cruise down the Lazy River in a country overflowing with choppy waters.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 56%
Oscar odds: Not a chance.

13. HIGH LIFE

Release Date: April 12
Director: Claire Denis
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, Andre Benjamin
What it’s about: Robert Pattinson is an astronaut on a totally fucked mission in space overseen by an extremely horny Juliette Binoche.
My Take: Elliptical, haunting, and downright bizarre, Claire Denis’ first English-language film is a psycho-sexual sci-fi odyssey through space and time. On this journey, Robert Pattinson demonstrates once again his quiet command of the screen, Denis delivers heart-stopping images of horror and beauty, and Juliette Binoche whips her Rapunzel-length hair around while riding a dildo chair in a room called The Fuckbox. It’s not for everyone, but for me it was an inspired bit of strangeness – a meditation on the black hole we’re all approaching, and the fear, terror, and hope we summon on our journey there.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%
Oscar odds: It’s just not an Oscars film.

12. BOOKSMART

Release Date: May 24
Director: Olivia Wilde
Starring: Beanie Feldstein, Kaitlyn Dever, Billie Lourde, Diana Silvers, Jason Sudeikis, Molly Gordon, Skyler Gisondo, Lisa Kudrow, Noah Galvin
What it’s about: On the eve of graduation, two overachievers decide to make up for lost time at the last high school party of the year.
My Take: The year’s breeziest, most refreshingly fun film laughs in the face of those who say you can’t do a “get drunk and get laid” movie in 2019 – updating the genre with a light-handed feminist touch and a spirit of inclusion and acceptance that never feels preachy and, most importantly, doesn’t get in the way of some truly riotous laughs. A bit rough around the edges at first, Olivia Wilde’s direction takes shape with style and class, delivering a film that succeeds because of its winning spirit and eminently-lovable young ensemble. See it with your best friends.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
Oscar odds: Nah.

11. GOOD BOYS

Release Date: August 16
Director: Gene Stupnitsky
Starring: Jacob Tremblay, Keith L. Williams, Brady Noon
What it’s about: Superbad with tweens.
My Take: One of the most delightfully pleasant surprises of the year, Good Boys is a hilarious romp through early adolescence and a fairly intelligent re-purposing of the “high school party movie” to the tween years – here, the goal switches from “get drunk and get laid” to “have a sip of beer and kiss a girl… with consent of course.” The real triumph of the film is how absolutely winning the young trio is. Tremblay is inspired casting, his cherubic sweetness so radiant in Room a valuable asset for whenever things get a little raunchy. But the real breakout is Keith L. Williams, who hits a comic home run every time he opens his mouth. Of course, there is also a poignant heart to all this, and Good Boys winds up being an homage to those old friends who remain a part of our lives, no matter how long it may have been since we’ve talked or how far away they might be.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%
Oscar odds: Never in a million years.

NEW – 10. HUSTLERS

Release Date: September 13
Director: Lorene Scafaria
Starring: Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez, Lilli Reinhart, Keke Palmer, Cardi B, Julia Stiles, Lizzo
What it’s about: Jennifer Lopez coming for that Oscar.
My Take: We are all Constance Wu being swaddled in Jennifer Lopez’s extravagant white fur coat. It’s common knowledge now that J-Lo gives one of the most iconic performances of the year in Hustlers, but the biggest surprise may be that the film is actually the best film exploration of the 2007-2008 financial crash we’ve had yet. And it really all seems due to Lorene Scafaria’s ingenious screenplay, which holds everybody accountable (the horny Wall Street bros and the women who exploit them) but never moralizes. Her direction walks that tightrope well, crafting a film that is a total jam without being campy and a celebration of female friendship that never gets cloying. So clear is the viewpoint, and so dynamite is the ensemble, that we understand the economic hardships that push these women to do what they do; and admittedly, we revel in them playing these men even as we know what they’re doing is horible. Hustlers is a party, even though we know all the while it can’t last forever.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%
Oscar odds: I wish this would break into more categories, but J-Lo is an undeniable nominee for Best Supporting Actress.

NEW – 9. 1917

Release Date: December 25
Director: Sam Mendes
Starring: George Mackay, Dean-Charles Chapman
What it’s about: Roger Deakins dropping a mic for an hour and 50 minutes.
My Take: “Wow” is kinda the best word for it – 1917 is hands-down the best war movie of the 21st century, and a career high for director Sam Mendes, composer Thomas Newman, and cinematographer Roger Deakins. The gist is that it follows a message as it’s carried through World War I enemy lines to its recipient, shot through a simulated one-take. But it never feels like a gimmick; instead it’s immersive in all the best ways, both a tribute to those whose sacrifice our generation finds hard to comprehend and a reminder of just how much one person can change the course of the future. Mostly, though, it’s about what movies can do, how when all the elements come together through sheer mastery, it can be nothing short of jaw-dropping.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: No consensus yet.
Oscar odds: Easy wins for Cinematography, Score, Sound Editing, and Mixing. Potentially for Production Design. Probable Costume Designer nominee. Definitely a Directing and Picture nomination, and potential wins. This movie really shook the race up.

8. THE FAREWELL

Release Date: July 19
Director: Lulu Wang
Starring: Awkwafina, Zao Shuzhen, Tzi Ma, Diana Lin, Aoi Mizuhara, Yongboo Jiang, Han Chen, Lu Hong
What it’s about: Awkwafina’s family reunites in China to celebrate a wedding and say goodbye to the matriarch, who doesn’t know she’s dying.
My Take: The year’s loveliest movie is the complete package – a film filled with warm hugs, raucous laughter, ugly tears, and refreshing surprises. Awkwafina comes into her own as a dramatic actress, leading one of 2019’s best ensembles. Lulu Wang writes with compassion and empathy and directs with a subtle but painterly hand, expertly capturing the universal feeling of familial reunion that can come from saying goodbye while immersing us in the customs and traditions of a culture unfamiliar to most Americans.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99%
Oscar odds: This could go either way. I feel confident a Screenplay nod is a lock, but if the buzz continues through the year, this could wind up in the Best Picture race, with noms for Awkwafina and Zhao.

7. JOJO RABBIT

Release Date: October 18
Director: Taika Waititi
Starring: Roman Griffin Davis, Scarlett Johansson, Thomasin McKenzie, Taika Waititi, Sam Rockwell, Rebel Wilson, Alfie Allen, Stephen Merchant
What it’s about: Moonrise Kingdom with the Hitler Youth.
My Take: Jojo Rabbit is destined to become this year’s Three Billboards or Green Book in terms of discourse. But the truth is, it’s a far more lovable and skilled piece of work than either of those. Sure, it’s an active grenade of provocative elements – a Hitler Youth protagonist, loads of deplorably ridiculous Nazi-isms about Jews, and (most notably) Hitler as an imaginary friend. But in Taika Waititi’s hands, all that gets melted down into a feel-everything coming of age story about indoctrination and empathy that’s brimming with humanity, heart, and – yes – horror. Waititi manages to walk a tonal tightrope that balances responsibility and gravitas with his own singularly fresh point of view, ultimately finding a unique way to speak to the current moment. Indoctrination is dangerous, children are our future, and Nazis are fucking scum. Let’s ridicule them; it may be our best weapon. Also, Archie Yates.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 77%
Oscar odds: Look out for this to be a major Best Picture winner upset. Likely noms for Director, Adapted Screenplay, Supporting Actress, Costume Design, Editing, and Score.

6. PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE

Release Date: To be released December 6
Director: Celine Sciamma
Starring: Noemie Merlant, Adele Haenel, Valeria Golino, Luana Bajrami
What it’s about: French Call Me By Your Name with painting and an even better final shot.
My Take: From its sea-bound opening on a small boat rocked by choppy waters to its final, overwhelmingly cathartic shot, Celine Sciamma’s lesbian painter romance announces itself as a love story for the ages. Shot through a – forgive me – painterly lens, where every set-up could be hung on the walls of the Louvre, Portrait features so many breathtaking moments it could asphyxiate you. Noemie Merlant plays the painter, Adele Haenel (in one of the best performances of the year) her subject, and together they chart the blossoming of a brief but passionate romance through a series of breaths and glances, looks and touches. On top of all this, and some thematic rumination on the sidelining of women both in society and in the world of art, director Sciamma makes a stunning commentary on art itself – particularly in its capabilities of capturing memory. Those fleeting moments captured with a brushstroke or a wide-angle lens stay forever, memorializing what was and shall never be again. Luckily, this film will remain.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
Oscar odds: Unfortunately not the French submission for Foreign Language film – which is SOME BULLSHIT.

5. UNCUT GEMS

Release Date: To be released December 13
Director: Josh Safdie & Benny Safdie
Starring: Adam Sandler, Julia Fox, Idina Menzel, Lakeith Stanfield, Kevin Garnett, Eric Bogosian
What it’s about: Good Time with Adam Sandler as a sports gambler.
My Take: As one of Adam Sandler’s biggest haters, I’m uber pleased to bow down to his masterful performance as Howard Ratner in the Safdie Brothers’ latest, one of the most captivating and explosive acting turns of the year. It’s a role that cranks the Sandler-ian smart-ass superiority complex of Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore up to its most extreme. Even as the Safdies (in typical fashion) surround him with raw performances by off-the-street civilians, he blends right in, creating a lived-in scumbag that can sit right alongside Robert Pattinson’s from Safdie forebear Good Time. Gems, however, boasts a bigger budget and packs more of a punch than that film. It’s a downright electrifying roller-coaster that manages to make you sick at the lengths this guy will travel just to get a rush, all while making you feel the visceral thrill of his victories and losses. If they weren’t here already, the Safdies have arrived.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
Oscar odds: Its one chance rests with Adam Sandler getting nominated for Best Actor… so not great.

NEW – 4. WAVES

Release Date: November 15
Director: Trey Edward Shults
Starring: Kelvin Harrison, Jr., Taylor Russell, Sterling K. Brown, Rene Elise Goldsberry, Lucas Hedges, Alexa Demie
What it’s about: Just go fucking see it.
My Take: This is one of those “less you know, the better” type of movies, but for my money this hits something really deep and true about the pains of living, about forgiveness, about family. The first half is a white knuckle, stress-ball clutching, fever dream, the second catharsis incarnate. This isn’t gonna dominate the conversation in the way many of these other films will, but I implore you – see it.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%
Oscar odds: Feels like it’s gonna get buried, but a Sterling Supporting Actor nom is possible.

3. THE IRISHMAN

Release Date: To be released November 27
Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci
What it’s about: The preeminent gangster film director gathers every actor who’s ever been in a gangster movie ever to make the longest gangster movie ever.
My Take: Martin Scorsese’s highly-anticipated Netflix movie is long as fuck, and all the better for it. I haven’t always been the biggest fan of this quintessentially American director, finding his flashy style too often undermining any profundity in his work. Here, however, he’s created perhaps his best film – an epic monument to all things Scorsese, wise guys, meat lockers, blood, guns, and spaghetti sauce, that (with the wisdom of a master in his latter years) reflects on the gangster genre as a whole, taking it to task for its inherent toxicity and asking the question – “Is this really all worth it?” Putting the nail in the coffin of the mob movie feels like an honor that should rest squarely in the hands of the genre’s preeminent filmmaker, but having this cast only makes it more powerful – De Niro and Pacino are extraordinary, and Pesci quite simply gives the performance of the year. Coming out of a 20 year retirement, he’s never been this good, this nuanced, this in command. His turn here is the movie in a nutshell – age, wisdom, and genre coalescing into American film mastery.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%
Oscar odds: Massive, massive player. Will be duking it out for Best Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor (almost guaranteed double nominee for Pesci and Pacino – I’m rooting for Pesci), as well as Adapted Screenplay and all below-the-line categories. Could be Netflix’s first Best Picture win, provided it can take down Tarantino.

2. MIDSOMMAR

Release Date: June 18
Director: Ari Aster
Starring: Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Will Poulter, William Jackson Harper, Vilhelm Blomgren
What it’s about: Never go on vacation with the Swedish.
My Take: Ari Aster exploded onto the scene with Hereditary and follows it up with exactly the kind of gonzo masterpiece we all deserve. Midsommar is just about as good as it gets – a boldly original, stunningly-conceived, beautifully-shot, expertly-performed darkly comedic fantasy that feels like an instant classic, like The Wizard of Oz meets Rosemary’s Baby. Enough said.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%
Oscar odds: Unfortunately, this seems like a no-go on all fronts.

1. PARASITE

Director: Bong Joon-ho
Starring: Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, Song Kang-ho, Hyae Jin Chang, Cho Yeo-jeong, Lee Sun Gyun
What it’s about: How to make a movie that fucks really hard.
My Take: Director Bong Joon-ho has been cranking out modern classics for a while now, but this year he has delivered his masterpiece. What is it about? It’s about a director at the height of his powers, the best ensemble of the year, and all of the elements of film-making coalescing into an entertaining ride that’s chock-full of ideas about family and aspiration in the 21st century. It’s also about peaches! The less you know the better… just see it.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99%
Oscar odds: Could be our first-ever foreign language Best Picture winner. A lock for Best International Feature, as well as directing and screenplay nods. Other likely nominations are Production Design, Editing, and Cinematography.

Also seen this year: Aladdin, Avengers: Endgame, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Blinded By the Light, Bombshell, Ford v Ferrari, Gemini Man, A Hidden Life, Honey Boy, I Lost My Body, Joker, Judy, The Lion King, Pain and Glory, The Peanut Butter Falcon, Serenity, The Two Popes

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