Best Movies of 2019 so far

[Chris Knipp]

Barack Obama's favorite films of 2019 list;

[Chris Knipp]

Chris Knipp’s ten best of 2019

1 Marriage Story
2. The Souvenir
3. Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood
4. 1917
5. Pain and Glory
6. Ash is Purest White
7. Uncut Gems
7. Knives Out
8. Little Women
9. Synonyms
10. Transit

Coming:
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Les Miserables

Also liked:
Under the Silver Lake (2018)

Favorite TV:
Fleabag (Amazon)
High Maintenance (HBO)
Succession (HBO
Chernobyl (HBO))
Dix pour cent/"Call My Agent" (Netflix)

To Be Added:
The Lighthouse

[Chris Knipp]

Esquire's 50 Best Films of 2019 (Nick Schager)

For full list go HERE

1. The Lighthouse
2. Marriage Sstory
3. The Irishman
4. Transit
5. A Hidden Life
6. Little Women
7. Uncut Gems
8.. Hagazussa
9. Under the Silver Lake
10. Climax
11. The Beach Bum
12. Gloria Bell
13. Monos
14. An Elephant Sitting Still
15. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
16. Diane
17. Apollo 11
18. The Souvenir
19. Long Day's Journey into NIght
20. In Fabric
21. Pain and Glory
22. Parasite
23. Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood
24. Ash Is Purest White
25. Birds of Passage
26. Shadow
27. John Wick: Chapter III - Parabellum
28. The Edge of Democracy
29. High Life
30. The Mountain

[tabuno]

I actually forgot this site existed. Been really busy with personal health issues and trying to get elected to the Utah House. Here's my mainstream movie list:

1. Rocketman (2019). Taron Egerton (2019 Golden Globe winner) stars and sings in this biopic musical that offers up a compelling, creative, and artistic depiction of Elton John’s life through both an absorbing storyline and a dazzling array of musical dance numbers. Reminiscent of the Oscar winning best picture Chicago (2002) in its brilliant display of innovative choreographed numbers, the multi-media display of a nominee for a Golden Globe for best musical or comedy Across the Universe (2007) and the heart throbbing excitement of the contemporaneous award-winning musical La La Land (2016). Rocketman does well in its powerful display of Elton’s many songs with its lyrics in sync with an easy to follow editing of the chronological story of Elton’s life from his terrible parents through to his sexuality and drug use and his struggle to become famous and then coping with his fame. The performances, the script, and the amazing creative endeavor all come together in a perfect fusion of sight and sound on the big screen. [Reviewed 6/2/2019]. 10/10.

2. Judy (2019). Oscar winning Renee Zellweger (2019 Oscar and Golden Globe winner and starred in Chicago 2002) portrays Judy Garland in an amazing and so authentic performance that is also Oscar-caliber material. The director Rupert Goold is spot on in an unusual narrative that isn’t really a traditional chronological story like John Elton’s Rocketman (2019). Instead Judy is a much more difficult execution that takes a slice of life Lost In Translation (2003) approach and instead of a cultural immersion into Japan, Judy immerses its audience into the very life of Judy towards the end of her life along with well executed flashbacks to enhance the present moments that Judy is presently experiencing on the screen. The naturalness and the excellent editing of everyday moments that emotional captivate makes this movie quite special in its complex but compelling delivery in both song and performance acting. [Reviewed 10/22/2019]. 10/10.

3. Hustlers (2019). Constance Wu who shot to fame for her starring role in the American Asian breakout film Crazy Rich Asian (2018) appears to have the lead role in this movie even though Jennifer Lopez has a starring role and the possibility of her receiving an Oscar nomination that has been talked up. This female directed and written movie by Lorene Scafaria along with co-producing credits going to Lopez and interestingly enough Will Ferrell displays on screen an edgy and authentically, finely balanced mood and tone film imbued with both sharp drama and a genuine comedic humor rarely enveloped into one movie. While there are a lot of titillating suggestive scenes, this movie avoids the glamorization of the striptease unlike that overly stylized in the musical and Oscar winning Chicago (2002). Instead Hustlers focuses on a raw look at women living a life that is both hard and reflective of the struggle that every woman faces, including the responsibility of caring for one another and their children. This amazing and compelling experience of a slice of life is powerful and sensitive portrayal of the connections and the travails of the lives of what seems to amount to be essentially single women living in a high-stakes life in an effort to survive. The only weaknesses that stand out are the absence of a more descriptive understanding of Wu’s interaction with her boyfriend and their evolving relationship and Lopez’s apparent willingness to retain a connection with one of her more questionable hustlers. [Reviewed 9/15/2019]. 9/10.

4. Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019). Quentin Tarantino’s homage to the film (2019 Golden Globe best screenplay) industry of fifty years ago, to the brief sparkle of life of Sharon Tate, and one fictional story of an actor becoming a has been played by Leonardo Dicaprio and his stunt man sidekick played by Brad Pitt (2019 Oscar and Golden Globe winner) becomes a rather bittersweet in a good way experience so intermingled with nostalgia that any review might be inseparable from those old enough to have actually lived through the many joyous and melancholic moments displayed on the big screen. This is a rather amazing and detailed visceral production of movie making behind the scenes along with the personas writ large that evoke deeper sad and happy emotions that even perhaps goes beyond even the extravagant and powerful presentation by Dicaprio in The Revenant (2015). Quentin’s is also intriguing storyline in how he blends separate character storylines in ways that avoid mainstream expectations. There is both a carefully crafted, photographed choreography by the director and a stunning, intimate display of acting, especially by Dicaprio. As almost in a fairy tale dream, this story offers up a memorable but haunting story about the life of actors and the historical outcomes of what life could be. Without having lived the sixties, it is almost impossible to really know how this movie really instills the rich, provocative history to those that never experienced it. A biased, yes biased, commendation to a movie of yesteryear brought back to rich living life in sweeping but well cared for dramatic fashion. [Reviewed 7/28/2019]. 9/10.

5. JoJo Rabbit (2019). Taika Waititi, director and screenplay writer (2019 Best Oscar Adapted Screenplay), as well as co-star has created an artful, wily serio-comic period movie that brings Adolph Hitler as an imaginary friend to the big screen. This carefully balanced tragic-comedy boldly incorporates fabulous performances from Waititi as Adolph Hitler with some entertaining dialogue that refuses to descend to mere dumb and stupid humor. This well-paced and at times even suspenseful movie even contains some sobering scenes about Germany’s World War II and its tragic consequences. At the same time though there is an exuberance and playfulness of youth cut short and found again, the retention of hope and delight even as an adult experiencing traumatic times as displayed by Scarlett Johansson as the mother. Jo Jo, the young aspiring Nazi, played by Roman Griffin Davis brings a solid and endearing performance to the film. Without much in the way of spectacular special effects, Adolph Hitler’s antics and physical comedic behavior brings back Charlie Chaplin in style and humor. The witty and well written screenplay forms the basis of this quality and impressive experience that JoJo Rabbit gifts its audience. One of the best and most delicate of comedy-dramas in years. [Reviewed 11/3/2019]. 9/10.

6. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019). Director Marielle Heller brings Tom Hanks to the screen as Fred Rogers in a fascinating supporting role and a personally, riveting, and compelling one-minute of silence that deeply resonates. It’s also the adapted screenplay inspired by the real life Tom Junod that is transformed by the fictional addition of a fight between son and father that somehow captures an important elemental piece of Fred Roger’s existential existence without which the movie might not have had the emotive intensity to make it sufficiently inviting to audiences. Heller also introduces a series of surrealistic scenes from Mr. Roger’s rebuilt sets that blend back and forth into the real world on screen as well as an extended scene which the primary character of Tom Junod’s alter ego in the movie, Lloyd Vogel seems to enter into an intriguing Mr. Robert’s neighborhood sequence. Overall, this otherwise typical movie is enhanced by efforts to bring the audience a movie with more intimate emotional depth and numerous creative cinematography and photographic design that raises this movie’s qualitative ambitions and relative sociological and personal value as a film. [Reviewed 1/26/2020]. 8/10.

7. The Upside (2019, USA release date). Drama. Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston along with Nicole Kidman in a supporting role star in this apparent drama of a rich quadriplegic needing an auxiliary helper, starkly in contrast to the deceptive trailer depicting this movie as a comedy. This movie is one of the few instances where Hart’s character comes across so much of an asshole and jerk in both the immediate current time frame and the following flashback that takes up almost the entire rest of the movie in the first five or ten minutes of the movie that supposedly foretells how bad this movie is to become but actually doesn’t. Instead this stunning movie with its storyline somehow evolves and merges right back onto itself by the end in such a compelling way that The Upside actually becomes one of the most stirring and dramatically powerful movie in years. There is some remote resemblance to The Blind Side (2009) in which a young homeless African American is taken in by a well to do white family. But unlike The Blind Side, The Upside somehow introduces Hart’s rather unique comedic side in various funny episodes which allows him to show off a rather restrained and remarkable humorous presentation. Yet it is in the dramatically heightened performances that the icy tension and stirring and powerful relational moments become movie gems. The Upside is bold in its delivery, hard-hitting in its emotional, human dilemmas. Kudos must also go to Nicole Kidman who offers up a very restrained and surprisingly sensitively strong and feminine presence on the screen that supports and never upstages Hart nor Cranston, one of the stronger supporting roles in recent memory. There appears to be absolutely no downside to this movie, except the terrible trailer that fails to capture the nature of this movie and also includes a sliver of a spoiler much to the discredit of the marketing people behind this movie. [Reviewed 1/16/2019]. 10/10.

8. Dumbo (2019). George Clooney’s Tomorrowland (2015) has arrived in more than one way. Firstly, the special effects technology of tomorrow has arrived today and developed sufficiently to offer the audience a seamless experience of animated animals and razzmatazz to engage with the audience without ever appearing to be obviously special effects. The audience can immerse themselves in both the live action performances, the natural setting, and the script without ever having to become distracted by technology. CGI has finally found its proper place, as an amazing background to the greatly enhance production of the story itself. Secondly, the darker themes presented to the audience makes this a wonderful family fantasy drama for young children that Tomorrowland offered its young adult audience in a science fiction format. The story is pungent with themes of loss, including references to the flu epidemic of 1919, about relationships between parents and children, about corporate greed and animal abuse, and personally begins in Sarasota, Florida where I spent several months at New College in my late teens many years ago. Perhaps the only dissonance that possibly occurs during this movie is Michael Keaton’s casting as Vandavere whose personality is sublimely, elegantly rough and coarse. These universal themes resonate even today, perhaps, even more so as our current civilization has forgotten the epidemic tragedies of the past that could so easily sweep up against us again or how we can cope when something really important is torn away from us, and the importance of acknowledging the old and new connections between people and family. This emotionally infused movie is delightful, exciting, and a worthy contribution to the stable of films. [Reviewed 3/31/2019]. 9/10.

9. Gemini Man (2019). Ang Lee has set a new bar for precision and life-like 3-D projection onto the movie screen. It’s really difficult to review this movie as to determine whether or not the amazing clarity of the photography like Avatar (2009) a decade in the past allowed the backdrop of the movie to rival the actual performance and storyline of the movie itself and to impact the rating of this film. However, Will Smith’s performance along with his CGI counterpart (that foretells a revolutionary transformation in how the role of movie stars are managed in the future) do offer some very emotive and relational elements that offer this movie a distinctive and compelling storyline. The humanity of the movie comes across as well as the action thrills making this movie a well-rounded and intriguing, engrossing experience. Ang Lee has brought elements of Kurt Russell’s Soldier (1998) and Hitman: Agent 47 (2015), along with an amazing visual technology into a film that becomes a distinctive action thriller. The few weaknesses remain such as the idealistic 100% virtual movie experience of which Ang Lee has almost achieved, except for a few remaining near and far away focus issues, the lack of the ideal projection system now available in most movie theaters to take advantage Ang Lee’s superior camera work, and some of the not quite so convincing action sequences on the motorcycle and later in the catacombs that almost seem more like videogames than movie production scenes. Overall, Ang Lee has brought a refreshing, very entertaining and quite improved dynamic to action thrillers. [Reviewed 10/11/2019]. 9/10.

10. Toy Story 4 (2019). There is something of the same entertaining and emotional connectivity as Incredibles 2 (2018). There’s a point in Toy Story 4 (2019 Oscar winner) that made it appear that this sequel would be decent if not great movie, but then later on as the movie literally worn on, it became stronger and stronger until by the end the compelling and heart-felt storyline blossomed fully by the end of the movie. There is an important conceptual insight about the perceptions and assumptions about human nature that oddly enough results from an animated feature about toys themselves. This is a solid, funny, sad, and humanly amazing experience about both toys, human beings, and relationships. [Reviewed 6/23/2019]. 9/10.

11. Ready or Not (2019). In the same style as Kate Winslet’s The Dressmaker (2016) and Nicole Kidman’s Dogville (2004), this very dark comedy horror movie maintains the difficult balance between grotesque and weirdly appealing immorality of evil death. The script and director successfully maintain a difficult but nicely paced movie along with an amazing absence of overly imbued supernatural features. Instead Ready or Not holds the audience attention more for its humanness than monsterness. The lead character played by Samara Weaving is allowed to perform with a more realistic and Hitchcockian motif using scary elements of timing, audience expectation, well-deserved cinematography, and music to create a technically well-crafted scary movie. For the most part, the movie is well-tied together with a compelling sprinkle of twists and delicious sordidness. Except for perhaps a tinge of the loss of the fun balance of darkness and comedy towards the last half of the movie, it still ends with a nice sense of humor. [Reviewed 9/8/2019]. 9/10.

Honorable Mention

1917 (2020). Sam Mendes has put together a compelling immersive film experience by a seemingly continuous moving camera record of two soldiers assigned the job of saving a battalion of 1,600 soldiers from a German entrapment and potential bloodbath. This is the second major film to provide its audience with a one streaming shot experience, the first being Alejandro G. Iñárritu's Birdman (2014). There is a lot to commend here in terms of cinematography reminiscent of some of the best war and survival movies from the best directors in the business, including: Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan (1998), a rescue mission set in World War II Germany and War Horse (2011), an animal story set in cruel trench warfare of World War I; Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s The Revenant (2015) a period survival, revenge piece the wilderness; Ron Howard’s The Missing (2003) a rugged and stark Western rescue story; Ridley Scott’s Black Hawk Down (2001) a contemporary military rescue effort in war-torn Somalia; Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now (1979) a horrifying, intense Vietnam War story; John Ford’s, Henry Hathaway’s, George Marshall’s How The West Was Won (1962), an epic Western classic; John Sturges’s The Great Escape (1963) an escape attempt from a notorious World War II prison camp; and even Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto (2006), a story of survival in the perilous jungles of the declining Mayan empire. What is fascinating is the parallel to the breathtaking, pulsating science fiction thriller of Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity (2013) a survival story in outer space. The camera work, the music, the storyline of survival and loss are intense in both these movies. What minor flaws or manipulative script devices that occur in 1917, can be somewhat forgiven: the coincidences of the terrible circumstances and friendly soldiers that may be nearby, a mouse and tripwire, an obvious overlooked advantage the protagonist had in regards to a potential duel with a silhouette who becomes an enemy soldier. Mendes comes close to transforming this movie into but somehow avoids turning it into an extended virtual amusement thrill ride experience. Whether or not this war movie will join the ranks of Black Hawk Down or Kevin Costner’s Dances with Wolves or Sam Mendes’ own war movie Jar Head (2005), only time with time as the technology and cinematography continues to innovate to bring fresh and exciting visual and audio experiences to the audience. [Reviewed 1/20/2020]. 8/10.

Ad Astra (2019). Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, and Donald Sutherland star in this sci fi, psychological thriller. This gorgeous visual extravaganza on the scale and look of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Ad Astra attempts to replicate the big screen space drama of the likes of Gravity (2013) and Interstellar (2014). The beginning space scenes are strongly reminiscent of the commercialization of space and how sharply distinctively the cinematography resembles that of Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 work. What makes this movie more intriguing is the strong father-son relational aspect. However, this movie suffers from an exploitative script that both underwhelms and overwhelms the audience in various ways even as the amazing special effects literally explode on film. The audience becomes unnecessarily confused without more narrative or explanation about the geo-politics and the state of the world and Moon. The drama that takes place on the Moon is rather unconvincing and rather manipulative in its depiction more along the lines of an action movie instead of the more believable drama that occurs in Black Hawk Down (2001) or We Were Soldiers (2002). Even the moon parallel or actually different mode of travel as shown in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) makes the idea of the drama that occurs on the Moon in this movie even less convincing than it would actually have occurred in the way it did. The landing on Mars as shown in Ad Astra might also be somewhat suspect, especially considering thinness of the Mar’s atmosphere. The distress call scene is both overkill and yet in some ways well done for its horror-like tension, though it’s hard to believe that either the Captain or Brad Pitt’s character would have been the ones to actually directly investigate the SOS distress call. While the special emphasis on the relational psychological impact was worthy, it still didn’t seem as consistently or sufficiently developed as could be. Solaris (1972, 2002) and Moon (2009) offer a more poignant relational and psychological depiction. As for the ending, several alternative endings may have been worth considering including whether or not to follow in one’s father’s footsteps. Even the actual conclusion of this movie could have been cut earlier and having an even better impact or the transition towards the actual ending could have been improved with better fleshed out scenes between father and son. Overall, this visually amazing movie in the company of similar such major sci fi movies doesn’t completely succeed with its somewhat inconsistent and weaker storyline as it was developed. While Brad Pitt does a commendable job in this movie, it feels like he could have done much better if he hadn’t been so constrained by the script as it was written. The script needed a least one more do over before it could have been made into what might have easily been the best sci fi movie of the year. [Reviewed 9/22/2019]. 8/10.

Alita (2019). This digitally enhanced human actress sci fi action movie makes its mark as coming closer and closer to breaking the artificial animated characters barrier (as with Avatar, 2009) threatening to take the place of live actors in the near future of movie making in the years to come. This rather sophisticated movie full of derivative elements from a number of classic sci fi movies brings to the big screen a rather good emotional and cerebral manipulation of compelling human sensitivities. This movie resembles a composite of movies including: Robocop (1987) and mechanical war machines; Soldier (1998) and a garbage planet; Serenity (2005) or Hannah (2011), and Ghost in the Shell (2017) and enhanced assassins; Star Trek: First Contact (1996) and the Borg Queen; Ready One Player (2018) and futurist cities and; Elysium (2013) or Insurgent (2015) and bifurcated worlds. In many ways this populist movie caters to the appealing but stereotypical black and white emotional triggers inherent in the movie going audience. One example is the over-emphasis of mechanical replacement limbs that seem to be everywhere in the movie. Nevertheless, this movie is a contradiction in that even though really unoriginal and oozing with drama appeal to the masses over a more award-winning authenticity, the script retains credible pacing, audience interest as its supposed to, and incorporates a nicely accomplished fusion of elements from other movies. [Reviewed 2/19/2019]. 8/10.

Anna (2019). This Luc Besson multi-twist on his classic female assassin thriller 1990s La Femme Nikita which personally was actually improved upon by John Badham’s 1993 American version entitled “Point of No Return” incorporates among the most twists of any thriller movie. Even more amazing, all the twists really work and the audience is able to easily comprehend each one and so can enjoy the film even more by just sitting and experiencing the delicious sensation of all the new reveals in this somewhat complex movie. Using a multitude of flashbacks which ultimately and surprisingly work, the audience is made aware of the real story behind what seems to be occurring on screen and the audience is led to relive many extended scenes from a different perspective. There are a number of parallels between Anna and La Femme Nikita/Point of No Return. Luc Besson has extended the psychic drama of the female assassin even further in this new version of the female good/bad persona. Besson doesn’t spend a lot of time on specialized training as in his original work leaving a lot of room for the many interplays between Russian and American intelligence agencies in the field, with the American’s presence actually seemingly dissipating from the movie for awhile but coming back with a vengeance later. Besson at two places in the movie appears to have fallen into the trap of the current violent mayhem fashions of the latest spy movies such as John Wick 3 (2019) or Hitman 47 (2015). Such scenes seem to be a sort of fantastic stylized Kill Bill Vol 1 (2003) and for Anna seems to be a little overkill to be taken seriously. To give credit to Besson, his choreographed fight scenes are deliciously photographed and well prepared, even standing out a bit from the many bloody shoot outs recently seen in other movies including Brian Miller’s The Prince (2014) or Edward Zwicks’ Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016). The plot in some ways takes from the more moody and psychological spy thriller Fred Schepisi’s The Russia House (1990) adapted from the spy master novelist John le Carré and then adds its own attempt to create an intricately plotted spy movie but with a lot more sustained action. The more convoluted relational aspects of this movie also provide a more juicy and intriguing set of humanistic circumstances. Overall, this movie is well executed and almost becomes its own classic, almost setting a new bar for espionage movies. Susha Luss as a new refreshing face and performer brings a nice vitality and picturesqueness to her role. Yet there are few shots that either she or the director miss in terms of the sustained, expected professional character of her role even though the movie is supposed to have a renewed focus on an assassin as a human being. Especially problematic is a pivotal scene where she is confronted with the possibility of a point-blank death. And the ending is solid and creative, it just doesn’t quite have that amazing, huge breakthrough that would make this movie into a new class of its own. [Reviewed 6/24/2019]. 8/10.

Avengers: Endgame (2019). More is not always better and a lot more is definitely mind-bogglingly hard to wrap one’s senses around. After a slow build that effuses with emotional and relational devastation the movie that turns towards a building resolution with multiple scenes of bravery and sometimes sacrifice. With so many super characters and subplots, it’s pretty difficult to really absorb the more intimate prolonged exposure that most dramatic movies offer. There are numerous attempts of pushing the audience’s emotional buttons that abound in this superhero finale and in that effort there are a number of typical and well-execute ploys by scriptwriters to milk the scenes for all their worth. This grab bag of personas and dramatic and comedic turmoil all come together in a pretty full package that at times bulges at the seams. This is a movie that tries really hard to encompass the full panoply of the Marvel Universe which is likely too big for just one or perhaps two full length films to capture comprehensively or adequately. But nice, if impossible try. [Reviewed 4/30/2019]. 8/10.

Captain Marvel (2019). In a rather surprising turnaround, what seemed mostly a good, but not really that great superhero movie turned on its afterburners for the last twenty minutes of the movie to make quite a show of it. Most of this movie was pretty much simplified overkill, token humor, and a lot of show off special effects, action sequences that really felt like a pretty masculine derivative. The tone of the movie also uncharacteristically wavered some during the first half of the movie. A disoriented and disjointed first half of the movie which was supposedly part of the nature of the storyline of this movie, but it wasn’t effectively presented. With a little bit of Ender’s Game (2013) intrigue the movie twist was pretty effective, if not stunning along with a smidgen of reverse ethnic psychology. The observable 3-D technological enhancement continues to progress helping to offer an almost awesome display of immersive reality. Not quite there yet. Overall, this movie almost didn’t come through and can’t really be considered a complete success owing to its rather average beginning. But the storyline and the ending performances shine resulting in of the few movies to make it out of its crash dive with a stunning and heartful conclusion that just barely earns a nine out of ten. [Reviewed 3/12/2019]. 9/10.

Charlie’s Angels (2019). This newest version has the girls more chic, more sharp, and more authentically vulnerable which makes this version somewhat better. The twists in this Charlie’s Angels kept coming, some predictable, some not. Perhaps the turn of events were such that some audience members frowned on the outcome making this newest outing the worst box office performance in the franchise history. Maybe the twists became too confusing or disturbing. Or making the Angels more vulnerable might have been off-putting. One of the few weaknesses like using an over-powering 50 caliber Gatling gun that didn’t seem to make any real big holes in the Angels getaway vehicle and unable to literally destroying it may have been too damaging to the credibility of the film. Maybe only having two primary Angels carrying the load instead of the three Angels that prior films used may have put a limp in the usual expected action, while a Bosley and a client took slightly different roles. However, the snappy, contemporary humor was finely balanced into a much more edgy Angel version (quite an accomplishment in itself) where deaths seemed to puncture that tonality of earlier Charlie’s Angels films. Yet it is this edginess, contemporary updated vernacular, and the more plausible yet well executed action fighting scenes made for a cleaner and more appreciative theatrical experience. Ultimately there is a more human and meaningful feminine touch (even more so than In Like Flint (1967), especially towards the end that help to lift up the qualitative depth of this movie version. Less entertainment, more sophisticated humor and authentic action. [Reviewed 11/30/2019]. 8/10.

Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019). This adaptation of the popular cartoon series brings to the big screen an upbeat and lavish story that is bubbly, optimistic with a good message in this entertaining comedic adventure. The central character of Dora is infectious and inviting with her authentic and valuable intelligent naivety. Her ability to make friends and her ability to both physically and mentally bore through obstacles instills hope and encouragement as a model to younger audiences. This is a decent and fun movie, sort of a Mr. Rogers in the wild. [Reviewed 12/29/2019]. 8/10.

The Highwaymen (2019). Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson star in this serious crime thriller about the hunt for Bonnie and Clyde, the notorious crime couple who along with their gang robbed banks, killing police officers during The Depression of the thirties. This thriller focuses on the lives of two former Texas Rangers, Frank Hamer and B.M. "Maney" Gault who endeavor to take Bonnie and Clyde down. With amazing shots of the flat landscapes of middle America, Texas, and Louisiana and the rural poverty and dilapidation of the Depression, this relatively low-key non-action oriented and deliberately under-dramatized version of Bonnie and Clyde is somber and strangely riveting for its unorthodox portrayal of crime fighting unlike the typical, mainstream popularized crime action movie, even Costner’s own starring role in The Untouchables (1987). For those who askew constant action and violence and instead looking for a more sedate and psychological bent to a period crime movie, then The Highwaymen is a solid production. [Reviewed 4/7/2019]. 8/10.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019). This sequel to the 2014 fantasy original offers up a more emotional intense and mature movie that contains more malevolent violence as well as deeper feelings of betrayal as well as binding love. The basic elements of the original are retained including the glorious musical accompaniment but many of the details and characters seem quite different. The dramatic stakes are raised to a level almost too graphic for younger audience members while at the same time evolving along with the maturity level of those children who saw and remember the original movie. The end result is a solid and meaningful contribution to the 2014 original and nicely complements it without being a mere copy nor just more of the same. [Reviewed 10/19/2019]. 8/10.

Parasite (2019). 2019 Best Picture Oscar. This supposedly best film of 2019 South Korean venture into mystery, comedic thrills is for some hard to digest with not so likeable characters. There are grifters and then there are likeable grifters like Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988), The Grifters (1990), and Heartbreakers (2001). This movie in a fascinating way has similarities to an “evil” version of The Pink Panther (1963) or a more frightening chilly version of The Ice Storm (1997). Over time, the movie does seem to increase in its compelling mystery including a number of well-done tense scenes and twists. It’s problematic though that such talented grifters would be living in such a disheveled, shoddy accommodations almost as if the director scripted it that way for dramatic effect and the father’s outrageous behavior at the end seems a little over the top without real sense of consistency with the storyline, except again to adhere to some dramatic script design to impress critics or audience members. Admittedly this movie succeeds in its intensity and captivating ambiance while building a sense of off-balanced comedy psychological drama. Yet the overall impact is an unsympathetic resonance that while attractive is also quite repulsive. [Reviewed 12/28/2019]. 8/10.

Polar (2019). Overall, this movie starts well but eventually descends into a more mundane finish with a sort of interesting twist that still felt unfinished. This Netflix production of the assassin genre presents a youthful, techno-film (with a distant resemblance initially to some of the art work from last year’s Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse) commingled with a more sedate, independent movie cinematography. By the end, the movie has lost its originality and the hoped for amazing twist just seems to be a cute afterthought that seems to go nowhere, except for the unlikely sequel. Other similar movies include The Prince (2014) especially with Bruce Willis in his antagonist role; Tokyo Tribe (2014) for its sadistic stylized Japanese gang violence; Dune (1984) for its evil Baron Harkonen. Also V for Vendetta (2005) is another nicely stylized, polished movie about revenge on a huge scale. Interestingly, this movie also has an echo of the ultimately lone hero from the sci fi movie Oblivion (2013) and Hanna (2011) about an adolescent female assassin. [Reviewed 1/30/2019; 11/23/2019 moved to Honorable Mention from Good]. Note the performance by Vanessa Hudgens in comparison to her performances in The Knight Before Christmas (2019) or Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012). 7/10.

Terminator: Dark Fate (2019). Linda Hamilton, age 63, is to be commended for her starring performance. She really offered up a solid and smooth maturing character display on screen. The typical who’s good and bad start like earlier Terminator versions was effective, but the early going seemed to be almost too derivative except for the stark and hard-edged physical violence that the movie began with which seemed to be superior stunt action and cinematography work than the original Terminator movies. With a bit of a confusing plot outline that really should be explained in order to avoid unnecessary early mental gyrations which shouldn’t be considered spoilers but plot corrections: This Terminator movie appears to start off where the original 1984 movie left off as if the rest of the series didn’t happen. Some of the dialogue especially during the first half, seemed just a bit to common, almost like a kindly, older gentlemen had written the script. Some of the dialogue could have been sharper and edgier. There is also a scene where instead of blowing up a house, it’s left intact so anybody could go through it for clues. Nevertheless, the action and the persistent bad Terminator is almost continuous with one action scene after another action scene and somehow most of it somehow seemed dramatically and theatrically believable. The tension between Sarah Connors (Hamilton) and later in the movie an important older character is meaningful and nicely accomplished. Overall, this Terminator version is solid, entertaining, along with a touching emotional whisper of some of the finer Terminator predecessor movies. Yet, there are just some few elements that could have been improved that would have provided a nicely shining polished finish to the movie. [Reviewed 10/31/2019]. 8/10.

Good But Failed to Make the Grade

Aladdin (2019). With musical elements oddly reminiscent of the most recent and compelling James Bond’s melodies along with the television hyped musical series such as Glee, Aladdin presents a sort of glorified musical version of those 50s movies attempts at ethnic diversity, but with mixed results. There are several points in the movie where the editing and transition between a some of the later scenes seem rough and uneven. Wil Smith as the genie along with his accompanying dazzling special effects really maintains the energy for this movie and offers up his own Robin Williams antics that has Smith’s imprint solidly established in his own right. Jasmin’s strong woman’s character is undeniable and the musical and singing performances are decent from the original animated version, if not all memorable as could be said of the contemporaneous and memorable music from movie Rocketman (2019), the biopic of Elton John. [Reviewed 6/5/2019]. 7/10.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019). This action thriller starring two of the bona fide action stars, Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham starts out smart and deliciously edgy. Yet it eventually descends into a predictable, repetitive, mindless endeavor of special effects and R-rated Disney adventure rides on the big screen. Yes, the scriptwriters attempted the emotional, relational connections to try to give the movie more substance, but in the end, Hobbs & Shaw became boring in places and stale in some of its more and more staged productions. This Predator (1987) meets a less intelligent version of The Hitman's Bodyguard (2017) which had Ryan Reynold’s snappy performance underused in this Fast & Furious spin-off. While the stunts were amazing, they have come of the point of being overly staged, trying to outdo all the past action movies. The scriptwriters have also pressed the envelope of logical, reasonable believability with holes developing in the plot development, such how the female lead can so easily and conveniently escape in the opening scene. A decent, but not totally convincing nor engrossing action movie. [Reviewed 8/7/2019]. 7/10.

Hustle, The (2019). Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson star in this feminine version of Michael Caine and Steve Martin’s Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) comedic grifters movie. Along with Heartbreakers (2001) starring Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt, The Hustle offers up the sophisticated and the crude approaches to pilfering off the mostly unsuspecting male of the species. We have had the female Ghostbusters (2016) and the female Ocean’s Eight (2018) that also co-starred Anne Hathaway. Anne is back again to bolster the female reign of comedy with an unfortunate accent to her voice that just doesn’t quite ring true. But she does get to show off her usual talent for underplayed comedy and a nice diversity of character performances. Rebel Wilson gets to show off her more vulgar behavior like Melissa McCarthy undertook in the comedy crime thriller The Heat (2013) with Sandra Bullock. Somehow Chris Addison manages to keep the mixed personality comedy together where Anne and Rebel scenes come together to retain an acceptable, fluid dynamics without becoming annoyingly repugnant or overly crass. There isn’t much new in this female version to Dirty Rotten Scoundrel’s and even the ending of The Hustle seems somewhat diminished and derivative. Yet there are moments that shine, especially regarding the innocent mark who provides a good performance. This is an entertaining and fun summer movie that while not in any way really remarkable is competently directed, nicely performed in a risky movie genre oftentimes quite difficult to accomplish well. [Reviewed 5/24/2019]. 7/10.

John Wick Chapter 3 (2019). There may be a point when martial art, continuous movie violence, and stunt action on film becomes almost an overdone video game instead of an artful movie. With this third iteration, Keanu Reeve’s seems to have relied almost too heavily on a stunt director who is unable to maintain a consistent, reliable movie fantasy tone as better accomplished by Aleksander Bach’s Hitman: Agent 47 (2015) or Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003). There were several scenes where it appeared that John Wick somehow avoided being killed because the stunt action either goofed or the script attempted to be just too coy and cute allowing John to escape certain death. There were several scenes where the assassins that John encountered significantly became less adept at fighting from their earlier appearances or as in one scene with motorcycles, while John was permitted to use a gun, his opponents were oddly restricted to only using swords. In a strangely predictable twist towards the end, the movie plot outline seemed to attempt to please a larger audience incorporating both hardcore nasty shocking character denouements while also providing for a more pleasant audience experience which only seemed to result in a lazy compromise in scriptwriting. There are a number of nice tender, emotive points in the movie and a modicum of expressive qualitative moments, but overall, this action movie doesn’t quite have the same depth and integrity as the previous two Wick movies. This third Wick movie had the basic outline for a really creative and powerful action movie, but it took the easier video game approach interspersed with a few human moments and overly cute inserts. [Reviewed 5/17/2019]. 7/10.

Little Women (2019). With fresh, innocent eyes and mind that never experienced a “Little Women” movie or novel, this apparently seventh version of the well-read book by little women themselves seems to offer a rather difficult to follow movie. Too many jumps, flashbacks, and chaos seem to reign, chaos while understandably a part of living with the March family becomes a rather unsettling blur to the uninitiated. What is strikingly and perversely amusing is that even the author of this well received movie, Louisa May Alcott agreed that even her book that so many movies were based on was not a work that she enjoyed writing, never liked girls, and that the book in fact was “dull.” When compared to Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice, especially the 1995 television mini-series, this Little Women perhaps unfairly doesn’t provide the newly initiated audience with an easy flowing and immersive experience. Admittedly the performance of Saoirse Ronan stands out with her Elizabeth Bennet-like fierce character, albeit Elizabeth Bennet had an even more of cultural restrictions on women. [Reviewed 12/25/2019]. 7/10.

Wonder Park (2019). This fanciful animated movie that interlocks a child’s imagination with the creation of an imaginary but perhaps actually real wonderful, almost magical park seems to lose a bit in its lack of a compelling engaging nature of animation as depicted on the screen. Unlike Toy Story 4 which offers up an even more sharp, detailed rendition of life like characters having much more distinct line between animated real life characters and the imaginary animated characters in Wonder Park seem to distance the audience from becoming more directly involved in the movie. In Last Action Hero (1993) a fun superhero action movie has a real boy enters into the world of a fictional movie world and remains more compelling because of its reality-tinged depiction. In contrast, George Clooney’s more vivid and compelling live action sci fi Tomorrowland (2015) immerses its audience in the much more real, yet intertwining divergent future reality. There is a lot of emphasis on action to propel this movie forward with less of a direct threat to the entire planet earth than Tomorrowland. Even so, the dazzling animated Inside Out (2015) while not involving a dramatic threat to the entire world still retains its intensity of emotional connection to its characters by its very nature sustained in the movie while also introducing a continuing series of action scenes throughout the movie. My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend (2010) is an amazing example of a funny romantic comedy based on the interaction of writing and how it can become real. Even Christopher Robin (2018) has a fanciful charm where storybook characters can interact well with real people on the screen that involves deeper human emotions and interesting storylines without the continued use of action. Or take the imaginative Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) or Welcome to Warwen (2018). where adult men can also have a fascinating life both real and unreal on the big screen. Perhaps the definitive live action fantasy movie might be Robin Wright’s performance as herself in an amazing fusion of live action and animation in Congress (2013 which may never be replicated or approached again in its depiction of its subject matter. Overall Wonder Park is fun, entertaining, and theme park derived, with its heart and playfulness in the right places. It just could have been better designed and portrayed. [Reviewed 7/3/2019]. 7/10.

Yesterday (2019). Sci-Fi, Fantasy Comedy, Musical. It’s hard to classify Yesterday. It prominently uses Beatle’s lyrics and song. It’s funny but with a twinge of melancholy. And mostly it’s a fantasy of what ifs. It’s also predictable with a sad whimsical elemental surprise towards the end. For Beatle purists, this movie would be hard to accept and enjoy. Somehow the interplay between Beatle songs and the movie plot doesn’t quite run smoothly and easily play out like Across the Universe (2007). Nor does Yesterday incorporate the creative movie magic that Across the Universe used with a compelling lavish way. This alternative reality fantasy appears to be a somewhat new take on the more oftentimes comedic or dramatized versions of reality such as John Candy’s Delirious (1991) or Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle series (2015) which make more of their own focused intensity in their delivery. This fusion of so many genres coming together in Yesterday ultimately changes the movie into more of an experimental film genre in progress. As a musical Yesterday doesn’t sustain the intimacy of lengthy sweeping musical pieces as experienced in Rocketman (2019), La La Land (2016), Les Miserable, or Chicago (2002). Overall, the movie stands on its own, in its own way, but as a tribute to the Beatles, only the Beatles themselves can really authentically hit the original notes of emotional integrity with their own tributes. [7/16/2019]. 7/10.

Zombieland: Double Tap (2019). This comedy horror movie comes just in time (released October 18) for Halloween offers up a light, but reasonably violent, and only a few scary pulsing moments to entertain its audience. The humor dialogue was well written, the all the characters including the undead are charming or endearingly gross. Not quite as compelling and embracing as Warm Bodies (2013), Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone offer solid performances for the genre. [Reviewed 10/20/2019]. 7/10.

Disappointments

The Alien Warfare (2019). This low-budget sci fi military mystery thriller attempts to exude a superior script, yet it can’t manage to avoid the many clichés and standard dialogue that traps it into an average typical sci fi movie that doesn’t offer much new. There are hints and suggestions and efforts to bring to the screen that will allow this military search team ordered to check out the strange break off in communication with a secret lab operated by the United States government to be something better than the rest. But just because the President of the United States has requested specifically this supposedly amazingly brilliant special ops team of four, doesn’t mean the movie will be better. In the style of Dwayne Johnson’s Doom (2005) and Ghost of Mars (2001), there is the supposedly the scary exploration into the unknown along with a relational turmoil among brothers that may resolve itself predictably. There is the female specialist who knows more than she lets on as already portrayed in one of the best of its sci fi/horror genre The Devil’s Tomb (2008). Unfortunately, the creative inspiration runs dry so that the classic substantive clout of the movie is lost unlike those established already as far back as Forbidden Planet (1956) and more recently achieved in Aliens (1986) and Alien: Resurrection (1997), and Sphere (1998). Better analogous films instead of Alien Warfare would be the more passive, but nevertheless intriguing Wavelength (1983) or even Alien Hunter (2003). This movie doesn’t offer the realism nor vicarious intensity of such movies as The Andromeda Strain (1971) or the more brilliantly produced Arrival (2016) or Annihilation (2018). Overall, Alien Warfare comes across as decently scripted, acceptably performed, but lacking in terms of qualitative innovations and freshness required of sci fi movies these days. [Reviewed 6/27/2019]. 6/10.

Santa Girl (2019). There something that just doesn’t work in this movie. There are cheesy performances and scenes, distracting changes in photographic techniques that don’t appear to have any artistic value. The editing and shot selections sometimes seem jostled and cobbled together. Even some of the dialogue and acting seem haphazard and spontaneous but not in a good comedic way. While the story outline held promise, the script needed a lot more work. The typical triangle of one girl and two boys doesn’t come across the screen in smooth way as they struggle to relate to one another, it’s almost as if the actors themselves were unsure of how to play their parts. It’s not that the movie is a tangled mess, the plot somehow holds together and the effort to make this a palatable movie is more than apparent, it’s just that it doesn’t quite come together as a finished product. It’s not absolutely terrible and it may be worth seeing if one is really bored and there don’t seem to be many other options. [Reviewed 4/19/2020]. 4/10.

Terrible

None.

Haven’t Seen Yet


Bombshell (2019). About the life and fall of Roger Ailes of FOX news fame.

The Irishman (2019, Netflix).

Marriage Story (2019, Netflix).

The Two Popes (2019, Netflix). Anthony Hopkins as Pope Paul XVI and Jonathan Pryce as Pope Francis to be.

[Chris Knipp]

tabuno - first, best wishes for your health and good luck with your political campaign. This list is nothing less than two dozen reviews, so too much to read in one go, but skimming it I was impressed by your observation about PARASITE, that if they're such skilled grifters as they're made out to be in the movie, how can they be living in such a shabby, lowlife habitation? I hadn't thought of that, but you're right. I hope you see and like MARRIAGE STORY.

[tabuno]

I am in the minority of those who loved Harrison Ford's voice over narrative in Bladerunner. It seemed to fit the whole film noir of the classical 50s crime thriller. Yet we'll have to see if I can get through what I found to be a useless, lazy voice over narration at the beginning of both Marriage Story and The Irishman. I attempted to start watching both films on Netflix and I just wanted to plug my ears and somehow struggle through the beginning scenes, but I couldn't. Maybe like the Frank Herbert's Dune, I'll eventually be able to reach the point of really getting through both movies.

[Chris Knipp]

I too like the voiceover of BLADE RUNNER a lot. But do you like voiceovers or don't you? I guess if BLADE RUNNER is the only movie with a voiceover that you like, the answer is no. For me, voiceovers add a charming literary touch, and they are routine in French Ne Wave films, which I love.