Monte’s Favorite Films of 2019
As the final credits roll on a rather confounding decade for society, the film landscape of the last 10 years has been an exceptional canvas of larger-than-life movie marvels, eye opening documentaries, beautifully crafted dramas about the best and worst of humanity, surprising social commentaries shrouded in genre fairytales, and some staggeringly heartfelt tributes to romance and love.
2019 continued the forward progression of storytelling and the upward innovation of artistry found in the filmmaking techniques. With films from seasoned auteurs like Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Claire Denis, Pedro Almodóvar, and Bong Joon ho displaying the how and why these filmmakers are regarded with such esteem to new filmmakers like the Safdie Brothers, Ari Aster, Jordan Peele, Robert Eggers, and Céline Sciamma flexing and honing their voices with captivating cinema.
Here are my favorite films of 2019…
Adam Sandler and Kevin Garnett in ‘Uncut Gems’.
10. Uncut Gems
There are movies that build tension, that craft an atmosphere of anxiety that inches the viewer closer and closer to the edge of their seat. The Safdie Brothers have taken the elements of tension, anxiety, and distress, mashed them together, and have crafted a film that lives and breathes these concepts. Anchored by an exceptional performance by Adam Sandler, one of the best of the actor’s career, “Uncut Gems” revels in the unease of sitting passenger seat with a character on the verge of self-destruction…you won’t want to look away.
Mats Blomgren, Lars Väringer, Anna Åström, and Isabelle Grill in ‘Midsommar’.
9. Midsommar
“Midsommar” is only the second film from director Ari Aster, who last helmed the terrifying “Hereditary”, and it only continues to strengthen the captivating style and unique voice of the filmmaker. Mr. Aster, amongst many qualities as a filmmaker, understands how one can utilize genre characteristics to tell emotionally complicated stories. “Midsommar” demonstrates that sometimes the scariest monster isn’t a monster at all, sometimes it’s the emotion connected with the fear of loss and the outlook towards the unknown or misunderstood elements of the world we live in.
“Kamera wo tomeruna!”
8. One Cut of the Dead
The zombie subgenre of horror is completely oversaturated, but it hasn’t stopped inventive filmmakers from utilizing the living dead to tell creative stories about humanity, society, and culture. “One Cut of the Dead” does something truly inventive here, a narrative design that is best left to discovery than a cheap spoiler, composing a film that is lighthearted, funny, and sweet. It’s more than a B-movie horror film, it’s an ode to the process of creativity and creation, to the joy of chasing a dream and dedicating oneself to achieving the goal no matter what stands in your way.
Photo by Peter Prato/Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
7. Last Black Man in San Francisco
The word “home” elicits so many different emotions and visions. It might be a place, a person, a smell, a piece of food, a feeling…for Jimmie in Joe Talbot’s striking debut, “The Last Black Man in San Francisco”, it’s the physical family house in San Francisco that he grew up. Jimmie, played poignantly by Jimmie Fails, is connected to this location, it’s a piece of his identity that defines who he is as a person in the ever-changing landscape of San Francisco. “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” is more than just a story about gentrification, it’s about the history, culture, and tradition that composes the identity of the person and the place one calls “home”.
Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, and Azhy Robertson in ‘Marriage Story’.
6. Marriage Story
There is a good possibility that I will never watch “Marriage Story” again. Not because it’s a terrible movie but because of its brutal honesty in dissecting a terrible situation, divorce. Filmmaker Noah Baumbach, in what can only be a story written from an experiential account, takes focus on the final days of a marriage between Charlie and Nicole played with tenderness and honesty by Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. The brilliance of “Marriage Story” is in the compassion it finds between two emotionally complicated, never taking defensive sides or allowing for easy answers. This is one of Baumbach’s best films.
Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Ray Romano, Jesse Plemons, and Kelley Rae O'Donnell in ‘The Irishman’.
5. The Irishman
“The Irishman” comes at an interesting time in the career of Martin Scorsese who recently has come under criticism from some film fans concerning his views on the state of cinema. Film is a subjective art-form, but if anyone has the right to make comments on the art of cinema, it’s Martin Scorsese. If the auteur’s past catalog doesn’t prove that point, “The Irishman” displays all the reasons why cinema should be regarded with the kind of seriousness Scorsese commands. With standout performances from Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci, this film is the greatest hits of everything that the auteur has been tailoring, sometimes perfecting, throughout his storied career.
Antonio Banderas and Nora Navas in ‘Pain & Glory’.
4. Pain & Glory
Director Pedro Almodóvar uses the story a depressed, lonely, and physically affected film director named Salvador, a subtle yet intricate performance from Antonio Banderas, to discuss the multifaceted emotional process of the artistic process. Almodóvar is a director who utilizes melodramatic narrative properties to craft films bold and confident yet bustling with a sense of complete freedom. “Pain & Glory” has those same flourishes but the emotion is toned down from the usual roar the director’s films typically compose. The result is a beautiful examination of growth, the creative and emotional process of growth that happens throughout the journey of life. It’s a beautiful tale of love and loss, of growth and identity, of creation and destruction.
Adèle Haenel and Noémie Merlant in ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’.
3. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
An artist is tasked with painting a portrait of a lady, who refuses to pose for a painting, on the verge of being married to a distant suitor. The painter must disguise her true intentions, painting the portrait of the lady by firelight from recollections captured during walks and discussions. Through the artistic process the two women form a romantic bond. “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” is a soulful, beautiful costume drama, from director Céline Sciamma, that takes an intimate look at love, femininity, and empowerment. The portrayal of love, the emotional and physical depictions, throughout the film is meticulously and subtly composed. Longing glances, delicate gestures, and the formation of language all contribute to the complicated nature of these two women’s romance. There is rarely a misstep in Sciamma’s exceptional story and style.
Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio in ‘Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood’.
2. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” has everything that Quentin Tarantino loves about films imbued into its design yet it still feels farthest from the style he is known for. There are flares of vocabulary, perfect musical cues, and the occasional scene of brutal and bloody violence, but the underlying tone in Tarantino’s ninth film is something sweet and personal. The introspection shown in regards to the aspects of film that Tarantino loves so deeply and the history that permeates every single inch of this film gives “Once Upon a Time…” its beautiful beating heart. And through the journey of an aging movie star, played impeccably by Leonardo DiCaprio, and his stunt-doubling best pal, one of the best performances from Brad Pitt, Tarantino deliberates on his own relevance as a filmmaker in the changing landscape of film. It’s a beautiful, somber, and touching film.
1. Parasite
Kang-ho Song, Hye-jin Jang, Woo-sik Choi, and So-dam Park in ‘Parasite’.
“Parasite”, director Bong Joon-ho’s masterful multi-mood drama, comedy, thriller, horror film, is working on numerous emotions, sometimes individually and sometimes all at once. Bong Joon-ho taps into uneasy subject matter and then easily finds a way to see the unflinching humor within these truths, he introduces fascinating characters who are pushed into complicated situations and forced to navigate the many obstacles, he finds the humor and horror of real life, and surprisingly amongst all these attributes easily finds the metaphors that shed light on cultural, political, and social commentary. Bong Joon-ho simply has a keen understanding of people and what motivates them to do both beautiful and disgusting things. “Parasite” is a fascinating exploration of humanity in the best film of the auteur’s career.
Honorable Mention:
o A Long Day’s Journey into the Night
o A Hidden Life
o Apollo 11
o Ash is the Purest White
o Atlantics
o Booksmart
o Climax
o Doctor Sleep
o Dolemite is my Name
o Good Boys
o Her Smell
o High Life
o Honeyland
o In Fabric
o John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum
o Jojo Rabbit
o Knives Out
o Little Women
o Motherless Brooklyn
o The Lighthouse
o The Souvenir
o Tigers Are Not Afraid
o Toy Story 4
o Us
o 1917
