2019 – A YEAR IN FILM
So, what has 2019 brought us cinematically? The end of a superhero and Star Wars era. A sparsity of mid-level dramas and comedies (unless you subscribe to Netflix or Amazon). The date when Blade Runner was set has come and gone and the brave new world of multi-platform releasing has even ensnared Martin Scorsese. There’s still lots to go and see at the cinema though! Keep doing it, get out of the house, see stuff on big screens and talk about it. Take a risk on stuff that isn’t rammed with special effects and comic book tie-ins – enjoy them too – but spread the wealth and enhance the mind. Rant over.
So, here, in no specific order, are my top 10. Grudgingly agree or be flabbergasted at will. And a Merry Christmas!
Wild Rose – Jessie Buckley’s phenomenal central turn in this Glaswegian country and western drama transcends what could be formulaic material into a moving, fiery heartwarmer.
Eighth Grade – A brilliant, truthful encapsulation of modern teen life from Bo Burnham. Painfully observant with a brilliant soundtrack as a young YouTuber played by a luminous Elsie Fisher perfectly captures early teen problems. Another film with oodles of heart.
Booksmart – Much more than just Superbad with girls, this raucous comedy starring Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever, sensitively directed by Olivia Wilde, was a perfectly pitched coming of age tale and examination of friendship.
Avengers: Endgame – You’ve seen it. Fair play. The Russo brothers paid everything off in a very satisfying way. The hype was worth it.
Midsommar – Not as good as Hereditary but still swirling around in my head, this pitch-black break-up horror movie was superbly uncomfortable and Florence Pugh is about to become a megastar.
Joker – Joaquin Phoenix’s performance is outstanding in this supremely tense character study of n unhinged mind let down by society, seen through a Scorsese-like lens. Forget Batman, this was not a comic book movie. But please don’t make it a franchise.
Arctic – How much icy pain can Mads Mikkelsen take in this fantastic survival tale in the snowy wastes of the Arctic? Gripping, spare and beautifully shot.
Rocketman – Elton John’s life, with all its barbs and delights, was a hugely enjoyable biopic that dealt with darkness and light, Taron Egerton’s performance truly revelatory.
For Sama – An incredible documentary from Waad Al-Kateab as she endures five years of Syrian civil war in Aleppo, falls in love and has a child. Unforgettable.
The Irishman – Martin Scorsese’s latest has an epic running length and went straight to Netflix, the only people who would fund it, but it is a masterful, elegiac work of greatness, bringing together Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci in a fact-based mobster drama that has plenty to say about ageing and regret. Superb.
2020 – COMING TO A CINEMA NEAR YOU
And so, the futuristic sounding year of 2020 is upon us, but what will be its celluloid treasures? Who knows, but maybe you should avoid Peter Rabbit 2. The following films I am quite excited about seeing, though. Join me! Oh, and may you all have a popcorn-fuelled Happy New Year!
The King’s Man – Matthew Vaughn goes back to basics in this old-fashioned escapade about the birth of The Kingsman service. So, less of the anal sex gags, more traditional action set during World War I with Ralph Fiennes and Gemma Arterton doing stiff upper lips.
Black Widow – A deceased Avenger lives again in this prequel for the ever-capable Scarlett Johansson and her early Russian super-assassin days. Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz and David Harbour are also involved.
Birds Of Prey – Margot Robbie escapes the steaming mess of the original Suicide Squad movie to be Harley Quinn once more with her own DC girl gang and no rubbish Jared Leto Joker. Expect neon-drenched bubblegum comedy violence.
No Time To Die –Bond is back for a (supposedly) final Daniel Craig outing after he drove off into the sunset at the end of Spectre. With Cary Joji Fukunaga at the helm, Phoebe Waller-Bridge on script doctoring duties, and Craig looking to go out with a bang, hopefully this will eclipse the lacklustre Spectre.
Wonder Woman 1984 – Gal Gadot returns as the Amazonian warrior now in the 80s. Cue lots of retro styling, Kristen Wiig as a baddie and Chris Pine inexplicably turning up. Patty Jenkins returns as director to hopefully further the entertaining adventures in the way they began.
Last Night In Soho – Edgar Wright returns after Baby Driver for a new horror set in the Swinging Sixties and the present day as two women discover a bizarre time travel connection… or do they? Colour me intrigued.
West Side Story – Steven Spielberg does his first honest-to-goodness musical after moments of 1941 and Indiana Jones & The Temple Of Doom. Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim’s reworking of Romeo and Juliet is bursting with fantastic tunes and this upgrade should scale the heights. Could be, who knows?
Tenet – Christopher Nolan’s latest is an espionage thriller with a globetrotting plot, cloaked in secrecy but starring John David Washington and Robert Pattinson, could be the Dark Knight director’s closest film to Bond.
Dune – Frank Herbert’s sci-fi epic could take the place of Star Wars as next winter’s outer space treat. David Lynch failed to make it work back in 1984 but Denis Villeneuve, fresh from {Blade Runner 2049, seems like a good man for the job. The spice must flow.
Bill And Ted Face The Music – Keanu Reeves isn’t hitting seven shades of shinola out of people in this long-awaited sequel for the adorable Bill and Ted. Alex Winter also returns for a comedy that should be, well, excellent.
