My Favorite Movies of 2019 The past few years have started with the same feeling; that the upcoming year of film is not looking up to the year previous. 2019 started out this very way, but by the end of it I now realize how many incredible films were released in just the past 12 months. These are a few of my favorite films from 2019.
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The rolling word of mouth made this movie hard to miss. It felt like every other day one of my friends or someone I follow on Twitter had good things to say about this movie. I finally had to see it, and I went in not knowing a thing about the movie. My favorite aspect of the film is that the first half is a heist comedy, and somewhere in the middle Parasite becomes a thriller, and the change is pulled off masterfully.
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There are so few great mystery films as of late. The last one I can think of enjoying is Game Night (2018). The genius of Knives Out is that Rian Johnson shows us the murder, and yet there is much to still uncover. I am so pleased that a Knives Out sequel is being made and hopefully this new franchise can spark a resurgence of the murder mystery movie.
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Booksmart surprised me because it was so relatable with its characters and more than just a “female Superbad.” There is a fair share out laugh-out-loud moments, but also a lot of emotional scenes between the two leads that got me choked up. What I really want out of a movie is a mixture of emotions. If a movie can get me to laugh, and then cry in the next scene, it’s a winner to me.
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1917 is a movie I was not interested in, and thoroughly blew me away. I wasn’t too interested in the film from the trailer, until my friend invited me to see it with them. Movies such as Bird Man get a lot of praise for their long-take scenes; 1917 takes it to another level with having the entire film appear as a single take. It provides an intimacy with the protagonists because you never leave their side for a second. The score really stood out and elevated every scene; a part of the movie that I don’t consciously notice until a second viewing.
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Pixar has a specialty at making family-friendly animated movies. They take on big ideas that related more-often to adults, but their films are still widely enjoyed by the youngest of audiences. Toy Story 4 addresses the question “What is our purpose?” Something that I related toward more and more every day.
Honorable Mentions: