I
am an unashamed movie nut. For the last post of the year I
pontificate on the best and worst from only the movies I went to see. I’ve also
included what I considered to be the worst movies of the year, because that’s
almost more fun. It was a fairly good year for movies although I never see as
many as I would have liked. You won’t find my movies on many critics top ten
for the year because we go to the movies for different reasons. I go to be entertained
not to judge. I’ve also chosen a quote from each of the top ten movies. As you
can see I lean heavily towards action (and science fiction) but I think these
films are a lot more mainstream than the out of touch film critics whose top
tens are usually incomprehensible and barely entertaining. If nothing else the
films below (except for the bottom two) were hugely enjoyable. Again this is
only one man’s opinion and reflects only the movies I saw this year.
Best
Movies of the Year
#1
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – There was no way this movie wouldn’t end up
on top. Star Wars and the hijinks of the Skywalker clan have had a firm hold on
my imagination since Luke first grabbed a hold of my soul back in the 1970s.
This epic close to the cycle that began all those years ago brought the story full
circle with an able follow on generation.
Luke Skywalker: The force will be
with you.
Leia Organa: Always.
#2
- Avengers: Endgame –
Any other year this movie would have ended up on top. It brings the myriad
super hero plot lines together and poignantly ends several of the most popular
but you end up cheering anyways. Marvel’s combination of humor action and heart
are now legendary and on display in its highest form here. It should have been
impossible to have all these heroes on screen at one time but it wasn’t and it was
sublime.
Natasha
Romanoff: Even if there's a small chance that we can undo
this, I mean, we owe it to everyone who is not in this room, to try.
Bruce
Banner: If we do this, how do we know it's going to end any
differently than it did before?
Carol
Danvers: Because before, you didn't have me.
James
Rhodes: Hey, new girl? Everybody in this room is about that
superhero life. And, if you don't mind my asking, where the hell have you been
all this time?
Carol
Danvers: There are a lot of other planets in the universe, and,
unfortunately, they didn't have you guys.
Thor:
[Stands up and walks to Danvers. They meet eye-to-eye. Thor summons
Stormbreaker, which whizzes right past Danvers' head. She doesn't even flinch,
and then smiles] I like this one.
Steve
Rogers: Let's go get this son of a bitch.
#3
- Knives Out –
This was a very nice surprise but it shouldn’t have been considering the cast.
It was weird seeing Daniel Craig operating as a sleuth with a deep southern
drawl but he owns it. A very fun plot with a seriously dark comedy surrounding
the death of a renowned mystery writer captivated form the start. You think you
see the twists coming but are still surprised. A very dated genre updated and
spectacularly acted – fun from the start.
Marta
Cabrera: I've never been to a will reading before.
Benoit
Blanc: Think of it as a tax return by a community theater.
#4
– Joker –
A look into the back story of one of the most fascinating of cinematic
villains. Phoenix is mesmerizing as the loser whom life keeps piling on top of.
The movie doesn’t celebrate his lunacy but you can almost understand it with the
cards he is dealt. We’ve seen so many versions of this character over the years
but this is one that I’ll always think of and that is high praise considering
the earlier incarnations.
Murray
Franklin: Do I understand that you did this to start a
movement? To become a symbol?
Arthur
Fleck: Oh come on, Murray. Do I look like the kind of clown
that could start a movement? I killed those guys because they were awful.
Everybody is awful these days. It's enough to make everyone crazy.
Murray
Franklin: Okay, so that's it? You're crazy, that's your defense
for killing three young men?
Arthur
Fleck: No. They couldn't carry a tune to save their lives.
#5
– Ad Astra –
It was a very good year for Brad Pitt and he effortlessly carries a huge sci fi
concept film. He’s a lone astronaut in the near future charged with flying to
the edge of the galaxy to find his long lost father. There is an eloquent comment
on the nature of family and connections laced throughout.
Roy
McBride: He captured strange and distant worlds in greater
detail than ever before. They were beautiful, magnificent... full of awe and
wonder. But beneath their sublime surfaces... there was nothing. No love or
hate. No light or dark. He could only see what was not there... and missed what
was right in front of him.
#6
- Parasite –
I can’t believe a Korean language film made my list but Parasite is just that
good, no astonishing. A lazy student is contracted to tutor within a rich
family and his family latches onto the opportunity in the darkest comedic
fashion possible. This movie spirals out of control and is a fantastic ride for
the viewer.
Ki-taek:
[to his son] You know what kind of plan never fails? No plan. No
plan at all. You know why? Because life cannot be planned. Look around you. Did
you think these people made a plan to sleep in the sports hall with you? But
here we are now, sleeping together on the floor. So, there's no need for a
plan. You can't go wrong with no plans. We don't need to make a plan for
anything. It doesn't matter what will happen next. Even if the country gets
destroyed or sold out, nobody cares. Got it?
#7
- Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood – Pitt is back as a Hollywood stuntman in
the 1960s who is thrust into the middle of the Manson murder scheme. He’s
rooming right next door to the Sharon Tate residence and Quentin Tarantino takes
his usual license by reinventing the whole event in very satisfying fashion. He
skewers Hollywood and the 1960s along the way in his customary irreverent and
unforgettable fashion.
Bruce
Lee: You're the one with the big mouth, and I would
really enjoy closing it, especially in front of all my friends. But my hands
are registered as lethal weapons. That means, we get into a fight, I
accidentally kill you? I go to jail.
Cliff
Booth: Anybody accidentally kills anybody in a fight, they
go to jail. It's called manslaughter.
#8
- John Wick 3 –
My favorite dog lover is back and just as dangerous although he does seem to be
getting a little tired. Someone the filmmakers keep finding way to keep this
series fresh and invested in the hyper-lethal Wick. It deosn’t hurt to have Halle
Berry and her assassin dogs alogn for the ride; just pure escapist fun.
Zero:
[With sword sticking through chest] Hey, John. That was
a pretty good fight, huh?
John
Wick: Yeah.
[John
gets up and starts walking away]
Zero:
Yeah. Don't worry about me, John. I just gotta catch
my breath. I'll catch up to you, John.
John
Wick: No, you won't.
#9
- Good Boys –
One of the sleeper hits of the year as three pubescent boys go through a
hilarious journey prior to attending their first “kissing” party. The innocence
combined with false bravado is irresistible. This movie had me literally
howling with laughter.
Thor:
Look what I found at school today.
Lucas:
What is it?
Thor:
I have no idea.
Max:
That's a tampon. Girls shove it up their buttholes
to stop babies from coming out. An eighth grader told me that.
#10
– Yesterday –
I didn’t know I was as big a Beatles asfan as I am until the hits kept coming.
A neat little love story is wound around the concept of all the world forgetting
who the Beatles were except for one unsuccessful singer. He becomes a huge star
but loses some of himself along the way. The Ed Sheeran cameos are funny beyond
words. I loved this movie with its sly British humor.
Ed
Sheeran: I do have a suggestion though. Um, about the song.
The title, Hey Jude. Jude is just, it's a bit old fashioned. That was the kid's
name, right?
Jack
Malik: What kid?
Ed
Sheeran: That the song's about.
Jack
Malik: Oh, the kid, the kid, the kid. Yes, the sad kid.
Ed
Sheeran: Now, let me just give you this advice, right? Song
title. I won't charge you a penny for it as well. Hey Dude.
Honorable
Mention:
Where’d
You Go, Bernadette – Sporting maybe my favorite character of
the year the peerless Cate Blanchette is totally charming as a recluse whose
world is crumbling around her.
The
Kid Who Would Be King – A sneaky good movie about some modern kids chosen
to wield Excalibur and fight off a demon horde.
Captain
Marvel – Marvel
studios scores with yet another hero following their tried and true policy of
putting really good actors behind the masks. Brie Larson dominates as maybe the
most powerful Avenger.
Alita
Battle Angel – loved
this sci fi semi-animated tale about a young girl inhabiting the mechanized
body of a assassin.
Booksmart
– Two
female overachievers ponder life at their high school graduation. Smart dialogue
and fantastic acting made this one of my surprise favorites of the year.
Worst
Movies:
The
Beach Bum – the
worst movie I saw all year which is a huge surprise because I love both McConaughey
and Isla Fisher. There is no redemptive quality to the lead character and no
arc; just a series of increasingly embarrassing situations. I’m guessing McConaughey
is ashamed by this and if he isn’t he should be.
Isn’t
It Romantic – I
was looking forward to this after seing the trailer but this send up of
rom-coms fails miserably. Rebel Wilson may be more suited to supporitn roles because
she couldn’t carry this. It just wasn’t “beguiling” at all. If you werer unfortunate
enouh to see this you know what I mean.
2019
Superlatives:
Best
Comedy: Good Boys
Best
Horror Movie: Doctor Sleep
Best
Drama: Ad Astra
Best
Romance: Queen and Slim
Best
Action: John Wick 3
Best
Special Effects: Avengers: Endgame
Best
Scene of the Year: The huge beach concert scene in Yesterday when
the song “Help” finally appears and the entire place goes crazy.
Of
course the movies have assumed second place firmly behind those two min-heroes
the FBR and the BRS. I would not deny you year-end pictures of these two
superheroes. It is appropriate in this year of so many sequels that you should
stay tuned to Frail Deeds for news of BR3.
RECURRING
CHARACTERS
BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; FBR -
First Blog Reader - first granddaughter, ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete = my daughter in law; Wingman – my son in law; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since
high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Soxfather - my brother in law; Great
Aunt = my elder sister; Cantankerous
Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything,
poses as radical leftist to attract women; Pittsburgh
College Roommate – high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in
Pittsburgh; Deckzilla – our backyard
deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two
close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3rd musquetera
(musketeer); Riggins - also known as
the Grandpuppy, son's dog, surrogate grandchild while awaiting arrival of the
BRS; PanaGals – female
relatives/friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin
Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we
have lived & their spouses; Neighborhood
Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member, Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of
course); First Friday – celebrations
to mark the First Friday of the Week; Deckzilla
Dude – senior citizen carpenter/contractor; Voices of Inappropriate Worth - members of public who come to every
Worcester public meeting to complain, all are on public assistance along with
demeanor issues
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