Watched in 2019: Movies

2019

An excellent movie to end the year.

2019

Eh, good enough. They are done with this Star Wars story and now I get to be done with Star Wars!

This movie is fucking great. I can't believe I haven't heard more about it. It should be mentioned with the other great 70's and 80's maverick movies. Why isn't it? I must know.

It does a lot of great things in here that mess with viewer, what David Lynch later perfected in "Inland Empire".

I finally get to watch this Christmas movie that has alluded me for the 3+ years. It is a funny, fun, and fantastical film that was worth the wait.

2019

Waititi is now in the limelight and this one is his film to prove he is deserving of recognition (After Ragnarok) and to prove he can still direct the small films he was excellent with (before Ragnarok).

Well, he proved it and then some. Beautiful, hilarious, poignant film.

2019

This film is becoming an unworthy victim of critical bashing. Sure, it's nothing great, and it's weird, and the last song is stupid, and a few other ones are, too; but still, it's filled with great music, dancing and visuals!

2019

I was actually in Centennial Park the night of the bombing so this movie means a little extra to me. But, even if I hadn't would have to like this. It's rare you see a lead character like Richard Jewell and Paul Walter Hauser nails this role. Fucking nails it. One of the best performances of the year. Sam Rockwell and Kathy Bates are also awesome.
Past that, it's a pretty paint-by-numbers and nothing too noteworthy for Eastwood.

2019

A nicely done Christmas movie for the whole family. It feels like it's been a while since I've seen a new Christmas movie that's worth watching again... I'll make sure to watch it with the family again next year.

2019

Once again Baumbach gives another deceiving title (Squid and the Whale, Margot at the Wedding, etc).
His dialogue is still on point, and somehow continuing to get better. Johannson gives us her best performance yet and Driver continues to prove why he is one of the most reliable actors in the business.
There are some intense scenes, there are some funny scenes (thank you 'Baskets'!)... the film is bookended with two perfect scenes.

I was expecting Brat Pack-style fun, but was trounced with a boring and cynical look at an uninspired marriage.

2019

Why take a hilarious and successful concept and turn it into a stupid thing like this? I give his skits 10s and this one a sad 7.

If you want to watch a depressing Christmas movie, this one's for you!

2019

Mark Ruffalo is amazingly bland in his one-note performance. It's too bad because this is a ridiculously important story to tell. The filmmakers do a good job with themes and motifs, it's just too bad most of the success falls on a likable but endlessly average actor.

Yes, this is not a good movie, but did it deserve to be ambushed with such mass criticism? No. Ferrell and O'Reilly are still funny in this stupid and messy movie that had such potential... such potential.

2019

I think this is a pretty important film to be released. Though it doesn't seem groundbreaking at any point it is actually really smart and well-done in regards to showing a real person trying to do a real thing in a world full of people trying to be real.

I kept thinking this was going to be funny but it never was. The pseudo-documentary style is interesting and it's a fun venture into the oft-conspiracised story of the US/USSR space race, told through the point of view of two average guys involved.

2019

Still processing the brilliance of this instant classic...

Memorable performances and a story that is thoughtfully told.
It’s strange how a movie life this, one that is so emotionally swaying, gets critical acclaim; but a movie that’s just as good, like “Life Itself” gets ripped.

I’m having a tough time figuring out why this movie failed. It seemed liked fine adventure film, incorporating the titular music and creating a gorgeous world filled with appropriately strange characters.

2019

A creatively-crafted film that makes you feel good and believe in the human race.

Hanks and Rhys are fantastic. Hanks truly embodies Fred Rogers to the point where you forget it's Tom Hanks. Tom Hanks, one of the most recognizable people on the planet!

An amazingly spot-on film that makes you feel sick and worried about the human race.

2019

Excellent sports movie. That genre was been weak in recent years. James Mangold is staying hot, after also directing "Logan". Bale continues to impress the hell out of me with each performance. The whole production was quality, with the script and editing being highlights. A long movie, but it never feels like it.

A lot of good dancing scenes and even more wardrobe changes. Far from groundbreaking, but the historal aspects of the movie made it more than just a dance/romance movie. The two leads are likable as well, which is important in a dance movie.
Why don't they make good dance movies any more? Someone needs to create the next great dance movie.

2019

What a waste of a good story. The Pacific battles don't get enough screen time compared to Europe, during WWII and they wasted the opportunity with an all star cast. Too bad the all-star cast was lead by someone who should have gotten the lead. I didn't care about him, or his wife.
The worst part, aside from the acting and dialogue, is the editing. The editing ruined this movie.

I feel bad for giving this movie such a low rating because my kid loves it so much... but it was painful.

2019

Finally.
Finally a decent movie about one of the most important women in American history.
It was definitely decent, with a strong lead who appropriately showed the bad-assness of Tubman, and respectable production supporting her.

2019

Finally.
Finally there is a movie released worthy of 5 stars. How refreshing! It's been a rough year, so Phillips's "Joker" is about refreshing as a week without hearing about the fucking Kardashians.
It's too good for me to give an accurate summary at the moment.

I thought this was going to be good considering its box office numbers and the man, Statham, but then I forgot something I've known since I was a child, box office means shit... though Statham was still entertaining enough, even with a subpar supporting cast.

Middle of the road for Soderbergh and one of Terrence Stamps best performances. It could have been a pretty cool 90 LA film but falls just short.

2019

Well... not as bad as it could have been. I'm a guy who actually likes romantic comedies and my wife loves them. Sadly the industry has forgotten about them, but not afraid to make fun of them here. They had a real shot at making a good one, but in the end, it's silly and forgettable. Still, it could have been worse.

2019

So many impressive things about this movie, yet so many mistakes... this is a tough one to with which to decide in its brilliancy. I want it to be... but it's just a better/more clever horror film that most. That's all.

I'm not sure why this movie is never mentioned... anywhere, it seems. It's proudly entertaining with two notable performances, from Hutton and Penn. It is also seems like a really important movie in the year it was released, 1984, making its obscurity even stranger.

2019

This documentary likely would have been really good if we didn't have to sit though extended performances from Bob Dylan. He is terrible live, even back then.
I am impressed with the editing and Scorsese's appropriately non-sequitur scenes that you my find from a younger director taking chances.

I wasn't expecting much from this movie, but thankfully it wasn't half bad. My kid really likes and that makes it better. It's just a nice story for kids to watch.

2019

A very unrealistic movie about a real story. Disappointing all around, even with an Usher cameo, haha (probably my favorite, even if absurd, part).

A rare 90s sports movie I missed as a kid. My wife loved it as a kid, so we all watched it as a family. It's very much for kids.

Actually a pretty enjoyable slasher flick. It's silly in the right ways as it makes fun of itself and the genre while bringing us some creative direction. Jessica Rothe has star quality, too.

2019

James Gray delivers a spectral spectacle of layered beauty. Pitt shines in one of his best performances while Jones fits in his role perfectly.
But the true star is Hoyte Van Hoytema and his cinematography. He is quickly becoming one of the best in his field, probably top 5 for active cinematographers.

2019

A genuine movie with great acting and story. So damn sad but beautifully developed, with the strong aid of classic rock, into a heart-warming feel-good movie about a father-and-son relationship and second chances.

A clear influence of the superior “Casablanca”. I didn’t like the male leads, I did like Hedy Lamar. I really liked the ending. Though the ending was crippled by the rough cinematography, acting and editing.

I figured going into this movie it would be stupid, but the fun kind of stupid. This was so over the top stupid I couldn’t even find the fun.

This is a prime example of why people grew tired of romantic comedies. Filled with cliches, cheesy songs, lame dialogue and predictability. Plus, Judy Greer.

I was looking for a jolly holiday with Mary... what I found was a slipshod attempt to recreate magic from a classic.
Yes, Emily Blunt is delightful, but the direction, writing and editing killed this movie. I'm not sure how looked at the structure of this movie and all its scenes and thought it would actually work. This is was a high-production value movie with the high caliber cast that seemed to be directed by an amateur. This is strange since I rather revere Rob Marshall and gave him a pass with his other mess, "Into the Woods". Looks like the reverence will have to end.
The movie relied on old animation and a likable cast to save it. In the end it was fine enough family movie, but it's sad to think how great the original was in comparison. I know it's not always fair to compare, but alas I feel I must.

If you want to relive the magic of Mary Poppins watch "Saving Mr. Banks". That is a wonderful movie all on its own but does very in recreating that magic.