[Editorial] My Top 10 Movies Of 2019

Every year for the last few years now, I always wait until end of January or just before the Oscar winners are announced, to catch up with as many movies as I can that came out in the year before. This year, I managed to catch most of the big movies by now, save for a few like Harriet, Uncut Gems and Dolemite Is My Name.

And I have to say, this year's best were really, really good with an average score of 9/10. Before we go into the Top 10, just a few honourable mentions here that did not make the list but I wished there were space available for them. So, in no particular order;

- Booksmart - it had one of my favourite scenes of the year.
- The King - Chalamet's talent has no limits.
- Doctor Sleep - the best horror sequel that we didn't know we were getting.
- Ad Astra - I would argue for Best Actor and Best Supporting for Pitt and Jones.
- Fighting With My Family - I was surprised at how much heart there was and so well directed.

And here is my Top 10 movies of 2019:

10. Yesterday (9/10)
I was pleasantly surprised at how wholesome the movie was because I was not sure watching its trailers. But the acting by the two leads were awesome and I was walking on clouds coming out of the cinema.

9. Toy Story 4 (9/10)
How do you follow up after the ending of Toy Story 3? With this sequel! I tried so hard not to cry at the end.

8. The Farewell (9/10)
Speaking of cry, every time Awkwafina was meeting her nainai, I choked up first no matter what the scene was going to be. This movie had no business being this good.

7. Joker (9/10)
Best acting award is going to Phoenix, and the character he created with Todd Phillips is the most memorable of the year.

6. Marriage Story (9/10)
Who knew Johansson could deliver something like this? I was floored with the performances from her and Driver. And the direction was phenomenal.

5. Knives Out (9/10)
Speaking of phenomenal direction, Johnson directed the hell out of this movie. And what a cast!

4. 1917 (9/10)
Roger Deakins is very likely going to win Best Cinematography again this year, and the simplicity of the story and plot was amazing delivered by Mendes.

3. Parasite (9/10)
No director has impressed me more than Bong this year. This movie was such a rollercoaster emotionally with those twists and turns. This was his best movie yet.

2. Ford v Ferrari (9/10)
No movie had the kind of pacing that kept the excitement and tension throughout as this one. I'm still shocked that Damon and Bale had zero buzz going into the award season.

1. Jojo Rabbit (9.5/10)
The shoes! How talented is Taika Waititi? This movie came out of nowhere. And how did he ever come up with an idea about Adolf Hitler that everyone would love? Waititi should have received a Best Director nomination.

Avengers: Endgame (Thank You)
I have to put Endgame right here but it would be unfair to put this movie in the top spot officially because this was the ultimate Marvel movie for the fans. The payoff from the last decade culminating in this movie, simply put, was a dream and a fantasy come through.