My Top 3 Favorite Films of 2019 (No spoilers)

It’s time - for the third year in a row - to go over Steven and my favorite movies from the past year. And for the first time ever, we actually had several movies we liked a lot get knocked off the #2 and #3 spots as the year went by. We had a lot of fun watching the ambitious World War I documentary They Shall Not Grow Old, laughed a whole lot at Vice, and were on the edge of our seats during Hotel Mumbai. And yet the following three films were the ones to take the cake this year.

There are No Spoilers Ahead 

Before we get into the list, here is a little bit about Steven and my taste in film and what will probably inform why we feel the way we do about the following films:

Steven's favorite films are the ones that move and influence the film industry. He loves Spielberg classics such as Jaws and Jurassic Park and the way they form what it means to be a blockbuster hit, and adores the complexity of The Shining and the excitement of the first two Godfather films. He's also a huge Star Wars buff with an appreciation for fantasy and sci-fi.

My favorite films are the ones where you get to know the characters extremely well. I love films about relationships such as The Sound of Music, Titanic and Waitress, movies that give me hope like The Shawshank Redemption, and performances like Elizabeth Taylor in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Real people and real experiences interest me greatly. And I don't mind when a real life experience is embedded into fantasy and folklore. As long as it's fully fleshed out.

All films we saw in 2019

(In alphabetical order)

#3 - Parasite

The trailers to Parasite confused me initially…and not in a compelling way. It claimed to be a film of twists and turns. Something that starts off one way and ends up being something completely different. And the problem with trailers that make those promises is that they set me up to already expect the twist. So I went into this film already knowing for a fact that its initial tone would take a hard turn. But in the end, the twist itself and the road to it were not apparent from the trailer. I was genuinely surprised at the direction the film took. And pleasantly surprised at that.

Parasite is the story of the working class Kim family, whose lives change forever when son Ki-woo poses as a tutor for the daughter of the eccentric wealthy Park family. South Korean director Bong Joon-ho masterfully conveys the tone, setting and character motivations in such a clear yet organic way, that I felt fully immersed and invested in every scene. I now feel like an expert on the layout of the Park family’s home - which on a sidenote is one of the most beautiful modern homes in any film I’ve ever seen - and as though the Kims are family friends. Not to mention I’ve never come across a character with neurosis so similar to mine as the hilarious Park Yeon-kyo. This film also acted as social commentary about the dynamics between the upperclass and working class and taught me a lot of nuances in Korean culture that I didn’t know before.

The only thing I wasn’t a fan of in this film was it’s ending. The film lost its energy and left me feeling a bit perplexed. But after further examination, I’m realizing that this is a trend in the way South Koren films are written. So it’s just a matter of taste. It’s not the writer or director’s job to kowtow to the way I want movie endings to feel. And besides that, I really got a lot out of watching this film. And I’m excited to see a South Korean film with so much Oscar buzz. When accepting Parasite’s Golden Globe award for Best Foreign Language Film, Bong Joon-ho was quoted saying “Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.” And this film is a major testament to that sentiment. To anyone out there who is normally turned off by foreign language-films, I promise this film is so funny, so stimulating and so firm in its distinct voice, that it would be a shame to miss out on it.

#2 - Joker

For those of you who think that superhero - or in this case - super-villain movies would never make my top 3 list, enter Joker. Todd Phillips’ dramatic take on the iconic Batman rival had quite the task ahead of it. It would be the next serious depiction (sorry not sorry, Jared Leto) of the Joker since Heath Ledger’s acclaimed performance in 2008’s The Dark Knight. Plus it would be released hot on the heels of the record-setting sales behemoth that was Avengers: Endgame. And by the trailers we could immediately tell that this film would be the anti-Marvel movie - and not because it takes place in the DC universe. Joker aimed to take a closer look into the background of the titular character and why he does what he does.

This was especially intriguing to me because after watching Heath Ledger’s portrayal - which was a lot less cartoonish than that of Cesar Romero’s or Jack Nicholson’s, - I actually did wonder: “What is the Joker’s relationship with his family like? Where does he live? What would his home look like? Hell, where would he buy his makeup and clothing?” That to me is so much more interesting than seeing Wonder Woman dodge 800 bullets at a time with wrist cuffs the size of iPhones or watching one or all of the Marvel characters save the universe from exploding for the umpteenth time. So I gave this film a chance, and I’m so glad I did. For those of you who have already seen it, check out my previous article on what makes Joker an important film.

This movie takes you deep into the mind of the Joker and frames his connection to Batman so clearly. Sure a lot of it is based off of the film’s creative liberties, but it was still fascinating. It was poignant and gritty and took its time just like a drama. And yet it always thoroughly called back to the fact that it existed in the Batman universe. It was a breath of fresh air after having to see generic over-the-top “The world is about to explode if you don’t save us all tonight” Marvel and DC superhero movies spit out one after another. And the most brilliant thing about this movie is that it made over $1 billion on a budget of $55-70 million. Typically to make that much money on a movie of this branding, you need hundreds of millions of dollars worth of CGI, special effects and explosions. But this film earned that money and the praise of audiences with a modest budget and a deeper and more thoughtful storyline. Endgame may have made an astonishing $2.798 billion, but with a budget of $356 million, it only made 7.86 times its budget. Whereas Joker made back 15.27 times its budget. This film’s success makes a huge statement that audiences don’t always need bells and whistles and big budget tropes to fill up theater seats. There’s nothing wrong with a big-budget flashy action flick. But I think audiences are using their pocketbooks to send a message that they’re ready for these production companies to invest in deeper films.

#1- Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

When I first heard the premise of Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, I was skeptical to say the least. As a lover of Hollywood history and someone who knows quite a lot about the Tate murders, I did not like the idea of Tarantino telling the real life story with the framework of two fictional characters played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt. I’m not usually a fan of writers making real life events all about fictional characters, a la Forrest Gump. But despite my initial distaste, nothing could keep me away from watching this film. It had me written all over it. Leo, Margot, Hollywood history, true crime… Nothing in the movie theaters has pandered to my tastes so greatly in recent years. So I saw it with an open mind, and have now dubbed it my favorite movie of the year.

DiCaprio and Pitt play has-been action star Rick Dalton, and his best friend/stuntman, Cliff Booth. As they desperately try to regain their relevance, they cross paths with Charles Manson, The Manson Family, Roman Polanski, and his late wife Sharon Tate, played by Robbie. Knowing the Manson Family’s tragic connection to Tate, there is a looming feeling you get when watching the film, unsure of where Tarantino is going to take the story. So much of this film is about Dalton and Booth that you spend much of the movie wondering why so many of these real-life icons are even part of the film. It got to the point where I was starting to get impatient and bored wondering if the Manson/Polanski/Tate aspect was just a marketing ploy to get me to see this movie about a fictional action star. But by the end, everything gets tied together and you realize how worth it it was to sit there watching it for almost 3 hours.

But it wasn’t the 3 hours I sat in the movie theater that made me love it so fervently; It was the impact it had on me after the fact. Once I discovered the ending and tied the loose ends together, I had time to reflect on how masterfully this film was made. If I can say anything with certainty about Tarantino, it is that he loves the art of making movies. Tarantino’s references and techniques in his films showcase his passion for the cinematic artform and the directors who came before him, and that is very clear in watching this film as well Tarantino outdid himself in terms of 1960s Hollywood history references. I learned a ton about action films and shows of the era, and even about the Manson Family from watching this film. For those of you who have already seen Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but aren’t familiar with the Manson Family or the details of the Tate murders, check out my article about what was fact and what was fiction in the film. Of the films on my favorites list, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is the one I’ll be rewatching the most. I look forward to all the times Steven and I will plop ourselves on the couch and rewatch it to find the Easter eggs, hidden meanings and foreshadowing we missed in past viewings. This movie is like an artichoke that you have to peel back layers of to appreciate every bit of it.

If I had to use one word to describe Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, it would be: Unapologetic. You can tell this is made by someone who has achieved so much as a director that he just no longer cares about what investors or studios think and makes the movie the way he saw it in his head. Sure it makes for a couple of boring or tedious scenes, but it’s done with so much passion and consideration, that you feel like you’re watching the work of a visionary, instead of a film that was made by a committee and optimized for maximum pay-out. And that very personal understanding you feel like you have of Tarantino’s mindset when coming up with all of this is what makes it layered and complex. And that at the end of the day makes it my favorite film of 2019.

And those were my top 3 films of 2019

I’m rooting for all three of these films at this year’s Oscars. It was really hard trying to compare them to each other in order to make a 3rd, 2nd and 1st place. Throughout my process of writing this list, I kept rearranging them because they’re all so close in terms of quality. Plus they were all so vastly different from one another that they made for three very unique experiences. And the best part is that they’re all receiving what I feel is well-deserved praise during this current awards season. Really - besides Marriage Story - this is turning out to be a strong year in film. I could actually see all three of them taking home a little golden statue.

But the real victory of these films’ success comes from the impact I feel they’re having on modern day film. The success of Parasite means the furthered success of non-English speaking foreign films in the American market. The success of Joker could mean a new beginning in dramatic and deeper storytelling in mainstream films. And the success of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood could open up audiences to view more experimental techniques and passion projects that don’t play by the rules of modern day film-making. Regardless of their Oscar success come February 9th, these films make me look more forward to the possibilities of cinema in the new decade.