With the awards season coming to a close, there’s no better time than now to count down my top ten movies of 2019. Two disclaimers: for one, I may have seen a lot, but I have not seen every movie that came out last year. Also, this list is ranked based on my subjective feelings, so take that as you may. Now, without further ado, lets get on with the list!

Honorable Mentions: Honey Boy, Apollo 11, Spider-Man: Far From Home, I Lost My Body, Brittany Runs a Marathon, The Farewell and Joker.

10. Rocketman

Coming in at the bottom of the list is the Elton John musical-fantasy, Rocketman, a film that soars extremely high in numerous regards, not the least of which is the musical elements throughout the entire film. Instead of feeling like a standard biopic that tells the story in a generalized and bland manner, akin to Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman’s musical nature helps to tell Elton John’s story in a way that feels creative, eye-catching and infectious. Fortunately, when the style could have overtaken the actual substance of what the film is trying to capture, it instead helped to elevate the film’s story by showing every key ingredient for one complex and emotional tale. Topping it all off is the terrific performance from Taron Edgerton, who enraptures himself into the psyche of the iconic artist in a way that can be described with no other words than powerful. Honestly, this film being number ten is prime case of how excellent 2019 was for film as it would have easily cracked the top five for me in any other year. Regardless, Rocketman is still standing strong within my heart at the number ten slot.

9. 1917

With so many great war films having come out throughout the entire history of cinema, there has been yet another standout addition to that list in the form of Oscar darling, 1917. Sam Mendes’ direction grabs the viewer right from the start with a continuous one-shot approach that engrosses anyone watching into the brutal war setting and quite literally does not let go. This sense of immersion is top notch, and miraculously, every other aspect of this film is working at an eleven to make that immersion even greater. Whether that be from Roger Deakins’ astonishing cinematography, the incredible choreography of the battles, the outstanding production design, or the marvelous score from Thomas Newman–nothing from this movie comes anywhere close to ruining the viewer’s entrancement in watching the film. Bringing it all together is the remarkable sense of suspense and emotional stakes, with certain set pieces being so tense that they would even make the legendary Alfred Hitchcock shiver if he was still alive. For those in the mood for story-driven films, then 1917 may not be the suitable watch. Otherwise, if you are interested in a war film that has an unforgettable cinematic experience, it does not really get much better than 1917.

8. Knives Out

Next up is the abundantly fun and genius deconstruction on the classic whodunnit with Rian Johnson’s latest film, Knives Out. In all honesty, this a movie that would not work anywhere near as well without Rian Johnson behind it creatively, since he does an absolutely fantastic job from top to bottom. From the way Johnson tells this enormously rich and complicated story seamlessly, to the boatloads of interesting characterization and dialogue he crafted, all the way to how cleverly he made the satire work, there is quite literally not a single element Rian Johnson comes close to falling short with this film and that is impressive to say the least. To go back to the layers of satire Johnson loaded into the film, that is a major aspect of one of Knives Out’s greatest strengths– a fully realized breakdown of the murder mystery. The film takes numerous twists and turns that surprise the viewer at every chance it can, while keeping all of the core components of what people love about the genre to begin with. Add that onto the outstanding cast, then you have Knives Out, a movie that is completely riveting the first time around and even better with every subsequent viewing thereafter.

7. Us

If anyone needs more proof that 2019 was a juggernaut year of cinema, then the fact that Jordan Peele’s Us is only at number 7 should be plenty of evidence as to why. Though it may not be beloved by all, I personally adore this film and almost everything about it. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Jordan Peele loaded every single frame with something that is either important to the story and characters, visually striking or both. With that type of attention to detail, it gives Us an extraordinary amount of rewatchability that does not even take into account how contagious the tension is throughout. Whether you are a fan of the genre or not, there is no denying Peele is a master of horror in his approach to building the nerves at just the right pace and with the perfect levels of subtlety. Above all else, the cherry Jordan Peele puts on top of this splendid cake is the powerful social commentary that is executed in a way that will easily keep everyone talking about this movie for years to come. With a brilliant performance from Lupita Nyong’o to boot, there is only one more word that needs to be said for Us, and that word is phenomenal.

6. Marriage Story

Rounding out the bottom five is Noah Baumbach’s beautiful and bittersweet tale of divorce in Marriage Story. This film knows how to grab on tight to the viewer’s emotions in a way that never feels manipulative, which is an accomplishment in a film about a subject matter as real as divorce. Of course, none of that would have been possible if it were not for the acting from Adam Driver and Scarlet Johansson. Their performances are crucial for a film like this to work, and to say that they knocked it out of the park would be one of the biggest understatements of 2019. Driver and Johansson are utterly phenomenal with how well they humanize these characters, making them feel more like real people who just so happen to be on camera. As such, the emotional connection between the viewer and the characters is incredibly strong, which couldn’t be said if Noah Baumbach did not put his heart and soul into Marriage Story. Baumbach based this off of his own divorce and wrote it like a simple yet beautiful play, directing it with enough nuance to avoid the sense that this is a play with cameras and not a real film. If it were not for one little flaw with the film, it would have at least been able to crack the top three. Regardless, number six is still a good spot for an excellent piece of cinema like Marriage Story.

5. Booksmart

Starting out the top five is a hilarious comedy that unfortunately did not do that well at the box office, and that is Booksmart. With fewer and fewer  pure, original and unadulterated comedies coming out in recent memory, this film is an enormous breath of fresh air because well, it is truly hilarious! Just about every single thing that the main characters see, say, and do are brilliantly funny. The jokes and absurd moments keep coming a mile a minute at a pace that is sure to leave anyone watching this film rolling on the ground with laughter by the time it is all over. Nearly all of this exceptional comedy stems from what Booksmart’s leading actresses go through, and in general, they really killed it in this movie. Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein have terrific chemistry, which simultaneously helps all their banter be uproarious and all of their heartfelt conversations more genuine. Actually, that last part is reflective of the film as a whole, since even though the movie is undeniably funny, it knows that there is a sincere story that needs to be told with grace and honesty. Booksmart never forgets that and that is because by some miracle, Olivia Wilde knew exactly how to convey all of it with a sense of poignancy and care for her first full-length feature. In case it was not obvious by this point, anyone who has not seen Booksmart should immediately seek it out for the instant high school comedy classic it has become.

4. Toy Story 4

When the world believed it could not be done, the filmmakers over at Pixar somehow fulfilled the impossible of making yet another exceptional Toy Story movie with Toy Story 4. For any viewers worried that this film would ruin the completeness of the original trilogy, fear not as Toy Story 4 acts more akin to an epilogue to Woody’s journey and honestly, that decision paid off immensely well. The way the filmmakers made Woody’s story feel like a character piece is beautiful and makes the film surprisingly mature, even by Pixar standards. As the viewer, you connect with Woody more than ever as his inner conflict, and of course, Tom Hanks’ performance was stellar. He may have been nominated for A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, but Hanks’ emotional range here in this film is just as deserving. All of the other cast members do a good job in the voiceover department as they are a big part of making Toy Story 4 as much fun as its predecessors. Among everything else that makes this film a rousing success are the dense layers of powerful themes and emotions that ultimately make Toy Story 4 another shining star in Pixar’s stable of films. 

3. Parasite

At number three is the South Korean film that took the world of cinephiles by storm in the form of Bong Joon-Ho’s incredible social commentary, Parasite. To put it lightly, this film is brilliant in just about every way one could imagine,  and it all comes from the genius that is Bong Joon-Ho as a filmmaker. As a director, he captures the notions of ascension, descension and everything in between remarkably well, no doubt about it. Some casual viewers may be turned off by the subtlety of Bong Joon-Ho’s direction yet, for anyone willing to take a closer, more patient look at the film, it is nothing short of masterful. That also extends to the script, as that too is utterly perfect. Bong Joon-Ho and his co-writer, Jin Won Han, not only created a fascinating story about class and society, but they also nailed the execution with a splendid sense of progression, pacing, characterization and so much more. To make things even better, Bong Joon-Ho also manages to avoid any chances of the story and characters feeling either one-dimensional, cliched, or both. This is a story about a poor, lower-class family trying to take advantage of a much wealthier family, and by some miracle, neither one appears any less than the other. If I am going to be quite honest, Parasite is probably a better film than the next two on my list, and if it were not for my higher reverence for those films, this would take the top slot. Still, Parasite is a film that deserved its game-changing Oscars run and then some, since it is a true masterpiece.

2. Jojo Rabbit

In the runner-up position is the anti-hate satire Jojo Rabbit— a film that would not work in the slightest if it had not been for the wonder that is Taika Waititi as a filmmaker. From the premise alone, it would be hard to blame someone for being hesitant to watch this film since, if handled poorly, the experience of watching it would be extremely disappointing. Yet, Waititi knows exactly what to do in order to make Jojo Rabbit tonally balanced in a way that feels pitch perfect. In one moment, you could be crying-laughing from the genius humor, and in the next moment, the tension makes it a little too hard to laugh, and then in the next moment, you could just be laughing. All of these flavors blend together extremely well to make Jojo Rabbit a film that will hook audiences easily with its emotional resonance. Fortunately, those emotional connections are not wasted, as Waititi knows that there are several important messages to be told here. With what has been already said about Waititi as a storyteller, there should be no surprise that the themes of the film were simultaneously relevant and heartfelt on paper, and marvelously portrayed on screen. To help soothe anyone who has fears about seeing this movie is the incredible cast. Led by first-timer Roman Griffin Davis, this entire cast is all representative of the film’s qualities as a whole, and nobody fails to hold their weight. So, for anyone looking for a film to adore whenever they think about it, there is no need to look when the world has Jojo Rabbit. 

1. Avengers: Endgame

Even after seven full months of films being released that are above and beyond in quality, nothing was ever able to surpass Avengers: Endgame. No other films of 2019 have left an impact as big as this on me personally, and with how terrific 2019 was for film, that is saying a lot. Every choice made by screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeeley, done from every single angle imaginable by directors Joe and Anthony Russo, give this film all the right tools it needed to be the perfect culmination of every Marvel movie thus far. All of the acting from everyone across the board elevated their performances even beyond what they had done before. Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremey Renner, Karen Gillan and Paul Rudd are just a handful of actors from this massive ensemble who gave Oscar-level performances. The terrific characterization that Marvel Studios has always been praised for has grown exponentially over the years and it shows. The action, comedic banter, visuals, score and all other aspects of Marvel’s identity have been ramped up to an eleven in every regard. Obviously, this results in a movie that feels so entertaining that the three-hour runtime does not make it any less re-watchable than the two hours before it, which is an admirable feat that should be celebrated for as long as this movie is relevant. However, even with all of that monumental praise, the biggest success of Avengers: Endgame is that it has all of that fun beautifully melded with a meaningful and complex story at the core of its larger-than-life conclusion. Simply put, Avengers: Endgame is a film that somehow lived up to its expectation as the epic ending it was hoped to be, and even more, and for myself, that makes this worthy of being my favorite movie of 2019.