2019 began slowly, but ended with a bang following a flurry of films released during awards season that displayed some of the best directorial and writing talents in cinema today, surpassing in our opinion the output of 2018 and maybe even standing side-by-side the extremely strong 2017 year in film. Many of the films below are sure to be viewed as classic in the future with some certain to be remembered as launchpads for future film stars of tomorrow. Two of our top five films are from the Eastern hemisphere, perhaps a sign of the health of the film industries in the East and West, as written about in our review of Shadow. As always, enjoy our list and check out the ones you have yet to see. We’ll babel with you next year!
- Parasite
- Joker
- The Irishman
- Waves
- Shadow
- Midsommar
- Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
- Hustlers
- Luce
- A Hidden Life
- Marriage Story
- Uncut Gems
- Monos
- Under the Silver Lake
- Motherless Brooklyn
- Jojo Rabbit
- Hotel Mumbai
- The Last Black Man in San Francisco
- Just Mercy
- Honey Boy
- Ad Astra
- Us
- The Two Popes
- John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum
- Ready or Not
- The Farewell
- Shazam
- A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
- Rocketman
- Alita Battle Angel
- Ford v Ferrari
- Little Women
- Good Boys
- Greta
- Bombshell
- Glass
- Dark Phoenix
- Triple Frontier
- Braid
- Climax
- Blinded by the Light
- 1917
- Knives Out
- Portrait of a Lady on Fire
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
- Terminator Dark Fate
- Clemency
- Teen Spirit
- Dolemite is My Name
- High Life
- Judy
- Serenity
- Don’t Let Go
- Booksmart
- Queen & Slim
- The Art of Self-Defense
- Fast Color
- Rust Creek
- The Souvenir
- The Lighthouse
- Velvet Buzzsaw
- Avengers: Endgame
- Pain & Glory
- The Lion King
- Captain Marvel
- The Best of Enemies
- High Flying Bird
