As it is Oscar night I'll do my top 40 of the year. As usual some are technically 2018 films but were either film festival or only available at independent cinema's. Feels weird not having Tarantino on here, I'm planning on re-watching Hollywood soon. I'm hoping second time around it'll land better for me.
40:
Arctic -
Joe Penna
Survival thriller with Mads Mikkelsen fighting to survive in the arctic. This was a lot better than I had any hopes for, though I am completely in love with Mikkelsen.
39:
Toy Story 4 -
Josh Cooley
Me & Krburg saw this at the cinema like a pair of nonces. I smiled/laughed throughout. Lovely stuff
38:
High Life -
Claire Denis
Never has there been as much rape & masturbation in space. Robert Pattinson keeps making smart choices when picking projects.
37:
Ben is Back -
Peter Hodges
This was hit and miss for some people. It really worked for me. Julia Roberts puts in a great performance but it's probably my favourite young actor right now Lucas Hedges who brings this drama to life.
36:
The Report -
Scott Z. Burns
Probably not a perfect film, yet a story that needed to be told that did a great job of making key characters/events understandable. Adam Driver 4 life.
35:
Meeting Gorbachev -
Werner Herzog
Herzog manages to do what he always does best with his docs by bringing out what exactly it is that makes us who/what we are. You can tell her won Gorbachev over & it was a great insight to the mans life.
34:
Dolor y gloria [Pain and Glory] -
Pedro Almodovar
A very personal film from Almodovar with a terrific central performance from Banderas. Reminds me there's still a ton of Almodovar's work I've yet to see.
33:
Pájaros de verano [Birds of Passage] -
Ciro Guerra / Cristina Gallego
Colombian gangster/crime film from the director who made "Embrace of the Serpent" a few years ago. Incredible locations with tons of nasty characters doing nasty shit.
32:
Kona fer í stríð [Woman at War] -
Benedikt Erlingsson
Icelandic drama/almost comedy about a climate activist doing her best to stick it to the man. This one seemed to fly completely under the radar, charming film.
31:
Paddleton -
Alex Lehmann
beautiful little buddy movie with a great performance from Ray Romano & one of the Duplass brothers. Is on Netflix.
30:
Avengers: Endgame -
Joe Russo / Anthony RussoI'm not much of a comic book film fan but I've gotta give it to this for its sheer ambition. How they wrapped up a bunch of franchises with 70000 characters was quite impressive. I was just happy to hang around with the Guardians/Thor, I basically like the comedy aspects of these films. The actual action set pieces never really appeal but this delivered.
29:
American Factory -
Steven Bognar / Julia Reichert
Great doc that's now on Netflix about a production plant that was shut down in Ohio to then be re-opened by a Chinese company. Touches on many different subjects from workers rights to cultural differences. Offers what I thought was a very un-biased look at the situation. Powerful stuff.
28:
Midsommar -
Ari Aster
As someone that has been the only non-Swede at a Midsommar do I can tell you that it really does feel like you're in the fucking Wicker Man
Ari Aster is a very interesting new filmmaker with a ton of visual flair & provided a few genuinely creepy scenes here. Would like to see him direct something he hasn't written as I feel his strength is directing rather than writing.
27:
The Mustang -
Laure De Clermont-Tonnerre
"The story of Roman Coleman, a violent convict, who is given the chance to participate in a rehabilitation therapy program involving the training of wild mustangs." Bloody good drama, Matthias Schoenaerts puts in one of the performances of the year whilst not actually speaking a great deal.
26:
Queen & Slim -
Melinda Matsoukas
I dug this a ton. It's very on the nose & blatantly obvious with its message, but I was fine with that. Where the film works is as a road-movie & the chemistry between the two lead actors. It's a lengthy film, yet I could have spent many more hours with Daniel Kaluuya & Jodie Turner-Smith, they both kill it.
25:
Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love -
Nick Broomfield
Nothing particularly special in the presentation of this documentary. Yet as a fan of Cohen it provided a fascinating insight into his private life during some of the pivotal years of his life.
24:
Dolemite is My Name -
Craig Brewer
I'd seen the original Dolemite years ago & it really is a shit-show that has to be seen to be believed. Eddie Murphy completely knocks this roll out the park. I had a blast with it. on netflix.
23:
The Last Black Man in San Francisco -
Joe Talbot
One of the best looking films I saw last year, incredible cinematography. I wasn't sure if it completely nailed home its point by the end but there are some unbelievably beautiful tender moments in this film. Felt like the work of someone that is going to make something truly special one day.
22:
Joker -
Todd Phillips
The King of Comedy part II. Was sceptical at all the hype going in but for a big Hollywood film it took some risks which it didn't need to. Excellent stuff even if the young Batman stuff felt completely pointless.
21:
Bait -
Mark Jenskin
One of the more unique films I saw all year. Hard to categorise, weird as fuck experimental film about some fisherman. Shot on rolls of film from I think the 30s. Really stylised performances, extreme close-ups, jarring score, bags of atmosphere.
20:
The Beach Bum -
Hermony Korine
This fucking film. It's Korine doing what he does best, being as provocative as he can, creating ridiculous scenario's & making fun of popular culture. You can tell tons of it was improvised & made up on the spot. This won't work for everyone but I just had a blast with how outrageous it was.
19:
1917 -
Sam Mendes
So glad I saw this on the big-screen, it was quite the experience. I'm always a sucker for long shots & they went all out with this concept for this one. I do feel it won't hold up quite as well with multiple viewings. Though the performances are all fine I don't think it has the substance to be one of the great war films. However, as an experience it really is a thrill. I literally felt I was there being shot at on multiple occasions.
18:
Greener Grass -
Dawn Luebbe / Jocelyn DeBoer
absurdist satirical comedy. "Suburban soccer moms find themselves constantly competing against each other in their personal lives as their kids settle their differences on the field." Strange as fuck yet just as funny. Felt like if David Lynch got to direct The Adventures of Pete & Pete. Hope this ends up on netflix. JP I think you'd love this.
17:
Booksmart -
Olivia Wilde
Went into this a little sceptical as I was expecting the kind of teenage comedy that I wouldn't be able to relate to, yet it was charming with gags coming thick & fast and heart whelming when it needed to be. Wonderful film./
16:
The Irish Man -
Martin Scorsese
said my bit on this. It's scorsese, doing scorsese very well with all of his best buds.
15:
J'ai perdu mon corps -
Jeremy Clapin
Wonderful animated flick that's on Netflix. The material is handled so well, loved every second of it.
14:
Monos -
Alejandro Landes
Another magnificent cinematic experience. The locations are just unbelievable, the cinematography masterful & the Mica Levi score just adds to the dread that runs throughout this film.
13:
The Farewell -
Lulu Wang
Some of my favourite writing of the year. Material handled so well, this could have easily been too overly sentimental or mushy, yet Wang manages to cut to the essentials of the story whilst giving us humour & heartfelt moments when needed.
12:
Uncut Gems -
Safdie Bros.
The Safdies really are a force of nature. Everyones talking about Sandler's performance, which is great. However the writing/directing here is what makes it special. creating this tense, stressful high paced thriller which despite its lengthy running time never once lets up, from the way its shot, to how multiple conversations take place at the same time to that fucking score. Damn good filmmaking.
11:
Diago Maradona -
Asif Kapadia
One of the most complex characters in the history of sport given a documentary worthy of his name. Another of those docs that use footage rather that retrospective talking heads that make you feel that you're there witnessing this mans career/life take place in real time.
10:
Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story -
Steve Sullivan
This is probably one of the more personal picks on the list. This has nothing on the Maradona doc in terms of how its put together. But Chris Sievey, aka Frank Sidebottom's life is a bittersweet & inspiring story which moved me a ton.
09:
Sorry We Missed You -
Ken Loach
Another possible personal pick. This is probably a step down from I Daniel Blake, however it still managed to move me in a way that only Ken Loach can manage. More misery about exploitation of workers in the delivery sector. Seeing what the owners are trying to do to Royal Mail right now made this a frightening watch for me.
08:
Marriage Story -
Noah Baumbach
Have found Baumbach hit or miss in the past, to the point where I've had actual anger for his work at times. However he completely nailed this failing marriage relationship drama. Both leads knock it out the park. Handled expertly. on Netflix
07:
The Nightingale -
Jennifer Kent
Jennifer Kent made the Babadook a few years ago, this is her follow up which unfortunately got little to any release. Shocking that this has been ignored, it's a female revenge flick with some of the most brutally disturbing scenes you're likely to see in a while. Kent is such a talent. Also the lead actress Aisling Franciosi who I wasn't aware of prior to this gives one of the best physical performances of the year, the rage in her eyes is really something.
06:
The Peanut Butter Falcon -
Michael Schwartz / Tyler Nilson
This is not a perfect film. It's overly sentimental & deliberately going for your heartstrings with a much too convenient ending. HOWEVER, fuck I love it. I've watched it 3 times & it's one of those films I'll probably watch every couple of years. Just so charming, I'm a complete sucker for Road Movies & this is one of the best I've seen in years. Shia LaBeouf is so fucking good here. I know many think he's a twat but I honestly think when he brings his A game he's magnificent.
05:
For Sama -
Waad Al-Kateab, Edward Watts
" both an intimate and epic journey into the female experience of war." Everybody should be forced to see this documentary. Some of the footage they capture is some of the most heartbreaking and devastatingly awful things I've ever seen. It shows the utter worst of humanity but just as importantly, captures the best of it too. It's such a powerful piece of filmmaking. I hope it ends up on Netflix or Iplayer, it needs to be seen.
04:
Jellyfish -
James Garner
Small British drama in the vain of something Ken Loach would make about a young girl forced to look after her younger brother & sister because the mother is fucking useless. This barely got a release, was one of those I just gave a chance to & was blown away by how powerful it was. The film works all down to the lead actress Liv Hill. They found her in a drama school & apart from a tiny bit of TV work this was her debut, she's sensational. One of the greatest performances of the year. There's some real difficult material in here yet she carries the film wonderfully.
03:
Waves -
Trey Edward Shults
This I've seen has been a bit hit and miss with people. I thought it was a powerhouse in terms of 4 incredible performances. It shifts focus half way through when something happens to one of the leads & kinda becomes something else, yet is all the better for it. I'm a big fan of the few things I've seen Sterling K. Brown in, he has charisma yet can also pull off emotional scenes too, he's some talent.
02:
The Lighthouse -
Robert Eggers
Absolutely masterful filmmaking. The Witch impressed the fuck out of me but this has taken it to another level. The atmosphere captured in this film is something remarkable. The choice of aspect ratio adds to the claustrophobic nature of its setting. The sound design, the editing, the pacing, everything is perfect. Then the two leads are just bloody perfect. Pattinson has got most of the plaudits, he commits 100% & really put himself out there, respect. Though Dafoe stole it for me, he has 2-3 angry/mental speeches which just put a huge smile on my face. He always gets overlooked but for my money when it comes to actors of my life-time he's top tier. Can't wait to see what Eggers does next.
01:
Parasite -
Bong Joon-HoI'm not really interested in award seasons, but I'd love for this to win best picture tonight. One of the best written thrillers I've ever seen TBH. I recommend anyone that is thinking of seeing it to go in as blind as possible. The less you know about Parasite the better the experience will be. There are moments in here which just floored me. It's bound to get a bland Hollywood remake in a few years time, but the story is so compelling I could see it being told again & again. I've seen a bunch of Bong's films and he really is a wonderful filmmaker, yet this deservedly will be the one he's remembered for. A pretty much perfect film & an absolute ride to sit through & watch unfold.
Ari Aster is a very interesting new filmmaker with a ton of visual flair & provided a few genuinely creepy scenes here. Would like to see him direct something he hasn't written as I feel his strength is directing rather than writing. 
