Bad Teacher. An Education. Bad Education. Bad Santa. Like with a human being, one might say there is nothing more personable to a person than their name. However, it can become lost in the weeds when a movie doesn’t have a title that can quickly be associated with it. Furthermore, if the film isn’t memorable and has no recognizable title, it’s likely to get even further caught in the weeds. Such could have been, and likely was to many, Cory Finley’s (Thoroughbreds) Bad Education.
Category Archives: Top 10 Movie of 2019
Our Friend (2019)
I went into my viewing of Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s (Megan Leavey, Blackfish) Our Friend, knowing almost nothing. I hadn’t seen a single trailer or read even a sentence of a single review. All I knew was that the movie starred Casey Affleck, a drama based on a true story, and had both an audience and critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes that exceeded 85%. It was enough for me to give an unknown movie a chance. I was rewarded with a film that, while incredibly uneven, delivered in a deeply affecting way for which I was ill-prepared. This incredibly poignant movie is not for everyone. Bring your tissues. If you are a cancer survivor or were with someone during their successful or unsuccessful battle with cancer, be forewarned that Our Friend could bring on some incredibly intense emotions, some of which you have been consciously or unconsciously suppressing. Its final act strikes you at your core while also humbling you at the same time.
Sound of Metal (2019)
The most original movie of the year is also one of its best. Darius Marder’s (Loot) subtle and subdued Sound of Metal features a breakout and Oscar-worthy performance from British actor and rapper Riz Ahmed (Mogul Mowgli, The Sisters Brothers). Ahmed stars as Ruben, a drummer for a two-person heavy metal rock band Blackgammon. Along with singer/guitarist/girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke – Ready Player One, Life Itself), he lives in an RV. He travels throughout middle America as the duo goes from one venue to the next. If that sounds like such a simple premise, I assure you that this movie is far more poignant than you could ever expect.
Bombshell (2019)
Based on the real-life scandal at the Fox News Channel, Jay Roach’s (Trumbo, Meet the Parents) Bombshell tells the story of the eruption that occurred when many women were exposed to a sexually harassing environment due to its chairman at the time, Roger Ailes (John Lithgow- Late Night, The Accountant). Bringing to the surface the accusations of numerous females by the head of the company, Bombshell made, at times, an uncomfortable watch. It felt unfathomable that so much of this could have occurred. However, it also seemed as if you couldn’t make up a story like this had it not been proven true.
1917 (2019)
1917, the latest venture from director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition), is a stunning achievement in cinematography, visual effects, sound editing, sound mixing, production design, makeup and design, and direction. While not everyone will be all in on the story, it is hard to discredit this movie’s technical accomplishments. I found the story to be a gripping piece of narrative. Still, I completely understand why some will have problems with the sequencing of events, the placement of props, or the overall mission in general. If, like me, you can let yourself become immersed in all this movie brings to the table, you will have one of the more emotional movie-theater experiences of your lifetime.