My Top 150 Movies & Documentaries for 2019... (so far, and in list order)
Another year, another list...
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150 titles
- DirectorSam MendesStarsDean-Charles ChapmanGeorge MacKayDaniel MaysApril 6th, 1917. As an infantry battalion assembles to wage war deep in enemy territory, two soldiers are assigned to race against time and deliver a message that will stop 1,600 men from walking straight into a deadly trap.Technical brilliance that did not get in the way of a heart thumping story of a soldier's quest to deliver a message to the slaughterhouse frontline...
- DirectorWaad Al-KateabEdward WattsStarsWaad Al-KateabSama Al-KhateabHamza Al-KhateabFOR SAMA is both an intimate and epic journey into the female experience of war.Powerful video diary from mother to new born daughter on the hellish life in Aleppo, Syria, during the barbaric treatment from both the regime and religious radical loonies, as innocent lives (mostly children) get caught up in the crossfire...
- DirectorJames MangoldStarsMatt DamonChristian BaleJon BernthalAmerican car designer Carroll Shelby and driver Ken Miles battle corporate interference and the laws of physics to build a revolutionary race car for Ford in order to defeat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966.Bale is brilliant and Damon is perfect in this well crafted tale of motor sport passion up against the might of the greedy corporate giant as Ford enters the prestige La Mans...
- DirectorCéline SciammaStarsNoémie MerlantAdèle HaenelLuàna BajramiOn an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman.A sensual tone and pace to this stunning work of art...
- DirectorPedro AlmodóvarStarsAntonio BanderasAsier EtxeandiaLeonardo SbaragliaA film director reflects on the choices he's made in life as the past and present come crashing down around him.Master filmmaker at work, creating his own eight-in-a-half. A must for movie buffs...
- DirectorTodd PhillipsStarsJoaquin PhoenixRobert De NiroZazie BeetzDuring the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.Celluloid madness amplified to maximum thanks to the director and his teams visionary exploration on mental illness and its neglect, just like the garbage pilling up in the streets of Gotham, plus Phoenix's performance is breathtaking and frightening...
- DirectorRob EpsteinJeffrey FriedmanStarsLinda RonstadtBonnie RaittDolly PartonWith one of the most memorably stunning voices that has ever hit the airwaves, Linda Ronstadt burst onto the 1960s folk rock music scene in her early twenties.Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman create another fascinating doco on the life of a versatile artist who dabbled in all forms of music that made enlighten her soul...
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroAl PacinoJoe PesciAn illustration of Frank Sheeran's life, from W.W.II veteran to hit-man for the Bufalino crime family and his alleged assassination of his close friend Jimmy Hoffa.A complex tale of mob rule and politics with restraint direction and performances, (albeit Pacino as the rowdy passionate Union leader, Hoffa). This is simply astounding, plus you get to see all the cinema greats together...
- DirectorKen LoachStarsKris HitchenDebbie HoneywoodRhys McgowanHoping that self-employment through gig economy can solve their financial woes, a hard-up UK delivery driver and his wife struggling to raise a family end up trapped in the vicious circle of this modern-day form of labour exploitation.A family's heart wrenching journey, and this is only from everyday living in this brilliant modern neorealist movie as Master Loach depicts the struggle of a family in today's corporate World that leaves no space for normality due to the greed that surrounds us...
- DirectorNoah BaumbachStarsAdam DriverScarlett JohanssonJulia GreerNoah Baumbach's incisive and compassionate look at a marriage breaking up and a family staying together.It's like the second coming of Woody Allen, but without Woody, just Noah doing his brand of humour and drama combined to create an emotional charged piece where you felt every raw emotion delivered in this powerful observation on a marriage breakdown...
- DirectorIan DarlingStarsAdam GoodesAustralian documentary filmmaker Ian Darling re-examines the incidents that marked the final 3 years of footballer Adam Goodes' playing career.Succeeds in getting your blood boiling by revealing the racism down under in this well documented story showing what actually happened via archival footage, and sad to say that racism is alive and well...
- DirectorBenny SafdieJosh SafdieStarsAdam SandlerJulia FoxIdina MenzelWith his debts mounting and angry collectors closing in, a fast-talking New York City jeweler risks everything in hope of staying afloat and alive.What the Safdie boys did in Good Time works even better in this with an amazing manic performance from Sandler in this roller-coaster ride of a jeweller in a very tight spot...
- DirectorFernando MeirellesStarsJonathan PryceAnthony HopkinsJuan MinujínBehind Vatican walls, the conservative Pope Benedict XVI and the liberal future Pope Francis must find common ground to forge a new path for the Catholic Church.Not a fan of the church and I'm glad it didn't really sell out, if anything, it was damn interesting, making the current Pope an absolute saint with astounding performances from the two legends of screen as they take on the mighty Vatican showing warts and all...
- DirectorCraig BrewerStarsEddie MurphyKeegan-Michael KeyMike EppsEddie Murphy portrays real-life legend Rudy Ray Moore, a comedy and rap pioneer who proved naysayers wrong when his hilarious, obscene, kung-fu fighting alter ego, Dolemite, became a 1970s Blaxploitation phenomenon.Murphy is at the top of his game in this tight and fun scripted story on the life of a shaker and mover in the entertainment industry during the crazy Seventies where I'm sure I laughed out aloud more than a few times......
- DirectorGavin HoodStarsKeira KnightleyMatt SmithMatthew GoodeThe true story of a British whistleblower who leaked information to the press about an illegal NSA spy operation designed to push the UN Security Council into sanctioning the 2003 invasion of Iraq.Now have respect for Knightley, and all those involved in this brave project...
- DirectorScott Z. BurnsStarsAdam DriverAnnette BeningJon HammIdealistic Senate staffer Daniel J. Jones, tasked by his boss to lead an investigation into the CIA's post 9/11 Detention and Interrogation Program, uncovers shocking secrets.For me this was a revelation and riveting method in telling the cover-up, plus Driver carries this political maze of stupidity with his controlled performance which builds and explodes with passion and conviction when the going gets tough...
- DirectorSteven SoderberghStarsGary OldmanAntonio BanderasAJ MeijerA widow investigates an insurance fraud, chasing leads to a pair of Panama City law partners exploiting the world's financial system.Love Soderbergh's creative skill in telling this convoluted story of where the rich hide their money, and the cast is at the top of their game...
- DirectorAlex LehmannStarsChristine WoodsMark DuplassRay RomanoAn unlikely friendship between two misfit neighbors becomes an unexpectedly emotional journey when the younger man is diagnosed with terminal cancer.Convincing performances from the two leads and well handled by all for not allowing this to drop into sentimental cancer melodrama dross...
- DirectorDan GilroyStarsJake GyllenhaalRene RussoZawe AshtonA thriller about the contemporary art scene of Los Angeles, where big money artists and mega-collectors pay a high price when art collides with commerce.WTF! The art galleries of L.A. will never be the same in this hoot of a dark comedy with a hint of Dario Argento thrown in...
- DirectorGalder Gaztelu-UrrutiaStarsIvan MassaguéZorion EguileorAntonia San JuanA vertical prison with one cell per level. Two people per cell. Only one food platform and two minutes per day to feed. An endless nightmare trapped in The Hole.Says a lot about the human condition and its greediness starting from the top up, and giving reason why so much chaos reigns down below...
- DirectorDexter FletcherStarsTaron EgertonJamie BellRichard MaddenA musical fantasy about the fantastical human story of Elton John's breakthrough years.Only way to tell Elton's life is as a musical, and this movie has succeeded in all departments...
- DirectorGabriela CowperthwaiteStarsJason SegelIsabella KaiViolet McGrawAfter receiving life-altering news, a couple finds unexpected support from their best friend, who puts his own life on hold and moves into their family home, bringing an impact much greater and more profound than anyone could have imagined.Well directed and a story that pulls at the heart strings with the performances giving it an extra emotional boost...
- DirectorTeona Strugar MitevskaStarsZorica NushevaLabina MitevskaStefan VujisicA Macedonian woman throws herself into a traditionally men-only ceremony, kicking up a ruckus and standing her ground.An intense exposé on Macedonia's misogynistic culture and religious zealots who take on the pride of an ordinary young woman who fights alone for her rights...
- DirectorMichael WinterbottomStarsCaroline FlackSteve CooganDavid MitchellSatire about the world of the super-rich.The teaming of Coogan and Winterbottom proves to be a successful combination and this time they take on the pure greed of the fashion industry...
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsSong Kang-hoLee Sun-kyunCho Yeo-jeongGreed and class discrimination threaten the newly-formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.Joon Ho weaves a fun tale between the have-nots and the haves in this delicious dark creative social comedy...