Top 10 – Best Films of 2019

2019 has been a very high quality year for film and I feel this has been the toughest list to put together in the whole ten years of Let’s Go The Movies. Which is certainly a very good and amazing thing for cinema and films. Not only have this years best come from cinema releases but Netflix have really come into the picture with some incredible films with amazing performances. With my list it might feel a little bit all over the place with some of the films that are on it due to UK release dates, but also take into consideration that I have also been lucky enough to see some previews of films as well.

My Cinema 2019 list – here
2019 Films overall – here

I had 22 films that were on my list for Best Films of 2019 and it has been very tough to knock that down to the 10 that have then made up this list. Just missing out (Brittany Runs a Marathon, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Klaus, Judy, Crawl)

Final list . . .

10. Ready or Not (Review)

The most dangerous game of hide and seek that you may ever witness, Ready or Not was a massive surprise film in 2019 and it is so unique that I hope more people get to see it after its cinema release earlier this year. It has some fantastic performances, manages humour within very serious scenes and will also make you want to cover your eyes as well.

9. Fighting With My Family (Review)

This film felt very special as a reminder of my love for WWE wrestling back in the late 90s and early 00s, I even used to attend wrestling sessions myself as loved it that much. So seeing an amazing story of a British woman who managed to get to the very top, with a supportive and very different family was very enjoyable. With Florence Pugh leading the film as well, with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson being the driving force behind the film after seeing a documentary on Paige and the family.

8. Ad Astra (Review)

Quite possibly the most visually stunning film that I have seen this year and I really feel sad that Ad Astra seemed to quickly come and go at the cinema without much talk around it. Everything about it looked amazing and it did not follow the same usual story about space. A terrific leading performance from Brad Pitt and addresses feeling lonely, which is surely a theme everyone can understand at some stage of life.

7. Little Women (Review)

Quite possibly one of the most adapted novels of all time and in 2019 we got slightly updated characters which worked out so well with the truly outstanding cast boasted in this one. I wasn’t fully sure if we needed this film but it turns out we really did and it was an outstanding adventure from start to finish, the timeline of the film is done with shifts over the seven year period which works in a fantastic manner.

6. Wild Rose (Review)

It feels like a very long time ago that this film was released but that could be because I cannot remember a time not listening to Glasgow (No Place Like Home) which is an amazing song both in the film and out of the film as well, I really hope it manages to get the Oscar nomination for best original song. Along with that song we get a terrific performance from Jessie Buckley and as strange as it may sound I feel so proud of her and happy for her. Considering how young she was on UK talent show looking for the next Nancy for Oliver, to then do this outstanding piece of work. A lovely film highlighting Scotland and country music. Not forgetting a nice supporting role from Julie Walters!

5. The Favourite (Review)

A release from the very start of the year that felt like such a wait for the UK. It is another unique film, I feel as though that has been a common theme throughout this top 10 list which can only be a great thing considering it means I have plenty of different types of films. Olivia Colman in her Oscar winning performance with Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz both nominated. A very female empowering film based on well rumours quite frankly. A very different take on anything to do with the Royal Family and its well hilarious!

4. The Farewell (Review)

The Farewell is about a really sad event, cancer but the grandmother not actually being told that is what it is. It’s actually based on a real lie, as soon as that popped up on the screen then I just knew I was going to be hooked with this one. Mainly in Chinese and learning about a very different culture which just so happens to actually work considering she is still alive to this day. It gives you hope as we have all gone through a loved one suffering with cancer and hearing that word seems to be the worst thing for the mental side as well. Mixture of amusing moments was something The Farewell really managed to nail.

3. The Irishman (Review)

So much talk around The Irishman and of course that is going to happen when Martin Scorsese manages to get Robert De Niro and Al Pacino back together again along with Joe Pesci! Too much of the talk has been around the running time but I have watched the film fully twice and did not find any issue with it. The performances are that good from the leading and supporting cast that you find yourself engrossed in the world of Jimmy Hoffa.

2. Marriage Story (Review)

This film broke me into so many pieces that even the next day I did not feel quite the same. The level of acting is among the best I have ever seen with the argument scene from Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson, raw and felt so real that it really is something else to witness. Showing how people can change even when they have been together for so long and while they want to remain friends that it really is not possible after a certain point.

1. Jojo Rabbit (Review)

I am not even fully sure how to start with how much I adored this film, I wasn’t really sure if a satire was something I would ever really like. But I can confirm that Jojo Rabbit has well and truly opened me up to having a different mindset towards this type of film. Roman Griffin Davis delivers one of the best child performances I have ever seen, so I am going to claim of all time. He is outstanding and the stereotypes addressed in this film are done in a laugh out loud manner. It also contains a truly tragic and upsetting scene which took me by surprise.  

Have you seen all of these films yet, if so what did you think of them? What were your best films from 2019?