TOP 100 OF 2019
Once again I methodically tracked everything I watched in 2019, compiling a massive master list of my favorite films and placing them in some rough order of preference as I went along. As of the publication of this feature, I’d watched 383 features for the first time, 187 of which were released to domestic U.S. theatres during the calendar year or are scheduled to get a release during the first quarter of 2020.
With that in mind, here were the Top 100 films of 2019 as I saw them. Please note, unlike on previous pages documentaries have not been sorted out. It’s all just one giant glorious bundle. Enjoy sifting through them all.
1. Her Smell (D: Alex Ross Perry)
2. Booksmart (D: Olivia Wilde)
3. The Nightingale (D: Jennifer Kent)
4. Pain and Glory (D: Pedro Almodóvar)
5. The Farewell (D: Lulu Wang) [Interview with writer/director Lulu Wang]
6. Doctor Sleep (D: Mike Flanagan)
7. The Last Black Man in San Francisco (D: Joe Talbot)
8. Hustlers (D: Lorene Scafaria)
9. Toy Story 4 (D: Josh Cooley)
10. Knives Out (D: Rian Johnson)
11. 1917 (D: Sam Mendes)
12. Dolemite Is My Name (D: Craig Brewer)
13. Sunset (D: László Nemes)
14. Us (D: Jordan Peele)
15. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (D: Céline Sciamma)
16. Ford v Ferrari (D: James Mangold)
17. The Wind (D: Emma Tammi)
18. The Irishman (D: Martin Scorsese)
19. Captain Marvel (D: Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden)
20. Parasite (D: Bong Joon-ho)
21. The Most Dangerous Year (D: Vlada Knowlton)
22. The Peanut Butter Falcon (D: Tyler Nilson, Michael Schwartz)
23. Rust Creek (D: Jen McGowan)
24. Gloria Bell (D: Sebastián Lelio)
25. Apollo 11 (D: Todd Douglas Miller)
26. Brittany Runs a Marathon (D: Paul Downs Colaizzo) [Interview with writer/director Paul Downs Colaizzo]
27. Ready or Not (D: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett)
28. Furie (D: Le Van Kiet)
29. Little Women (D: Greta Gerwig)
30. Long Day’s Journey Into Night (D: Bi Gan)
31. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (D: Marielle Heller)
32. Amazing Grace (D: Sydney Pollack, Alan Elliott)
33. Photograph (D: Ritesh Batra)
34. Missing Link (D: Chris Butler)
35. The Lighthouse (D: Robert Eggers)
36. In Fabric (D: Peter Strickland)
37. Frozen II (D: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee)
38. Crawl (D: Alexandre Aja)
39. Charlie Says (D: Mary Harron)
40. Honey Boy (D: Alma Har’el)
41. Abominable (D: Jill Culton)
42. Happy Death Day 2U (D: Christopher Landon)
43. The Kid Who Would Be King (D: Joe Cornish)
44. Diane (D: Kent Jones)
45. Wild Rose (D: Tom Harper)
46. Waves (D: Trey Edward Shults)
47. Ad Astra (D: James Gray)
48. The Report (D: Scott Z. Burns)
49. Arctic (D: Joe Penna) [Interview with actor Mads Mikkelsen]
50. Dora and the Lost City of Gold (D: James Bobin)
51. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (D: Dean DeBlois)
52. Uncut Gems (D: Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie)
53. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (D: André Øvredal)
54. Les Misérables (D: Ladj Ly)
55. The Art of Self-Defense (D: Riley Stearns) [Interview with writer/director Riley Stearns]
56. Harriet (D: Kasi Lemmons)
57. Blinded by the Light (D: Gurinder Chadha)
58. Queen & Slim (D: Melina Matsoukas)
59. Rocketman (D: Dexter Fletcher)
60. Klaus (D: Sergio Pablos)
61. Satanic Panic (D: Chelsea Stardust) [Interview with director Chelsea Stardust)
62. The Two Popes (D: Fernando Meirelles)
63. Alita: Battle Angel (D: Robert Rodriguez)
64. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (D: Chad Stahelski)
65. Fighting with My Family (D: Stephen Merchant)
66. Black Christmas (D: Sophia Takal)
67. The Biggest Little Farm (D: John Chester)
68. Official Secrets (D: Gavin Hood)
69. Jojo Rabbit (D: Taika Waititi)
70. For Sama (D: Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts)
71. Sword of Trust (D: Lynn Shelton) [Interview with actor Marc Maron]
72. Long Shot (D: Jonathan Levine)
73. The Woman Who Loves Giraffes (D: Alison Reid)
74. Donnybrook (D: Tim Sutton)
75. The Death of Dick Long (D: Daniel Scheinert)
76. Shadow (D: Zhang Yimou)
77. Charlie’s Angels (D: Elizabeth Banks)
78. Vita & Virginia (D: Chanya Button) [Interview with director Chanya Button]
79. The Aeronauts (D: Tom Harper)
80. Teen Spirit (D: Max Minghella)
81. The Quiet One (D: Oliver Murray)
82. Shazam! (D: David F. Sandberg)
83. Annabelle Comes Home (D: Gary Dauberman)
84. Triple Threat (D: Jesse V. Johnson)
85. Downton Abbey (D: Michael Engler)
86. Avengers: Endgame (D: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo)
87. Ladyworld (D: Amanda Kramer)
88. Godzilla: King of the Monsters (D: Michael Dougherty)
89. Greener Grass (D: Jocelyn DeBoer, Dawn Luebbe)
90. Late Night (D: Nisha Ganatra)
91. Just Mercy (D: Destin Daniel Cretton)
92. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (D: Joachim Rønning)
93. Metal Heart (D: Hugh O’Conor)
94. Glass (D: M. Night Shyamalan)
95. Haunt (D: Scott Beck, Bryan Woods)
96. Aladdin (D: Guy Ritchie)
97. Depraved (D: Larry Fessenden) [Interview with writer/director Larry Fessenden]
98. The Secret Life of Pets 2 (D: Chris Renaud)
99. Bliss (D: Joe Begos)
100. I Trapped the Devil (D: Josh Lobo)
