2019 Capsule Reviews

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote

rating: *****

review: Terry Gilliam's much-delayed masterpiece probably works better than it would have originally infused with Adam Driver.  I don't suppose critics were disposed to adoring the results anyway, so forget their lukewarm reception.  Gilliam is always just this side of genius, and sometimes is firmly on it, and this is his best film.  Absolutely worth all the hassle to get it done, worth the wait, and all the needless later loopholes to actually see it.

Yesterday

rating: *****

review: Critics were equally dismissive of this one, since they couldn't wrap their heads around the Beatles being popular today, and maybe it's because I'm unabashedly a fan, but I put well aside my usual apathy for romantic movies for this, and eagerly so.  Between the Beatles themselves, Across the Universe, and now this, I've witnessed the same songs executed to perfection in widely different ways.

Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood

rating: *****

review: Quentin Tarantino returns to the laconic form of Jackie Brown to rewrite history in a story about two lives that really had nothing at all to do with the Manson murders, but comment on the nature of living the film life better than anything I've ever seen.

Joker

rating: *****

review: Opinions range from brilliant to apathy, depending on how invested the viewer is in the legacy of the character.  The stairway sequence alone makes the results iconic, and Joaquin Phoenix a worthy successor to Heath Ledger.

Knives Out

rating: *****

review: Daniel Craig powers an ensemble that redeems Rian Johnson's reputation after The Last Jedi.

Star Wars - Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker

rating: ****

review: At this point you were either onboard with the sequels or had already dismissed them.  I found the conclusion of Rey's journey, her relationship with Kylo Ren, to be perfect, a response and the antithesis to how things played out in the original trilogy (and even the prequels), daring to believe in hope in a most cynical age.

Zombieland: Double Tap

rating: ****

review: An underrated gem of a series in the modern era, and a worthy follow-up to the original, both of which I've grown to appreciate more over time.

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

rating: ****

review: The bombastic third entry in this series turned it into a legitimate blockbuster, and knew exactly what it was doing, turning John's survival into a true epic experience.

Jojo Rabbit

rating: ****

review: Burned by my experience with Thor: Ragnarok, I was hesitant to follow Taika Waititi down this, heh, rabbit hole, but once I did, I fell in love with its unlikely magic.

Hotel Mumbai

rating: ****

review: The age of terrorism finds perhaps its perfect cinematic depiction in this unheralded ensemble drama.

Serenity

rating: ****

review: My appreciation for this one is possibly only beginning; where others were baffled by its twist, I thought it added to the movie's power, and all the same, became another great example of why Matthew McConaughey should never, ever be underestimated.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette

rating: ****

review: Actresses often find it hard to star in truly worthy vehicles for their talent, and Cate Blanchett has been no exception, but this is one of them.

1917

rating: ****

review: Presented as one long cut, a truly harrowing depiction of WWI trench warfare.

The Standoff at Sparrow Creek

rating: ****

review: James Badge Dale saw a resurgence of interest from filmmakers at this time, and this was the best result, a riveting look at the preppers phenomenon.

Terminator: Dark Fate

rating: ****

review: Ever since the second one, this franchise has been hellbent at sabotaging itself. Dark Fate was the rare instance of everyone sort of agreeing to trust the results. I've generally enjoyed every film, but this one was a cut above.

The Lighthouse

rating: ****

review: Robert Pattinson has been keen to find oddball projects, and this was perhaps his most successful at getting the mainstream to notice.  Personally I need to watch it a few more times, since I find his performance to be unusually showy, but I guess others didn't.

Detective Pikachu

rating: ****

review: A genius depiction of the Pokemon franchise, starring Ryan Reynolds in another perfect role.

The Hustle

rating: ****

review: Trashed or outright dismissed otherwise, I found the comedic pairing of Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson to be irresistible (between this and Serenity, as far as I'm concerned this was a career year for Hathaway).

Dumbo

rating: ****

review: I'm not overly attached to much of Disney's animated canon, so this particular live action edition landed well with me, which was certainly helped along by costarring Colin Farrell.

Glass

rating: ****

review: Putting the focus squarely on the franchise's best character helped achieve a solid hit for me from Shyamalan.

High Life

rating: ****

review: I actually like this Pattinson (performance) better, but the films in this de facto ranking are still probably accurate in terms of overall worth.

Ad Astra

rating: ****

review: Falling in the same basic range is the similar Brad Pitt experience, made before Hollywood realized Tarantino was revitalizing his career.

The Upside

rating: ****

review: The film that made me a fan of Kevin Hart.  I guess I could care less for him as a strictly comedic performer, but he plays dramatic roles surprisingly well.

The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot

rating: ****

review: The movie with the most ridiculous title ever is absolutely worth experiencing, especially the tense first half, which leads to getting to just spend time with Sam Elliott, since the actual climax isn't worth as much.

Ford v Ferrari

rating: ****

review: Christian Bale as a loose cannon racecar driver trying to prove Ford can make something good is worth Matt Damon not particularly clicking with the material, mistaking smugness for confidence.

Donnybrook

rating: ****

review: Another career seeing a bit of sunlight during this time was Frank Grillo, who unlike Dale carried the momentum further along.  Here he's stuck in a rut of being a thug, but it's still a far cry from not even knowing he was an actor in Warrior.

Under the Silver Lake

rating: ****

review: Basically the Andrew Garfield version of Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood.

Motherless Brooklyn

rating****:

review: Edward Norton made this one happen, otherwise he'd still be looking for another starring role. Also Bruce Willis' last shot at legitimate cinema.

Richard Jewell

rating: ****

review: I figure Clint Eastwood was being allegorical with this one.

Toy Story 4

rating: ****

review: For me the third one was needless rehash, but I figure there was actual new ground in this one, chiefly in the existential crisis of the toy that was made by a kid.  Although if there's another one they might validate the idea a little better.

Captain Marvel

rating: ***

review: Nothing wrong with it, except there's no way it can validate the hero's claim to icon status, which is the one thing it really needed to do.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbes & Shaw

rating: ***

review: If Johnson & Statham had to be relegated to their own vehicle (heh), it could've been worse.  

Frozen II

rating: ***

review: I still don't know what my niece thinks of this one.  So I don't really know, either.

Fighting with My Family

rating: ***

review: Being familiar with the source material, these results are okay, but at least they depict in cinematic terms The Rock's persona.

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

rating: ***

review: Can't really compete with the poignant twist at the end of the first one.

Men in Black: International

rating: ***

review: There's nothing wrong with this, except it doesn't have Will Smith.  Or Tommy Lee Jones.

Dark Phoenix 

rating: ***

review: Kind of ironic that the end of the Fox franchise proper circles back to the point everyone thought killed it in the first place.

Avengers: Endgame

rating: ***

review: I was thoroughly underwhelmed by the whole Thanos experience.  They just didn't know what to do with him, so fittingly, he's barely in this one.  This is the definition of the MCU's villain problem.

Alita: Battle Angel

rating: ***

review: Nothing wrong with this one except it feels like small potatoes compared to most of the other things from the year.

Shazam!

rating: ***

review: As it turns out, if people keep saying your movies are too grim, it's not the appropriate response to make a movie that features a kid in the body of an adult.  The results aren't bad, but keeping them disconnected from everything else is definitely the wrong move.

Gemini Man

rating: ***

review: I have a full review with a much different rating (I'm pretty sure), but this one's more accurate to relative results.  I guess I really would rather watch Men in Black without Will Smith than two Will Smiths.  This is '00s Smith rewarmed.  He'd already moved past this kind of material.

Spider-Man: Far From Home

rating: ***

review: I just wasn't a fan of the MCU Spider-Man, until he was joined by the other Spider-Men in No Way Home (which like Far needlessly belabored the title of the first one).

The Secret Life of Pets 2

rating: ***

review: I'll clue you in on a little secret: usually when I don't have strong memories of a movie I don't include it in these things.  This one was close, and I only saw it at all because of my niece, and isn't exactly something I'd go out of my way to watch again (unless I was still living with her and she insisted, which could just as easily turned its reputation around).  But I remember enough.  It was basically a decent experience.  Gruff Harrison Ford.  That's what I remember most.

Hellboy

rating: **

review: I was never the biggest fan of the original films.  This one is a marked step down from them.

Midsommer 

rating: **

review: Florence Pugh is the golden child of critics these days (she also starred in Fighting with My family, which is probably the only reason it was taken seriously by them).  And mostly, I just don't get it.  This was one of her breakout movies.  I found it needlessly impressionistic.  Because it's really just one of those weird movies that desparately wants to be profound but isn't.  The exact opposite of the movie at the top of this.