Disclaimer : This is my personal opinion.

I will be listing each film and showing my original review of it in one condensed article.

Here is a link to my Letterboxd ranking if you don’t have the time to read this.

And let’s go –

9. 1917 – Directed by Sam Mendes

★★★ 

Roger Deakins is easily the best cinematographer of all time. This film has proven that. It is one of the most gorgeous and technically well-made movies of 2019. But it won the Golden Globe and BAFTA for Best Picture and I genuinely don’t understand why. This could be a camera tutorial rather than a film, it lacks heart or charm or soul. It’s a very drab and boring watch. I had to play a little game with myself to see where the cuts are in order to keep myself engaged. BECAUSE IN CASE YOU HAVEN’T HEARD, IT LOOKS LIKE IT’S ALL ONE, LONG SHOT. But there’s a freaking fade to black half-way through the movie. The script is probably 80% ‘intense grunting’ and ‘heavy breathing’ because that is what the majority of 1917 is. 1917 is a feast for the eyes but not much else. It lacks anything that makes you care. Especially compared to the other nominees from 2019. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone who isn’t really into World War I or really into cinematography/photography. I wanted to love it but it let me down.

8. Ford v Ferrari – Directed by James Mangold

I had a lot of fun with this movie. It was highly enjoyable while being extremely well made which is tough to say for a lot of movies this year. James Mangold, who is hot off of Logan, carries the momentum even overtaking the brilliance of his previous outing. This movie does phenomenal things with its blockbuster budget which improves the quality and the scale of the production tremendously. It should go without saying that Christian Bale and Matt Damon are amazing as usual. The cinematography makes you forget that you are in fact watching a movie and teleports you to an otherworldly reality. This movie will make you interested in cars, even if you have zero interest in cars and that says a lot about the quality of the direction. My only issue was that until the second act begins there are scenes which drag a little bit and are slightly off-putting, but as we zoom into the second act, the film races past you at a breakneck speed and doesn’t slow down for the rest of the runtime. I feel like I can recommend this movie to anyone, what a way to end the decade!

7. Joker – Directed by Todd Philips

The tension in this movie was phenomenal. It keeps you on the edge of your seat in every single scene. Even the slower-paced scenes have a sense of dread and tension underneath them. The way the character is handled by Todd Philipps and Joaquin Phoenix is simply phenomenal. It’s tough characterizing the Joker without Batman and yet Phoenix gives a performance that would give Ledger (with all due respect), a run for his money. The pacing is a bit wonky and it feels like the script wasn’t structured efficiently, but those are very small issues. The catharsis of this movie is brilliant and all that tension builds up to a moment that doesn’t satisfy you, but you aren’t let down either. Joker will get you thinking a lot about whether you should have sympathized with him or not. I got the privilege of watching it in IMAX, which was one of the best cinematic experiences of my life, every gunshot, breath and musical cue felt surreal. Philipps’ filmmaking style in this film is very derivative of Scorcese’s work and the cinematography is genuinely breathtaking. Nearly every frame of this movie can be sold as a painting. The portrayal of Gotham City is unique and very interesting. The way it handles mental illness and other social issues is also brilliant. Overall, I liked this movie a lot, more than most of the people I know. If you watch it with the right people, with the right mindset you’ll be thrilled by this movie. It’s the best thing to come out of DC in a while and it’s ironic that this is the movie where they don’t show the DC logo anywhere.