Top 5 Films of 2019

2019 has come to a close, ending the 2010's decade once and for all. It's time for that annual tradition. There were indeed some great movies that came out this year. In fact, I considered making this a Top 10 list once more since there was a nice variety this time around, but I backed out. Like last year, it's going to be a Top 5 list that separates the good movies from the great ones. These are the five that left the best impressions on me.

But first, I will name some honorable mentions. I liked them, but of course, I had to make some sacrifices:

Us, Missing Link, Shazam!, Booksmart, Toy Story 4, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Jojo Rabbit, Joker, and Klaus

Anyways, let's wrap up the 2010's decade with my Top 5 Films of 2019.

5. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

How interesting that the decade began with the first movie, only to be bookended by the final film in the trilogy. If you've been following me for quite some time, then you'll know that I admire the first two How to Train Your Dragon movies. This one did not fail to impress.

While it's not as character-driven as its predecessors, it's still great to see the main cast in one final adventure that would forever change their lives. The friendship between Hiccup and Toothless continues to be endearing. It is also challenged when the latter meets a female dragon and a villain is out to kill him. It's all about the hard decisions that everyone has to make and that makes for a compelling narrative.

The animation continues to be just as impressive as ever. While there are expressive characters and beautiful wide shots of the landscapes, special mention goes to scenes that do not have any dialogue. They can be funny like Toothless wooing the Light Fury or breathtaking like their later flight of romance scene, all accompanied by John Powell's amazing score.

Also, I might as well say this: I cried at the end of the movie. That's how powerful it is. Everything from its story, characters, visuals, comedy, drama, and heartfelt ending, this is a satisfying conclusion to what is now one of the best movie trilogies ever made. I thank director Dean DeBlois and everyone else who have worked on these movies. After this, it's going to be hard for DreamWorks to match the level of heart and sophistication that made them so great.

4. The Farewell

The Farewell is a riveting story about family and cultural differences. The main character (Awkwafina), who was raised in America, visits her grandmother in China after learning that the latter has cancer. There is some interesting conflict when the family keeps her grandmother in the dark about her condition, something that is actually practiced in China.

What really helps this movie is the writing. There are a lot of scenes that are filled with dialogue, which you might think would get boring, but it's not. What they talk about helps the audience feel closer to these people. It's also interesting to note that director Lulu Wang drew from past experience, which just gives this movie a more personal touch.

On top of the writing, there is some exceptional acting from Awkwafina. She manages to capture a lot of her character in not just her words, but her facial acting as well. You see her expressions on screen and you know what she is feeling. She really has range as an actress. Just about every actor in this movie, however big or small their role is, does a phenomenal job in making each of their characters distinct from one another and how they take the news of the family matriarch on the verge of dying.

It's not all melancholy, though, because it does offer a lot of levity to balance things out. I found myself laughing at a lot of moments, and it's done in good taste. Needless to say, I was thoroughly engrossed with The Farewell for having a lot of emotional weight that isn't presented well too often in movies. It's one that's worth checking out.

3. Knives Out

Mystery movies are usually one and done for me. Then came director Rian Johnson's Knives Out, which left me glued to my seat from beginning to end.

I was thoroughly invested in cracking the murder case like the characters. What also separates this from other murder mysteries for me is that once you think things have been solved, the movie hasn't ended just yet. It has so many twists and turns that I have to praise Johnson for putting so much thought into this screenplay.

What also carries Knives Out pretty well are the performances and their dialogue. Every single actor, primarily Ana de Armas, Daniel Craig, and Chris Evans, do a great job in portraying each character with such vibrant personalities. This is backed up by some marvelously-written dialogue that reveals something about them or have lines that are legitimately funny. I mean, you can't go wrong with Detective Blanc's donut analogy, am I right?

With each viewing, I notice something new every time, which is another reason why I love so this so much. I want to go into more detail, but that would be spoiling it. The less you know about this movie coming in, the better. It's engaging, thoughtful, suspenseful, and hilarious. It goes to show that Rian Johnson is one of the finest filmmakers working today.

2. Avengers: Endgame

How could I not put the biggest movie of 2019 in here? I came in with huge anticipation and came out with a feeling of satisfaction in the end.

Avengers: Infinity War was about making sacrifices to save the universe. Endgame is about picking one's self back up after a hard failure. The first act does a great job in showing how the universe and, most importantly, our heroes are dealing with the aftermath of Thanos's actions. When there's an opportunity to right a wrong, we feel that sense of opportunity, leading to an equally engaging second act.

Almost every main character involved in the mission has their time to shine thanks to the spectacular script and performances from the ensemble cast. There's Captain America's inability to move on, Thor's mix of grief and comedy (though how well that's done depends on the viewer), Professor Hulk's optimism, and Ant-Man's everyman quality bouncing off of other characters.

Then there's the unforgettable third act. The MCU's eleven-year history is finally culminated into one epic climax that blew our socks off on opening weekend. I'm still thinking about it to this day. It's also chock full of fan service that is more than well-earned. Finally, the character arcs of Iron Man and Captain America are resolved on the highest note possible.

Endgame is a great Grand Finale to the MCU's Infinity Saga (with Spider-Man: Far From Home being the epilogue). While the franchise will still continue, I do see this as the end of an era, with some actors stepping down and other cast members carrying the torch to let this universe thrive. It's one event of this scale that we won't be getting again for a while.

1. Parasite

Picking my number 1 film this year wasn't easy. Any one of these movies could have filled in the spot, so I had to rewatch a few and rely on my gut feeling. It's a close call, but I think Parasite was the movie that fascinated me the most this year. It's easy to rewatch something like Avengers: Endgame in theaters because you know what you're in for. I watched this three times because there was something fascinating about this movie.

Parasite centers around a poor family who con their way into getting jobs from this rich family. It does a good job in not portraying either side as evil. The poor family in particular are just desperate to survive because of their low income to the point where they leave their window open for free fumigation. The rich family also have problems of their own that make them just as interesting.

Given that it's a social satire, you can expect a great deal of comedy, which it perfectly delivers on. Honestly, the way the poor family each get their jobs is just too funny. It's not only that, but the movie later on takes an unexpected, suspenseful turn that kept me intrigued to the end. Even as I'm posting this, I'm still processing all that went on.

That's not even getting into other aspects of filmmaking. The way the cinematography tells the story or the score accompanied each scene made this for a spectacularly well-made movie. From the directing, performances, writing, and social commentary, Parasite is the biggest surprise for me this year and you owe it to yourselves to check this one out when you can.

There you guys have it. My last post of the 2010's. I'm not done talking about this decade yet, though. Remember my Top 20 Films of 2010's (So Far)? A lot has changed since then, so one of my next posts will be my Top 25 Films of the 2010's. It's not going to be easy since I saw a lot of great ones, but I think I can achieve it. Happy New Year, everybody!