In a year dominated by exhausting discourse on Scorsese, the true meaning of cinema, the moral implications of a Joker movie, and the obtainability of Kumail Nanjiani’s shredded abs, it came as a blessed relief that 2019’s films stepped up and drowned out the online bickering.

With Disney once again laying waste to all comers at the box office, it’s heartening to look back and see so many little pockets of heroes that stood their ground against the might of the mouse. Obviously, juggernauts like Endgame sucked a lot of the oxygen and box office dollars from the room, but around it little indie gems like The Farewell and The Peanut Butter Falcon could be found making a tidy wedge from their modest budgets.

As Netflix continues to make its Oscars power play, the uptick in quality of the streaming giant’s film output has been one of the biggest pleasant surprises of the year, as a trend that started with last year’s Roma has evolved into genuine awards contenders like The Irishman and Marriage Story, as well as a very welcome Eddie Murphy comeback in the shape of Dolemite is My Name.

Unlike previous years, 2019 has been an impressively even playing field, making this one of the toughest ‘best of’ lists to whittle down in quite some time. Unfortunately, there are still several big hitters such as 1917, Parasite, and Uncut Gems that are yet to make it to UK shores, so this list feels a little underserved for now but, nonetheless, this is what I’ve got for my 2019 top 10…

It’s been a long old while since I’ve been anywhere near entertained by an Eddie Murphy movie and even longer since I’ve found myself laughing at one. That dry spell, which has lasted well over a decade, finally came to an end with one of Netflix’s finest original offerings to date, as Murphy slipped effortlessly into the powerful pimp suit of Blaxploitation hero Rudy Ray Moore. 

With a script that plays to his strengths, Murphy roles back the years in a performance that allows him to show just what a comedic genius he can be given the right material, all while letting him flex his dramatic chops with a classic underdog story. Oh, and that’s before you even get to that Wesley Snipes performance. With powerful comebacks across the board, Dolemite Is My Name has to go down as one of the biggest pleasant surprises of the year.

Every now and then, a film will come along that hits so close to home that it hurts. Noah Baumbach’s unflinching portrait of a disintegrating marriage is perhaps one of the finest portrayals of a slowly splintering union put to film, but it’s also one so hauntingly accurate that it’s far from a smooth ride, especially for anyone (read…more or less everyone) who’s ever been in or around such a faltering relationship.

Baumbach directs proceedings with a delicately balanced compassion and a healthy dose of his patented New York cool, but it’s in the powerhouse performances from his stars that Marriage Story really shines. The shift that both Scarlett Johansson and Adam Rider put in really is quite something to behold, as they command the screen together with simultaneous career-best performances.

With neither side of the messy divide coming out clean, Baumbach’s even-handed and empathetic writing puts itself above the Kramer vs. Kramer comparisons, as Johansson and Rider offer a complex and rarely seen view on divorce that cuts deep.

Even as someone who openly adores coming-of-age films, I will admit that it’s a genre that has been done to death. Yet, just when you think there’s nowhere really for it to go, along comes Booksmart – a film that bills itself as ‘Superbad with girls’ but delivers something far more exciting. Expertly directed by Olivia Wilde and bolstered by exceptional performances from Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, and a scene-stealing Billie Lourd, Booksmart is a sharp, heart-felt, and hilarious ode to friends and the necessities of living a life outside one’s work goals.

Regardless of its overfamiliar plot, Booksmart’s energy never dips. Directing with responsibility and verve, Wilde eschews many of the teen comedy’s cruder tendencies in a film that’s wholly sympathetic, not only to its protagonists, but to the entire cast. Friendship is at the very core of everything Booksmart is trying to achieve, as it brims with warmth and personality, while feeling utterly plugged into the generation at its heart. Wise beyond its years, Booksmart proudly takes its place in a new class of coming-of-age comedy that wears its influences on its sleeve while blazing its own trail into the future.

Sometimes a film just feels too pure for this world, but in these cynical times, a little unapologetic purity is just what’s needed. Wearing its Huck Finn influences on its sleeve, The Peanut Butter Falcon is pure, uncut joy and a huge slice or corny Americana that never takes its eye off the darker side of life, as newcomer Zack Gottsagen and a rejuvenated Shia LeBeouf hit the road for a life-affirming road trip that’ll leave your heart wonderfully warmed.

Gottsagen’s charm, like the entire film, is absolutely impossible to resist. From the quirky title to the overtly wholesome setup, it’d be easy to look down on The Peanut Butter Falcon, yet directors Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz have come up with something rather special and more than worthy of everyone’s time. Warm, soulful, and with an admirably adventurous spirit, The Peanut Butter Falcon is an utter delight and the ray of light we so desperately need in these dark times.

Nazis aren’t naturally funny, I think we can all agree. So it takes a brave filmmaker to give them the comedy treatment. Good thing we have half Jewish, half Maori, all Taika Waititi willing to give it a go. The Kiwi director’s rise to prominence has been nothing short of stellar and, after his success with Ragnarok, the world was Waititi’s for the taking, yet no one saw his next move being a satire about a lonely Nazi boy with Hitler as an imaginary friend. It is, however, such a Taika move that it just makes sense.

While the film’s humour may be a little close-to-the-bone for some, Waititi pulls no punches in his satirical war on hate, as comedy and tragedy rub awkward shoulders with one another, producing something that’s both sweetly naïve and brazenly confrontational. Thanks to a star-making performance from young Roman Griffin Davis and bolstered by Waititi’s warm, off-beat sense of humour, Jojo Rabbit is a triumph of heart over hate that shows respect to its contentious subject matter while laughing in its big, ugly Nazi face.

Full disclosure – I am not, and have never been, a 13-year-old girl. Being from the UK too, neither have I ever been in or around an American eighth grade class. Yet, while that should, in theory, automatically put a barrier between myself and Eighth Grade, like the very best examples of the coming-of-age genre, demographics matter not in embracing what it has to offer. Regardless of the specifics, Kayla’s journey into the hinterland of adolescence is as universal as they come and a poignant, contemporary, smartly crafted tale of growing up and embracing your true self. 

Painfully awkward, wonderfully heartfelt, and with a razor-sharp wit; Eighth Grade is a masterclass in coming-of-age filmmaking. Deftly helmed by Bo Burnham and lifted by an astonishingly mature performance from Fisher, the film is a brutally honest, yet remarkable compassionate, look at the trials of female adolescence in the 21st century. Honing in on a very modern form of anxiety birthed by the internet and an omnipresent social media, Eighth Grade may feel very specific in its focus, yet its execution will allow it to connect with many, regardless of age, gender, or social demographic. Gucci!

The musical has been on quite a ride over the past few years and Wild Rose represents the peak of the genre’s recent resurgence. Part Mike Leigh kitchen-sink drama, part A Star is Born-tinged rags-to-riches fantasy, Wild Rose is as touching, emotionally nuanced, and fist pumping as you can hope for in a musical. With the incredible talents of Jessie Buckley leading the line and backed up by some cracking tunes, Wild Rose is a classic rise-to-fame tale, but one that’s happy to make you work for it, as the complex nature of Rose-Lynn imbues her successes with a level of deep satisfaction that you rarely get with the genre.

While the film may centre on country music and Rose-Lynn’s worship of Nashville, Wild Rose is a heart-felt and admirably authentic love letter to Glasgow, as the Scottish city runs through its veins. With dialogue and characters that feel as Weegie as it gets, Wild Rose drips with heart and authenticity, simultaneously igniting an appreciation of country, Jessie Buckley, and the therapeutic power of mince to a Scot.

There are movies, there are blockbusters, and then there are moments in time. Rare though they may be, these pieces of cinematic history occur only when a film transcends it’s form to become something more than just a trip to the pictures. On a different plane of existence from the rest of the film world, they are the confluence of many factors that come together to create a cultural event. Star Wars has had a couple, The Return of the King was definitely one, and James Cameron has made a career out of it. None, however, come close to the magnitude of Avengers: Endgame.

Eleven years and twenty-two films in the making, Endgame isn’t just another entry in an ongoing franchise. It’s not even the conclusion to a story that started the moment Tony Stark busted out of that terrorist cave. It’s insanity. Beautiful, comic book insanity.

After the enormity of Infinity War, it was important to focus things a little and the Russo Brothers have done just that with Endgame. By distilling the action and drama back down to the original six Avengers, while sprinkling in a choice selection of additional heroes, the writers and directors dig deep to examine the realities of life after Thanos’ snap, before launching us deep into the action. Built on the back of superb character work and an impressively layered plot, together with top drawer performances and an admirable desire to provide thrills, Endgame is pure, unfiltered fan-service in the best possible sense, and a testament to thoughtfulness and patience in an industry that thrives on the quick fix. We may now be in the endgame, but I guarantee the fun has only just begun.

Regardless of your thoughts on The Last Jedi, the sheer level of stick Rian Johnson received off the back of it felt entirely uncalled for. The film had its faults, for sure, but it is what it is – an unmistakably Rian Johnson Star Wars movie. In the end, such a monster of a franchise may have been an awkward fit for Johnson’s distinctive sensibilities, but it’s hard to argue that the end result wasn’t at least unique.

From Brick to Looper, Rian Johnson just loves putting his own spin on iconic genres, so the director taking on the classic whodunit with Knives Out just made all the sense. Free from the franchise shackles of Star Wars, Johnson appears a man reborn, as he - and seemingly the entire cast - look to be having a whale of a time with an Agatha Christie-esque murder mystery that’s both a loving ode and a meticulously crafted twist on the classic genre.

With an ensemble to die for and a director returning to what he does best, Knives Out is a razor-sharp, highly entertaining modern take on the murder mystery. Planting his tongue firmly in his cheek, Rian Johnson has shaken off the Star Wars backlash and appears a man reborn, clearly having a blast with the kind of mid-budget genre fare he built his name on. Blessed with dialogue so sharp you could put an eye out with it, a lacerating political edge, and a plot that keeps you guessing until the very end, Knives Out is an enthralling, infinitely entertaining murder mystery for the ages.

Sorry to end things on such a downer but earlier this year I lost my nan and, consequently, my last remaining grandparent. As you can easily imagine, it was an incredibly sad time and left behind the stinging realisation that an entire generation of my family had now gone, but it also offered a chance to look back, reflect, and celebrate the moments that formed our relationship. 

Considering this, I was always likely to be left wide open to the emotional punch The Farewell was packing. It’s certainly a film that presents itself as a refreshingly honest portrayal of a subject that’s still very raw, yet, however much you ready your emotions for such an impact, sometimes nothing can prep you for a film as heart-warming and unassumingly affecting as this.

Poignant, personal, and utterly charming, The Farewell deftly encapsulates the complex dynamics of family, culture, and the lies we all tell to keep one another safe, as Lulu Wang spins a tale that’s both deeply specific and completely relatable. Built on the back of a career-defining performance from Awkwafina and bolstered by a charming ensemble, The Farewell has fun with the quirks of its central story while knowing precisely when and where to hit its emotional beats. Striking a deft tonal balance, Wang hits at the heart of what it means to be part of a family, yet completely disconnected from them. Approaching the looming spectre of death with warmth and humour, The Farewell will leave you glassy-eyed and running to your nearest available grandparent for the biggest hug they can handle.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!