2019, the film year that was, is over. That naturally leads to one of my favorite articles to write—the top flicks of the year. It was a banner year for film. A varied myriad of stories enlightened while entertaining, comic book flicks kept a stranglehold on the box office, Martin Scorsese returned to the mob drama with his pals Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Al Pacino, and Elton John got the musical biopic worthy of his larger-than-life persona.
The last 12 months also brought some cinema surprises—aren’t those the best kind?! A charmer from Scotland landed in the form of a fresh out of prison Glasgow girl with dreams of Nashville country music stardom in her eyes. A genuine brilliant murder mystery had our Knives Out, while the “based on a true story” moniker continued to showcase how Hollywood can take an inspirational story and deliver them to the masses like no other medium. From a Fred Rogers tale, to the Mumbai terrorist attack that found heroes in the most stunning of sites, a documentary that soared to the stars and even a racing first—an American automaker winning the esteemed 24 Hours of Le Mans, ordinary folks doing extraordinary things continued to produce cinematic gold.
19. Wild Rose
Love when a movie comes out of left field and knocks your socks off, as was the case with Wild Rose. The story of a Scottish aspiring country singer, who is a single mom with two small kids, will move you in ways that will also be as surprising as the movie itself. The flick served as a talent announcement for actress Jessie Buckley, who pulled double duty with her stunning acting performance and singing voice that recalls Janis Joplin. She dreams of heading to Nashville and becoming a huge star.
Thing is, Rose-Lynn (Buckley) has a spotted past. She is just getting out of jail and hardly knows her children, who have been living with her mother Marion (Julie Walters). That’s a whole lot to balance, work through—all while trying to find success in the most elusive of vocations. The original score will rock your world, even if you’re not a fan of country music, Buckley is beyond brilliant and her struggle is so raw that when she belts out a track like Glasgow (No Place Like Home)—the waterworks will surely be cued.
18. Doctor Sleep
Doctor Sleep is a sequel four decades in the making. In 2013, Stephen King penned a follow-up to his iconic novel The Shining and director Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House) could not have been a better choice to bring it to the screen. It follows Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor), who has been suffering from PTSD and more since escaping The Overlook Hotel with his mother as a little boy.
As we meet Danny, he is being contacted by a young girl—Abra Stone (Kyliegh Curran). She also has The Shining. Together they must find a way to stave off a woman (Rebecca Ferguson), Rose the Hat, who lives for sucking the literal life out of those who have supernatural gifts like Danny and Abra. The film is spellbinding, and McGregor’s performance serves as a sensational bridge between the past and the present, while Curran takes the mantle for the future in a turn that features the young actress stealing scenes from everyone who shares her space. It all adds up to a terrifying, triumphant and surprisingly welcomed follow-up to a film that scared us silly forty years ago. Not many movies this year, based on older properties, can say that—talking to you, Charlie’s Angels and Terminator: Dark Fate.
17. Rocketman
After the success of Bohemian Rhapsody, those of us who ponder films for a living wondered how audiences would respond to the Elton John biopic, Rocketman, so soon after the Freddie Mercury and Queen biopic. Turns out, it was a welcomed delight when it arrived over Memorial Day weekend. For starters, filmmakers put a spotlight on both John’s triumphs as much as they did his travails. Casting Taron Egerton (Kingsman)as the titular subject allowed director Dexter Fletcher to do something that BoRhap’s creative team couldn’t do … have the actor do the actual singing. There’s also the fact that it didn’t shy away from John’s sexuality journey and presented it front and center. Not that the Queen biopic didn’t but … it kind of did.
What else sets this flick apart, other than the above issues, is the fact that it is truly a musical. The biopic musical frequently used the lyrics of John’s hits (written by his longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin, played by Jamie Bell) to paint the dramatic picture of John at various points of his life. There’s song and dance numbers that would give other Hollywood musicals a run for their money (Saturday’s Alright for Fighting, anyone?). Egerton gave an Oscar worthy performance and put the world on notice that he is a talented force of nature.
16. Knives Out
Great cinematic murder mysteries are rare. Given how absolutely incredible Knives Out is, it was hardly a shock when the flick scored major business at the box office. The Rian Johnson (The Last Jedi) written and directed thriller featured the best ensemble cast of the year with Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Chris Evans, Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas (the upcoming No Time to Die), MichaelShannon, Toni Collete, LaKeith Stanfield, Frank Oz and Christopher Plummer. The latter (and legendary) actor portrayed the family patriarch of the Thrombey clan.
Harlan Thrombey (Plummer) is the most successful murder mystery author on the planet. All those book sales add up to quite a lot of cash and as Craig says so eloquently in the Knives Out trailer, when people get desperate … the knives come out. At his 85th birthday party, the entire fam gathered to mark the big day and by the conclusion of the evening, Harlan was dead from a self-inflected slit of the throat. Craig’s southern friend sleuth doesn’t believe for one minute it was a suicide. This was a murder. The question, clearly, is who done it? By its conclusion, viewers have taken a ride that pulsates with mystery and embodies all the qualities of what it is that makes us adore the cinema.
15. The Peanut Butter Falcon
The feel good movie of the year, hands down, arrived with The Peanut Butter Falcon. Zack Gottsagen portrayed Zak, a young man with Down Syndrome who is tired of living behind the walls of one facility or another because his family won’t take care of him on their own. Thanks to the help of his roomie, Carl (Bruce Dern), Zak manages to escape and lands on a boat lifted by Shia LaBeouf’s Tyler, who also is on the run—from a pissed-off Duncan (John Hawkes). Following them all is a nurse who was charged with taking care of Zak, Elanor (Dakota Johnson). It all adds up to a flick that will warm your heart, make you smile, laugh out loud and most importantly, inspire.
Witnessing what Zak goes through, and understanding the challenges inherent in his daily life, it is enough to make you want to get up off the couch and take over the world. Johnson gives a performance so rich that it should erase anyone’s opinion that the daughter of Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith was as terrible as the whole of those 50 Shades of Grey movies that made her a household name. Gottsagen, in real life, has Down Syndrome. Witnessing his triumph of a performance is a true treasure, and not something that will be forgotten for some time.
14. The Lighthouse
Black and white movies serve a unique purpose in the cinema, circa 2019. Writer-director Robert Eggers shot his latest, The Lighthouse, in those hues. After inhaling the tale of two men who man the titular locale in the 1890s, one cannot image seeing the flick in any other way than in B&W. Robert Pattinson stars as Ephraim Winslow, the neophyte of this dynamic duo that is led by Willem Dafoe’s Thomas Wake. The pair are set to spend over a month on this rock, surrounded by nothing but ocean on all sides. Dafoe and Pattinson incredibly capture the mental anguish of solitude and how it can affect each man differently.
There is a common thread sewn throughout The Lighthouse.How does each soul conquer or succumb to isolation-spawned loneliness that can manifest itself in madness? Both actors astound. Their chemistry is powerfully palpable. Look for both to be in the Oscar discussion for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor (which gets which push is the subject for another article!). Then, there is the cinematic miracle that is Eggers. Do not be surprised that by the conclusion of the artistic awesomeness that is the auteur’s latest, you firmly are entrenched in your seat—blinded by the weighty wickedness that embodies life at The Lighthouse, circa 19th century. Pattinson and Dafoe deliver an electric performance. Behind the camera, The Lighthouse was sublimely shot by cinematographer Jarin Blaschke. This motion picture took days to shake off and, in some ways, it’s still ricocheting in my soul.
13. Hotel Mumbai
Reel stories of terrorist attacks have the potential to elicit exponentially fervent emotional strength. That is exactly what is achieved through every single frame of the harrowing true tale, Hotel Mumbai. The international ensemble gave their all and honored those whose lives were lost or forever altered when Lashkar-e-Taiba, a terrorist group funded by Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda, stormed various locales across the seaside Indian community. Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire) stars as a member of the kitchen help, Arjun. His character is emblematic of the piercing message that filmmaker Anthony Maras sought to project throughout. The Taj Hotel is among the finest in the entire country of India, and even that entire corner of the planet. People who stay there are well off, and that’s putting it mildly.
What grabbed the headlines, more than the attack itself, was the response by the staff of the hotel. They rose up and risked their own lives and the future of their collective families to put an end to a terrorist fueled day. Despite their heroism, the terrorists still claimed the lives of 164 people across town. Armie Hammer (The Social Network, Free Fire and The Lone Ranger) stars as the one American in our ensemble, David, who is at the hotel with his wife, Zahra (Nazanin Boniadi), their nanny and baby. Many made the ultimate sacrifice that day. Above all else, Hotel Mumbai serves as the most riveting of salutes to bravery.
12. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
When it was announced that Tom Hanks had been cast as Mr. Rogers, the buzz immediately commenced. What is so brilliantly achieved with A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is how the life of the children’s television icon is chronicled yes, but it is not the center of the story. The spotlight for this film firmly lands on Matthew Rhys’ (The Americans) Lloyd Vogel. With the talent that the Welsh actor possesses, his gifts come through like an avalanche coming down the mountain. Vogel writes for Esquire and was tapped to do a brief profile of Fred Rogers for the publication’s hero issue. After visiting with the legend in his native Pittsburgh television studios, Vogel cannot shake the Fred Rogers experience. There is a story here that goes far beyond a simple 400-word heroic salute.
The journalist has had the roughest of relationships with his father Jerry (Chris Cooper) and as he ventures to the Pennsylvania city from his native Manhattan, Vogel has no idea how much his life is about to change, thanks to the sage wisdom of Mr. Rogers. It is through Vogel’s struggle that the lifeforce and life story of Rogers permeates. Biopics are at their best when they focus on one particular stretch of an individual’s life. It allows the filmmaker to zero in on the heart of the subject. Hanks, in what should be shocking to nobody, is exquisite as Rogers. He delivers a nuanced performance that masterfully honors the man who changed the world with his approach to enlightening children. What I was left with upon exiting the theater is how Vogel’s life and family was forever improved and altered by the seminary trained, musically gifted wunderkind. Just imagine how many tens of hundreds of millions of souls are better off because Fred Rogers was born.
11. Dolemite Is My Name
Dolemite is My Name and (expletive) up (expletive) is my game. For audiences, we all win at his game. Eddie Murphy delivers his finest performance to date and expertly nails the larger-than-life character that is Rudy Rae Moore. He tried, and failed, to make it in Hollywood as a singer. He tried, and failed, to make it as a stand-up.
It wasn’t until he took the street-born persona Dolemite when things truly took off. The Netflix produced comedy (with sprinkles of powerful drama) features a stellar cast that surrounds Murphy and one thing comes crystal clear—every single soul working in Dolemite is My Name will forever be changed by the experience of bringing Rudy’s tale to the screen. From Keegan-Michael Key’s Jerry, a screenwriter who aspires to nothing more than respect, to Wesley Snipes’ D’Urville Martin—an actor employed to be the director of this film within a film, each performer keenly knows their role and how to stay in their respective lanes. When it all adds up, it is a spectacle of sensationalness. Be prepared for a tsunami of inspiration and a lesson in grit, determination and the art of never taking “no” for an answer.
10. The Irishman
The Irishman is the closest thing we will get to a Goodfellas reunion. Thank goodness it all came together for director Martin Scorsese and his cast of thespian royals—Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano, Bobby Cannavale, Anna Paquin, Jack Huston and Jesse Plemons. The film, based on a true story, shines its light on De Niro’s Frank Sheeran. He loyally served one of the most powerful people in the world as the 50s met the 60s, Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino). Sheeran famously admitted on his death bed that it was him that murdered his boss and incinerated his remains. What is so fascinating about The Irishman experience is that this decades-long mystery could possibly be solved (i.e. what happened to Hoffa), and that is not even remotely near the largest takeaway from Scorsese’s latest classic.
What drives the drama are the interactions between the major players. As only Scorsese can, his ensemble has the freedom to not only find their characters, but to do so in a manner that has acting choices that enrich every single frame of Scorsese’s latest mob movie. De Niro digs deep here and delivers a turn worthy of Oscar love … while Pacino blows up the room as Hoffa every single time he appears. Mirroring what happened with Goodfellas, it is Pesci who steals scenes left and right as Russell Bufalino. Scorsese, De Niro and Pacino famously pounced on the Oscar winner for Goodfellas to come out of retirement for one last go at it. Thank goodness Pesci did because there would be a gaping hole in this flick with any other actor inhabiting Bufalino. Yes, the film is three-and-a-half hours long. But it doesn’t feel like it. In fact, as the credits started to roll, I was ready to hit “resume” and dive back into this layered world.
9. Apollo 11
It is hard to believe that the footage featured in the documentary Apollo 11 has never been seen before now. After all, there are few moments in human history that were watched with as much fervor as the moon landing. But alas, there was all this jaw-dropping footage and it took director Todd Douglas Miller to put it all together and weave a triumphant tapestry that simultaneously salutes the bravery of Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin as it does the hundreds of folks who worked behind the scenes. An entire nation, heck, the whole world, sat in front of their television screens for days until our space traveling heroes splashed down safely.
Apollo 11 utilizes the never seen visuals and takes a page from fictional/narrative cinema in the process. Specifically, Miller puts together a story that painstakingly takes viewers through the envelope-pushing effort (spurred by John F. Kennedy’s statement that he wants to put a man on the moon by the close of the decade) that allowed America to win the space race while those pesky Russians were nipping at our heels. Apollo 11 is a remarkable achievement in filmmaking, regardless of its milieu.
8. Jojo Rabbit
Taika Waititi has been a bit of an enigma in Hollywood circles. The New Zealand born writer-director-actor has been toiling for years. But it was 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok that served as a talent announcement as he injected heaps of life and humor into the Chris Hemsworth spearheaded Marvel movie. Prior to that, many had thought of the God of Thunder’s cinema experiences were the weakest link in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Fresh off that success, he found Christine Leunens’ novel Jojo Rabbit and committed himself to bringing it to the screen in a way that threads a needle that is the thinnest possible. The story of Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) allows the filmmaker to make the firmest of statements about dictatorships and centralized power in the most unique of ways. By showcasing the story through the eyes of a young boy, we see the entity that is Nazism as it engulfed 1930s and 1940s Germany, through the prism of a youngster who has known nothing but adoration for Adolf Hitler as a member of his Hitler youth.
His mother, Rosie (Scarlett Johansson), dotes on him with the love only a maternal influence can deliver. She may not understand his obsession with Hitler and being a part of the military end of the Nazi party. From a child’s point of view, what’s not to enjoy about running around the woods and playing with guns? What Waititi achieves with Jojo Rabbit is nothing short of a movie marvel. When Rosie takes in a Jewish tween (all without Jojo knowing), it brings home the very central issues that are at the heart of the battle within Germany for that country’s future. It is often said that comedy is the richest of genres for delivering punches that otherwise may be hard to take. Waititi tackles some viciously hard subject matters and achieves something stunning in the process … a family torn apart by war seen through the peepers of a boy. The ludicrousness that is war is never shrugged off by the filmmaker. In fact, he delivers us a meticulously crafted tale that takes the violent method of conflict resolution, i.e. war, and turns it on its head, a la Catch 22 or M*A*S*H. The most exquisite part of the entire tale arrives when the filmmaker puts on his acting hat and portrays Adolph Hitler … Jojo’s imaginary friend. This farce should see a fair amount of Oscar nomination love when those nods are revealed January 13.
7. Booksmart
There are indelible filmmaker debuts, and right up there with them is what Olivia Wilde achieved with Booksmart. The story of two BFFs, Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein), who on the last day of their senior year of high school come to a stunning realization. Many of their fellow students, who have spent their valuable high school years partying and frolicking, have managed to score solid marks and are on their way to respective institutions of higher learning. It’s a shocking moment, that makes these two young women utterly and completely frustrated. For four years they obsessed about schoolwork, extracurricular activities and doing every little thing possible to ensure their college applications rose to the top of the heap. They could have been having more fun along the way and still achieved their goals! As graduation looms over them, they decide they’re going to finally go to their first party and let it all hang out. Booksmart could have been a run-of-the-mill teenage coming of age story. But in the hands of Wilde, it is so much more.
The script, by Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel and Katie Silberman, gives viewers the most richly emboldened female teen characters that have graced the silver screen in some time. These ladies are firmly fictional characters I would feel most honored to share with my young daughter. Wilde introduces herself as the most astute of directors with her debut and makes choices throughout that feel as if they came from a seasoned filmmaking veteran. The leads, Dever and Feldstein, play an integral part in making Booksmart brilliant. The former (who we first discovered on TV’s Justified) and the latter (who is Jonah Hill’s sister and is about to tackle an enormous role as Monica Lewinsky in Ryan Murphy’s stellar American Crime Story)come together and not only deliver one of the best teen-centric films we’ve ever seen, but one that firmly sits in the top 10 of 2019.
6. Marriage Story
Divorce with a small child is a tricky entity to tackle with the cinema arts. All one must do is look back over Hollywood history. There truly hasn’t been an explosively emotive flick that illustrates the cost (to both parties and to the children) since 1979’s Kramer v. Kramer. When Marriage Story premiered, that changed immediately. The Netflix stunner features Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver delivering heart wrenching performances that will just destroy you. The film also elevates, what with its testament to the human spirit and how we find ways to discover solace in forward movement—if for no other reason than that of the children. Johansson gives the performance of her career in a study of a woman looking back at her life and realizing the sacrifices she made as wife were not worthy of missed opportunities. Driver, meanwhile, explodes off the screen in a tsunami of emotions that run the entire spectrum.
They always say when writing a screenplay, “write what you know.” Then, the product of that insightful prose will leap off the screen. That is firmly the case with Marriage Story. The exceptional work was written and directed by Noah Baumbach, who channeled his emotional scars from his own marriage falling apart. What is so astounding about his film, amongst dozens of other aspects, is how—after going through this rough journey with characters we truly care about—the overriding sense that emerges at the conclusion may surprise … hope.
5. 1917
Sam Mendes has been a favorite filmmaker of mine since he first dazzled with the one-two punch that was 1999’s American Beauty and 2002’s Road to Perdition. It should also be noted that the director was behind the camera for the best James Bond movie of the modern era, Skyfall. It should surprise no one that the hairs on the back on my neck stood at attention with that debut 1917 trailer. The single-shot film tells the story of a couple of British soldiers who have been tapped to navigate the trench terrors of World War I and venture through German occupied territory to get a message to a battalion of UK soldiers. They don’t know it, but they are about to storm into the most lethal of traps. Sixteen-hundred men will be slaughtered unless Lance Corporal Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) and Lance Corporal Schofield (George MacKay) can perform a miracle and get that urgent message to those troops.
Adding to the dramatic scope is the fact that this is personal for one of the men, as his brother is one of those 1,600 men awaiting morning orders to attack the Germans. 1917 rivets on so many levels, its hard to know where to start, or frankly, where to end. My appreciation for this film could produce a 5,000-word essay! Let’s just say this, Mendes is at the top of his game, and yes that is saying something. The one-shot technique here is no gimmick. It works within the framework of the plot and dramatic forward momentum. There are countless moments of sheer tension that will undoubtedly raise your heartrate. Yet, above all else … those heartstrings will get pulled frenetically.
5. (tie) Ford v. Ferrari
Matt Damon and Christian Bale together in anything would be a worthy endeavor. So, the idea of pairing the two actors to tell the true tale of how the Ford Motor Company decided to go from racing novice to Le Mans champ in a matter of years is nothing short of genius.
Toss in the powerful direction by James Mangold (Logan) and race sequences that are captured unlike any seen prior on the silver screen, and this 60s-set revving engine—full of unbridled and patriotic joy—will brighten the day for anyone who witnesses the majesty of Ford v. Ferrari.
4. Joker
Who knew that we needed an origins story for one of comic books’ most adored and nefarious villains? Joker comes from Todd Phillips (yeah, the Hangover guy!) and the headline here is the explosive performance of Joaquin Phoenix. It’s fascinating. First, it took supreme confidence in one’s gifts to plaster on the clown makeup and step into the role that won the late Heath Ledger an Oscar (and he, in turn, had to possess that same mettle following Jack Nicholson’s iconic take). What must have been exquisitely appealing for Phoenix—and anyone involved in Joker—was that first time reading through the script by Phillips and Scott Silver.
This is a landscape that could not be more profound. It doesn’t brush aside the mental illness element that has always laid at the heart of the Arthur Fleck character. Over the 122 minutes of Phillips masterwork, the DC Comics produced endeavor thrillingly flies by in the blink of an eye. Phoenix has always been one of our greatest thespian talents. But he has done something over and above all that came prior with Joker. There is no question he will be nominated for a Best Actor Oscar. He very well could win.
3. Uncut Gems
Speaking of Oscar, how bizarre would it be to tune in to the Academy Awards nomination announcements on that ridiculously early hour on January 13, 2020 and hear the words “Adam Sandler for Uncut Gems” when the Best Actor nominees are revealed? Strange, yes, but deserved—oh, so much! Sandler is Howard Ratner, a Jewish Manhattan diamond district store owner who gets in over his head with gambling failures. When Kevin Garnett (who plays himself) saunters into his establishment with a common acquaintance, Demany (Get Out star LaKeith Stanfield), suddenly there is hope. Garnett becomes obsessed with the titular item. What’s that, you ask? An uncut gem which Howard has somehow procured from Africa. When Ratner witnesses Garnett’s desire to possess the item for “good luck” in tonight’s playoff game, our jeweler sees nothing but dollar signs. It seems that the NBA superstar is a man of superstation, as are many athletes.
The Celtic player swaps his NBA Championship ring with Sandler for those Uncut Gems. The baller believes that this African gem is the absolute key to continued playoff success. Knowing that, Howard takes money that was earmarked for a bookie and puts it all on Garnett and the Celtics with a myriad of prop bets. Like watching figurative quicksand engulf an individual, the writer-director sibling team of Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie hit a nerve that is still raw and pulsating weeks after witnessing their sensational cinematic achievement. Idina Menzel (Frozen II, Broadway’s Wicked) shines as Ratner’s wife, who’s had enough of his shenanigans. Of course, her timing is could not be worse. As his professional and gambling landscapes become joined at the hip, viewers score a front-row seat to a budding inferno. Sandler is astounding and goes places that I never thought the SNL veteran could. With Uncut Gems, he unlocks levels of intensity that few actors achieved in 2019. Yeah, that.
2. Parasite
Could Parasite become the first foreign language film to win an Oscar for Best Picture? South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon Ho (Snowpiercer) has masterfully woven together a clash of classes—at least from a “have” and “have not” perspective. The film is stunning and raucously riveting. Like Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, Parasite spotlights two sides of Seoul. On the poor side, we find patriarch Kim Ki-taek (Kang-ho Song). His family lives in squalor as they try different scams to “work” their way out of the Korean capital’s slums.
Leading the way is son, Woo-sik Choi (Kim Ki-woo), who thanks to his BFF scores a gig as a tutor for a gloriously wealthy family’s teenage daughter. That leads to him scoring his sister a gig as a caretaker/instructor for the rich clan’s young boy. Next thing you know, dad is their driver and mom’s the maid. Just as they find themselves in position to con some major cash from this clan … let’s just leave it at that. See, just when you think you have Parasite figured out, it takes a left turn, leaps off a cliff and speeds away to unforeseen territory that was never even on our radar. The writer-director makes some insightful observations between classes, yes, but this film is more specific than that in its message. With Parasite, the auteur has firmly established himselfas someone whose name alone gets people into the theater on opening night.
1. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Quentin Tarantino adores everything there is to appreciate about Hollywood history. He is an ace student of celluloid. Therefore, his love letter to his hometown are many things to different people—and that is just one aspect of what makes his ninth film truly exceptional. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is an R-rated fairy tale that re-imagines the crime spree of the Manson family that killed seven people, including the life of budding ingenue Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) and her unborn child (as well as a few of her friends, including the Folders Coffee heiress). Leonardo DiCaprio delivers a fiercely reserved turn as Rick Dalton, a western actor who senses his career clock winding down. Brad Pitt dazzles as Cliff Booth, Dalton’s stunt double and longtime friend. Tarantino’s flick covers so many tracks, including spotlighting the Hollywood scene that was moving from the studio system that was still working in the 60s to the auteur-driven cinema landscape of 70s … that is still ever present. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood also serves as a cautionary tale about life and how perceived roadblocks could actually—when all is said and done—be a gift that catapults us to places that were previously seen as a pipedream.
Further proof of the filmmaker’s cache is the cast. QT scored Al Pacino as a classic agent of that time—Marvin Schwarz—who floats the idea to Booth of making Spaghetti Westerns in Italy, which literally sends him into tears. Pitt delivers a seismically sensational performance. It is—without question—the best performance of his career. Emile Hirsch, Margaret Qualley, Timothy Olyphant, Dakota Fanning, Luke Perry, Damian Lewis (as Steve McQueen no less!), Scoot McNairy, Zoe Bell, James Remar and Tim Roth all shine in supporting roles that are vital parts of this 1969 Hollywood-set stunner. The filmmaker expertly shows how within days, the feel of the City of Angels went from a “hippie, let’s love everyone” sentiment to the fear factor burning into the red.
Honorary mentions: Avengers: Endgame, Arctic, Long Shot, Us, The Beach Bum, The Two Popes, John Wick Chapter 3, The Farewell, Crawl, Official Secrets, The Secret Life of Pets 2, Ready or Not, The Dead Don’t Die and Frozen II.