With 2019 nearly in the rear view mirror, it is time to look ahead and see what are those movies that I am looking forward to the most in 2020.

Of course, there will be several movies that I don’t know yet and I won’t know about for awhile.

These are what I am anticipating…

MARVEL

Black Widow.  Marvel Studios have never let me down yet.  Scarlett Johansson had a tremendous 2019 and gets her own solo movie in 2020.

The Eternals.  No idea what this is going to be like.  I know very little about the Eternals in the comics.  The cast looks great so I am intrigued.

Morbius.  Sony’s Marvel characters include the Living Vampire.  I always liked Morbius so I hope it is good.

The New Mutants.  This is actually coming out?  Who knew.  I wonder if this will be only on Disney +.

Falcon and Winter Soldier.  This is a TV show on Disney +, but they are very cinematic so I am including it here.  This one could be exceptional with Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan.

DC

Wonder Woman 84.  The first Wonder Woman was awesome so, with Patti Jenkins returning, I am anticipating a super DC movie.  The first trailer was neat so, bring Wonder Woman on.

Birds of Prey.  I like the trailers and hopefully Harley Quinn will kick some butt.

Disney

Mulan.  Live action Mulan and this one looks to be epic.  Much better than the previous live action Disney films.

Jungle Cruise.  The Rock and Emily Blunt.  Sounds great.

Mandalorian Season 2.  What happens to Baby Yoda?  Can’t wait until Nov.

Sequels

No Time to Die.  the 25th Bond movie and the final Daniel Craig appearance as Bond.

Conjuring 3.  The Conjuring movies have been the best of the franchise.  Another would be great.

Coming to America 2.  Dolemite is my Name makes me more invested in this one.

A Quiet Place Part II.  The first one was amazing.  Let’s see what else they’ve got.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife.  Kid Ghostbusters?  Legacy?  Could be.

Death on the Nile.  More Agatha Christie with Poirot.

Godzilla vs. Kong.  The ultimate monster slugfest is on, though pushed back.

Others

Tenet.  Christopher Nolan’s next film with time travel

Fantasy Island.  80s TV show redone as a horror movie.  Yes, please.

Respect.  Aretha Franklin biopic, performed by Jennifer Hudson.  Get that Cats taste out of her mouth.

Scoob!  Not sure how I feel about the first trailer, but I have always loved Scooby Doo, so this one will have my money.

Lots more I am sure.

Bring on 2020

Finally.  We are up to the Top 30 Best Movies of 2019.

It was a great year in cinema.  Whereas I had trouble filling up the Worst Of list this year, I had plenty of choices for the Top 30.  In fact, when I started off, I had a list of 46, meaning that I had to drop 16 movies from the list.  I probably could have gone for some more too if I needed.

Honorable Mentions:  Frozen II, Motherless Brooklyn, Little Women, Harriet, Toy Story 4, Girl on the Third Floor, Eli, Luce, Glass, Fast Color, Amazing Grace, Hobbs & Shaw, Act of Self-Defense, Dark Waters, Godzilla: King of Monsters, Pet Sematary, Us, Uncut Gems.

Again, the star ratings that I give for these movies each review are not taken into consideration for placement on this list.  They do generally help me eliminate possible films, but the star rating can be so flexible and can change depending on reflection that I do not follow them.  I can also say that there are some differences on this list than on the Top 100 Best Films of the Decade.  Don’t compare.  They’re different lists.

Of course, I can only include movies that I have seen on the list and, while I set a record this year with 177 films, I have not seen them all.  For example, 1917 has not come here yet and, while many have that near the top of their lists, it is not on mine.

So…off we go…

#30.  The Kid Who Would Be King.  I kept this one on the list, despite there being some on the honorable mentions that I like more, because I wanted to give it some love.  It was a really decent little movie that did not get the viewership it deserved.  It was fun and smart, using the King Arthur myth in a new and original way.

#29.  Happy Death Day 2U. A sequel to a horror movie that really was not a horror movie.  It was more of a sci-fi/thriller.  This is quite uncommon to switch genres as it did and deserves credit for doing so.  It was also very funny and well written.

#28.  Hotel Mumbai.  Thrilling and intense.  The true story of how a group of terrorists seized control of a hotel in Mumbai, India and how the staff formed together to save as many people as they could.  Very violent film, but shown with great heroism.

#27.  The Lighthouse.  A beautifully shot (black and white) film with some amazing performances from Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson.  It was somewhat weird and out there though.  An original movie that is a real trip to watch.

#26.  Good Boys.  This movie is more than little kids swearing and talking about sexual things.  While that is part of it, the film is really more about the innocence of youth and the way that is lost as you grow.  Three young actors, Jacob Tremblay, Brady Noon and Keith L. Williams are fantastic in their roles and bring a realness to the comedy.  And it is funny.

#25.  Long Shot.  There is no way that Charlize Theron would fall for Seth Rogen, but, for some reason, it works.  You completely believe the relationship in Long Shot and this couple has amazing rooting potential.  Then, it is another really funny movie.

#24.  Judy.  I really enjoyed this movie, though it is most likely one of those movies that is enhanced by the lead acting performance.  Renee Zellweger is remarkable as Judy Garland and fills every moment on screen with her amazing portrayal.  Without her, this movie would not be nearly as great.

#23.  How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.  The third film in one of the best animated trilogies of the past decade, Dragon feels like a wonderful way to tie up the story of Hiccup and Toothless.  The animation is gorgeous and the characterization is wonderful.

#22.  Parasite.  Many people have this near the top of their lists and, while I liked this a lot, I would not put it that high.  Still, it is a well done story dealing with the different class system in Korea and a mystery of exactly what was happening.

#21.  Honey Boy.  The pseudo life story of Shia LaBeouf as played by Noah Jupe.  Young Jupe had the performance of his lifetime so far and stamped himself as an actor to watch.  Shia LaBeouf, as his father, unraveled a bunch of layers to this character and continued to find amazing roles for himself.

#20.  I See You.  A film I did not expect.  I found it on Vudu and gave it a watch.  It was just amazing.  I loved the movie as it flipped my expectations several times in the movie.  As soon as I thought I knew what was happening, the film pulled the rug out from under me and I like that very much.

#19.  The Irishman.  Martin Scorsese’s latest film is a deep tale of the mob and a look at a group of real life men who may have been involved in the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa.  The de-aging involved here was amazing and we got some really strong performances from DeNiro, Pesci and Pacino.

#18.  A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.  This was a twist of a movie because we get Tom Hanks playing Mr. Rogers, but the movie is not really about Mr. Rogers.  While the movie is about journalist Tom Junod, but by making Tom the main character, we see more into what Mr. Rogers was like and how he had an effect on people.  A beautiful movie.

#17.  Ford v. Ferrari.  An exciting movie about auto racing, but you do not have to be a fan of auto racing to enjoy this film.  It tells the true story of how Ford Motor Company decided to try and compete with Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in 1966.  Though honestly the movie is more about the Ford Company vs. its own workers.  Great performances from Christian Bale and Matt Damon.

#16.  The Peanut Butter Falcon.  A beautiful story of life.  A boy with Down’s Syndrome, who is being treated at a residential nursing home escapes with a plan to head south and join a professional wrestling school.  Along the way, he meets Shia LaBeouf and they bond. LaBeouf dedicates himself to helping the boy reach his goals.  It is a wonderful movie that not enough people saw.  It makes dreams come true.

#15.  Dolemite in My Name.  Eddie Murphy returned to this Netflix film that told the story of a blaxploitation actor from the 70s named Rudy Ray Moore.  Moore was determined to reach the success level he wanted and recreated his life several times to accommodate his desires.

#14.  Crawl.  I did not expect that this story of killer alligators in a flooded Florida town would be as compelling and thrilling as it was.  I know that I was white knuckling the seat arms as I watched this film.  It got perhaps more fear out of me than any other film this year.

#13.  Fighting With My Family.  The life story of WWE superstar Paige.  Paige and her brother Zac had tried to get a try out with the WWE.  They were from a pro wrestling family and when Paige was taken but Zac was left behind, the jealousy began to creep through.  Florence Pugh started her great year off with this awesome film that was another one that not enough people saw.

#12.  Captain Marvel.  I have said this before, but I will say it again.  I don;t care about the online haters who were butt hurt by something Brie Larson said out of context or because it is a female led movie, I loved Captain Marvel and I enjoyed the film.  Some of the comments were borderline stupid, and they did not affect my opinion.  Brie Larson was great.  The de-aging on Samuel L. Jackson was astounding (Clark Gregg, not so much).  I loved Goose the not-exactly-a-cat.  Captain Marvel was not a perfect movie, but the flaws were minor and did not effect my enjoyment.

#11.  Klaus.  A total surprise.  I loved this retelling of the Santa Claus story in the best animated movie of the year.  The animation was original and looked fabulous.  The story was surprisingly emotional and heart warming.

#10.  Blinded by the Light.  I found this movie just completely entertaining and full of life.  I have never been a huge Bruce Springsteen fan but I found myself swept up in the magic of the lyrics and the connections made by the music.  Great movie.

#9.  Shazam! The DC Comics film really hit it out of the park.  The story was fun and the story of the relationship between Billy Batson and Freddy Freeman.  Asher Angel and Jack Dylan Grazer are wonderful with their roles.  It was a lot of fun and filled with excitement.

#8.  Rocketman.  A musical about the life of Elton John.  The music is fantastic and Taron Egerton does a remarkable job in portraying the pop star.  There is a close look at his life, warts and all.  I found this completely fun and I loved the way they used the music in the film.  Very creative.

#7.  Marriage Story.  This did not sound like the type of movie I was going to love, but I was wrong about that.  Marriage Story was an amazing experience and it contained two Oscar worthy performances from Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson.  There is one scene on particular that is totally out of this world.  You’ll know it when you see it.

#6.  Joker.  Tom Phillips’ Joker is a powerful look at how life and its innate cruelties can lead a man to slip into madness.  This movie is more about Arthur than it is about the Joker, and that is exciting.  The film is disturbing and dark, but really can be uplifting as well.

#5.  Spider-Man: Far From Home.  The first Marvel film after Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home dealt with the after effect of Thanos, especially in connection with Tony Stark.  We also get Peter Parker on a European vacation with his class that brings him into contact with Mysterio.  The post credit scene completely changed the movie becoming one of the most impactful post credit scenes since the appearance of Thanos at the end of the Avengers.  Tom Holland continues to give us the best Spider-Man in movie’s history.

#4.  Doctor Sleep.  The sequel to The Shining sees a grown up Dan Torrance who was still having issues dealing with the ghosts of his past.  However, Danny discovered others who shared the “shining” ability he had and this lead him into a dangerous struggle to help.  This one did not do well in the box office, but it was a fantastic movie.  Ewan McGregor was wonderful as Danny and young Kyliegh Curran was amazing.

#3.  Knives Out.  Rian Johnson’s fantastic murder mystery is filled with awesome characters and twists and turns.  It was another film that told you what happened only to pull the rug out from under you.  And it did it so deftly that you loved going for the ride.  Chris Evans playing a total jerk was a nice change of pace.  Lead actress Ana de Armas has a bright future ahead of her.  Enjoyed every second of this movie.

#2.  Jojo Rabbit.  Taika Waititi brought us a spoof movie that changed into a heart wrenching/ deeply moving story of love and acceptance.  Roman Griffin Davis gives a remarkably nuanced performance for a young boy, dealing with his fascination with Adolf Hitler and his own instincts which tell him the hate is not right.  Scarlett Johansson is utterly wondrous as the boy’s mother.  As the film goes along, it switches tones and rips out your heart.  I actually gasped when it happened.  Taika Waititi balances everything masterfully and gives us something unexpected.

#1. Avengers: Endgame.  If you read the Top 100 of the Decade, you would know what was going to be my number one here, since I had it at number one on that list too.  No movie this year affected me more than Endgame.  I cried every time I saw it, but I did not just cry at the sad parts.  I cried with utter joy too.  When Cap used Mjolnir, the “on-your-left” bit, the “Avengers Assemble” line.  I was a total mess, but in only the good ways.  There is also so much more to this movie than some people give it credit for.  Most of this movie is a character piece that deals with these characters that we know so well over the previous 21 films in the franchise.  Bringing everything together so well showed what a magnificent job Joe and Anthony Russo did as directors and it shows how important the vision of Kevin Feige is to the success of the MCU.  I love this movie beyond anything and I cannot wait to see where Marvel Studios goes from here.

Here we go.

I will start off the list by saying that this was a great year of cinema and that I had a difficult time reaching 25 films. In fact, there are films on this list with star ratings that would not have wound up on this list in past years.

So because of that, I decided to narrow the list down to the Top 20 instead of 25. The five that I dropped off were:  Little, Point Blank, The Kitchen, Greta, Madness in the Method.  Call them the dishonorable mention (I had MIB: International on the original list too, but I did not hate it near as much as others did).

As a rule, the star ratings themselves mean nothing outside of helping qualify what may be on the list.  There are films that have higher star rating that are lower than others because of the idea of reflection.  I also did not pay any attention to where things wound up on the Top 100 Worst of the Decade list so there may be some with flipped positions there.  That’s just the way it is going to be.

Of course, this is only the films that I have seen this year.  There may be some bad ones that I just chose not to see and so they are not here.

With that done… here we go…

#20.  21 Bridges.  Chadwick Boseman starred in this movie that featured a group of cop killers and the police shutting down the 21 bridges that lead into Manhattan.  Very predictable and no where near as exciting as it needed to be.

#19.  Gemini Man.  A good idea that suffered from poor execution.  Will Smith is being chased by a younger version of himself. The CGI was some times good and other times terrible and that can’t happen in a movie where the CGI is so important.

#18.  The Intruder.  I ignored this film for the longest time until I finally saw it on Vudu.  The biggest reason I skipped it in theaters is because it seemed as if the trailer had given away everything.  After seeing it, I was right.

#17.  Penguins.  This is the first Disneynature nature documentary that I hated.  I was so bored by these dumb penguins and the whole voice over storytelling technique just felt so forced and silly.  It was the longest short film of the year.

#16.  Charlie’s Angels.  I did not hate this because there were women leads as director Elizabeth Banks insinuated.  I hated this because the story was dumb and the characters were one-dimensional.  Heck, I criticized Patrick Stewart for his Bosley role.

#15.  Bennett’s War.  Marshall Bennett returned from the military to race motor cross to save his family farm.  Some of the acting in this film was just terrible and the movie was dull as can be.

#14.  Between Two Ferns: The Movie.  Another film I picked up late on Netflix.  I wish I hadn’t.  The fact that this is a feature length film made from a short skit should tell you everything you need to know.  Stretched way too thin.

#13.  Playing with Fire.  Ah John Cena… you were on such a roll.  Then you did this movie.  This story of fireman Cena finding three kids in a cabin that had been on fire was so juvenile and brain-numbing.  This film is really more of a target for children.

#12.  Rambo’s Last Blood.  I hated this movie.  Stupid story.  Worst villains of the year.  Just an excuse to have Rambo kill people. What a waste.

#11.  Hellboy.  Another waste of a solid job of casting.  David Harbour made a very good Hellboy even within this mess of a film.  It makes me wish that they actually had a story or a thought of what they wanted to do.

#10.  Dark Phoenix.  The final FOX X-Men film before the rights revert to Marvel… not good.  The second time the Dark Phoenix saga had been ruined by writer/now-director Simon Kinsberg. What exactly was Jessica Chastain’s role in this?  Could Jennifer Lawrence give a bigger crap?  I guess Nightcrawler is a killer.  Going in with low expectations did help a little, but not enough.  Go get them, Marvel Studios!

#9.  Captive State.  A dull science fiction story that kind of kept its science fiction on the back burner.  John Goodman is in this movie.  It is very much forgettable.

#8.  Playmobil: The Movie.  The worst animated movie of the year, Playmobil wanted to be the next Lego Movie, but instead turned into something totally different.  One of the biggest flops of all time.  Well deserved.

#7.  Goldfinch.  What they heck was this thing?  A Pulitzer Prize winning novel turned into one of the most boring movies of the year.  You could tell the actors knew this was not a winner.  What was up with Finn Wolfhard’s Russian accent?  Oakes Fegley did his best.  His is a name to watch.  Otherwise, this is …woof.

#6.  6 Underground.  There could not be more of a Michael Bay movie than this.  This is the pinnacle of Bay-ness in a movie.  Everything that Michael bay always includes in a movie is here in spades.  I had early hopes, but I lost interest early on.  I’m sure Michael Bay fans loved this one.  It couldn’t get over soon enough for me.

#5.  Replicas.  Keanu?  What are you thinking?  I mean… seriously, this movie has him cloning his dead family to try and bring them back.  That was never going to go wrong.  One of those films where you have a hard time rooting for anyone because they all are being stupid.

#4.  Jexi.  Adam Devine winds up in a relationship with his phone, an app named Jexi.  You know, like Siri, but not.  And this movie is like Her, but not.  It is a comedy, but… you know. not.  I hated so much of this movie.

#3.  Serenity.  Yes, this one could be a cult fandom eventually like a Birdemic or The Room.  It needs RiffTrax to riff it or MST3K to use it on its show.  It is complete nonsense and would work wonderfully for that.  It has the worst twist in a movie ever.  I’m not even joking.

#2.  The Fanatic.  This was going to be number one on this list until Christmas.  After that it slipped to number two.  John Travolta plays a mentally challenged fan who stalks a celebrity, breaks into his house, ties him to the bed, torments him… but I really think the film intend him to be the hero.  It feels like a career low for Travolta.  It is certainly a career low wig.

#1.  Cats.  Yes, it is the Jellicle number one.  The movie that is such nightmare juice that I still think about it.  The worst CGI you’re gonna see…so bad that they were still fixing it a week after it came out in theaters.  Human hands on cats.  Dancing mice with children’s faces.  Cockroaches with human faces.  What could they have been thinking.  Thank God for Ian McKellen, who knows the movie that he is in.  He is hamming it up all over the place and is clearly the highlight.  Jennifer Hudson sure can sing.  The problem is she is horrendous to look at when she is (and I mean that with all due respect.  I love Jennifer Hudson… she is beautiful and to see her look like this is a travesty).  If I would have seen this in time, I think it would have been #4 on the worst of the decade list, just behind Last Knight, Holmes & Watson and Movie 43, but ahead of Birdemic.  It is almost worth seeing again just to see if the horror is real or if it was something I dreamed about in a fever nightmare.  Cats is the worst movie of the year, by a good distance.

#15-1

We are finishing up the Top 100 Best Films of the Decade and I do not know if this is a spoiler, but none of the films that are represented on the banner of these posts have been on the list yet.  So…. that it probably four of the remaining 15.

And, I am guessing there may be a few Marvel movies in here.  Spoilers.

Oh, and by the way, some of the films from this year may be in slightly different positions on the year end list.  Don’t @ me or think too hard about it.  🙂

#15.  Spider-Man: Far From Home.  The second MCU Spider-man movie that saw the arrival of Mysterio as the main villain and Spider-Man finally using his Spider-Sense.  This is funny, exciting, thrill-a-minute and Tom Holland and Jake Gyllenhaal are great together.

#14.  Swiss Army Man.  Yes, it is the farting corpse movie!  I love this movie and I have mad respect for both Paul Dano and, especially, Daniel Radcliffe.  This was way more than just fart jokes.  The fart jokes were used as character development.  One of the most original movies of the decade.

#13. Sing Street.  Here is the first one form the banner.  Sing Street was one of those movies I did not expect to love as much as I did.  A young teen joins a band to impress a girl.  That is where the film just takes off.

#12.  Thor: Ragnarok.  The character of Thor gets juiced up by director Taika Waititi.  The film takes Thor and Hulk on a buddy road trip to Sakar, where they face the Grandmaster aka Jeff Goldblum.  Meanwhile, Hela is running rough shot through Asgard.  Funny.  Thor and Loki moments as always.

#11.  It.  The first chapter of the Stephen King classic.  Pennywise the Dancing Clown returns to Derry, Maine to continue feeding on the youth.  Except this time, he meets up with the Losers Club and these kids battle back.  Bill Skarsgård dons the iconic make up and fills the shoes of Tim Curry admirably and the kids rule the screen.  One of my all-time favorite horror movies.

#10.  Avengers.  The first time when Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Hawkeye, Black Widow and Hulk team up to take on Loki to save New York.  The idea of this should never have worked, but Marvel Studios carefully set up each character with their movies and brought everyone together with a purpose.  The magic of the team-up was a huge hit and took the story to another level.  The magic works to this day.

#9.  Inside Out.  Pixar’s great movie about emotions that reside inside the head of a girl. These emotions get shaken up by a move to a new city, a confusing time and with a misunderstanding about how necessary each emotion is.  This movie features one of the most heart wrenching moments in all of Pixar… when Bing Bong sacrifices himself for Joy.  Take her to the moon. *sob*

#8.  Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse.  Who thought this would be a success?  I am sure they never imagined that they would win an Academy Award for this movie.  But they did.  They broke rules and inspired countless people with their amazing animation and brilliant storytelling.  We got to meet Miles Morales for the first time.  We got Spider-Man Noir voiced by Nicolas Cage.  We got Spider-Gwen.  We got Peter Porker for goodness sake.  One of the best animated films of the decade.

#7.  Captain America: Winter Soldier.  This showed that Marvel Studios was serious about doing things correctly.  It also showed that they could make a film that was more than just a super hero movie.  Winter Soldier was a political spy thriller told with Captain America.  Steve Rogers and Natasha’s relationship was deepened.  We met Sam Wilson.  Bucky returned as the villain.  Winter Soldier was intense and exciting while not losing that Marvel humor or charm.  This was also the Russo Brothers debut for Marvel.  Their other three films are yet to come on this list.

#6.  Guardians of the Galaxy.  Everybody said this would be Marvel’s first flop.  I mean there is a talking raccoon and a walking tree that can only say the words “I am Groot.”  Yet, this became a space opera and expanded the MCU into the galaxy.  In the first five minutes, you understood that this was going to be an emotional ride.  Plus, this had one of the greatest soundtracks compiled.  James Gunn brought some magic to Guardians of the Galaxy.

#5.  Toy Story 3.  This is the best animated movie of the decade.  Toy Story 3 has what I believe is the best Pixar villain ever in Lotso Huggin’ Bear.  I understood why Lotso did what he did.  I could relate.  His origin story was better than most villains in the movies.  Then, there was a moment in that movie where I legitimately believed that the entire cast was actually going to be burned up in the incinerator.  It felt like a real goodbye and it was horrifying.  Then, after escaping that, the film went ahead and gave us an emotional goodbye with Andy off to college, leaving his toys behind.  Whoa.

#4.  Logan.  The final appearance of Hugh Jackman as Logan occurred in the most dramatic way possible.  The dangerous future where the X-Men are dead and Charles Xavier was slowly losing his mental capacities was where we meet Logan.  Before too long, Laura arrives to change up his life.  There are so many moments in this film, which could easily be considered a super hero Western, that bring amazing emotional releases.  I cried at the ending every time I saw it.  How could Hugh Jackman ask for a better way to leave this character?

#3.  Avengers: Infinity War.  Marvel Studios does not get enough credit for how gutsy they are.  They take one of their biggest movies ever and make their protagonist the villain.  Then they let him, Thanos, win in the end by killing half of the universe, including a bunch of our beloved characters.  Sure, we knew that Spidey, Black Panther and the others weren’t going to be dead forever, but that does not take away from the fact that it happened.  When the screen went to black with Thanos staring out at his retirement farm, my theater gasped.  How could they end this at this point?  This film structured as it was is the main reason the next Avengers film reached the heights that it reached.

#2.  Captain America: Civil War.  The airport scene is one of the greatest fight scenes in any comic book movie.  The reason it was so great was these characters all meant something to us.  We all understood why Captain America was doing what he was doing and we also understood why Iron Man was doing what he did.  Iron Man was meant to be the protagonist here, but he was so relatable that it was hard to root against him.  The final fight between Cap, Iron Man and Bucky had so many stakes in it that it would affect the MCU right through the endgame.

and the number one movie of the decade of 2010-2019 is….

#1.  Avengers: Endgame.  I cannot express how much this movie means to me.  I saw it nine times in the theater (which adds up to 27 hours).  It was a passionate experience for me.  I cried every time.  Every major moment was so thoroughly earned by these characters that none of the fan service (and there was a lot of it) felt forced.  Every little part was wonderful to me.  They paid off every movie in the MCU at some point during Endgame.  The final fight, starting with Cap, Iron Man and Thor against Thanos and ending with the death of Tony Stark could not have brought more fervor from me.  This final fight passed the airport scene as the greatest fight ever.  The film is utterly beautiful in appearance.  The CGI is majestic.  The story arc of Tony Stark is perfect, wrapping his 10+ years in the MCU up into a soulful end.  And there so many characters making appearances.  This is the most epic of epics and the Russo Brothers deserve all the credit for managing this masterpiece.

There they are.  EYG Top 100 Best Movies from 2010-2019.  Let’s bring on the ’20s!

#15-1

Here comes the worst 15 movies of the decade in my humble opinion.

By the way, Cats would be in this list if I had seen it before I had this finished.  Just remember that.

#15.  Chips.  Holy cow was this thing a crapfest.  Homophobic, unfunny travesty based on a TV show form the late 70s early 80s.  Erik Estrada made a cameo in the movie.  It might have been the highlight.

#14.  Dirty Grandpa.  Good lord, Robert DeNiro is in this.  What could have possibly made him do this?  He was in Ragin’ Bull and Taxi Driver and The Godfather Part II.  Then, Dirty Grandpa, a raunchy “comedy” with Zac Efron.  What world is this?

#13.  Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.  I did not hate the first Ghost Rider movie but this thing was a whole different story.  Not even the over the top Nicolas Cage could save this wreck.

#12.  Transformers: Age of Extinction.  Optimus Prime riding a Dinobot!  We were all so excited about that image from the trailer that we were sure that this was the Transformer movie that would finally be awesome.  Nope.  The Dinobots don’t show up until near the end of the movie and I had lost all interest by then.

#11.  Serenity.  One of this year’s worst films.  Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway are in this movie, which should indicate a good film.  It did not.  It had the stupidest plot twist ever and took a movie that made little sense and stripped it away completely.

#10.  Left Behind.  Nic Cage is a pilot and as he is flying the plane, millions of people disappear from earth.  It is the Rapture.  However, it must have made all the critics disappear as this only has 1% on Rotten Tomotoes.  Yes, 1 %.

#9.  The Fanatic.  John Travolta is playing a crazy fan who stalks, kidnaps and torments a Hollywood star, and I legitimately think the movie wants you to root for Travolta.  And what happened with that wig?

#8.  50 Shades Darker.  The third of the 50 Shades trilogy and the worst of the movies.  There is a ridiculous scene involving a helicopter crash that is B movie at the best.  Even less sexiness than the first one.

#7.  A Haunted House.  A terrible comedy spoof of the haunted house movies starring Marlon Wayans.  Just not funny.  Desperate attempt to make this worthwhile but it is such a mean-spirited and unfunny clod that it insults the good spoof movies of the past.

#6.  50 Shades of Black.  Another spoof movie with Marlon Wayans.  It is obviously spoofing the 50 Shades series, but, if you notice, it is ahead of all three of the movies. This movie is crude and, again, not funny.

#5.  Grown Ups 2.  A sequel starring Adam Sandler and all of his cronies.  Other Sandler movies are not on this list because I rarely go to them.  This was one of the unfortunate ones that I saw.

#4.  Birdemic: Shock and Terror.  The movie is just amateurish.   I actually only ever saw this as a RiffTrax Live special so I had a lot of laughs at this film’s expense.  You know it is bad when the crowd and the comedians laugh at the movie without them having to supply a joke.  Solar Panels.

#3.  Transformers: The Last Knight.  I was tired of this movie 10 minutes in.  The whole Merlin stuff was a nightmare and it only got worse from then on.  Sir Anthony Hopkins was in this and absolutely just doing whatever he wanted.  It was WAAAAAAAY too long and boring.  I went to the bathroom in the movie, checked my phone and realized I still had and hour and a half.  Everything wrong with the Transformers franchise was on display in this film.

#2.  Holmes and Watson.  Last year’s #1 worst movie I saw late in the year.  I could not believe how terrible this thing was.  This was a film where almost no one would defend it.  It had the repairing of Will Farrell and John C. Reilly but they were absolutely not funny.  Not even a little.

And Finally… the WORST movie of the Decade…..

#1.  Movie 43.  A group of skits strung together in a movie that had no idea what it wanted to do.  It was a movie that had Hugh Jackman playing a man on a blind date who had testicles dangling from his neck.  The real question was why did all of these A-list superstars participate in this total shitstorm?  Were they all blackmailed?  Who has the pictures?  I hated this movie… it even replaced Batman & Robin as my all-time most hated movie.

In a couple of days, the decade of the 2010s will be coming to an end with the arrival of 2020.  I have touched on some of the decade’s bests and worsts as I have been going through the Year in Review.  In this post, I am going to hit upon some more of my favorite things that I loved about this decade.

LOST Season 6.  LOST is by far my favorite television program and the final season of the show aired from February 2010 until May 2010, sneaking into the decade.  A few years ago I did a rewatch of the series in order and I have to say that the sixth season was better than I remembered.  I loved the finale, entitled “The End,” even though many people did not.  There was also the episode featuring Richard called “Ab Aeterno” which gave Richard’s back story.

The Return of Spider-Man.

Doc Ock had switched minds with Peter Parker and has assumed his identity as the Superior Spider-Man for a while during the run of Dan Slott in Amazing Spider-Man.  These panels are when Spidey, the true Spidey, returns and the Green Goblin realizes it.  Love this.

Mockingbird.  The biggest loss to me was the cancelling of what I still believe may be my favorite comic book ever.  While I have always been a Spider-Man fan and Amazing Spider-Man has been a staple for me, the eight issues of Mockingbird written by Chelsea Cain totally caught my attention and became the book I looked forward to the most.  When it was cancelled, I was crushed and I still feel as if I do not know why.  I know there was a huge anti-feminist agenda backlash against the series but that is silly.  When comics are this good, they should be immune to such idiots.

Vision.  Tom King’s Vision series was also one of the best of the decade.  Vision creating himself an android family to see what family life is like and then seeing how that family deals with real life and the dangers of the Marvel Universe.  It is such amazing storytelling.  I missed the actual comic series, but I read through the collected series and I was totally hooked.  Rumor has it that this will be part of the concept behind Disney +’s upcoming WandaVision series in 2021.  If so, I cannot wait.

Books.  One of my favorite books from the past decade is Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew A. Smith.  It is a book that I was reading during our silent reading at school and I could not stop myself from laughing out loud.  Of course, it was highly inappropriate for the Middle School class I was teaching, so I could not explain why I was laughing.  But I did not care.  This was a hilarious romp of our main character Austin Szerba, a teen living in Iowa who is dealing with all of the awkwardness of teenage life, plus the invasion of giant Praying Mantises that were either hungry or horny (if not both). It is a hoot of a science fiction story grounded in the libido of a teenage boy struggling with his sexuality and his life.

Ex-Heroes.  A book series featuring super heroes and zombies.  What more could you need?  The Mighty Dragon. Stealth. Gorgon. Regenerator. Cerberus. Zzzap were super heroes who battled evil in Los Angeles until the plague came and wiped out much of the population, turning them into ex-humans (aka zombies).  The remaining humans and the heroes were forced into a former film studio that they turned into a fortress called The Mount.  Written by Peter Clines, this book led into four other sequels (Ex-Patriots, Ex-Communication, Ex-Purgatory, and Ex-Isle.

14 is another book from Peter Clines that was such a splendid read.  This one has a character named Nate getting a new apartment in this old brownstone.  This is one of the positives in Nate’s life.  Positives were few for him.  He had no girlfriend.  He hated his job.  He had no money in the bank.

Turns out that there are a bunch of mysteries swirling around the brownstone and they start becoming important after he meets his next door neighbor, Mandy.

14 was a truly fun read if you enjoy trying to unravel mysteries.

CM Punk drops a pipe bomb. Moving to wrestling, this is most likely my favorite moment of the decade as CM Punk is allowed to get it all off his chest in what was to become known as the “Pipe Bomb.”  His “shoot” promo led to a match with John Cena for the WWE title in Punk’s hometown of Chicago.  Punk, whose contract was set to expire at midnight on that show, said that when he won that title, he would leave the WWE with title in tow.  The match was one of the best of the decade and Punk did wind up winning in front of a hugely partisan crowd.  Punk did leave the company with the title, but wound up returning soon after.

Match of the Decade:  I think it is from way back in 2010 when Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker had their second match at Wrestlemania 26.  It was absolutely thrilling and there were multiple times when I thought the Undertaker’s undefeated streak at Wrestlemania was done.  But he wound up defeating Shawn and sending the Heartbreak Kid into retirement.

Daniel Bryan turns “face” again. YES!  Daniel Bryan had been “brainwashed” by the Wyatt family and the evil cult leader Bray Wyatt.  The crowd, who loved Daniel and chanting “Yes” with him, did not want any of this.  So when Daniel turned on Wyatt inside a steel cage, the crowd was absolutely insane.  This was the Pop of the decade.  

He had them in the palm of his hands.

More…

Company of the Decade:  Disney

Actor of the Decade:  Daniel Day Lewis

Actress of the Decade: Meryl Streep

Movie Trivia Schmoedown Competitor of the decade:  Dan Murrell

Movie Trivia Schmoedown Team of the Decade:  The Patriots

Polka of the Decade:  The Hamilton Polka by “Weird Al” Yankovic

New Character of the Decade:  Miles Morales, Spider-Man

Best Trilogy of the Decade:  Captain America

Pixar Villain of the Decade:  Lotso Huggin’ Bear

Saddest Dusting:  Peter Parker in Tony Stark’s arms

Saddest Death of the decade (not in Infinity War/Endgame):  Bing Bong, Inside Out

Best Animated Program of the Decade:  Rick & Morty

Best TV Actor of the Decade:  Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad

Best Proper Sing-a-long of the Decade:  Albert, Shaving Cream from Gong Show

Best Nathan Fillion of the Decade:  Castle

Podcast of the Decade:  The Top 10

Best Speaker of the Decade:  Kevin Smith

TV Death that hit me the hardest:  Glenn from The Walking Dead

Toughest Real Life Celebrity Death:  Robin Williams

Person of the Decade:  Stan Lee

2019 Liz Award is given to the Best Actress of the Year.

Previous Winners:  Frances McDormand (3 Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri), Viola Davis (Fences), Charlize Theron (Mad Max: Fury Road), Rosemund Pike (Gone Girl), Sandra Bullock (Gravity), Berenice Bejo (The Artist), Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn),  Yalitza Aparicio (Roma)

#10.  Cynthia Erivo (Harriet).  Cynthia Erivo did a great job as one of the true heroes of American history.  Harriet Tubman helped hundreds of slaves escape from the South to freedom in the north via the Underground Railroad.  This biopic made her into a type of real life super hero.

#9.  Octavia Spencer (Ma).  I did not like the movie Ma much, but there is no denying that the best part of it was Octavia Spencer and her creepy as all get out performance.  Without Spencer, this would have been considerably less entertaining.

#8.  Brie Larson (Captain Marvel).  Brie received a lot of hate online, but I was not one of them. I have been a fan since Room and I thought she was wonderful as Carol Danvers, the most powerful hero in the MCU.

#7.  Nicole Kidman (Bombshell).  Playing the real life Gretchen Carlson, Kidman had a difficult chore.  She was fantastic in the film and helped shine a light on the FIX situation.

#6.  Awkwafina (The Farewell).  Awkwafina has gotten better with each role and this one was her best to date.  She brought a lot of emotion to the role and her scenes with Zhao Shuzhen were touching and real.

#5.  Emma Thompson (Late Night).  Emma Thompson is a late night talk show host trying to avoid being fired for not being relevant in the world today.  Her performance is note on and relatable.

#4.  Ana de Armas (Knives Out).  With this astounding cast, who would have guessed that Ana de Armas would be the lead.  But she is and she is fantastic.  She has great scenes with everyone in the cast and clearly belongs.  She provides the person in the film to root for and she is charming as can be.

#3.  Saoirse Ronan (Little Women).  Saoirse gets the plum role of Jo March and she is absolutely dominant.  She leads her strong ensemble cast and shows just how powerful of an actress she can be.  When you stand out from that type of cast, you know you are doing something right.

#2.  Scarlett Johansson (Marriage Story).  Scarlett had a great year.  She already got the Supporting Actress Award and ends up in the runner up spot for her funny, poignant and sad turn in Marriage Story.  I will call your attention once more to that scene that I referenced in the Adam Driver write up.  You need two for that scene and Scarlett is an amazing scene partner.

#1.  Renee Zellweger (Judy).  This movie did not do much, business wise, but the performance of Zellweger as Judy Garland is about as amazing as you are going to find.  You knew as you were watching it that she would be receiving all the awards.

We are up to The Strangelove, the award we give for Best Actor.  It is, of course, in honor of EYG Hall of Famer Peter Sellers, who played three roles in the Kubrick film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.

Previous Winners:  James McAvoy (Split), Denzel Washington (Fences), Bryan Cranston (Trumbo), Michael Keaton (Birdman), Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips), Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln), Ryan Gosling (Drive), Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)

#10.  Anthony Hopkins (The Two Popes).  Hopkins played the stuck-in-his-ways pope, Pope Benedict, who abdicated the papacy because he knew the Catholic Church needed a more progressive path and he was unable to do that.  Strong performance from Sir Anthony here.

#9.  Robert DeNiro (The Irishman).  De-aging him, DeNiro gave a strong performance… one of his better performances in recent years.  Still, he did not do a whole lot that he hasn’t done before.

#8.  Mark Ruffalo (Dark Waters).  Ruffalo played real life lawyer Rob Bilott, who took on the business giant DuPont over said company’s pollution with toxic waste.  Gripping film and Ruffalo handled himself perfectly.

#7.  Christian Bale (Ford v. Ferrari).  Another true story, Bale played race car driver/mechanic Ken Miles, who helped Ford defeat Ferrari in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in 1966.

#6.  Shia LaBeouf (Peanut Butter Falcon).  I almost put him here for Honey Boy, but that performance was too supportive for me.  In Peanut Butter Falcon, Shia helped a runaway boy with Down’s Syndrome attempt to achieve his dream to become a pro wrestler.

#5.  Jonathan Pryce (The Two Popes).  Pryce played Pope Francis in this Netflix film.  The film focused on the dialogue and relationship between Francis and Benedict and the film was elevated by two great performances.

#4.  Eddie Murphy (Dolemite is My Name).  Eddie Murphy returned to the movies with this great performance, becoming the iconic blaxploitation actor, Rudy Ray Moore.  Murphy is clearly having a ball in this movie and brings us back to the great past performances in his career.

#3.  Adam Sandler (Uncut Gems).  Yeah, I can’t believe it either.  I never would have believed that Adam Sandler would make my top 10 actors list in any capacity outside of the worst lists or the Batman and Robins Awards.  Yet here he is.  And he deserves it because he is simply astounding in this movie.  Raw.  Powerful.  Pained.  I want more of this Adam Sandler.

#2.  Adam Driver (Marriage Story).  Marriage Story has two great performances and one absolutely epic scene where Adam Driver kills it.  He is great throughout but that scene is on another level.  By the way, we have five performances on this list from Netflix movies.  Tides are switching.

#1.  Joaquin Phoenix (Joker).  He was transcendent as this sad comedian named Arthur slowly slipping into insanity.  The performance is downright disturbing on many levels and is just an amazing transformation for an actor who always gives us amazing work.

It is time for the 2019 version of the Batman & Robin Awards for Rotteness, the awards for the worst of the year.  So those of you on Twitter who are opposed to the worst of lists had better leave now.

Of course, if I give an award for the worst of something, other may disagree.  You have that right.  And if I give an award for awfulness, that does not give anyone a right to torment that person in social media or in any other way.  These are meant to be as much fun as anything else.  Those people who tormented Kelly Marie Tran after the Last Jedi should be ashamed of themselves.

Here we go…

Worst Movie of the Year:  *SPOILERS* As always, you have to wait for the Top 30 Worst list.

Worst Actor:  John Travolta (The Frantic).  This is a movie that is just insane and you cannot believe that it is John Travolta.  Of course Joaquin Phoenix thought it was a great performance, so there is that.

Worst Actress:  Adeline (Disneynature’s Penguins).  That’s right. Worst actress this year goes to an Adélie penguin.  I just did not believe her relationship with Steve.

Worst CGI:  Cats.  Not sure if it is completely done yet.  Either way, this is nightmare juice.

Worst Trailer:  Cats.  The first trailer to Cats shocked and repulsed the Internet for weeks after its release.  The first hint of what we were going to get.

Worst Commercial:  The M & M Hazelnut “We ate him” spot. Legitimately a terrible idea.  Promotion of cannibalism in the M&M universe.  This played before a ton of movies this year and I hated it every time.

Worst Sequel:  Dark Phoenix.  The last FOX X-Men film before the rights reverted to Marvel Studios was the second chance to get the Dark Phoenix Saga right.  Unfortunately, it was the second time it flopped.

Worst Superhero Movie:  Hellboy.  I know I called this science fiction in the Worst sci-fi category, but it is also a superhero movie (sort of).  It is bad nonetheless.  David Harbour deserved better.

Best Performance in a Bad Movie: (TIE) Ian McKellan & Jennifer Hudson in Cats.  McKellan was the only actor who knew what movie he was in and he was a hoot.  Seeing him meow was the highlight of the movie for me.  Hudson ties him for her amazing and soulful rendition of Memory.  If only she did not look as horrible as they made her look.

Most Overrated:  Hustlers.  This one had Oscar buzz going on at one point.  Huh?  I mean J-Lo was good, but the film was, at best, average.

Favorite “Rotten” Movie: Godzilla: King of Monsters.  At 42% on Rotten Tomatoes, Godzilla was considered rotten, but I enjoyed it a lot.  Sure the humans were wastes of time, but Godzilla was there.  So was Mothra.  And King Ghidorah.

Worst Movie I did not see:  A Madea Family Funeral.  Did not see it.  I’m sure it was bad.

Cashing a Paycheck:  (TIE) Patrick Stewart (Charlie’s Angels) and Jessica Chastain (Dark Phoenix).  Stewart as Bosley and Chastain as …… whoever she was, were just going through the motions here.  Then there was Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique too.  She has been cashing the X-Men check since Days of Future Past.

No really, the book was better: The Goldfinch.  It would have to be.  It did win a Pulitzer Prize.

Worst Reboot/Remake:  Hellboy.  Again, David Harbour was not the issue. His Hellboy was pretty decent.  Everything else though…

Most unintentionally Funny Movie:  Cats.  I laughed, I gasped in horror.  I laughed again.

Movies are Subjective Award:  The lady two seats from me in Cats.  She was having so much fun in that movie, and it was not the snarky fun I was having.  She was wiping tears and waving her hands in front of her face to keep from crying.  She had this gigantic cheesy grin plastered across her face the whole time.  Her joy at watching this movie that I absolutely thought was atrocious was heart warming.  Goes to show that one person’s garbage can be another person’s art.

Most Successful Bad Movie:  Lion King (2019).  This made a ton of money for Disney and it was a pale and heartless imitation of the iconic animated feature.

The list of directors this year. much like Spinal Tap, goes to 11 because I just did not want to cut any of them.  I was also very conscious of the fact that there were a lot of great jobs done this year by female directors and I went out of my way to choose several of them for this list (see that Golden Globes…Oscars).  I don’t even have to make a case because they all are very deserving.

Previous Winners:  A.G. Inarritu (Birdman), Tim McCarthy (Spotlight), Damien Chazelle (La La Land), Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman), Alfonso Cuarón (Roma)

#11.  Gurinder Chadha (Blinded by the Light).  This is a very underrated, but awesome movie chronicling a boy and his connection to the music of Bruce Springsteen.  There were a lot of original shots here too.

#10.  Olivia Wilde (Booksmart).  This was Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut and she created one of the funniest movies of the year and also a fantastic coming-of-age film.  Another one that flew under the radar but is well deserving.

#9.  Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story).  The Netflix film was just amazing and featured two brilliant performances, which is part of the director’s job- to get the best performance out of his/her actors.  Powerful work.

#8.  Martin Scorsese (The Irishman).  Would I be lying if I said I dropped Marty down some because of his Marvel controversy?  Eh, maybe…maybe not.  He had a remarkable cast but the 3.5 hours could have been edited down and not lose much in spots. He is a legend though and the film is very good.

#7.  Greta Gerwig (Little Women).  Little Women is her second major film recently (last being Lady Bird) and she handles this cast extremely well and gives us a wonderful adaptation of a beloved novel.

#6.  Bong Joon-Ho (Parasite).  Parasite is a black comedy/thriller that has shown Bong Joon-Ho’s skills as a director.  He is able to find the humor in some of the worst of human nature and still tell a profound story.

#5.  Lulu Wang (The Farewell) A sentimental and emotional story about a family going to see their grandmother who was dying of a disease, but she did not know about it.  It’s a surprisingly funny film and is easily Awkwafina’s best performance to date.

#4.  Rian Johnson (Knives Out).  Creating a murder mystery is always a tough job for a director and creating something as original and creative as Knives Out is even more challenging.  Rian Johnson manages this brilliantly. The shots are great.  The cast is wonderful.  Just an overall amazing time in the theater.

#3.  Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit).  Taika Waititi had so many challenges to make Jojo Rabbit a success.  The story created controversy but, when you saw it, that melted away. Plus, he had to direct some of the movie dressed as Adolf Hitler.  Ha

#2.  Todd Phillips (Joker).  Phillips made a movie that was as much about the descent into madness as it was about the criminal Joker.  It was a beautiful nightmare with scenes that were horrific and depressing while the film still lifts you up.

#1.  Joe and Anthony Russo (Avengers: Endgame).  I was completely enthralled with this movie from the beginning and the last hour had me sobbing in joy and anguish.  The Russo Brothers have been doing this since Winter Soldier and it is clear that they knew what they were doing as each movie built on each other to the emotional climax.  Anyone who says this is just a super hero movie and dismisses it as such is just a film snob who can’t see past their nose.  The Russos showed how to put together a story with a massive cast and make it work.  They got amazing performances out of Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Karen Gillan, Jeremy Renner to mention a few.  They filled the film with fan service that all seemed to be earned and not just crammed in for nostalgia sake. They created an epic finale to the 22 film Infinity Saga series and became legends.

There are just as many supporting actors this year as actresses, as it was a very solid year performance wise.  Lots of strong work from lots of actors.

Previous Winners:  Patrick Stewart (Logan), Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals), Sylvester Stallone (Creed), Edward Norton (Birdman), Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club), Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained), Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), Richard Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)

#10.  Jake Gyllenhaal (Spider-Man: Far From Home).

#9.  Wesley Snipes (Dolemite is My Name)

#8.  Brad Pitt (Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood)

#7.  Joe Pesci (The Irishman)

#6.  Tom Hanks (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood)

#5.  Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit)

#4.  Willem Defoe (The Lighthouse)

#3.  Al Pacino (The Irishman)

#2.  Daniel Craig (Knives Out)

and the #1 supporting actor for 2019 is….

Robert Downey Jr. (Avengers: Endgame)

Robert Downey Jr. is going to be ignored by the major awards this coming season.  I have that feeling that the Oscars will ignore his work just like the Golden Globes did and that is a travesty.  It may be a super hero movie, but his performance matches any that I have seen in any prestige films.  He brings a decade plus of character development to an end in Avengers: Endgame and he provides us with the gamut of emotion.

We have arrived at the acting categories and there were plenty of choices this year.

Previous Winners:  Dafne Keene (Logan), Tilda Swinton (Dr. Strange), Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina), Emma Stone (Birdman), Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle), Sally Field (Lincoln), Jennifer Aniston (Horrible Bosses), Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place)

Here are the supporting actresses

#10.  Da’Vine Joy Randolph (Dolemite is My Name)

#9.  Jamie Lee Curtis (Knives Out)

#8.  Margot Robbie (Bombshell)

#7.  Jennifer Lopez (Hustlers)

#6.  Zhao Shuzhen (The Favorite)

#5.  Laura Dern (Marriage Story)

#4.  Karen Gillan (Avengers: Endgame)

#3.  Kathy Bates (Richard Jewell)

#2.  Florence Pugh (Little Women)

and #1….

Scarlett Johansson (Jojo Rabbit)

Scarlett was brilliant in Jojo Rabbit, one of her three great movies this year.  She brought so much feels to the spoof/comedy of Jojo Rabbit.

As I said in my earlier review, I needed some more sci-fi movies to complete my list this year.  I have seen a couple of extras..will they make the list?

A couple of rules.  I do not include super hero movies in the sci-fi category, even though they could be arguably included.  There is enough places for those.  I also typically leave out Star Wars movies because, again arguably, they are not science fiction.

Previous Winners:  Upgrade, Blade Runner 2049, Arrival, The Martian, Ex Machina, Star Trek Into Darkness, Edge of Tomorrow

Moving on with the list….

BEST Sci-Fi of 2019

#1.  Freaks.  One of the new films not only makes the list, but tops it.  This was quite the trip and was filled with drama and intensity.

#2.  Fast Color

#3.  I Am Mother

#4.  Ad Astra

#5.  Detective Pikachu

#1-3 on this list are films that most people probably never heard of, which is cool.  Go search them out because they are really great.  I was a tad bored in parts of Ad Astra but it looked spectacular. Detective Pikachu boasted a top notch performance from Ryan Reynolds.

WORST Sci-Fi of 2019

#1. Replicas.  Ah Keanu… what have you done?  This was an easy choice as this is one of the worst films of the year…not just sci-fi films.

#2.  Hellboy

#3.  Gemini Man

#4.  MIB International

#5.  Don’t Let Go

Does including Hellboy break my superhero rule?  Maybe, but it was so bad that I am willing to look the other way.  Gemini Man and MIB International were very disappointing, both wasting concepts that could have been excellent.  Don’t Let Go was weird and yet predictable.  Terminator: Dark Fate would have been at #6 had this list continued so I would toss it a dishonorable mention.

2019 was a good year for horror.  Between the categories of animation, Sci-Fi and horror, there were almost double or even triple the number of horror films for these two lists.

I am giving the top 5 in each categories and some honorable mentions after that.

Previous Winners:  A Quiet Place, It, Don’t Breathe, It Follows, The Conjuring, As Above So Below, Cabin in the Woods

#1.  Doctor Sleep.  The Shining sequel was the runaway choice here and is one of my favorite movies of the year.

#2.  Crawl.  

#3.  I See You

#4. Pet Sematary 

#5.  Eli

The alligator killing Crawl nearly took this award.  It was so tense and I was so anxious during the film.  I See You was a film I just saw on streaming and it was so great.  Very mind bending too.  Pet Sematary was a decent Stephen King remake this year, better than It Ch. 2 turned out.  Eli on Netflix was really good and the ending was very out of nowhere.

Honorable Mentions:  Child’s Play, Midsommar, Brightburn, The Dead Don’t Die, It Chapter Two, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Ready or Not, Girl on the Third Floor, Haunt

WORST Horror of the Year

#1.  Countdown

#2.  Greta

#3. Escape Room

#4.  The Prodigy

#5.  Ma

These were not that bad either.  Ma had its moments and Octavia Spencer was exceptional in the lead role.  Greta had a weird performance from Isabelle Huppert.  Escape Room had its positives too.