Well, you’ve blazed through our 30 Memorable Scenes of the year so far. You’ve awed at the 30 Great Performances. Now, it’s time to check out some of the Movies of 2019 that impressed, immersed, intrigued us over the last six months.
We’re not saying these are the definitive films from the year’s first half, but this sure is one hell of a collection. Underrated, uncompromising, unmissable for the most part. Enjoy the super-monstrous list of 40 films from the first half of 2019, and thanks to all those film geeks that contributed to this:
Rocketman
With Bohemian Rhapsody, I was hoping for a character study on one of the most famous and loved bands of all time. I was disappointed. However, this year Rocketman fulfilled that wish. It dives deep into Elton John’s darkest moments – drugs, alcohol, depression, abandonment. And still are able to create a musical with amazingly fun scenes. This movie also is a rare big studio project to feature a gay sex scene – which is refreshing and hopefully a sign of better representation in the future. — Robert @kempo33k
I have come to the conclusion that Rocketman as a whole has cemented itself as not only the best biopic that has come out, but one of my favorite musicals of all time. The reason for this? Character. I don’t mean the man Elton John himself; I mean the film as a whole has a character and a style that no other biopic before it has depicted. The musical numbers shot with such charisma and confidence, it actually shows us the life of a 70s rock and roller. — Jacob @jprov1024
On the President’s Orders
The documentary starts in chilling fashion with the president delivering a speech where he essentially compares his crusade against the country’s drug dealers as Hitler’s genocide of the Jews. On the President’s Orders looks like a thriller from the likes of Michael Mann or Christopher Nolan, and it is just as gripping as Heat (1995) or Inception (2010). This is a slick and stylish documentary, with extraordinarily high production values. — Bianca @the_filmbee
Asako I & II
There’s a quiet devastation to Asako I & II. It’s a work of contradictions – fantastical but deeply, painfully humanist, emotionally warm but visually vacant with whites and grays that chew at the side of the screen. Masahiro Higashide’s dual performance brings sensitivity and kind eyes in one character and enigmatic detachment with the other – a dichotomy that perfectly sums up the tone of the film. It’s a film that asks us to stand from an arms length, stringing us along until we’re as caught up in this self-reflective, exploratory mind-trip. Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi has dumped our relationship insecurities, past desires and half remembered dreams onto the screen and is asking us to try and sort it all out. — Allyson @AllysonAJ
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote
After almost 30 years in the making, Terry Gilliam has somehow managed to pull off one of the best films of the year, against all of the odds. It’s meta on about a hundred different levels – the original text is already metatextual, then Gilliam makes a ‘film within a film,’ commenting on the nightmare gestation process that he’s been through to finally bring his dream project to fruition. One positive of all of the delays is that Johnny Depp has been replaced by Adam Driver as the protagonist, finally getting a starring role which shows off every one of his dramatic and comedic skills. The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is incredibly funny, entertaining and eminently re-watchable. — Fiona @FionaUnderhill
The Perfection
The Perfection is a close to perfection film. After a heavy night, a bus ride starts to get a little bit messy when Elizabeth, while with Charlotte, starts feeling very sick. This sets the whole film up to be a rollercoaser, and takes it down a whole different lane to what you were expecting. Up until this point, it was a thriller, with a sexy relationship storyline, but suddenly, it’s some gross bodily horror, that looks to also be dabbling in some serial killer notions. Elizabeth starts throwing up maggots, and feeling them in her arm too. The grossness hits you like a slap in the face, out of nowhere, and escalating as the scene carries on. This film is a hell of a ride. — Meg @spine_tingle
Fighting with My Family
The “moviefication” of sport in films is nothing new. Sport produces major moments of glory on its own terms, but putting them on film needs something extra. Stephen Merchant added that something extra in Fighting with my Family. The film to the real-life fighter seem like two different moments entirely. Paige’s real-life debut is a messy, clumsy sequence of events that results in her becoming the youngest WWE Champion in history. All the eyes are on Florence Pugh’s Paige. We have no idea what’s going through her mind, this is it, she’s worked her entire life for this moment. The finisher hits, there’s a deafening crowd roar, and the tension becomes elation. It’s the moment the film has been building towards, and my God, it’s worth the wait. — Rhys @RuhBuhJuh
Birds of Passage
One of the most fulfilling recent cinematic contributions to the film canon is Cristina Gallegos and Ciro Guerra’s Columbian epic crime drama, Birds of Passage. With superb cinematography from David Gallego, excellent screenwriting from Maria Camila Arias and Jacques Toulemonde Vidal, and powerful performances from a cast without global recognition. It is extraordinary to see art this strong so underrated in world cinema. The film chronicles both the declining mortality and failing morality of a Wayuu family in Columbia in the mid to late 20th century. The meticulously collaborative efforts of Birds‘ production is unmistakable, and elevates this film to new classic status. — Jasmine May
Paddleton
After the multiple hits Netflix put out at the later half of last year, it seemed logical that they would slow down. But just 2 months into 2019 they dropped what easily could be my favorite film of the year. Paddleton follows two men, best friends, who live next to each other. They watch old samurai movies and play a game they invented called paddleton. When one of them gets diagnosed with terminal cancer, he decides he wants to get the pills to ultimately kill himself before his quality of life gets too bad. This is an emotional gut punch of a film, with career highs for both Mark Duplass and Ray Romano – who have a tremendous amount of chemistry. It has heartbreaking and well-crafted scenes, also works extremely well as a comedy. — Carson @BP_MovieReviews
Glass
In a time where we get a new superhero movie almost every month, we have come to expect big, loud, effects-driven films with tons of action. Glass is not that kind of superhero movie. M. Night Shyamalan crafted a somber, compelling, thrilling, thought-provoking superhero film, about the depths of its characters and what makes them super. Regular people, with pain and trauma to become something more, and exist in the real world. Our heroes don’t wear capes, they wear ponchos and track pants. With a gorgeous look and color palette, haunting score, and a trio of spectacular performances from Bruce Willis, James McAvoy, and Samuel L. Jackson, Glass is a powerhouse finale to one of cinema’s most unique trilogies. — Kevin @kevflix
Tiny Souls
Palestinian-Jordanian filmmaker Dina Naser gives us a fascinating insight into the life inside Al Zaatari Refugee Camp in Jordan, and allows us to see that world through a child’s eyes. By the end of Tiny Souls, you will be struggling to contain your emotions as this real-life tragedy unfolds on screen. This is truly a beautiful film which I hope will get seen by as many people as possible, as these children deserve to have their stories told and captured on the big screen. This is a very compelling, tender, poetic and soulful piece that goes beyond the headlines to tell a very human and a very real story. — Bianca @the_filmbee
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