2019 Film Awards
In a year where Toy Story came to an end, The Lion King was...remade for some reason, the Avengers faced their greatest threat, and we finally got the film adaptation of Cats everybody had been asking for, there were certainly many highs and many lows. So to celebrate such a great year I have compiled my very first film awards ceremony!
Top 5 of 2019:
#5: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (Directed by Dean Deblois)
Top 5 of 2019:
#5: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (Directed by Dean Deblois)
How to Train Your Dragon always has been an unsung underdog of the animation world, yet over the past nearly decade it has provided audiences with one of the best debut films in animation history from a non-Disney franchise, arguably one of the best sequel films ever made and now one of the greatest and most conclusive finale’s to a series that people have grown up with. There was not a dry eye in the house at the end of The Hidden World and it’s a journey that I’ll never forget.
#4: Spider-Man: Far From Home (Directed by Jon Watts)
#4: Spider-Man: Far From Home (Directed by Jon Watts)
Avengers: Endgame was a monumental occasion in cinema history, capping off a 22-film story arc in epic fashion. But Far from Home was the footnote to the series, the epilogue to the Infinity Saga and there to start laying the groundwork for whatever will come next. One of the best Spidey flicks ever made, the best Marvel film of the year and even better than Spider-Man Homecoming which is saying something!
#3: Toy Story 4 (Directed By Josh Cooley)
#3: Toy Story 4 (Directed By Josh Cooley)
When Toy Story 4 was announced I, and many others, thought it would be Pixar’s next Cars 2. A soulless cash grab that finally made Toy Story overstay it’s welcome considering how well TS3 acted as the series finale. But alas, TS4 is the epilogue to the series we never knew we wanted but are much better off with it. A heart wrenching tale of learning to move on after losing someone you love. Woody & Buzz’s final adventure is every part as amazing as its predecessors and in many ways more so.
#2: Le Mans '66 (Directed by James Mangold)
#2: Le Mans '66 (Directed by James Mangold)
The tale of how Ford beat Ferrari at the 1966 24 hours of Le Mans is a brutal true story. How two men, Carrol Shelby and Ken Miles as they build a Ford capable of beating Ferrari at Le Mans; It’s a thrilling drama that sticks unflinching close to documented events. Whether you’re a car fan or not, this film is a must watch with exhilarating race sequences, impeccable dialogue and a brilliant performance from Christian Bale as Ken Miles in arguably a career best.
#1: Joker (Directed by Todd Phillips)
#1: Joker (Directed by Todd Phillips)
There seems to be something about the clown prince of crime that when handled by a skilled actor and nurtured by a director not afraid to take risks, we get some of the most outstanding cinema. Joker was a heart-breaking and teeth-clenching look at how society fails those who need us the most and the horrifying results from that neglect. This film was incredible on every level and (like many others) I cannot sing its praises enough.
Bottom 5 of 2019:
#5: Gemini Man (Directed by Ang Lee)
Bottom 5 of 2019:
#5: Gemini Man (Directed by Ang Lee)
This film was an interesting proof of concept, the world’s best hitman drawn out of retirement to kill his clone, however the execution was just sloppy. A paper-thin plot, some wooden acting and due to the high frame-rate that the film was shot at, some of the special effects look really silly. Perhaps someone else may be able to do 120FPS better in the future, though Gemini Man may prove to be the death of HFR for some time.
#4: Men in Black: International (Directed by F. Gary Gray)
#4: Men in Black: International (Directed by F. Gary Gray)
So, the only really good MiB film was the first, but at least the sequels had small amounts of heart to keep the series going for a while with Will Smith and Tommy-Lee Jones as it’s leads. Unfortunately, Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth cannot capture that same chemistry and MiB International is a complete shitshow as a result.
#3: Anna (Directed by Luc Besson)
#3: Anna (Directed by Luc Besson)
I can’t even remember this film to be perfectly honest. I vaguely remember some uninspired action sequences and some bad acting. Just avoid at all costs, but at least you may not remember watching it if you do decide to subject yourself to it.
#2: Cats (Directed by Tom Hooper)
#2: Cats (Directed by Tom Hooper)
Adapting a musical with almost no story that is only so highly regarded because of its incredible choreographies and musical numbers into a film where you have actors with no dance experience and mostly little to no musical experience was always going to fail miserably. On top of that add in some absolutely hideous, unfinished CGI and you’ve got one of the hardest flops of this decade. I’m a massive fan of the musical and I could see this being a car crash from the announcement.
#1: The Lion King (Directed by Jon Favreau)
#1: The Lion King (Directed by Jon Favreau)
This film literally had to do one thing. Be a good looking, CG remake of one of Disney’s most beloved films...and it completely blew it. Whilst visually stunning, the film lacks all the heart and soul of the original film, has some very mediocre voice acting from some very big names, butchers many of the iconic songs and makes some considerable changes to the story without actually managing to do anything interesting with that time. An all-round failure.
Best Director
James Mangold - Le Mans '66
Best Director
James Mangold - Le Mans '66
I am choosing James Mangold for Le Mans because this would have been very easy to make a film for car fanatics. It could have been so easy to make really boring, but it was the exact opposite. The film had some of the best performances of the year from the likes of Damon & Bale, as well as some of the best racing sequences I’ve ever seen on film. It had heart, it had soul and the message of the film clearly rang true in how it was made. If the person helming a project really loves what they are making, it will be incredible no matter how much investors or big wigs in suits may try to interfere. Le Mans was clearly a passion project of Mangold’s and it shows with just how much care went into making this film.
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Joaquin Phoenix - Arthur Fleck (Joker)
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Joaquin Phoenix - Arthur Fleck (Joker)
Was there any competition for this entry? Joaquin Phoenix blows almost any other main performance, male or female, out of the water this year. His unique take on the clown prince of crime has had people gushing praise since even before the film came out, and if Heath Ledger’s performance of Joker is anything to go off, will have people singing their praises about him for many years to come. Phoenix’s performance is wholly unsettling, and you begin to forget that it’s him behind the makeup, which consider we’re talking about one of the biggest dramatic actors in Hollywood right now, that’s quite the achievement.
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Kaitlyn Dever - Amy Antsler (Booksmart)
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Kaitlyn Dever - Amy Antsler (Booksmart)
Booksmart is a film that narrowly missed out on my top 5 but it’s a teen comedy that unlike most has some genuine heart behind it. Following Amy and her best friend Molly on their last day of high school, the two traditionally booksmart youngsters decide to have their first night of fun and visit all their class-mates parties with hilarious results. The jokes are funny, and the performances are memorable; enter Kaitlyn Dever as one half of the lead duo, Amy. Amy goes through so much as a character in this film and Kaitlyn’s portrayal moved me to tears, both of laughter and of heartbreak. It’s a performance that I know will be overlooked this year and that is simply criminal in my eyes.
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Brad Pitt - Cliff Booth (Once Upon A Time in Hollywood...)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Brad Pitt - Cliff Booth (Once Upon A Time in Hollywood...)
This was a tough one. The first person I thought of when looking at this category was Bill Hader in IT Chapter 2 as his rendition of an older Ritchie Tozier is not only spot on to the source material but also a natural progression of Finn Wolfhard’s portrayal of the younger Ritchie in both IT films. Hader embodied the character so brilliantly that it became difficult to see where the character ended, and the actor began. However; then I remembered Brad Pitt as Cliff Booth in One Upon A Time in Hollywood and unfortunately for Bill there was no coming back from that. Pitt gives the performance of his career in this film and I’ll be damned if he doesn’t win an Oscar for it. Cliff Booth was not only one of the most interesting film characters of the whole year, but I would argue Pitt’s performance was the best acting performance I have seen all year. Get this man an award now!
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Jessica Chastain - Beverly Marsh (IT: Chapter 2)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Jessica Chastain - Beverly Marsh (IT: Chapter 2)
Going back to IT Chapter 2, Jessica Chastain as an older Beverly was, like Bill Hader, the perfect casting choice. Again, Jessica embodied the character of Beverly so perfectly that it was often hard for me to remember that I was watching Jessica Chastain and not just an older Sophia Lillis (Young Beverly) playing the same role. Whilst IT Chapter 2 in general had some great casting, Chastain was the best older Beverly we could have got, and it only serves to make one of the series best characters even more believable and lifelike.
Best Scene
The Talk Show - Joker
Best Scene
The Talk Show - Joker
There were a lot of good scenes this year, but this scene was the one I immediately thought of. No matter how much I go back and wonder if I should reconsider, I can’t think of anything that struck me quite so hard. This scene comes late in Joker and acts as the films climax, where Arthur/Joker (Phoenix) appears as a guest on the Murray Franklin (Robert De’Nero) show. What ensues is a scene reminiscent of the opening to Inglorious Bastderds. You know Arthur is going to do something crazy live on TV for all of Gotham to see, but exactly what that is you’re never 100% sure on until it happens. It’s shocking, visceral and some of the best dialogue I’ve seen all year in film. This scene alone makes Joker the best film of the year and that’s not even considering all the other amazing things the film pulls off.
Best Action Sequence
Avengers Assemble - Avengers: Endgame
Best Action Sequence
Avengers Assemble - Avengers: Endgame
Could it have been anything else? This was the climactic battle of a 22-film, 11-year storyline. As Hulk snaps his fingers to return all previously eliminated life back to the universe, Thanos attacks Avengers HQ and brings his army with him. What ensues is an impeccably shot and choreographed fight sequence involving almost the entire MCU cast of heroes, including those brought back from Thanos’ snap at the end of Infinity War. All it can evoke is giddy childlike joy as you cheer for the MCU’s heroes doing some pretty amazing stuff, culminating in a moment that will likely go down in cinematic history as we bid farewell to Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man.
Best Scare
The Old Lady - IT: Chapter 2
Best Scare
The Old Lady - IT: Chapter 2
This was pretty difficult as I didn’t see many films with scares in them this year. Like I could have put the entirety of Midsommar but that was more just unsettling. Joker was also pretty scary but more in a reflective kind of way. IT was really the only film I saw that actively tried to scare viewers with traditional scary imagery. Even then only one of the scenes lived up to the first films epic scares and that was when Beverly meets the old lady who now lives in her childhood home. The scene is expertly paced, happens at exactly the right time in the story, is well shot and even though the viewer catches on very early to something being very wrong with this lady, the fact that Beverly doesn’t makes it even more heart pounding.
Saddest Scene
Woody's Goodbye - Toy Story 4 (Honourable Mention: Family Reunion - HTTYD: The Hidden World)
Saddest Scene
Woody's Goodbye - Toy Story 4 (Honourable Mention: Family Reunion - HTTYD: The Hidden World)
Whilst How to Train Your Dragon had arguably the better directed scene out of the two which deal with similar themes, it is ultimately Toy Story 4 that takes it due to the legacy the series has managed to amass over 15 years. Woody’s final farewell to Buzz and the gang to spend the rest of his days with Bo-Peep is heart-breaking to watch and hammers home the films message of moving on after you lose people you love. The fact that I was one of the few adults in the room and my girlfriend had to hide me from children leaving the theatre because I was a snivelling wreck is a testament to how much of an impact this scene had on me as someone who’s earliest memories are watching Toy Story and playing with my Woody and Buzz dolls.
Biggest Disappointment
Ad Astra (Directed by James Gray)
Biggest Disappointment
Ad Astra (Directed by James Gray)
I was tempted to put Lion King here; however, I think a lot of people knew in the run up to Lion King that it wasn’t going to stick the landing how it needed to. The reason Ad Astra was so disappointing is because if you had seen any marketing for the film you went in expecting the next Interstellar, but instead what we were given was actually something a little closer to Apocalypse Now. A real slow burn thought piece that whilst not bad, is not what was sold to audiences in the trailer and as such really missed the mark with a lot of people because it’s true intentions came completely out of left field.
Biggest Surprise
El Camino (Directed by Vince Gilligan) OR Ready or Not (Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillet)
Biggest Surprise
El Camino (Directed by Vince Gilligan) OR Ready or Not (Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillet)
Depending on how you define the term surprising depends on the answer you get. I was most surprised to see El Camino release this year. I was a huge fan of Breaking Bad when it was on TV so to finally get closure on Jesse Pinkman, and in such an incredible film, was one of 2019’s biggest surprises for me as it came almost out of nowhere save a few vague comments from cast members.
However, the most surprising film of 2019 in terms of its quality was probably Ready or Not, a slasher film with such a dumb premise that many wrote off without giving it a chance. But Ready or Not is incredibly well written, well-acted, tense and unpredictable. Well worth a shot if you enjoy horror films.
Best Score
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (Composed by John Williams)
However, the most surprising film of 2019 in terms of its quality was probably Ready or Not, a slasher film with such a dumb premise that many wrote off without giving it a chance. But Ready or Not is incredibly well written, well-acted, tense and unpredictable. Well worth a shot if you enjoy horror films.
Best Score
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (Composed by John Williams)
There were lots of good scores this year but come on, John Williams’ work on Star Wars is stuff of legend and you can’t deny that they are some of the greatest film scores ever made. The contest was won before it even started here, I’m afraid. Shame about the rest of the film.
Best Soundtrack
Cats (Composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber)
Best Soundtrack
Cats (Composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber)
I’m literally awarding this for Jennifer Hudson’s rendition of “Memories”. There were no other movie soundtracks this year worth giving credit to and I’ll admit that Hudson did the song well. So, congrats Cats, you’re not complete catshit.
New But Old
Mother! (Directed by Darren Aaronofsky) OR Enemy (Directed by Denis Villeneuve)
New But Old
Mother! (Directed by Darren Aaronofsky) OR Enemy (Directed by Denis Villeneuve)
I can’t decide on this one so they both win. I’m the one who made the criteria so I’m the one that can break it damn it! Mother! Is Daren Aaronofsky’s greatest work to date, as well as providing some career best performances from Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem in a brain-bending psychological thriller about a woman, her marriage, their home, their child and disrespectful guests. It takes a while for the pieces to fall into place and it’s so rewarding when they do.
Enemy is also a fantastic psychological thriller starring Jake Gyllenhall in a double role as he one day discovers he has a doppelgänger and the effect that has on his life. Watch through your fingers if you’re afraid of spiders, Enemy is a hugely underrated work from Blade Runner 2049 director Denis Villeneuve.
Best Animated Film
Toy Story 4 (Directed by Josh Cooley)
Enemy is also a fantastic psychological thriller starring Jake Gyllenhall in a double role as he one day discovers he has a doppelgänger and the effect that has on his life. Watch through your fingers if you’re afraid of spiders, Enemy is a hugely underrated work from Blade Runner 2049 director Denis Villeneuve.
Best Animated Film
Toy Story 4 (Directed by Josh Cooley)
Although I’ve briefly touched on how good TS4 is as a film, I haven’t yet actually talked about how incredible the animation is. Pixar are masters of their craft and with Toy Story 4 they deliver realistic weather dynamics, lens effects and an unprecedented level of detail in character models and environment detail. Even if you manage to somehow not enjoy the plot to the film, I would find it impossible to not appreciate the level of polish the film has.
Best Documentary
Fyre (Directed by Chris Smith)
Best Documentary
Fyre (Directed by Chris Smith)
I watched this film as a recommendation from a friend. I spent the whole time with my jaw on the floor, peeking through my fingers and in disbelief that this actually happened. The doc details the events leading up to, of and the after-effects of the Fyre Festival. A luxury music festival for people with way too much money and not enough sense.
Prepare to be shocked and appalled at just how disastrously wrong it goes, and how anybody thought it was a good idea to start with.
Best Rewatch
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Directed by Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman & Bob Persichetti)
Prepare to be shocked and appalled at just how disastrously wrong it goes, and how anybody thought it was a good idea to start with.
Best Rewatch
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Directed by Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman & Bob Persichetti)
My favourite film of 2018 was one of my first IMAX viewings of 2019 as a rewatch. Into the Spider-Verse is incredible in every sense of the word. Into the Spider-Verse follows Miles Morales as he witnesses the death of Peter Parker and takes up the mantle of Spider-Man. However, as villains Kingpin & Doctor Octopus are messing with the fabric of time and space, they tear a hole in the multi-verse causing other Spider-people to appear including Spider-Gwen, Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Ham and an alternate universe Peter Parker. Together they must work together to take down Kingpin & return themselves back to the reality they belong to before space & time collapses on itself. The film employs multiple animation styles and all of them are used amazingly well, it’s also incredibly funny, well-acted, has an incredible soundtrack and has the most emotional driving force of any superhero film I’ve ever seen. It’s one of the few movies I will never get bored watching.
Most Anticipated Upcoming Film
No Time To Die (Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga)
Most Anticipated Upcoming Film
No Time To Die (Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga)
Daniel Craig’s James Bond films have been incredible action films, even the arguably disappointing Quantum of Solace. So, his final outing as 007 is high on my watchlist for 2020.