Everyone is doing their top 10 for 2019, mainly because it was a cracker of a year for film. Most years I’ve struggled to think of one film that moved me deeply to my loins, but this year there were so many. I’ve only included one documentary, but could have done a list of ten of them too. I know I’ve missed a few, but here is my list:
10. Capernaum
This is my obscure film for the list, which I felt was like a full length version of the first half hour of Lion. Using real refugees and street dwellers for its cast, Lebanese director, Nadine Labaki, produced a searingly real insight into life on the streets. I love when directors use real people who deliver real performances that move you to tears.
9. Anthony and Cleopatra
So many of the NT Live productions could make the list, but this was the standout. Ralph Fiennes as Marc Anthony and Sophie Okenedo with a remarkable set, was a Shakesperean treat of acting, writing and direction.
8. Marriage Story
Well, Adam Driver had to be on the list somewhere. It’s a Netflix film, but has been on at the cinemas. It’s a beauty about divorce. With Adam Driver, Scarlett Johnasson, Laura Dern, Alan Alda and Ray Liottta, and a beautiful script, this is very moving without playing for tears.
7. The Australian Dream
I left the cinema feeling angry, and this will stir the debate over Adam Goodes all over again when it’s aired on ABC in February. It’s better than the Final Quarter, because we hear from the great man himself and see what a gentle soul he is. And all that tosh about bullying a 15-year old girl? Ask Greta about that and look up hypocrisy.
6. Once Upon a Time In Hollywood
I couldn’t talk about this film with anyone for less than half an hour and a lot of passion. Everyone had an opinion, and that’s what great art can do. Is it one of Quentin’s best? Nope. Was it tight? No way. Was it a lot of fun? Tonnes of it. It’s romantic! This is some of Brad Pitt’s best work, and Leo would have been favourite for an Oscar, but Joquain has a mortgage on it. Margot Robbie – never has so much been done with so little.
5. Knives Out
The much maligned Rian Johnson (The Last Jedi) has come out with a gem to prove he knows how to write, cast and direct genre pieces, if the studio execs and rabid fans leave him alone. This is a who-dunnit with a top cast, who all have a lot of fun with a cracking script that gives them the freedom to frolic.
4. Portrait of a Lady On Fire
This has come out of left field and blown me away. A typical French art film, it’s slow, underwritten and beautifully shot. It’s one of those films where every scene is framed like a painting, there is more going on between the lines than with them, and all the actors make use of them.
3. Parasite
I’ve probably underrated how great this film is, but I’ll blame the director. Bong Joo-ho Introduced it as a family friendly film at the Sydney Film Festival, and it is anything but. It’s a brilliant dark satire on Korean society that starts off lightly and gradually gets bleaker and broodier with a bloody ending. The cinematography, scripting and acting are all top class. I’ll have to see it again.
2. Joker
It might not be the most original scripts ever, but this is the best male acting performances of the year, hands down. It’s a gripping view of a man’s descent into madness and how society stands by and lets it happen. The controversy only helped to show how blind we’ve become to reality.
- Pain and Glory
When you hear a full house audience all sigh at the end of the final scene of a movie, you know you’ve experienced something special. Well structured, beautifully acted, it’s Pedro Almodovar’s autobiographical tribute to his mother and past. One of his best, which is saying something.
Apologies to The Nightingale, Toy Story 4, Dogman, Amazing Grace, Maradonna, Apollo 11, Never Look Away, Hearts and Bones (because it only played at festivals), Burning, Maria by Callas, Any of the NT Live, The Irishman… what a year. Here’s to an even greater 2020!
Con Nats, On The Screen
