My personal best of 2019 cinema
My favorite and recommended movies seen in 2019. Watched only at cinema theaters in original versions (Belgium & France).
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- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsSong Kang-hoLee Sun-kyunCho Yeo-jeongGreed and class discrimination threaten the newly-formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.[Eng. title: Parasite] Great achievement from my favorite Korean director (The Host, Memories of Murders). Beautifully crafted, blending different kind of emotions and film genres in one story. Entertaining and intelligent.
- DirectorTodd PhillipsStarsJoaquin PhoenixRobert De NiroZazie BeetzDuring the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.The best achievement of Joaquin Phoenix's career to date. Different take on a superheros based on original comics story from the Batman universe.
- DirectorRobert EggersStarsRobert PattinsonWillem DafoeValeriia KaramanTwo lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity while living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.[Cannes Directors' Fortnight] Not distributed in Belgium.
Aesthetically pleasing, strange, unique. Some references to the American gothic literature. The kind of surprise which makes you feel the magical essence of cinema. - DirectorJames MangoldStarsMatt DamonChristian BaleJon BernthalAmerican car designer Carroll Shelby and driver Ken Miles battle corporate interference and the laws of physics to build a revolutionary race car for Ford in order to defeat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966.Gripping story, technically challenging piece of craft (sound and photography). Very good acting; Christian Bale is top-notch (my fav' supporting role of the year).
- DirectorNicolas BedosStarsDaniel AuteuilGuillaume CanetDoria TillierVictor, a disillusioned 60-something whose marriage is on the rocks, opts to relive the week of his life when, 40 years earlier, he met his true love through a company that allows customers to return to the time period of their choosing.Excellent script, great editing, smart dialogs, dynamic pace, and a very fine ensemble of actors of different generations. One of the surprises of the year for me from France.
I watched it twice in a 4-months period, very rare for me. - DirectorPeter FarrellyStarsViggo MortensenMahershala AliLinda CardelliniA working-class Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver for an African-American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South.The best adaptation of a surprising true story. A great performance by the two lead actors, especially Viggo Mortensen who plays a colorful character with Italian roots! A fine piece of work overall.
- DirectorLadj LyStarsDamien BonnardAlexis ManentiDjebril ZongaA cop from the provinces moves to Paris to join the Anti-Crime Brigade of Montfermeil, discovering an underworld where the tensions between the different groups mark the rhythm.Full of energy, excellent first movie, which would be shocking to viewers strangers to France economic reality.
- DirectorXiaoshuai WangStarsJingchun WangMei YongXi QiTwo married couples adjust to the vast social and economic changes taking place in China from the 1980s to the present.Subtle, moving, about China modern history.
- DirectorZach LipovskyAdam B. SteinStarsEmile HirschBruce DernGrace ParkA bold girl discovers a bizarre, threatening, and mysterious new world beyond her front door after she escapes her father's protective and paranoid control.[saw at BIFFF 2019] Truly terrific script quality, intelligent storytelling, good acting, smart use of budget and SFX.
- DirectorJon S. BairdStarsSteve CooganJohn C. ReillyShirley HendersonLaurel and Hardy, the world's most famous comedy duo, attempt to reignite their film careers as they embark on what becomes their swan song: a grueling theatre tour of post-war Britain.Exceptional acting work, for true cinema lovers
- DirectorAlexis MichalikStarsThomas SolivérèsOlivier GourmetMathilde SeignerDecember 1897, Paris. Edmond Rostand is not yet thirty but already two children and a lot of anxieties. He has not written anything for two years. In desperation, he offers the great Constant Coquelin a new play, a heroic comedy, in verse, for the holidays. Only concern: it is not written yet. Ignoring the whims of actresses, the demands of his Corsican producers, the jealousy of his wife, the stories of his best friend's heart and the lack of enthusiasm of all those around him, Edmond starts writing this piece which nobody believes. For now, he has only the title: "Cyrano de Bergerac".Excellent ensemble cast, very good script, dynamic story.
- DirectorAlfonso CuarónStarsYalitza AparicioMarina de TaviraDiego Cortina AutreyA year in the life of a middle-class family's maid in Mexico City in the early 1970s.Technically stunning, intelligent and moving script.
- DirectorCristina GallegoCiro GuerraStarsCarmiña MartínezJosé AcostaNatalia ReyesDuring the marijuana bonanza, a violent decade that saw the origins of drug trafficking in Colombia, Rapayet and his indigenous family get involved in a war to control the business that ends up destroying their lives and their culture.Storytelling, unusual pace, exotic background and setting, interesting point of view about a foreign culture.
- DirectorRodrigo SorogoyenStarsAntonio de la TorreMónica LópezJosep Maria PouA Spanish politician whose high-class lifestyle is based on nefarious and illegal business threatens to break his entire party after a newspaper exposes him to the public eye.Nervous thriller, with a terrific performance by one the best Spanish actors in the recent years.
- DirectorMike AhernEnda LoughmanStarsMaeve HigginsBarry WardWill ForteRose, a mostly sweet and lonely Irish driving instructor, must use her supernatural talents to save the daughter of Martin (also mostly sweet and lonely) from a washed-up rock star who is using her in a Satanic pact to reignite his fame.[saw at BIFFF 2019] Fine blend of comedy and genre movie, with a pinch of English humor.
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsLeonardo DiCaprioBrad PittMargot RobbieA faded television actor and his stunt double strive to achieve fame and success in the final years of Hollywood's Golden Age in 1969 Los Angeles.The best one in a long time from Tarantino. The cinephiles who know classic Hollywood era will appreciate this even more.
- DirectorTodd Douglas MillerStarsNeil ArmstrongMike CollinsBuzz AldrinA look at the Apollo 11 mission to land on the moon led by commander Neil Armstrong and pilots Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins.Stunningly beautiful documentary with a unique point of view (no interviews, only real voice-over from historical NASA archives (missed it in iMax). Must see in a theatre!
- DirectorDonato CarrisiStarsToni ServilloAlessio BoniLorenzo RichelmySpecial agent Vogel is sent to an isolated town in a remote mountain valley to investigate the case of a sixteen years old's disappearance.Overall a nervous thriller with unusual take on burning social themes, complex lead character.
- DirectorMounia MeddourStarsLyna KhoudriShirine BoutellaHilda Amira DouaoudaIn 1997 Algiers, terrorists wanting an archaic Islamic state are everywhere. They oppress women, determined to control their bodies, clothing, and public space. Young student Nedjma is passionate about creating a fashion show.My choice of the year about women empowerment and themes, blended in a tense political background. Very fine performance by the lead actress.
- DirectorJérémy ClapinStarsHakim FarisVictoire Du BoisPatrick d'AssumçaoA story of Naoufel, a young man who is in love with Gabrielle. In another part of town, a severed hand escapes from a dissection lab, determined to find its body again.Great writing and storytelling, very enjoyable and pleasing to the eye. My pick of the year in animated movies.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsLouis GarrelChristophe MaratierPierre PoirotIn 1894, French Captain Alfred Dreyfus is wrongfully convicted of treason and sentenced to life imprisonment at Devil's island.Visually beautiful (era, costumes). Important topic in French history. Some sequences are really great when watched on a big screen.
- DirectorGuillaume de FontenayStarsNiels SchneiderVincent RottiersElla RumpfIn an urban war zone where everything that moves is a target, Paul tries to live, love and inform.Disturbing movie about war journalism, politics, in a very bleak and dark atmosphere. Not for the faint of heart, but an important watch about a big European political failure in recent history. Great acting by Niels Schneider.
- DirectorEdward NortonStarsEdward NortonGugu Mbatha-RawAlec BaldwinIn 1950s New York, Lionel, a private detective with Tourette syndrome, sets out to uncover the mystery behind his mentor and only friend Frank's murder. Scouring the jazz clubs and slums of Brooklyn, he soon uncovers a web of secrets.Classic story reminding of the great noir movies, overall well-written and played by E. Norton
- DirectorChristopher CaldwellZeek EarlStarsSophie ThatcherJay DuplassPedro PascalA teenage girl and her father travel to a remote alien moon, aiming to strike it rich. They've secured a contract to harvest a large deposit of the elusive gems hidden in the depths of the moon's toxic forest. But there are others roving the wilderness and the job quickly devolves into a fight to survive. Forced to contend not only with the forest's other ruthless inhabitants, but with her own father's greed-addled judgment, the girl finds she must carve her own path to escape.Saw at Offscreen 2019. Clever script, interesting storytelling and characters, plausible details as SF story. Great little interesting movie with
such low budget, for the true SF lover. - DirectorJeanne HerryStarsSandrine KiberlainGilles LelloucheÉlodie BouchezTheo was born an unwanted child. The social services set out to find the perfect home for his adoption.Interesting topic about social workers, rarely shown in movies. Plausible story, interesting human characters.