This is Ann's "2019 in film -- Ann and Stan" and Stan's "2019 in films -- Ann and Stan" -- their annual look at films.
Ann & Stan:
2019 in movies. While the superheroes dominated the box office, they
really didn't do that great onscreen, they didn't deliver. Yes, Robert
Downey Jr. was awesome but are we really supposed to ignore that we
don't get a real funeral or wake for Black Widow? Or that it's the
driver that gets the strong scene with Tony's daughter and not Gwyneth
Paltrow who is Tony's widow and the child's mother. As long as you
don't think about what MARVEL puts on the screen, it's easy to praise
those movies, isn't it? Just keep pretending that Scarlet Witch isn't
that powerful and is knocked out easily time after time, right?
"Oh," some readers groan, "they're Martin Scorsese devotees!"
We do like his films -- GOODFELLAS is incredible -- but we weren't
impressed with THE IRISHMAN which we found lifeless, plodding and oh,so
out of touch.
We are tired of bad films that critics applaud. We are tired of good films being attacked.
If we had more time -- we spent five hours debating out top ten -- we'd
explore one development. Horror films continue to be one of the few
film types that can hold their own against the superhero flicks. And we
are seeing more and more diversity and inclusion and rule breaking of
the format in this genre than in any other one. READY OR NOT is not on
our top ten. If it was a top eleven, it would be. If it were a top 15,
MA would be on the list. Horror has delivered throughout 2019.
Here's our list and we hope there's something on the list for you.
1) US.
Genre bending, genre breaking, US is still shocking and continues to
grab you. We've watched it many times and it really stands up. Jordan
Peele's follow up to GET OUT shows a steadier hand and a continued
gift. Lupita Nyong'o leads the amazing cast.
2) HUSTLERS.
Lorene Scafaria. She's directed and written a great movie. We went
back and forth over whether it was the second best or the best and we
think US beats it by a very thin margin. In a so-so year for films,
these two were gifts, wonderful gifts, for movie lovers. It was great
to see Julia Stiles in a solid movie again, Jennifer Lopez delivered a
career best performance, Constance Wu was wonderful and who knew Cardi B
could deliver as an actress? Amazing film. If you feel it should have
been the number one choice, we're not going to disagree with you. It
was a very hard choice when we had to rank all the films but especially
to rank numbers one and two.
3) ROCKETMAN.
Taron Egerton was amazing as Elton John. This film is available for
streaming right now if you missed it in the theaters. It really is
something and director Dexter Fletcher deserves high praise for the way
he keeps everything moving. This is a real musical and every moment is
magic. Fletcher doesn't go heavy handed once.
4) PARASITE.
Don't like foreign films? Then you haven't seen Bong Joon-ho's
PARASITE. If you do see it, rave over it to friends, absolutely, but do
not give out any spoilers.
5) KNIVES OUT.
If we can be adults, a mystery film can work. That means keep our
mouths shut about who did it in a who done it. This year, we've been
able to be adults and that's a good thing because Rian Johnson's film is
really something and the cast -- especially Toni Collette, Daniel
Craig, Lakeith Stanfield and Chris Evans -- is top notch.
6) DOLEMITE IS MY NAME.
Craig Brewer's film is the first one for a streaming service that we've
felt deserved to be on the list (the film had a limited release but was
really a NETFLIX film). It's not that we haven't seen other films on
NETFLIX or on AMAZON either during or after their token film theater
release. It's just we're not impressed. DOLEMITE IS MY NAME impressed
us. It was a real film. And Eddie Murphy gave a real performance. The
film zips along and is full of life and energy (two things we found
absent from THE IRISHMAN -- in case you're wondering).
7) THE HUSTLE.
This film runs on the chemistry and energy of Anne Hathaway and Rebel
Wilson. It's a comedy that's previously been made as BEDTIME STORY and
then as DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS. This was not the nonsense that was the
GHOSTBUSTERS remake. This was an actual film and you didn't have to
say "well, they had good intentions" because it was an actual story and
it was actually funny. "Oh, Ann, Stan, the critics hated it!" Oh, who
gives a damn. Whenever women do comedy, you get a lot of jerks saying
"It's not funny!" These jerks carved up Goldie Hawn in the eighties and
nineties, they carved up Meg Ryan after they were done with Goldie. No
woman is ever going to please these pigs -- and these sexists critics
are male and female -- they just don't like women. This is a funny
movie, a bust-a-gut funny movie.
8) GOOD BOYS.
This is the third comedy film to make this top ten list. It was a good
year for comedy. Gene Stupnitsky directed GOOD BOYS and it's funny
throughout. In fact, it's almost as funny as THE HUSTLE. Pigs loved it
but, of course, they did. Women are the 'other' throughout this film
and it's part of the joke. What would have been total pig play had the
leads been adults worked here because they were little boys. Grasp a
clue here, young boys will always get away with more than adult males.
9) RICHARD JEWELL.
Did you hear? Clint Eastwood did a poor little reporter dirty? See
this drug addict who died because of her addiction, this tool of the
government who smeared a man and destroyed his life, she had a line that
she drew. She wouldn't sleep with a source. Or that's the claim
anyway. We thank Clint made one mistake and that was in casting the
role of the reporter. Olivia Wilde is fine in the role but we think he
should have cast Melanie Griffith. We love Melanie but we're making
this argument because we would have loved for her, as the reporter, to
have delivered her big lines from BODY DOUBLE: "
I do not do animal acts. I do not do
S&M or any variations of that particular bent, no water sports
either. I will not shave my p**sy, no fistf**king and absolutely no
coming in my face. I get $2000 a day and I do not work without a
contract." Kathy Bates deserves an Oscar nomination for her
performance. The US press deserves a public spanking, bare assed, over
their whining about the poor little reporter.
10) QUEEN & SLIM.
Melina Matsoukas' film directing debut is an announcement of the
emergence of a major talent. She's delivered the goods and then some
with QUEEN & SLIM cannot wait to see what she follows up with. But
this is a benchmark film, one that raises the standards for film making.
Now here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"
