Frank J. Avella's Best Films of 2019

Last year I was feeling a bit glooming about the state of cinema, but this year has turned dejection into renewed hope and feelings of giddy glee! 2019 has been a truly amazing year for the art form so to whittle things down to my normal 13 best was ridiculously difficult so I expanded to 20 (and almost half are International features).

Let me start with a host of terrific films that woulda-coulda made my top faves in a less outstanding year:

"And Then We Danced" (Sweden), "Blinded by the Light," "Clemency," "Corpus Christi" (Poland), "Diane," "Dolemite is My Name," "Downton Abbey," "For Sama," "Give Me Liberty," "Midsommar," "Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story," "Sauvage/Wild" (France), "Skin," "This is Not Berlin" (Mexico), "The Traitor" (Italy), "Transit" (Germany), "Us," and "Waves."

20. C�line Sciamma's "Portrait of a Lady on Fire" (France)

A period romance that enraptures and beguiles, "Portrait of a Lady on Fire" touches on desire, longing and true expression with two enticing performances at the films core (by No�mie Merlant & Ad�le Haenel).

19. Tom Harper's "Wild Rose" (U.K.)

Jessie Buckley delivers a breakout bravura performance as a Glasgow gal who wants to be a country music singer in "Wild Rose," an inspiring gem that also features superb work by Julie Walters.

18. Todd Haynes' "Dark Waters"

An exciting and exasperating thriller, astutely directed by Todd Haynes, "Dark Waters" dives into the world of corporate recklessness with aplomb. Mark Ruffalo excels in this homage to the message films of the late '70s/early '80s.

17. Pedro Almod�var's "Pain and Glory" (Spain)

This rich, dense "pelicula" by Almod�var channels Fellini in an exploration of a craftsman in turmoil, looking back. Antonio Banderas shines as the filmmaker's avatar. It is both devastating and exquisite, often simultaneously.

16. Fran�ois Ozon's "By the Grace of God" (France)

Ozon's daring film takes on the Catholic sex abuse scandal by chronicling the true story of a trio of survivors from Lyon, France, who decided to expose the Church's horrific code of silence. His best film yet.

15. Ladj Ly's "Les Mis�rables" (France)

Ly's first narrative feature is an arresting and timely look at crooked cops and the fed up downtrodden, leading to a shattering finale.

14. Greta Gerwig's "Little Women"

Rewatching George Cukor's 1933 version (with Katharine Hepburn) as well as the Gillian Armstrong's 1994 remake (with Winona Ryder), I felt detached. The magic in Gerwig's modern take is that I was able to empathize with the characters and finally understand why they were so beloved.

13. Nadav Lapid's "Synonyms" (France)

Tom Mercier fearlessly embodies a young Israeli man desperate to assimilate into French culture in Lapid's bold feature that blasts our ever-growing worldwide class divide and satirizes notions of assimilation.

12. Taika Waititi's "Jojo Rabbit"
and
11. V�clav Marhoul's "The Painted Bird" (Czech Republic)

Two very different tales of young boys growing up during the Nazi reign of terror.
One ("Jojo") is a hilarious satire that ultimately stings and the other ("Bird") is an unrelentingly brutal and extreme portrait of the darkest side of human nature. Both are haunting and mesmerizing.

10. Jay Roach's "Bombshell"

A smart and savvy second cousin to "The Big Short," "Bombshell" tells the me-too story of Fox news's Roger Ailes sexually harassing female employees. Charlize Theron transforms into Megyn Kelly. Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie impress as does John Lithgow as Jabba the Roger.

9. Melina Matsoukas' "Queen & Slim"

Tagged "the black Bonnie & Clyde" in the film, Queen & Slim, played masterfully by Jodie Turner-Smith & Daniel Kaluuya, are more like the black Thelma & Louise. The movie has some daring things to say about race in our country and does so in a clever and gripping way. Haters should examine their own racism.

8. Todd Phillips' "Joker"

"Joker" is a disturbing sit with a bare, focused narrative about a mentally ill man searching for acceptance but being continuously savaged by society. Buoyed by an immersive performance by Joaquin Phoenix, the film is a call for empathy and a searing commentary on how the disenfranchised act when they feel cast aside.

7. Terrence Malick's "A Hidden Life"

I spent the greater part of the fall avoiding screenings of this film. A 3-hour Malick meditation? No, thank you! Boy, was I wrong! This exquisite and quietly devastating work tells the true story of an Austrian man during WW2 who pays a steep price for refusing to pledge loyalty to Hitler. Malick allows the audience to discover the inner workings of his characters. It's a remarkable achievement.

6. James Mangold's "Ford v. Ferrari"

"Ford v. Ferrari" is just great filmmaking with an intense and richly developed script by Jez Butterworth and Jason Keller and features two dazzling lead performances by Christian Bale and Matt Damon. A pure joy.

---FYI--you can shuffle the next four and at any given moment and any could land at 2-5–it's that kind of year. Here is how I am feeling right now--

5. Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite" (South Korea)

This messy, outrageous and original dark comedy is emotionally rich and strangely invigorating. The genre-blending film centers on a lower-class family and their dastardly ways. Karma can be a bitch but it's never been more complex and nuanced than in the mind-bogglingly tantalizing, "Parasite."

4. Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"

QT rewrites history again in his best work since he did same in "Inglourious Basterds," in 2009. Brad Pitt co-stars in this one and delivers a career-best performance as stunt double to Leonardo DiCaprio's impeccable Rick Dalton. Margot Robbie provides the film with its soul as a beatific Sharon Tate.

3. Noah Baumbach's "Marriage Story"

One of the most affecting (and oddly divisive) films of the year, "Marriage Story" delves deep into an irreparable discontent between two people who love one another but were not meant to be together. Equal empathy is given to both spouses and Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson brilliantly create a layered, textured relationship pulsating with true adoration and painful resentment.

2. Martin Scorsese's "The Irishman"

One of our most treasured directors delivers a sprawling, startlingly exploratory masterwork that is as audacious and fearless as any of his past films. Robert DeNiro is in top form Joe Pesci is perfectly understated. And Al Pacino is at the top of his game as the volatile Jimmy Hoffa. At 209 minutes, "The Irishman," commands attention throughout, commenting on American life in the second half of the 20th Century, while somehow remaining quite intimate.

1. Sam Mendes' "1917"

Much like Christopher Nolan blew me away in 2017 with "Dunkirk" (how did that film not win Best Picture?), Sam Mendes has achieved a similar response in a very different take on a very different war with his ambitious and captivating, "1917." There aren't enough superlatives in a thesaurus to shower on this film and its wide scope yet intimate and transcendent storytelling. George MacKay is simply astonishing as the reluctant hero. Mendes cinematic trick metamorphoses into a hypnotic instant-classic. And it's even better the second time!

Outstanding Directors:

1. Martin Scorsese for "The Irishman"
2. Sam Mendes for "1917"
3. Bong Joon-ho for "Parasite"
4. Quentin Tarantino for "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
5. Terrence Malick for "A Hidden Life"

Outstanding Lead Male:

1. Leonardo DiCaprio in "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
2. George MacKay in "1917"
3. Joaquin Phoenix in "Joker"
4. Adam Driver in "Marriage Story" and "The Report"
5. Jamie Bell in "Skin" & Tom Mercier in "Synonyms"

Outstanding Lead Female:

1. Charlize Theron in "Bombshell"
2. Renee Zellweger in "Judy"
3. Scarlett Johansson in "Marriage Story" and "Jojo Rabbit"
4. Jessie Buckley in "Wild Rose"
5. Saoirse Ronan in "Little Women" & Alfre Woodard in "Clemency"

Outstanding Supporting Male:

1. Al Pacino in "The Irishman"
2. Brad Pitt in "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
3. Sam Rockwell in "Jojo Rabbit" and "Richard Jewell"
4. Joe Pesci in "The Irishman"
5. John Lithgow in "Bombshell"& Choi Woo Shik in "Parasite"

Outstanding Supporting Female:

1. Laura Dern in "Marriage Story" and "Little Women"
2. Margot Robbie in "Bombshell" and "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"
3. Julie Walters in "Wild Rose"
4. Florence Pugh in "Little Women"
5. Lauren "Lolo" Spencer in "Give Me Liberty" & Da'Vine Joy Randolph in "Dolemite is My Name"