There have been films that have harmed and healed us, films that have been bold, scary, or gloriously, comfortably safe.
Many of them were followed by exhausting levels of discourse, which has become the standard response to anything significant and widely publicized in the Twitter era.
Whiny viral tweets turned famous works like Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, and Booksmart into wearisome referendums on racial issues, gender issues, and the state of the industry.
With a plethora of both high art and poor garbage, the films of 2019 drew the decade to a close—appropriate given the context in which they were made.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
In the first scene, Lint Barton instructs his daughter in archery on his isolated farm for them, and his wife makes a picnic meal.
The effect of Thanos snapping his fingers after obtaining all six Infinity Stones is Clint’s daughter disappearing, along with the rest of Clint’s family, accounting for half of all planetary life. After being defeated by Thanos on Titan, Nebula and Tony Stark are left stranded in space. Carol Danvers brings them back to Earth, reuniting them with Natasha Romanoff, James Rhodes, Thor, Rocket, Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, and Rocket.
The gang devises a plot to kidnap the Infinity Stones from Thanos and use them to undo his deeds, but upon locating him, they discover that he has already utilized them.
Thanos has taken half of all life, leaving the Avengers dispersed and divided.
The Avengers and their friends must come together
once more, learn to work through disagreements to work together and undo the damage now that there is a means to undo it.
As they prepare for the inevitable, decisive encounter with Thanos, which sees the heroes engage in the most significant conflict they have ever faced, The Avengers are aware that they must make sacrifices along the road.
Genre – Adventure
Director – Anthony Russo
Where to watch -Disney plus
Joker (I) (2019)
A psychologically disturbed stand-up comedian begins a downhill spiral that leads to the development of an iconic villain.
Arthur Fleck is a clown who also aspires to be a stand-up comedian.
He experiences issues with his mental health, some of which include fits of laughter.
Because of his problems and line of work, Arthur has it considerably harder than others.
Over time, these issues significantly burden him and affect his behavior and leading him to adopt the character better known as the Joker.
Arthur Fleck, a socially awkward clown for hire, hopes to become a stand-up comedian in addition to his part-time job as a clown holding a sign for marketing.
He looks after his mother, Penny Fleck, and he uncovers more details of his background as he discovers more about his psychological disorder.
As a result of dealing with all of the pessimism and bullying in society, he spirals deeper, revealing the origin of his alter ego, ‘Joker.’
Genres Crime, Drama
Director -Todd Phillips
Where to watch – HBO Max, Tentkotta VOD, ROW8, Prime Video, Vudu, Redbox. or Apple TV
It: Chapter Two (2019)
The Losers Club has grown up and moved away 27 years after their first experience with the monstrous Pennywise until a terrible phone call brings them back.
After being defeated by members of the Losers’ Club, the evil clown ‘Pennywise’ returns 27 years later to threaten the town of Derry, Maine.
The childhood friends’ adult drifted parted a long time ago. However, Mike Hanlon calls the others to his house for the last stand as individuals start to disappear.
The united Losers, scarred by the wounds of the past, must confront their deepest fears to battle the shape-shifting Pennywise, who is now more powerful than ever.
Bill has returned to writing and believes his endings are improving.
Mike, who is pondering taking his first trip abroad, picks up the phone to speak with him.
They make declarations of love for one another, and Mike brings up a letter that each Loser has been receiving.
Bill discovers his letter and discovers it was written by Stanley just before he committed suicide.
Over a brief vignette of the other Losers in the present, we hear his voice reading the letter. The movie ends with Mike departing Derry by leaving his car.
Genre – Fantasy, Horror
Director- Andy Muschietti
Where to watch – Peacock TV, HBO Max, ROW8, Prime Video, Vudu, Redbox. or Apple TV
Booksmart (2019)
Two academic all-stars and closest friends realize that they should have worked less and enjoyed more on the day before they graduated from high school.
The girls strive to pack four years’ worth of enjoyment into one night because they are determined to keep up with their friends.
When they graduated from high school, two intellectual adolescent superstars (Dever, Feldstein) realized they could have worked less and played more.
The girls embarked on a quest to pack four years’ worth of pleasure into one night because they were determined to constantly measure up to their friends.
Genre – Comedy
Director – Olivia Wilde
Where to watch – Peacock TV, Bravo, NBC, Spectrum TV, USA Network, E!, OXYGEN, SYFY, Telemundo, Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV, or Redbox
Yesterday (III) (2019)
After waking up in an alternate reality in which The Beatles never existed, a struggling musician finds he is the only one on Earth who remembers them.
In Lowestoft UK, Jack Malik is a disgruntled artist whose musical career is going nowhere despite his friend/manager Ellie Appleton’s faith in him.
On the night when Jack finally gives up, however, a brief global blackout causes Jack to be struck by a bus. Upon recovering consciousness, Jack learns to his shock, that he is now the only one who understands the Beatles’ music.
Jack is obliged to claim ownership of the music of one of the biggest rock bands in the world after realizing this unlikely possibility.
Jack immediately reaps the rewards and becomes a global musical sensation.
But Jack notices that he is drifting away from Ellie, and it isn’t until she feels threatened by his success based on blatant plagiarism that no one could ever catch that he realizes how much he loves her.
Now that he has decided what he genuinely wants, Jack must make a moral choice that will satisfy his conscience regarding his music.
Genre – Fantasy & Romance
Director – Danny Boyle
Where to watch -HBO max
Glass (2019)
David Dunn, a security officer, utilizes his preternatural talents to track down Kevin Wendell Crumb, a deranged man with twenty-four personalities.
David Dunn and Elijah Price are locked up in a mental hospital after researching Kevin Wendell Crumb and the various personas.
The group now has to deal with a doctor who wants to disprove their claim to have superhuman skills. The soundtracks are good.
Kevin Wendell Crumb/The Horde has captured a small number of cheerleaders and is holding them hostage in an abandoned factory, planning to feed them to the Beast.
The following morning, Dunn strolls through the streets, brushing against those he passes in the crowds to gain insight into their pasts and determine who the Beast is.
When Kevin, a nine-year-old personality, comes into contact with him, a flashback of Kevin chatting to the bodies of young women he alter ego, the Beast, had just slaughtered appears.
Genre -Drama, Horror
Director – M. Night Shyamalan
Where to watch -Disney plus.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
In 1969 Los Angeles attempted to attain recognition and fortune. A fading television star & his stunt double are set amid the latter years of Hollywood’s Golden Age.
Footage from the vintage Western TV show “Bounty Law” that stars action hero Rick Dalton as Jake Cahill, a rogue bounty hunter, starts the movie.
Following the clip comes an interview with Rick and his stuntman, Cliff Booth, who characterize Cliff’s position as effectively carrying Rick’s burden.
Producer Marvin Schwarz approaches Rick in a restaurant where he is with Cliff.
During the commotion, Katie stabs Cliff in the right hip, but the wound is not deadly.
Paramedics and police officers arrive on the scene.
Cliff is brought to the hospital for his injuries while the event spooks out Francesca.
Rick hears Jay shouting at him from Sharon’s gate after bidding Cliff farewell. Jay knows Rick from television as Rick narrates what transpired.
They invite her neighbor to join them for a drink after Jay identifies her neighbor. After finally meeting Sharon and her pals, Rick accepts.
Genre – Comedy Drama
Director – Quentin Tarantino
Where to watch – Roku Channel, Spectrum TV, STARZ, Vudu, Prime Video, ROW8, Redbox. or Apple TV
The Prodigy (2019)
A mother concerned about her son’s troubling conduct suspects something otherworldly is influencing him.
Sarah is a mother whose little son Miles’ strange behavior hints that an evil, possibly supernatural power has overtaken him.
This is her highly anticipated journey into the horror-thriller genre.
Sarah is forced to decide from concern for her family’s security between her maternal urge to love and protect Miles, and a frantic need to find out what or who is making him turn so dark.
The audience is taken on a tumultuous ride during the boundaries between perception and reality grow disturbingly hazy as she is compelled to hunt for answers in the past.
Genre – Mystery, thriller
Director – Nicholas McCarthy
Where to watch – Prime Video, Redbox., Apple TV, or Vudu
Captain Marvel (2019)
When Earth is caught in the thick cosmic conflict between two alien cultures, Carol Danvers transforms into one of the universe’s most formidable heroes.
Air Force pilot Carol Danvers is discovered by the Kree after crashing an experimental aircraft and is trained as a member of the prestigious Starforce Military under her tutor Yon-Rogg.
Danvers learns there is more to her past six years after escaping to Earth while being attacked by Skrulls.
Genre – Action /superhero
Director – Anna Boden,Ryan fleck
Where to watch – Disney plus
Knock Down the House (2019)
An examination of the individuals involved in The 2018 US congressional election saw numerous political campaigns.
In the uplifting look at the 2018 midterm elections that tipped the balance of power, Knock Down the House, four outstanding women run grassroots campaigns against strong incumbents.
To prevent her home from going into foreclosure after tragedy hit her family during the economic crisis, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Bronx native, had to work two shifts per week as a bartender.
Amy Vilela struggled with her rage toward America’s dysfunctional healthcare system after losing a loved one to a treatable illness.
Cori Bush, a pastor and licensed nurse, was attracted to the streets as protests and demonstrations over the police shooting of an unarmed black man.
Genre – Documentary
Director – Rachel Lears
Where to watch – Netflix
The Intruder (I) (2019)
A young married couple buys a magnificentThey purchase
only to discover a house on several acres of property that the seller will not relinquish ownership of.
The married couple, Scott and Annie, live in San Francisco. Annie invites Scott to go to Napa Valley when he receives a job promotion so they can start a family and have their kids.
They haggle over the price and purchase Charlie Peck’s old house. Charlie Peck is a structural engineer and a widower.
But soon, Scott notices that Charlie is constantly in his house and making advances toward Annie, so he decides to find out who Charlie is with the help of his friend Mike.
Genre – Thriller
Director – Deon Taylor
Where to watch – Spectrum TV, The Roku Channel, STARZ, Prime Video, Vudu, Redbox., Apple TV or ROW8
Between Two Ferns: The Movie (2019)
Zach Galifianakis and his quirky team embark on a road trip to conduct high-profile celebrity interviews.
Zach Galifianakis wanted to be well-known. Zach became an internet laughing stock after Will Ferrell discovered his public access TV “Between Two Ferns” television program and posted it on Funny or Die.
Zach and his team are currently on the road to completing many high-profile celebrity interviews and repairing his reputation.
The funny comedy ‘Between Two Ferns The Movie, which Scott Aukerman directed, provides a new angle on Zach Galifianakis’s beloved outsider and cynic persona throughout time.
Genre – Comedy
Director – Scott Aukerman
Where to watch – Netflix
Pet Sematary (2019)
Dr. Louis Creed and his wife, Rachel, migrate from Boston to rural Maine with their two young children.
The couple soon finds a secret burial cemetery next to their new home, hidden deep in the woods.
After relocating to a remote property, Louis Creed, his wife Rachel, and their two kids, Gage and Ellie, are welcomed and informed about the unsettling ‘Pet Sematary’ nearby.
After their cat is tragically murdered by a truck, Louis decides to bury it in the enigmatic pet cemetery, which is undoubtedly not what it looks like, to show the Creeds that sometimes it’s better to be dead.
Genre – Mystery
Director – Kevin Kölsch, Dennis Widmyer
Where to watch – Prime Video, Vudu, Redbox., ROW8, or Apple TV
Us (2019)
When their doppelgängers materialize and terrorize them, a family’s peaceful beach holiday becomes turmoil.
The Wilson family travels to Santa Cruz, California, for a getaway from their hectic lives to visit their friends, the Tyler family.
Their young son Jason nearly gets lost on a day at the beach, which makes Adelaide, Jason’s mother, protective of her family.
Four enigmatic individuals burst into Adelaide’s childhood house, where they spend that evening. The family is astonished to discover that the invaders resemble them but are dressed strangely.
Adelaide Wilson travels to the beach with her husband, Gabe, and their two kids, Jason and Zora, ages 12 and 10.
While the family is eating lunch at the beach house, we learn several things, including that Adelaide still seems terrified of going to the beach due to what happened previously and refuses to go.
The beach trip was intended to help the children cope with the death of their grandmother.
Genre – Horror, Thriller
Director – Jordan Peele
Where to watch – Loud and Lit, Spectrum TV, ROW8, Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV, or Redbox.
Midsommar (2019)
A couple goes to Northern Europe to attend a renowned Swedish mid-summer festival in a small village.
What starts as a peaceful retreat suddenly becomes a strange and violent competition from a cult of pagans.
A young American couple named Dani (Florence Pugh) and Christian (Jack Reynor) is on the verge of divorcing.
Christian, however, extends an invitation to sad Dani to travel with him and his pals to a once-in-a-lifetime midsummer celebration in a far-off Swedish village after a family tragedy ties them all together.
When the isolated villagers urge their guests to participate in celebrations that destroy the pastoral paradise, what starts as a joyful summer vacation in the Northern European region of endless sunlight takes a dark turn.
Dani, an American graduate student, turns to Christian, her arrogant and aloof boyfriend, who is scarred and still attempting to come to grips with a terrible family tragedy as their relationship is about to end.
To save their failing relationship, Dani goes to an occult gathering held at a secluded pagan commune hidden in the heart of the Swedish province of Hälsingland with Christian, two of his pals, and their mysterious friend Pelle.
Genre – Drama, thriller
Director – Ari aster
Where to watch – Kanopy, Paramount Plus, Spectrum TV, SHOWTIME, The Roku Channel, Showtime Anytime, Prime Video, Vudu, Redbox. or Apple TV