Best & Worst Movies of 2019 So Far

Seen quite a few of these posts around and decided to jump on the bandwagon. Ironically, I still haven’t done the Best & Worst of 2018, which I think is a lost cause at this point. Anyway, let’s focus on 2019. I’m only mentioning movies that have been released this year. Luckily there haven’t been a lot of misses this year so far because it’s been mostly mediocre instead. Anyway, here are my worst and best movies of 2019 so far.

TOP 5 WORST MOVIES

5. US / 3,5*

Now, it’s not a bad movie but like I said, this year has been mostly mediocre for me, so Us barely makes this list. It’s most likely the disappointment factor that played its hand with this one. There was just so much hype around it and Get Out was so amazing, that everyone expected a lot more from Us. Instead of a well sophisticated script, we did get a messy story that left too many holes in itself. Yes, it was fun and yes, it had great scary bits but to be honest, Get Out was better. Which is why Us makes the list of worst movies I’ve seen this year so far. But I’m sure it will remain in the middle by the time the year is over. I’ll watch some really bad movies on purpose to make sure of it.

4. LONG SHOT / 3,5*

Again, not that bad, right? Like sure, it had a very simple plot and a cliché set up but it had fun with it. I appreciated a lot of things about it but also, Long Shot is incredibly forgettable. I couldn’t remember a joke from it if I tried really hard. And no, the falling down the stairs bit doesn’t count. Physical humour has never been on the top of the list for me anyway, so all those painful bits were just too over the top. All in all, another disappointment that wasted its potential.

3. MURDER MYSTERY / 2,5*

Oh, Aniston, you could do so much better. Even though there were some laughs and it had a few moments, it was all just way too needy. You know? A movie that tried too hard, and too much. Then again, Murder Mystery had a few memorable moments, and at least it made me nostalgic about Adam Sandler’s 90’s movies. Those were the times… Oh and Aniston was rocking the rom-com scene back then, man, I miss those times too. Anyway, Murder Mystery. Okay but just bland. Makes me wish Netflix stopped making/buying these movies and kept making shows like Santa Clarita Diet! In case you haven’t heard, Netflix cancelled their best comedy show after its third season and I’m still mad about it!

2. TRIPLE FRONTIER / 1,5*

To be honest, I can’t remember this film that much. The scene I recall is the one where they are carrying money in the mountains and Ben gets shot. Oh no, I remember the fact that a truck could carry that amount of money but a helicopter couldn’t. In other words, a mess. It had some inconsistencies, I can’t remember exactly the details but I just remember being bored for the most of it. The performances were bland enough to be forgettable which is a sentence I never thought I’d write about a movie with Pedro Pascal and Oscar Isaac. In other words, it’s just a waste of your time movie. I don’t even remember why I gave it 1,5 stars, it could easily be lower. Oh well.

1. THE BEACH BUM / 1*

Sorry Matthew, sorry Korine – this was just a huge mess. The Beach Bum’s biggest flaw is its aim to be better than Spring Breakers. Which, for the life of me, is a film that I vividly remember and still like. But it lacks the appeal of hot girls, and it also doesn’t have any likability to it. You can’t root for anyone because you instantly feel like there’s nobody to root for. Matthew McConaughey looks like a bum, acts like a bum and rubs you the wrong way, always. It’s not him, it’s the script and the direction that aid him to this place of utter annoyance. At least he was nice to the cat, I’ll give him that.

TOP 5 BEST MOVIES

5. YESTERDAY / 4*

While the rest of the list is pretty much four movies on the same pedestal, picking Yesterday as one of the best ones here was not easy. As I said, it’s been a mediocre year with apparently four very big standouts. I’m pretty sure by Sunday (which is tomorrow), Yesterday would be dethroned by Spider-Man: Far From Home but let’s not dismiss this movie completely. Yesterday is a feel good movie with a strong The Beatles soundtrack. It has heart, it has some great jokes, it’s definitely a multiple-watch type movie and most importantly, it makes you feel warm and cozy. Will it remain in the Top 10 by the end of the year? Not sure. But it’s still a great deal of fun and joy that I really needed when I went to see it.

4. BOOKSMART / 5*

Now, as I said, the four movies I’m listing next are all 5 star movies with a heart-eye emoji attached to them. I love them all for very different reasons! Don’t think Booksmart is as great as Endgame or anything. Those two can’t be compared like that but still, I gave Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut five stars because I loved it. It was funny, campy, silly and most of all, it was full of love. My initial thought was that Booksmart doesn’t have any hate. It’s fuelled by love and that’s what makes it a great movie. Sure, it might not be everyone’s cup of tea and some will think I’m crazy for loving it this much. But hey, let’s keep in mind that we can all love different things and that’s okay.

3. AVENGERS: ENDGAME / 5*

Alright, not number one, you may ask? No and it’s okay. I feel like it’s loved by so many that it doesn’t need to be number one in everyone’s list. Is it good? Hell yes it is. Did it deliver a lot of Captain America fangirl moments? F*ck yes it did! Will I love it more than any other Marvel movie? Honestly, no, and it’s okay. I have said my favourite will forever be  The Winter Soldier and you all should just accept that. Now it’s pretty much official too, because what else can Marvel deliver besides Endgame!? We’ll just have to wait and see. For me, the strength of this movie lies in its emotional impacts, and America’s butt.

2. JOHN WICK 3: PARABELLUM / 5*

Well, well, well. Look at John Wick taking the coveted number 2 spot like a boss. Yes, John Wick 3: Parabellum is just as good as Endgame because it’s my list and I’ll do what I want with it. I went to see this twice, so I’m very sure of my decision. Even though I did say that these four movies could literally be on the same pedestal. Anyway, what can I say that hasn’t been said already? Great movie for stunt work fans, great movie for Keanu fans – great movie in general. Yes, it may feel a little light on the story side, but that’s not what John Wick is about. It’s about kicking ass and looking classy while doing so. But it’s also about not muddling the action sequences with too much plot. It’s clean, sharp and straight to the point.

1. TRUTH AND JUSTICE / 5*

Some of you wouldn’t have even heard of this movie. Heck, I bet most of you haven’t or maybe even all of you. It’s okay, I’m hear to spread the good word. Truth and Justice is an Estonian movie and I’m very proud of it! I say this with complete honesty, most Estonian movies suck. They have some weight to them, they do have their strengths, but mostly, they just aren’t as great as Truth and Justice. It’s a movie based on a novel by the same name. It’s dark, it’s heavy and it’s so well made. There are some little things you will be able to point out, for instance there is quite a lot of noticeable green screen action happening. But it’s money that plays a role here. Estonia doesn’t have 220 million dollars like Nolan has, it has very little compared to those amounts and it did the best it could with that.

Anyway, I saw it twice, it broke the cinema records here, finally dethroning Avatar from its first place. And if you ever have a chance, have a look and tell me what you thought. I’m curious to hear how this movie translates to foreign audiences because if this isn’t a contender for an Oscar, I’m not sure what else Estonia could do.