10. Tolkien

The life and legacy of one of literature’s greatest ever storytellers, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, was brought to the screen in a tale of beauty and magic in Tolkien and the partnership of director Dome Karukoski and stars Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins made for something very special. Shot with an enchanting eye for the lavish, Tolkien brought together gorgeous imagery with a powerful story of passion, friendship and love and explored how these themes and experiences shape our lives and make us into who we are as individuals. It was a tribute to the power of creativity and after watching this film you couldn’t help but be inspired to create something by it.

9. Aladdin

When it comes to live-action adaptations of classic Disney films, Guy Ritchie’s loud and action-packed rendition of Aladdin certainly takes poll position as being the best adaptation so far. Will Smith brought all of his considerable blockbuster star appeal to this cinematic work and absolutely shined in his performance as The Genie with plenty of light and energy. Newcomers Mena Moussad and Naomi Scott had undeniable chemistry as star-crossed lovers Aladdin and Jasmine, and their charming performance and magical vocals put the sparkle into this tale. Packed together with Ritchie’s trademark rock n’ roll flair and bursting with colour, Aladdin sprinkled plenty of magic for audiences and it was an absolute wish come true.

8. Ad Astra

Director James Gray journeyed to the very edge of our solar system and into the soul of one man in this introspective and breathtaking science fiction film that demanded to be seen on the biggest screen possible. A slow-burn tale of man’s quest for knowledge and his truest self, Ad Astra enchanted its viewers with the phenomenal cinematography of Hoyte van Hoytema, and Hollywood superstar Brad Pitt has never been better with a character that tested every part of himself as a performer. Ad Astra was a film in the grandest scheme of things and was bound together with innovative and thought-provoking ideas related to man’s search for meaning and a desire to explore the cosmos. It has been some time since I can remember seeing a science fiction film of such power, and Ad Astra certainly achieved its mission of delivering the extraordinary.

7. Ford v Ferrari

The adrenaline kicked in at over 7000 RPM here in Ford v Ferrari and all-star director James Mangold captured the passion, competitiveness and brotherhood of the track in a perfect tribute to the golden age of racing. Stars Matt Damon and Christian Bale were perfectly paired together as racing legends Carrol Shelby and Ken Miles, and their joint pursuit of glory on the track absolutely amped up audiences. The film’s racing scenes were wild and uncontrollable and literally put audiences in the driver’s seat and captured the essence of what it means to go fast.

6. Booksmart

When it came to cinematic originality this year it doesn’t get more impressive than actress turned director Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut Booksmart. Packed full of original ideas and some of the best comedy delivered all year, it was a riot of a watch from beginning to end and you were sure to rock out in your seat here. Starring the genius combination of Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever as over-achieving know it all’s Molly and Amy who realise that they’ve done high school all wrong and decide to go crazy for one night only, Booksmart delivered all the goods and then some, re-writing the teen comedy genre in the process. Every single frame of this incredible film was packed full of entertaining goodness and you most definitely found your groove with this one.

5. Hustlers

The hustle was on in this flashy, loud and outrageous true story of a group of women who decided to use their very unique talents to make their own version of the American Dream come true. Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu were super-fly in this one and whether they were strutting about the stage, or staging their own unique enrichment schemes you couldn’t look away. Fun, smart, clever, scandalous and incredibly sexy, Hustlers was a film that absolutely took its audience by surprise and made for one of this year’s most memorable film experiences. 

4. Avengers: Endgame

When it comes to blockbuster films that will define this last decade then it is easily Avengers: Endgame that will reign as the gold standard of what a blockbuster movie experience is. As the culminating event of just over a decade and 22 feature presentations from Marvel Studios films, Avengers: Endgame was the defining moment of one of modern cinema’s greatest ever sagas. Epic moment after epic moment was brought together in this incredible piece of cinema and when our heroes finally assembled, in one of the great moments of cinema history, we knew we had witnessed the extraordinary. They don’t get much bolder or grander than this and this was a film that tugged at all of your emotions and pulled every string of your heart. It was utterly marvellous in every sense of the word.

3. Long Shot

They say opposites attract and they certainly don’t get more different than Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen and these two phenomenal performers were an absolute hoot to watch in 2019’s standout romantic comedy Long Shot. Packed together with incredible laughs and plenty of flirtatious moments, Long Shot was a love story that had plenty to say about both attraction and what we should look for in the ones we love…along with that classic comedy that we’ve come to love from Rogen and director Jonathan Levine. Packed full of light and warmth, this one had me in a fit of uncontrollable laughter and I absolutely loved the journey that Charlotte and Fred underwent to find their own special kind of love. Long Shot was a hilarious and impactful watch from beginning to end and it was sure to leave a smile on your face.

2. Jojo Rabbit

Taika Waititi is a director of incredible spirit and warmth and his work on the sensational Jojo Rabbit proves that he is a filmmaker who rapidly deserves to take over Hollywood thanks to his incredible talents. While on the surface Jojo Rabbit presented itself as a light-hearted comedy, there was much more driving this cinematic feat and at its core was a film of amazing depth and power with a strong focus on themes of love, tolerance, acceptance and freedom. It presented a powerful and sincere message in our very turbulent era and is one of the most powerful statements to come from any working artist in Hollywood today. In my opinion, it was far and away the most important film of the year and its impactful story was sure to strike a chord with all who watched it.

1. Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood

But now, the moment that everyone has been waiting for, when it comes to the best film of 2019 there is only one answer…and that answer is of-course Quentin Tarantino’s ninth feature film, Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood. This tribute to the end of Hollywood’s Golden Age tracked the fortune of two fading stars in an age of rapid change and was packed full of swinging style and bound together by one incredible narrative. It was a piece of cinema that demanded to be seen on the biggest screen possible. In all, I saw this film four separate times at the cinema and it was a thrilling experience each and every time. Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood is a revelatory piece of cinema and Tarantino was working at the top of his game with this one. It’s as if every part of his career was pointing him in the direction of this masterwork and the revered filmmaker, along with his dynamic duo of Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt absolutely delivered with this incredible feat of filmmaking. They just don’t get much better than this.

Images: Sony Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Universal Pictures, Studio Canal, Roadshow Films

The post SpicyPulp’s Top 10 Films of 2019 appeared first on SpicyPulp.

During the Second World War, lonely German boy Jojo “Rabbit” Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis) has his worldview turned upside down when he discovers that his single mother Rosie (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a young Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) in their attic. Aided only by his imaginary friend in the form of an idiotic version of Adolf Hitler (Taika Waititi), Jojo must confront his blind nationalism.

With Jojo Rabbit Taika Waititi’s total creativity is on display here in this ‘anti-hate satire’ and the results are incredible. Taking audiences back to Nazi Germany circa late 1944, Waititi builds out a cinematic experience that truly stands on its own within every part of its construction. From direction to the narrative, set dressing and costuming, music and cinematography, and not to mention an incredibly gifted cast who give their all and open up their hearts to this very special project, Jojo Rabbit has it all and then some.

Every time Waititi approaches a new canvas he brings to life something entirely new and fresh to the big screen, and Jojo Rabbit stands out from all of his previous pictures. While on the surface, Jojo Rabbit is an outlandishly zany comedy, the laughter is used as a smoke-screen of sorts by the talented director to help discuss some critical dramatic issues which are of extreme relevance to the film’s setting, along with our own current time period today. It is here through his unique filter that Waititi can discuss issues related to love, acceptance, prejudice, tolerance and freedom, and he does an incredible job doing so.

In watching Jojo Rabbit we are seeing Waititi mature as a filmmaker, and his unique artistic voice is sure to entrance audiences here with its wild style and the deep issues that he focuses in on within the film. You really can’t pick where this film is going to go as it possesses a style all of its own. Gone is the classic three-act narrative structure that audiences have become so familiar with and in its place is a very unique frame by which to watch this film. Waititi and editor Tom Eagles get innovative in the cutting room and combined with the whimsical score of composer Michael Giacchino, all of your emotions are sure to rise to the surface here. Waititi, through his own heritage, is extremely sensitive to the issues present in the film, yet he does not hide away from anything that could be felt to be upsetting. Through his utilization of both satire and realism, Waititi crafts something that affects his audience for the better and he needs to be commended for his actions here.

Waititi is not alone in bringing the specialness of Jojo Rabbit to life and he has an incredible cast on hand to help him. At the forefront of this is young Roman Griffin Davis who takes on the role of Johannes “Jojo” Betzler and he shines in the role. When we first meet Jojo he’s just your typical 10-year old boy who’s living his best Nazi life in a tumultuous Germany filled with day trips to a Hitler Youth camp and time helping to spread the Nazi ideology. In short, Jojo is filled by fanatical fervour and is a zealot to Hitler’s cause….but he’s not all he seems to be. Underneath this radical fanaticism is a sensitive boy who’s actually a good kid and who through the events of the movie learns some true lessons in relation to right and wrong, and who is thoroughly changed by the movie’s completion.

Griffin Davis is fantastic in the role and shoulders the responsibility of this film with incredible ease and skill. He shows a great array of emotions here and as an audience member, you completely buy into the transformative journey that he undertakes via the power of his performance. Griffin Davis is an incredible asset to this film, and its success truly rests with him, and the story and its narrative power is all the more successful because of his involvement.

Matched next to Griffin Davis is Thomasin McKenzie as Elsa Korr, a teenaged Jewish girl who has secretly been hiding in the walls of Jojo’s home and who becomes a foil for him in the very beginning of the film. As the events of the film unfold their relationship grows in a very interesting way and McKenzie’s Elsa is the most interesting character to take to the screen.

And it must be said that Thomasin McKenzie is a complete revelation in the part. The 19-year-old New Zealand actress completely holds the centre of the audience’s attention and strikes a great balance between a tough-minded survivor and a sort of caring elder sister to Griffin Davis’ Jojo. As the events of the film progress and their narrative grows stronger the two of them reach an interesting place narratively and McKenzie’s power as an actress is on full display by the end of the film. This young actress does an incredible job in Jojo Rabbit and with her level of talent, she’s surely ready for plenty of Hollywood glory in the near future.

Lending considerable support to Griffin Davis and McKenzie in this film are established players including Scarlett Johansson as Rosie Betzler, Jojo’s mother and Sam Rockwell as Captain Klenzendorf, a German army officer who runs the Hitler Youth Camp that Jojo attends and who is sort of a mentor to the young kid. In her role, Johansson is the light and possibility of the piece and instils in Jojo a desire for love and life, while also trying to push him away from his Nazi ways out of complete love for her son. Rockwell on the other hand as Captain Klenzendorf or Captain K as he’s called by his camp charges is an oafish, fool-like character who soon turns out to be a far more capable individual and who sees the larger picture at hand. Rockwell always endears himself within every performance he gives and he shines brightly here and audiences will just love the humour and kookiness that he brings to the part.

But it wouldn’t be Jojo Rabbit without us addressing the elephant in the room and yes I’m referring to director Taika Waititi’s performance here as a man called Adolf….and it is brilliant! As Jojo’s imagery best friend, Adolf is a complete buffoon who possess the mind of a 10-year-old and who completely steals every scene he’s in. Completely zany and flying in out of left field, Waititi’s Adolf is a rather idiotic conscience for Jojo and he plays a crucial part in the film’s events as the story unfolds. Waititi goes all out here and Jojo Rabbit is all the more amazing because of his onscreen presence. And for a director who wanted to rip apart everything that Hitler stood for, well, he does one hell of a good job in completing that mission through this portrayal.

Thematically Jojo Rabbit operates on several very different levels and its canvas is far larger than I thought it would have been. This is a piece of deep cinematic thinking, and its messages and use of visual symbology is incredibly affecting to its audience here. This is Waititi’s deepest film to date and you can’t help but be moved by its events. It carries with it a strong message related to love, acceptance, tolerance and the power of freedom and in the tumultuous era that we now live in its narrative statements couldn’t be more powerful.

Jojo Rabbit is an incredibly brave film to make and it’s a piece of cinema that truly speaks to its audience. It is destined to become a cinema classic and in my opinion, stands as the most important film released this year thanks to the power of its craftsmanship and the beauty and sincerity of its message. Those who attend it are certain to be moved by its narrative and it’s an utterly special experience that you won’t soon forget. See it now.

Image: 20th Century Fox

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