Top 25 Best Films Of 2019

Hello everyone, this is James Kaloko. 2019 was a phenomenal year for movies. I am being serious, 2019 has really impressed me when it comes to mainstream Hollywood movies. Every genre really gave it their all, there were a lot of intriguing original films, and there were plenty of surprises. Now there were some stinkers and a lot of pointless films, but the majority of movies I saw this year were spectacular. Compiling this list to only 25 was extremely hard as I had to make A LOT and I mean a lot of painful cuts. But luckily, I was able to find 25 movies that defied and impacted the year for me. So with all that, here are my top 25 Best films I saw in 2019.

25. Captain Marvel

I know this will shock a lot of people since it's not really considered as the best film released this year and it's not the most respected. This movie besides "Joker" caused the most controversy as people claimed it was a feminist propaganda movie. People attacked and made fun of Brie Larson because she doesn't want straight white males seeing this movie and she plays people and not characters. Also people said that Captain Marvel is a boring character that is way too overpowered and Brie Larson is a man hater and tries so hard to be a white savior.

Look.... I don't really care about all this hoopla.

Yes, feminism and female empowerment is important. It's wrong to hate on certain groups of people no matter what race, gender, or color they are. But all I really care about at the end of the day is to see if a movie is good or not. Captain Marvel to me is a really fun and enjoyable film to watch. It's full of spectacle, comedy, action, charm, and adventure. Nick Fury was awesome as his origin was great, his friendship with Captain Marvel was nice, and the de-aging was perfect. Other characters such as the skrulls, the cat, and Captain Marvel best friend were great additions as they were hilarious and brought a lot of heart to the film. Then, there's Captain Marvel herself. Now I will admit that she is indeed way too powerful which kinds of ruin the movie and character for me. I'm not saying Captain Marvel should have been weaker or got constantly hurt, but the tension and realism is gone when she's this overpowered. But regardless, she's still a bad-ass character who has a fun personality, go on intriguing space adventures, and is played perfectly by Brie Larson. Before I move on, I got to say that People need to leave Brie Larson alone. She's just an actress trying to empower women to be their own bad-ass and make enjoyable films. You don't have to agree with everything she says, but hating and making fun of her is just crossing the line. Despite all the controversy and Captain Marvel being overpowered, this is still a fun space movie and I can't wait to see what else Marvel has in store for Carol Denvers.

24. Glass

Here is another controversial pick. Don't worry, no one said nothing terrible or got bullied by the internet. This film is controversial because a lot of people were disappointed or flat out hated it. I can understand why this movie is so divisive since M. Night Shamaylan tried to connect Unbreakable and Split into one cohesive film. Also a lot of people hate the ending of the film because it has the famous M. Night Shamaylan twist and it was all over the place. People thought that M. Night Shamaylan was cashing in on the Superhero trend.

Now for me, I ADORE Unbreakable and Split as they are one of many M. Night Shamaylan's best works. They also take the superhero concept and apply them to real life issues going on. So when I saw that he was going to combine the two films into one, I was pumped to see it since I am a fan of both of them. 

Glass did not let me down.

M. Night Shamaylan did a great job adding the horror aspects from Split and the supernatural & deep elements from Unbreakable and combine them perfectly in Glass. The performances were all great from Samuel L Jackson, Bruce Willis, Ana Taylor Joy, Sarah Paulson, and especially James Mcavoy. His performance in this film has got to be the most underrated and under appreciated from this year. The way he change from different characters without coming off as awkward or forced is a sight to see. He just gives it his all and is easily my favorite part of the film. As for the ending, i think that was the best way M. Night Shamaylan could have ended the film. Also I don't feel like M. Night Shamaylan made this movie to just capitalize on the whole superhero trend. I feel like he wanted to conclude the story of both Unbreakable and split. He did a great job at doing so. Not the best movie M. night released. Heck, it's not even better than Unbreakable or Split. But it was a nice combination of the two and I had a good time watching it.

23. Parasite

Out of all the movies on this list, this was the one I was struggling to find since it didn't play at any of my local theaters. It also wasn't on any streaming platforms. But luckily, I was able to find the film and watch it. This was one of the most surprising films I saw this year. This film tackles a lot of topics that are not shown a lot in mainstream Hollywood films today such as poverty in different regions and cultures, unemployment, and scamming people to get to the top. This film handles those topics in a clever, intense, hilarious, and shocking way. The amount of times my mouth dropped whenever something crazy happened were insane. Every actor especially the main family did a wonderful job. 

What I love the most about this film is that it tells a great message about how lying and scamming people don't get you far in life. Yeah, it's great to have money especially if you have been poor all your life. But lying does have consequences and it's not worth ruining your life over money. Only reason this is not higher on the list is that it's not the best film this year that dealt with Asian culture and there were a lot of choices made that I did not agree with in this film. But other than that, this is one of the most surprising films I saw this year.

22. The Upside

I got to be honest, this is my favorite Kevin hart film. I know that's saying a lot since he has been in so many movies. But when it comes the dramatic, relatable, and great performance Kevin Hart gave, The Upside is easily the best thing he has done. Not only that, Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston have great chemistry with each other. I believed they were real life friends taking care of each other through their best and worst moments. Also their comedic chemistry was perfect as I was giggling throughout the entire film and I had a blast whenever they were on the screen together. Not that much to say about this film other than it's a heartwarming and hilarious film to watch. Kevin Hart gives his best performance ever.

21. Brittney Runs a Marathon

This is another film that surprised me this year, not because anything too crazy happens, but how entertaining and enjoyable it was. With a title like "Brittney Runs a Marathon", it's not the most exciting or interesting title in the world. Plus I thought it was going to be a cheesy comedy since Jillian Bell the lead actress of this film is known for starring in comedy movies. I still consider this as a comedy since it's filled with jokes and comedic moments, but it has a lot of heart and charm to it. This movie deals with topics of body acceptance, eating disorders, shallow people, weight loss, and achieving your goals. I like how this film doesn't paint Brittany as a victim of being overweight as she herself can be shallow and lash out her problems onto others. I also like how this film doesn't pander to overweight people as this film acknowledges that everyone has their own body problems and it's best not to judge others. Jillian Bell gives a great performance as she was funny, emotional, and heartfelt. Not only that, but this movie played one of my favorite songs from 2018 called "Emoji" by Au/ra. I was shocked when they played that song since not too many people know about the song or the artist who made it. But I am glad they add it to the movie because it's awesome and it fits with the movie well. An overall nice surprise and it's my favorite Amazon movie.

20. Greta

This is an underrated thriller with great performances from Chloe Grace Moretz and Isabelle Huppert. It has mystery, tension, and a lot of genuine twisted terror. Not only that, but it lets everyone know that anyone can be sociopath or a psycho paths no matter what gender or age a person is Plus this movie gives out a great lesson on being careful of who you meet and trust. Not that much to say about, other than people need to stop sleeping on this movie because it's excellent.

19. Toy Story 4

Like everyone else, I was not happy that Pixar announced that they were releasing another Toy Story movie especially since the third film had a perfect ending. But I decided to give it a chance since I love all the Toy Story movies and I wanted to see how Pixar would continue the story. After watching the film, it exceeded all my expectations. To get it out the way, the animation was beautiful and felt realistic. But honestly, I wasn’t expecting anything less. The main reasons on why I loved this film is all the characters are great, there’s a lot of emotional moments, and it has hard hitting life lessons. I love all the new characters like Forkie, Gabbie Gabbie, Bunny & Duck, and so much more as they all had awesome, had cute designs, they were funny, relatable, and brought something new to the series. The old character were great as well. Even though not all of the old toys get a chance to shine or have barely screen time, I still enjoyed seeing all of them. The old toys that had the most screen time are still great and learn even newer life lessons, which I appreciated.

This film does has its issues like some of the old toys not getting enough screen time or moments to shine. There were jokes that did not land for me. There were stuff that would not happen in real life, and the film can get too emotional.

 But other than that, I loved this film!

18. Missing Link

Another great animated film. Laika Studios makes nothing but quality as their stop motion animation looks amazing and their films are filled with creativity. Missing Link is no exception. I love how fun this movie is, it has a lot of heart, joy, comedy, action, drama, and many more. I love voice acting from everyone in this film and it felt like everyone was having a great time making it. I obviously love the animation as it looks gorgeous. I especially love the message of finding yourself and Fitting into the right crowd. It’s disappointing that this movie bombed hard at the box office, but hey, at least it got great critical acclaim. I hope more people decide to watch it because it’s a wonderful film.

17. The Farewell

Remember when I said that Parasite wasn’t the best film dealing with Asian culture. Well, The Farewell surpassed it for me. Now I must correct myself since neither of these movies deals with cultures or issues happening in Asia. Parasite deals with issues going on in South Korea and the director is from South Korea. The Farewell deals with issues happening in Chinese-American culture and the director is from China. So I apologize if I offended anyone or was being way too vague.

But regardless of the culture or region someone is in Death, lost, and family is universal to everyone. The Farewell is about how this family knows that their Grandmother has cancer and she don’t have that much time to live. But they don’t tell the grandmother that she has cancer because they don’t want her to fear or worry about dying soon. After reading that description and seeing the title, The Farewell, I was expecting to fill up a bucket with tears. Even though this movie is extremely sad and depressing, it’s a lot more lighthearted and joyful than what I was expecting. I appreciate that a lot because even though Cancer and dying sucks, it’s important to spend time with your loved ones and celebrate with them before they pass away. I think that’s a message everyone should follow since people tend to care about others more after they are dead and gone. Now there’s nothing wrong with honoring someone after they have died, but it’s important to honor people while they’re still breathing. Not only that but this movie got a strong aspect of family and embracing culture. Without family or culture, life wouldn’t feel special. Everyone does a great job in this film especially Awkwafina as she’s my favorite person in the film. Great movie and despite The Farewell being higher, both this film and Parasite are excellent movies dealing with family and culture.

16. A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

Before watching this movie, I didn’t know too much about Mr. Rogers. I knew that he was a television host and had a popular children TV show with Mister Rogers Neighborhood. But I got to be honest, I didn’t watch a single episode of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. Not because I wasn’t allowed to or I avoided it on purpose, but I wasn’t exposed to it as much. Also Mr Rogers Neighborhood was way past my time.

But after watching this movie, I learned so much about Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and Mr. rogers himself. Tom Hanks played him perfectly as not only he looks like him but he embodies the charm, likability, wisdom, and hopefulness Mr. Rogers had. Even though Tom Hanks was in the movie, I actually believed that he was Mr. Rogers and that should tell everyone how powerful his performance was. This movie is not a biopic of Mr. Rogers, even though it does feel like one. But it’s loosely based on a real life interview that was published in Esquire magazine. The movie not only focus on Mr. Rogers, but it’s a case study on Matthew Rhys character as he has issues with his father and he looks at the negative aspects of life. Just like with The Farewell, this movie message is to honor people while their alive and look at the brighter things in life. This movie conveys that message in a gut punching and hopeful way. So thanks to this movie, I learned a lot about Mr. Rogers and it was a delight to see.

15. Marriage Story

Speaking of a gut punch, this movie is one of the most emotional films I have watched. PERIOD!

Every minute in this film is nothing but nonstop emotion. This movie deals with the hard and long process of divorce. This film doesn’t sugarcoat or rush anything as it shows the audience the emotional turmoil and struggle it is going through a divorce. What I love about this film is that we get to see the perspectives from both the wife and husband. The filmmaker doesn’t paint either of them as the hero or villain since they both have their own issues, valid reasons and it hurts them both that they are getting a divorce. Adam Driver and Scarlet Johansson don’t hold anything back as I felt like they were actually in pain going through this divorce. It sucks that both of these characters have a child. Because now, the kid doesn’t know what to do or how to feel. Even though I didn’t experience my parents going through a divorce, it must be a nightmare seeing your parents separate and having to choose which one to stay with. This film is a harsh and realistic depiction of divorce. This is great.

14. Uncut Gems

I’m going to keep this one brief since it’s the most recent film on this list that was released and I don’t want to give away too much. All you really need to know is that it’s a dark, dirty, and gritty film about gambling, materialism, idolizing celebrities, and how dangerous New York is. This film reminds me of other great crime films like Goodfellas, Casino, The Godfather, and Scarface. The performance from Adam Sandler is easily the best he has done in a while as he was raw and over the top in the best ways. Other performances from Kevin Garnett, Julia Fox, Idina Menzel, Lakieth Stanfield, and The Weeknd were great as well. But the main star is Adam Sandler and I hope he continues to make more movies like this and not more bad movies like Jack & Jill.

13. Fighting With My Family

 I was really impressed with this film. This movie is about the real life WWE wrestler Paige and how she made it into the WWE. Even though I knew little to nothing about Paige, I learned so much about her thanks to this film. Not only that, I learned a lot about the WWE and how they operate their company. I love how passionate this movie is about wrestling, which lets me know that there was a lot of heart put into this film. The actress who plays Paige did a great job. Even though The Rock was not in the film for that long, he left a lasting impression on me when he said be the best you and don’t be like The Rock or anyone else. A nice surprise and it’s a film that everyone needs to watch.

12. Klaus

Klaus is the best Christmas movie of this year and the best I saw in a while. It has beautiful animation, it’s filled with so much emotion, and it has a fresh new take on the Santa Clause story. That what makes this movie standout, because they could have easily told the same old story and called it a day. But they went out of their way to create their own original story and bring new mythology on the Santa Klaus character. I appreciate that a lot. A unique film and it’s worth checking out.

11. Midsommar

Ari Aster Out did himself. For those who don’t know who he is, he’s the guy that directed Hereditary. Hereditary is one of the best horror movies that came out in 2018 as it was depressing and had a lot of disturbing moments. With Midsommar, this film is a lot sinister than Hereditary as it messes with people’s mind that everything is going to be alright and nothing too fucked up is going to happen. But as the film progresses, it gets more stranger, trippier, freakier, and horrific to watch. This film is not just about shock value as it has deep messages about culture, relationship issues, and grief. All the performances were great especially Florence Pugh who was also in Fighting With My Family. Florence is my new favorite actress and she just gives a super emotional and shocking performance in the film. All of the cult members were creepy and extremely fucked up. Now This is nowhere near the best horror film I saw this year since I feel like the shock value overshadows the story and messages. Plus I still prefer Hereditary since I was more emotionally invested. But still a great movie overall and I cannot wait to see what else Ari Aster has in store.

10. Steven Universe: The Movie

I was debating if I should put this movie on this list since it was a TV only film. But then I decided that this film is way too excellent to not be on the list. I have always been a fan of Steven Universe as the TV show was one of the best shows Cartoon Network released in a while. It has stunning animation, likable and relatable characters, great voice acting, and enjoyable musical numbers. The same things can be said with this film. What I love about this film is that anyone can watch it even if someone have not watched or knew anything about the Steven Universe TV show. But it also still works for those who have watched the show as it continues on the story of Steven Universe. Steven Universe In this film is a lot more grown up and the film starts off with him and his friends living a happily ever after. But things turn for the worst when Spinel injects the town with poison and removes the memory of all of Steven’s friends. Another strong aspect of this film is the characters, the audience learn so much about their background, powers, and how they turned out to be. But it also shows the struggles, embarrassment, isolation, and eventually growth these characters face. For a TV movie especially from Cartoon Network, this is really damn impressive. I don’t know if Cartoon Network has more plans for Steven Universe or this is the last thing people will get from the series. Whatever happens, at least Steven Universe got a great movie attached to it.

9. Judy

I got to be honest, I didn’t know this film existed since I barely saw any promotion or commercials for it. But then I saw that this film was getting a lot of wonderful praise by a lot of critics and I wanted to see if it was any good or not.

Wow... I wasn’t expecting this film to hit me hard emotionally.

This movie is about the life and career of Judy Garland who was best known for playing Dorothy in the Wizard Of Oz. But this is not a standard biopic where they tell you her whole life story or sugarcoat and gloss over important details. This movie shows the hardships and corruption Judy faced as an actress and entertainer. The film maker don’t hide anything as it explains that Judy Garland couldn’t eat anything, she had to take diet pills, she was sexually harassed, and got mistreated. All this happened when she was a child filming The Wizard Of Oz. Even her adult life was not the best as she couldn’t have custody of her children, she continued to take diet pills, she was struggling to find work in Hollywood and stay relevant, and she had severe PTSD. All this really did happen to the real Judy Garland and I’m glad the film maker did not sugarcoat or leave out crucial moments. This film shows how children, women, and celebrities in general are treated in Hollywood. They are constantly controlled and watched over by different people and companies. Which is insane because having so many people controlling your life and decisions can cause serious mental issues and trauma. 

Judy Garland is not the only example of a celebrities being controlled or mistreated by Hollywood. So many celebrities from the past and present are enslaved to their contracts, which leads them into insanity. It’s crazy that this has been going for centuries and it’s disturbing to find out that this sweet and innocent girl got mistreated and abused by Hollywood.

But on the positive side, I got to praise Renee Zellweger for playing the adult version of Judy Garland. She made her come to life as I felt her pain and struggles. Also she’s a great singer and performer. Even though Judy Garland did have a tragic life, at least this film honors her legacy and pays her a lot of respect. I appreciate that a lot and this film definitely deserves all the praise it has received.

8. Alita: Battle Angel

I’m glad we actually have a worth while film based on an Anime and Manga. Ghost In The Shell and Death Note were terrible disappointments. Also I worried that Alita would turn out the same. But I’m glad it didn’t. The best thing about this movie is that I learned so much about Alita and the world surrounding that character without having no knowledge of the source material. I was so fascinated by a lot of the characters in film as I got a clear since about their backstory, their motivations, how they feel about the world they live in, and what they think about themselves. But the best character out of anyone in this film has got to be Alita as her story was the most compelling, it had a lot of emotion and heart, I love the way how she interacts with others, and she is badass. The CGI and special effects was really spectacular and it felt so realistic in a lot of moments. The last thing I want to praise about this film is the action as it was thrilling, fun, and super creative. If Hollywood is going to continue making live action movies based on popular anime/manga, I hope it’s just as good as Alita. Also I hope Alita gets more movies because there’s a lot you can do with Alita and her story. An awesome movie to watch.

7. Little Monsters

This is a zombie film, but it’s told in a lighthearted perspective. It’s hilarious, cute, action packed, and bloody. It has a badass performance from Lupita Nyong’o and a hilarious and wild performance from Josh Gad. I don’t really have that much to say other than it’s a extremely fun, likable, and entertaining movie to watch.

6. How To Train Your Dragon 3: The Hidden World

I’m sad that this was the last film of the How To Train Your Dragon series because I’m going to miss all the awesome characters like Toothless, Hiccup, and Astrid. I’m going to miss all the amazing and thrilling adventures. I’m going to miss seeing all the unique dragons. I’m just going to miss seeing How To Train Your Dragon in general because I love all the films in the series. This one sent off the series very well. This was a great film with a lot of laughs and adventures. The ending is honestly the most emotional and one of the best endings I saw in a movie this year. True story, Everyone in my theater was tearing up. Heck, even I teared Up at the end and I rarely do that in animated films. Great movie, this my favorite animated film of the year, and I’m going to miss this series.

5. Booksmart

I usually don’t find modern day comedy films funny or enjoyable as a lot of the jokes and humor are not funny and feel forced. Also most modern day comedies forget to tell an interesting story with characters the audience care about and messages that are actually meaningful. So when I saw this film, it was a breath of fresh air that there’s a comedy movie that is actually hilarious but also has a great story, relatable characters, and strong messages. The comedy in this movie feels natural as they don’t force down jokes or pop culture references. A lot of the humor works because of how the characters interact with each other and the wild shenanigans they get into. Speaking of the characters, the two lead actresses were out of this world. Not only they were hilarious, but they have perfect chemistry with each other and I believed every second that they were best friends. Also they show how even the best of friends have their own issues and cause the most damage to their friendship and other people. There are a lot of messages in this film, but the ones that stood out to me is how going to college can be a scary thing. Another message is not fulfilling your life when other people are getting opportunities and succeeding. Living life to the fullest, embracing your sexuality, don’t follow the crowd, and keeping a strong bond with your best friend. There’s literally so many surprises and life lessons to take away from this film. For a first time director, Olivia Wilde really did debut strong. A comedy film that I desperately wanted and succeeded in all categories.

4. The God Inside My Ear

Out of all the movies on this list, I don’t even know how I even came across this film or why I adore it so much. This is the most oddest and strangest film I have witnessed not only this year, but probably the decade. Just the title only, The God Inside My Ear, let’s People know that some wacky and balls to the wall shit is about to happen. Oh my god, this film definitely delivers to its over the top title because this is one of the most fascinating and entertaining movies I watched this year. This film is about Eliza, who experienced a peculiar breakup with her boyfriend. As she tries to move on and better herself, she delves deep into a world of conspiracies, religious cults, hallucinations, strange voices, and horrifying visions. What I just mentioned does not compare to how they executed it in the film. You legit feel like you’re in a different alternate universe watching the film as the cinematography can get trippy and hypnotizing. Also just when you think this film can’t get any weirder, they crank the strangeness up to a billion. Just like with Midsommar, I don’t just adore this film because of its shock value and weirdness. But the characters are good and the messages are really intriguing. The messages in this film tackles topics about religion, coping with a breakup, being controlled, and dealing with personal demons. The actress who plays Eliza in the film gave a breathtaking performance as she has to experience all the insane shit happening to her. Also she really knows how to command your attention and focus on how spectacular of an actress she is. Definitely, the most batshit insane movie I have ever watched. But it’s so goddamn fascinating and great that I cannot stop thinking about it.

3. Avengers: Endgame

I bet a lot of you were wondering when I’m finally going to bring up the most popular film of the year and the most successful film of all time at the box office.

One word can easily describe my entire thoughts on this film and that is EPIC!

This film just feels like an epic as it concludes the long series of movies building up to this grand final. This definitely does not disappoint. It gave the audience everything, it was funny, action packed, heartfelt, shocking, and depressing. All of the characters, even the minor ones did a fantastic job. I loved that each character goes through their own stages of grief as some handles it well and some don’t. But what’s most important is to learn from your past mistakes and work as a team to save the world and reconnect with the people you care about. Just like with Steven Universe, you don’t have to watch any other Marvel movies to enjoy this film. This film is easy to understand, while still delivering a lot of amazing call backs and concluding this phase. I don’t know how this next phase in the MCU will compare to the greatness of the previous phase. But whatever they have in store, I’m ready for it. I don’t really need to say more as this film is already a pop culture phenomenon and it’s the highest grossing worldwide film of all time. All I really need to say that it’s an EPIC film.

2. Joker

Here is the most controversial film that was released in 2019. I’m not going to spend too much time talking about controversy because for me it was just stupid and blown out of proportion. But for those who don’t know, this film faced a lot of controversy because people believed that it causes violence and might inspire incels to commit mass shootings.

Look... I understand that mass shootings are awful and there shouldn’t be anymore happening.

But accusing a movie for causing violence and mass shootings, which never happened by the way is just idiotic and disrespectful to the filmmakers and those who have been affected by mass shootings. Now I will admit that Joker does have violence in it and it is a disturbing film to watch, but I don’t believe it will cause people to killing others. Plus the majority of movies I have on this list are more violent than Joker, but I don’t see people panicking about them causing violence. People need to stop blaming movies and Video Games for mass shootings that the creators had no intentions of causing. It’s important to talk about these issues, but blaming a piece of media will not change anything or make things better. So I don’t believe Joker causes violence. 

But I do believe that Joker does an excellent job bringing awareness to mental illness and how mental health should be treated well. Also I appreciated how Todd Phillips wrote a unique origin story for Joker that is relevant to today’s society and brings new light to the Batman story. I obviously must praise Joaquin Phoenix for playing Joker. Without him, this movie wouldn’t have been as impactful or important. He brings layers upon layers to the Joker character as he can be sympathetic, funny, awkward, terrifying, twisted, and psychotic. This is not your average superhero or super villain performance, he wants to show a more vulnerable and sinister side of the Joker. Now i’m not going to compare Joaquin Phoenix and Heath Ledger performance as the Joker, because they were both great in their own films. I’m not going to say that this is my favorite film from the Batman related movies. But as a stand alone Joker film, it was masterful and beautifully crafted. Despite all the pointless controversy and being my 2nd favorite movie of the year, it’s still the best comic book related film of 2019.

1. US

I tried to watch a lot of movies this year to see if any other movie can surpass US as my favorite from 2019. The only movie that got remotely close Of dethroning US was Joker, but even then, that film didn’t really leave a massive impact on my personal life. There’s just so much to praise and talk about when it comes to US, that I don’t even know where to start.

Let me start off with the Story and messages in this film.

Now cloning and seeing your doppelganger is not a new concept as there has been plenty of films that discuss about it. But this film takes that concept and turns it into a story about facing your childhood trauma and battling with your own evilness. This film got SO MANY SYMBOLISM and messages and usually too much symbolism can be overwhelming, but the movie is so well executed that I appreciated all the messages that was in it. The main messages of this film is about finding your true identity and dealing with your personal demons. Other messages are about classicism and how poor people are constantly ignored while the rich strive and don’t do anything to help stop poverty.

As for symbolism, the film brings up important topics about racism and how African Americans are treated poorly in America. The film also symbolizes sexism, slavery, fake people, Hate crimes, Government taking control of the world, ableism, autism, segregation, Heaven and Hell, self-harm, suicide, Mental health, mental illness, jealousy, and so much more. I could literally write a 20 page essay about all the symbolism and messages this film has. Like I said earlier, too many symbolism can be overwhelming but the way that the film was executed makes all those symbolism and messages work in the movies favor.

Let me talk about the performances because literally everyone did a sensational job. Elizabeth Moss and Tim Heidecker had minor parts in the film, but they stole the show anytime they were in it. They were funny, creepy, harsh, and their characters represented high class Americans. Their relationship depicts a broken family who is jealous of how stable and happy the main family are. The twins that Elizabeth Moss and Tim Heidecker have are a homage to The Shining and represent how spoiled and entitled modern day youths are. The main kids in the film were excellent as they gave a wide range of emotions and they brought the most chilling moments in the film. Winston Duke plays the father and he brings the most comedic elements. He was charming, his jokes landed for me, and whenever he has to be scary and dramatic, he pulls it off easily and effectively.

Now we get into the best person in the movie and why this film works so well and that is Lupita Nyongo. Lupita Nyongo not only gave the best performance I saw in 2019. But probably, my favorite performance in the 2010s decade. She plays 2 different characters of the same person which is not easy to do, but she pulls it off perfectly. She brings a lot of nuance, complexity, subtlety, and emotions to these 2 characters. The voice Lupita has to do whenever she plays Red is so dynamic as that voice is haunting, sinister, tragic, and depressing to listen to. Lupita just gives it her all in this movie and I got to be honest, this is my personal favorite performance from her. I have always considered Lupita as a wonderful actress, but her performance in this film made me into a fan. I just ADORE everything she brought into the movie. Heck, even the child who plays the younger version of Lupita’s character in the film did a spectacular job as well.

Other positives are the music and soundtrack as they add extra layers to this film and have a ton of replay value for me. The main poster is iconic, the cinematography was great, the locations and settings were perfect choices, the costumes and makeup looked badass, and those golden scissors were unique weapon choices.

Lastly, I must give it up to the mastermind behind it all. Jordan Peele.

Jordan Peele went above and beyond when it came to making this film as the writing was strong, the story was unique and creative, the messages and symbolism were handled well, and the characters were so fascinating. Now I don’t know if I prefer US or Get Out as they both left a strong impact on me personally and they showcased how talented Jordan Peele is as a director. But both of these movies made me consider Jordan Peele as my personal favorite director working in Hollywood right now. The way he is able to add important issues while still making a really entertaining movie and not come off as preachy or pretentious is impressive.

What makes US my favorite movie of 2019 besides all the positive aspects I just mentioned is that this is the only film I have watched 6 TIMES in theaters. Which is insane, because I usually don’t go back to the theater and watch the same movie again. But US was so amazing and personal to me that I had to watch and support it again until it was out of theaters.

Without US, 2019 would have felt empty.

Without US, I wouldn’t have dressed up as anything for Halloween.

Without US, I wouldn’t have learned any new life lessons and applied it to my own personal life.

Without US, I wouldn’t have had the inspiration to start writing my own stories and poems

And Without US, I wouldn’t have watched over 100 movies that came out in 2019 and considered it as the best year for movies.

So I just want to say thank you to Universal and Blumhouse for letting this movie be made. I want to say thank you to all the cast and crew for performing and making a phenomenal film. I want to personally thank Jordan Peele for writing and directing such an awesome film. Whatever movie he decides to direct or star in next, I’ll support him no matter what and I cannot wait to see what else he has in store. So overall, US definitely deserves to be called the best film I saw in 2019.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Thank you for tuning in. Let me know what you thought about my list. Do you agree or disagree with any of my choices? Also let me know what was your favorite films or film that came out in 2019?

I hope 2020 becomes another great year for movies just like 2019. I cannot wait to see what film becomes my favorite from this year. Thank you for reading this and have a great day.

So this is James Kaloko and everyone in the world just Stay Loko, Peace!!!! :D