Review Of 2019 Pt 6 - Fulla Filmy Goodness - The Overview

I think that it’s relatively clear that I’ve watched one or two or one hundred and thirty-odd films this year so let’s cover split this one up a bit. Given that I’ve watched around ninety films that were released this year, let’s have a look at some of the themes or trends I’ve noticed.

Blockbusters Aren’t Going Anywhere
There’s been a lot of chatter about the value of the blockbuster and in particular the superhero film given their prominence at the box office and Disney’s complete stranglehold on these big budget money makers. A number of high profile filmmakers have come out against them - no real surprise there given that it’s not the sort of film they make. If 2019 has shown me one thing, though, it’s that there is room for all these types of film at the box office. I love a good blockbuster and I love a good low budget indie film. Being a film fan for me means loving all the variety that the medium can offer you. It’s like saying that you love food but only eat tuna sandwiches - why restrict yourself to one thing when there’s so much out there?

The Rise Of Smart Horror
It’s been on the upswing but 2019 seemed to me to cement the rise of the horror film once again. For a long time, horror has languished in the doldrums of either spitting out reboots of 80s slasher classics or churning out another gore porn sequel. With Jordan Peele’s Us, Ari Aster’s Midsommar, Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse and some of the less high profile entries like Color Out Of Space and Wounds, it feels like a return to a period more akin to the 70s when tone and mood where as effective a weapon in the horror arsenal as shock and gore.

The Return Of The King
Sticking with horror, Stephen King made a return to the big screen this year with adaptations of Pet Sematary, IT Chapter Two and Doctor Sleep all hitting the multiplex (to varying degrees of success). As a youth of the 80s and 90s when you couldn’t move for Stephen King adaptations, it’s an oddly nostalgic feeling.

Busy Actors
There were a few actors who cropped up more than once this year. Florence Pugh was one of those actors I’d never seen before and turned up in Fighting With My Family and Midsommar. I’d thought that I wasn’t the biggest fan of Jesse Eisenberg but I watched all three films he was in this year and enjoyed them all (The Art Of Self-Defense, Vivarium, Zombieland: Double Tap). Adam Driver seems to be doing his best to turn up in almost everything too given that I saw him in The Dead Don’t Die, Marriage Story and The Rise Of Skywalker but his Marriage Story co-star Scarlett Johansson wins the prize having been in Captain Marvel, Avengers Endgame and Jojo Rabbit as well.

A Strong Year
I don’t know if it’s because I’ve made a conscious effort to watch more films or because it just happens to be the case but this year has felt like a particularly strong year for film. Given that I’ve watched around 90 of this year’s films, there have been surprisingly few that I didn't enjoy and even some of those felt more like missed opportunities than films that were outright bad.

So what did I enjoy this year? Let’s get into that next time..