Paul Price's BEST OF 2019

List

Jan 2

2019 felt like the first year in a long while where nearly everyone was agreeing on what was the best of the year. Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s personal yet universal series Fleabag rightfully swept at the Emmys while there’s nary a Best of 2019 list that snubs Bong Joon-Ho’s instant-classic Parasite. But even setting those aside, this was a great year for entertainment with truly incredible work coming from all of the world from a multitude of diverse voices. There was so much worth seeing that this Top Ten list only barely scratches the surface.

TOP TEN FILMS + TELEVISION OF 2019

10. Elite

A Spanish language show about sexy murder teens has no right being this good! Starring a killer cast of gorgeously accented Abercrombie models, this tightly plotted drama answers the question, “What if Alfred Hitchcock made Gossip Girl?”

9. Fleabag - Season 2

The closest thing to a perfect show in 2019.

8. Jawline

Liza Mandelup’s engaging documentary takes a sympathetic look at the most stereotypically narcissistic group there is: influencers. The film, which follows a teenager from middle America as he navigates the early stages of his social media career, is the perfect companion piece to this year’s more cynically minded Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened.

7. Nailed It!

The most consistently inconsistent show around features a magnetic Nicole Byer chastising amateur bakers as she chokes down their freshly-made culinary disasters. This surprisingly sweet show can be a little hit or miss, but when it does hits? *Chef’s Kiss*

6. Parasite

The closest thing to a perfect film in 2019.

5. Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Celine Sciamma’s quiet romantic drama is the closest thing in existence to a feature-length ASMR experience. It’s a gorgeous film in every aspect and features truly hypnotic performances from its two female leads.

4. Ready or Not

A devilishly, mean-spirited horror-comedy that is either a clever allegory for class warfare or a simple blood-splattered crowdpleaser, depending on your mood. Samara Weaving steals the show as the unlucky new member of the Le Domas Gaming Dynasty Empire Dominion.

3. Telling Lies

The most unique viewing experience of 2019, Sam Barlow’s latest creation sits somewhere between a film, a tv show, and a video game. It’s a must for fans of interactive cinema in the vein of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, though it requires far more out of the viewer than a simple choose-your-own adventure and rewards them handsomely for their efforts.

2. The Two Popes

There’s nothing better than seeing amazing performers getting to truly let loose in roles seemingly tailored made for them and Fernando Meirelles’s film features two of the best actors alive, Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins, doing just that. Come for the incredible cast, stay for the heart-rending story that is unfairly being cast aside due its easily memeable title.

1. Us

Jordan Peele’s sophomore effort utilizes the horror trope of the doppelgänger to craft a truly elegant fable about social and economic determinism’s role in shaping the appearance of free will. But genius of the premise aside, the terror is chilling, the score is mind-blowing, Lupita Nyong’o is mesmerizing, and the “Pas De Deux” sequence in the third act is the single best scene of just about anything this year.