Monos - 10/10 - Hands-down my favorite movie of the year and honestly high on my all-time list. It's Apocalypse Now meets Lord of the Flies, with some Beasts of No Nation thrown in. It builds a unique, lived-in world that's believable and brutal. Beautifully-filmed, some of the best shots of the year (the ending shot gets seared in your mind). Modern and grounded look at a militia/cartel fighting against an unnamed enemy in a Colombian jungle. It almost feels post-apocalyptic instead of 'cartel vs government', which I really loved. You get to imagine your own backstory as the story unfolds. Unforgiving and gut-wrenching, but hopeful too. Got a lot out of its cast. Can't recommend this movie enough. Really disappointed this didn't make the Best Foreign Language Film shortlist. "Masterpiece" gets thrown around a lot, but in my mind this is the only one this year.

Waves - 9/10 - I could write 20 pages on how much I loved this movie. To keep it short, it's got a perfect soundtrack, perfect setting, awards-worthy performances (from Kelvin Harrison Jr., Sterling K. Brown, and Taylor Russell). Visceral story that grips you from the first minute and doesn't let go until the closing shot. Unique use of colors and aspect-ratio. It takes a huge risk structurally that pays off. It's also the only movie I went to see twice this year. Really worth it too, picked up on a lot of stuff on the second viewing. Would've went a third time if theaters kept it playing longer. Every tiny decision/action has a huge impact. Just watch this.
Last Black Man In San Francisco - 9/10
Birds of Passage - 9/10

Apollo 11 - 9/10 - The best documentary of the year. Probably the best editing (and use of sound) I've ever seen/heard in a documentary. It's unique because they don't use interviews like most documentaries do, it's real sound the whole through. Impressive use of archival footage/audio.
Uncut Gems - 9/10 - This movie wasn't on the Best Original Score shortlist for the 2020 Oscars. This aggression will not stand.
The Mustang - 9/10
Wild Rose - 9/10 - If this doesn't win the Oscar for Best Original Song ('Glasgow'), I've lost all faith in the Academy. The ending concert scene had me crying like a baby. Jessie Buckley is gonna be big. Best music-drama since A Star Is Born.

Transit - 9/10
Ad Astra - 9/10

The Report - 9/10 - This was a really good year for legal-thrillers and The Report was the cream of the crop. Tight, Sorkin-like script with top performances from Adam Driver & Annette Bening. Could change a lot of minds about the war on terror and use of torture.
Parasite - 9/10
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood - 9/10
Midnight Traveler - 9/10 - If you feel like life is unfair and the odds are stacked against you, watch this movie. It puts everything in a different perspective. Every problem you have is going to seem minuscule compared to what this family went through. It's eye-opening and should fill you with anger.
Luce - 9/10 - It's Kelvin Harrison Jr's world and we're just living in it.

The Irishman - 8/10
Mickey and the Bear - 8/10 - Camila Morrone puts in the best breakout performance of the year. PTSD, drug-addiction, alcoholism, rural Montana, toxic relationships, James Badge Dale, following your dreams. What's not to love?
The Art of Self Defense - 8/10 - The best dark-comedy of the year. So many great one liners. It's like Yorgos Lanthimos directing Death of Stalin, set in a karate studio. Surprisingly violent and depressing, but in all the right ways. Jesse Eisenberg's best movie since.....The Social Network?
Peanut Butter Falcon - 8/10 - "Am I going to die?" "We all do, it's only a matter of time, now stop being a little bitch." - Favorite line of the year, really stuck with me.
Everybody Knows - 8/10
Mary Magdalene - 8/10
Knives Out - 8/10 - Well-crafted whoddunit with an ensemble cast. Just a genuinely fun time at the movies. Ana de Armas with well-deserved leading role for once. A few of the characters are a tad bit unrealistic (and basically caricatures), but the movie doesn't take itself seriously enough for that to be a problem. Daniel Craig hamming it up with a Southern accent was fun. Old school film with a modern twist.
The Lighthouse - 8/10
The Dead Don't Die - 8/10 - This movie really isn't for everyone, but I loved the dry humor and purposefully-bad chemistry/dialogue. The line delivery was off-putting but hilarious. Everything is extremely on-the-nose and it works. I could watch 10 hours of Tom Waits talking to himself.

Us - 8/10
Villains - 8/10
Ford v Ferrari - 8/10
Midsommar - 8/10
Jojo Rabbit - 8/10
Official Secrets - 8/10 - Keira Knightley with one of the most underrated performances of the year. Another really good legal/political-thriller that exposes the dark side of government bureaucracy.
Pain & Glory - 8/10
John Wick 3: Parabellum - 8/10
Queen & Slim - 8/10

mazing Grace - 8/10 - Great concert-documentary. Some of Aretha Franklin's performances in this should give you insane chills. I actually had this one rated higher right after watching it, but then looked up some of the people shown on screen and it turns out some were real pieces of shit, while preaching to people like hypocrits. Felt gross and took a lot of the magic out. One of my few revised scores this year.

A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood - 8/10
Joker - 8/10
Non-Fiction - 8/10 - It's very French and the writing seems impressed with itself, but it's a good adult-drama that surprised me. I'm a big fan of Olivier Assayas and this is some of his best work.
Rocketman - 8/10
Stan & Ollie - 8/10
Hustlers - 8/10
Avengers Endgame - 8/10
Doctor Sleep - 8/10 - It gets bloated and probably needed to be 20-30 minutes shorter (there's a shit ton of side-characters), but it was a worthwhile sequel to The Shining. Didn't feel like a cash grab and carries its own weight.
Booksmart - 8/10
Little Monsters - 8/10 - I'd recommend watching this based just on Josh Gad's character. So over-the-top and hilarious. When he starts chugging hand sanitizer might be the most I laughed in a theater this year. Also Lupita Nyong'o playing & singing on the ukulele to a bunch of kids is exactly what I needed in my life. Cute zombie-comedy with a ton of heart.

Spider-Man: Far From Home - 8/10
A Hidden Life - 8/10 - If there's a song from this year (or this decade even) that I'd want played at my funeral, it's James Newton Howard's theme from this movie. It's so beautiful and perfectly captures the feel of the movie. That song broke me down every time it played. I can't imagine this movie without it, it's that good. It's a shame this movie is getting ignored this awards season.
Never Look Away - 8/10
Toy Story 4 - 8/10
Pavarotti - 8/10
The Biggest Little Farm - 8/10- If you're really into the inner-workings of a Californian farm, then this is the documentary for you.
Abominable - 8/10
The Current War - 7/10
Artic - 7/10 - Well made, solidly-acted. I loved the small details about survival that this movie brings up, makes it very grounded and realistic. I'm kinda bored of survival movies in general so this didn't blow my mind or anything.
Bombshell - 7/10
Honey Boy - 7/10 - Pretty big letdown because I had really high expectations for this one. Lacked the emotional punch I hoped for. Didn't land for me at all, kind of like Boy Erased last year. I appreciate how honest and revealing it was, took a lot of guts for Shia LaBeouf to put this out there but it's forgettable. Lucas Hedges' Shia impression was reallllly on point though, that was worth the price of admission right there. Mid90s last year was a 10/10 for me and I expected the same for this. It was good, not great.
American Woman - 7/10 - Sienna Miller's performance in this is awards-worthy. The accent she does is perfect and it might be the most underrated role of the year. The movie gets way too tearjerky at the end though. It's basically 2 hours of bad shit happening to a good person, which gets a bit overwhelming.

The Beach Bum - 7/10
Captain Marvel - 7/10
Spies In Disguise - 7/10 - Looked pretty generic based on the trailer, but was actually pretty funny.
Cold Pursuit - 7/10
Tolkien - 7/10 - Not much happens but it felt really comfortable. Solid performances all around and they handled the WW1 scenes better than I thought they would. Expected to be bored out of my mind based on the reviews and trailer but it flowed well. As far as "Nicholas Hoult Biopics of Famous Writers" go, it's miles ahead of Rebel in the Rye 2 years ago.
Jumanji: The Next Level - 7/10
Sauvage/Wild - 7/10
Detective Pikachu - 7/10
Maiden - 7/10
Dark Waters - 7/10 - . Good performances and an okay script, even though it beats you over the head sometimes. Total waste of Anne Hathaway. She's way too good of an actress for a boring, generic, 'supporting wife' role with just a few lines. Not even sure why she was in this. Overall, a solid legal-thriller, which is a genre I really enjoy and I've been missing since its late-90s heyday. Pretty crazy story too, scummy and evil corporate greed is always interesting to explore on film (like The Insider). Should've been 20 minutes shorter and less on-the-nose
Adopt A Highway - 7/10
The Wedding Guest - 7/10
The Hummingbird Project - 7/10
Motherless Brooklyn - 7/10
The Lion King - 7/10
Last Christmas - 7/10 - It's really easy to bash this movie, a lot of the humor falls flat and the twist is ridiculous, but I couldn't help walking out with a smile. I love how committed Emilia Clarke was to the character, and her interactions with her boss and family were legitimately heart-warming at times. Also did I mention how ridiculous that twist is?
Richard Jewell - 7/10 - This was decent. Even though it's clearly Clint Eastwood's personal crusade (and thinly-veiled propaganda piece in some regards) against the FBI & the Spooky Media™, it still told the story effectively/semi-believably. Some of the characters (Hamm/Wilde obviously) were pretty ridiculous caricatures though, was hard to take anything they said seriously, I mean come on. You just roll your eyes at most of what they say. Some of the situations and encounters are too-conveniently set-up but that's easy to overlook. It had very solid performances (Hauser was great, especially when he finally let's his emotion show, in that scene where he kicks the table). Much better than The Mule, and 20x better than 15:17 To Paris.
Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker - 7/10
21 Bridges - 7/10
Before You Know It - 7/10
Hobbs & Shaw - 7/10 - This is peak "Stupid Summer Popcorn Movie" and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's The Meg of 2019.
Fighting With My Family - 7/10
Pet Sematary - 7/10
Downton Abbey - 7/10 - Never saw a single episode of the show before watching the movie, but it still felt familiar/safe to jump right in.
Yesterday - 7/10
Greta - 7/10 - It's a cheesy, predictable, non-scary horror film but I liked it. Sometimes you just need Isabelle Hupert to play a psychopathic serial killer. Felt very old-school, a movie straight out of the 1980s.
Judy - 7/10 - It's the definition of Oscar bait and is emotionally manipulative, especially towards the end, but it does a great job at humanizing a Hollywood legend.
Frozen 2 - 7/10
Aladdin - 7/10
The Souvenir - 7/10
Zombieland 2: Double Tap - 7/10 - Nowhere near as memorable/iconic as the first one, but it still got a bunch of laughs from me (especially the Thomas Middleditch/Luke Wilson scene). Above-average for a comedy-sequel, but I could see this one not aging well.