Another year of movies. Fewer this year with 59, but compared to last year with 91, I'd like to say the goal for 2019 was targeted for more quality over quantity of films. Again, a top 10 proved too difficult, so here's a top 15 of my favorite films, an honorable mention, and some accompanying analysis that I'd recommend to any fellow cinephile.
As mentioned in my 2018 post, over the next several months, I’m going to digitize my original reviews of films I posted on my Instagram stories, my previous way of keeping a record, onto this film blog that I’ve finally decided to take a leap of faith and create, as a better medium for long-form thoughts and discussion.
If you’re a subscriber, thank you for your continued support, and if you’re new, welcome! I hope that whatever mood you may be in, there will always be a movie you can put on, enjoy, and drown out the chaos of the real world.
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~Ray (of Sunshine) / July 2024
Honorable Mention - El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie.
Favorite Surprise Film We Didn’t Ask For, But Glad We Got.
Analysis: Breaking Bad is still my favorite show of the last decade and probably one of the most satisfying conclusions of a character-driven drama. So, it was quite a treat and surprise to have this film produced to address an outstanding character I cared about in the story, Jesse Pinkman, and give a thorough conclusion. It was not necessary, but it was a nice gift to bookend this future classic.
15 - Brittany Runs A Marathon.
Favorite Inspirational Drama.
Analysis: A movie about running, but so much more. With the pervasiveness of social media and the negative ramifications of comparison, affirmation, and validation, we tend to lose sight and forget the importance of self-care and the purpose of personal goals. Brittany (based on a true story), examines the themes of personal struggle in an often-toxic social media environment, overcoming adversity, and the scrutiny of body shaming by refocusing on the essence of what it means to seek personal fulfillment. Brittany Runs A Marathon inspired me to sign up for another marathon next year.
14 - Long Shot.
Favorite Comedy.
Analysis: Just watch the first 10 minutes of this movie and if that doesn't already have you invested, there's not much more I can provide to further convince you otherwise. The chemistry between Seth Rogan and Charlize Theron is unmatched. Who knew a rom-com between the two of these A-list actors could be so much fun?
13 - Us.
Favorite Horror Film.
Analysis: The bar is set fairly high with Jordan Peele, director of the eventual classic and psychological thriller, Get Out. While hard not to measure his sophomore effort to the aforementioned film, Us dives into a true horror genre in typical Peele fashion, by injecting elements of humor and plenty of profound themes, whether intentional or not, addressing subjects of race, the darkness within ourselves, facing fears against our literal shadows, home invasions gone wrong, doppelgangers, etc. In the end, you can appreciate his homage to horror classics, and whatever conclusions you may draw, the story you experienced and the roles these characters represented, definitely should have multiple interpretations depending on what frames of reference and circumstances are used, and then accepting a lack of sufficient and specific answers (I googled a lot after watching this); there’s certainly joy in the ambiguity of it all.
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