Ranking the Films of 2019: Part One
Portrait of a Lady on Fire, the last straggler from 2019, has finally found its way to theaters, making this first week of March 2020 a fine time to look back on the movie year that was. Per tradition, every feature I watched in 2019 will get some attention, chronicling a year where mainstream offerings far outpaced the indies at the halfway mark, only to see arthouse gems overtake them in the subsequent months.
I've split the 219 new releases I saw over that span — down 13 from last year…hmm…too many music festivals? — into five groups, sorted chronologically from worst to best, and will continue the countdown each day this week until we reach #1. If you're so moved (especially seeing as many critics have one of the first titles mentioned here in their Top 10 lists), please comment at the end of the post and I'll be glad to discuss my rankings with you there.
219. Black Christmas
218. Pokémon: Detective Pikachu
217. The Curse of La Llorona
216. The Prodigy
215. Miss Bala
214. The Souvenir
213. Men in Black: International
212. Annabelle Comes Home
211. Rambo: Last Blood
210. Chicuarotes
209. Replicas
208. Midway
207. The Lady and the Tramp
206. A Madea Family Funeral
205. Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase
204. Aladdin
203. Angel Has Fallen
202. Dumbo
201. Hotel Mumbai
(Photo: Universal Pictures)