As summer reaches its unofficial conclusion this weekend, the quality of the cinematic year starts to really come into focus. Much to my delight, the past four months piggybacked off the success of the first four with a strong, diverse group of films that featured an unexpected R-rated comedy resurgence (Long Shot, Booksmart, Good Boys), some brilliant blockbuster sequels/spin-offs (John Wick 3, Hobbs & Shaw, Toy Story 4) and very little in the way of useless filler (The Kitchen and Pokémon Detective Pikachu are the only titles I'd place in that camp).
So what does 2019 have in store for its final, typically quality-affirming act? A whole hell of a lot. There's high-profile franchise cappers (It Chapter Two, Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker, Rambo: Last Blood), biopics about some of America's most beloved figures (Harriet, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Judy) and of course, award contenders galore (Ford v. Ferrari, Marriage Story, Little Women). Not to mention, there's also some exciting original fare from acclaimed directors (Knives Out, Jojo Rabbit, Uncut Gems), reboots of long-dormant properties (Charlie's Angels, Black Christmas, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot) and the holiday season musical event that's already given a 1/3rd of the population nightmares (Cats). Here are the 10 movies from this crowded September-December slate that I'm most excited to see.
10.Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker (12/20):
I'm not entirely sure if this deserves a spot here. The middling, soulless Disney focus group brainchild otherwise known as The Last Jedi basically crushed all of the hope I had that Star Wars was going to be able to find its footing after racking up so many failed continuations over the past 20 years and just about all of the characters in this trilogy besides Rey and Kylo Ren are boring as hell. However, J.J. Abrams' return to the director's chair along with the possibility that the fascinating Rey/Kylo Ren dynamic that helped save The Last Jedi from being completely worthless will be further explored here is just enough for me to hold out a sliver of hope that this iteration of the classic space opera franchise will end on a high note.
9.Joker (10/4):
As skeptical as I am about Todd Philips' (The Hangover trilogy, Old School) ability to direct an excellent dramatic movie, Warner Brothers' decision to put Joker through the critical gauntlet of the fall festival circuit is an undeniably encouraging sign for its quality. A psychological drama is a fascinating way to approach an origin story for this iconic character and Joaquin Phoenix is exactly the type of fearlessly committed actor that can maximize the eeriness of a normal guy's slow descent into madness.
8.Uncut Gems (12/13):
Adam Sandler getting a chance to showcase his underrated dramatic acting ability in a wild, kinetic crime movie from the minds behind Good Time could make this the dark horse Oscar contender no one saw coming.
7.Knives Out (11/27):
Before he gets a chance to redeem himself in the Star Wars universe following the aforementioned aggravating mediocrity of The Last Jedi with the launch of a new trilogy, Rian Johnson has cooked up an old-school whodunit with an absolutely stacked ensemble cast that includes Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ana de Armas, Toni Collette, Michael Shannon and Lakeith Stanfield. If Knives Out ends up being anywhere near as exciting as Johnson's last original project (2012 sci-fi action flick Looper), it should go down as one of the most enjoyable watches of the year.
6.Ford v. Ferrari (11/15):
I'm not a Grand Prix fan in the slightest, but the combination of an excellent trailer, a terrific lead actor combo (Matt Damon, Christian Bale) and significant early Oscar buzz has me very intrigued to see James Mangold's (Logan, Walk the Line) latest fact-based drama.
5.Jojo Rabbit (10/18):
Hot of the heels of his mainstream breakout with Thor: Ragnarok, Jojo Rabbit sees Taika Waititi returning to his oddball indie roots. A satire surrounding a young boy (newcomer Roman Griffin Davis) living in WWII-era Germany-whose imaginary friend is an ethnically inaccurate version of Hitler (Waititi)- that has his narrow worldview challenged when he discovers that his mother (Scarlett Johannsson) is hiding a young Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) in their home is the type of nutty fare that only a bold artist would make. It might ultimately prove to be too weird to work, but I'm super excited to see if Waititi can pull it off.
4.Jumanji: The Next Level (12/13):
Jumanjii: Welcome to the Jungle was a funny, clever and wildly entertaining adventure that ranks among the most pleasant surprises in recent memory. Adding the likes of Danny DeVito, Danny Glover and Awkafina to the cast as well as throwing in the inspired narrative wrinkle of having different people get sucked into the Jumanji game (most notably, Dwayne Johnson is playing DeVito and Kevin Hart is playing Glover) is more than enough to convince me that the sequel can be similarly great.
3.Rambo: Last Blood (9/20):
Even though he can no longer run or hold a large weapon without looking like he's in tremendous pain, Sylvester Stallone is remarkably still an elite action star and I'm confident in his ability to give John Rambo a properly gritty sendoff.
2.Zombieland: Double Tap (10/18):
Getting all of the key players (Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg, Abigail Breslin, director Ruben Fleischer, writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick) to return is enough to excuse the agonizing 10-year wait for a Zombieland sequel. The trailer makes it look like a perfect continuation of the original and all of the new additions to the cast (Zoey Deutch, Rosario Dawson, Luke Wilson, Thomas Middleditch, Avan Jogia) seem like they're going to gel really well with the smartass makeshift family at the center of this zombie-hunting comedy.
1.The Irishman (11/27):
Martin Scorsese returning to the genre that has played such a pivotal role in solidifying his status as an iconic director with what is essentially the gangster movie Avengers (Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel) by his side is a dream scenario for fanboys like myself. If this crime epic lives up to the caliber of the talent involved, its reported 3 and a half hour runtime might not be long enough.
Also interested in:
It Chapter Two (9/6)
Night Hunter (9/6)
Hustlers (9/13)
The Sound of Silence (9/13)
The Goldfinch (9/13)
Ad Astra (9/20)
Between Two Ferns: The Movie (9/20)
Corporate Animals (9/20)
First Love (9/27)
The Day Shall Come (9/27)
Lucy in the Sky (10/4)
Gemini Man (10/11)
Jexi (10/11)
Parasite (10/11)
Jay and Silent Reboot (10/15)
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (10/18)
The Laundromat (10/18)
The Lighthouse (10/18)
Dolemite is My Name (10/25)
Harriet (11/1)
Motherless Brooklyn (11/1)
Paradise Hills (11/1)
Terminator: Dark Fate (11/1)
Doctor Sleep (11/8)
Honey Boy (11/8)
Charlie's Angels (11/15)
Earthquake Bird (11/15)
The Report (11/15)
21 Bridges (11/22)
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (11/22)
Dark Waters (11/22)
Queen & Slim (11/27)
Marriage Story (12/6)
Black Christmas (12/13)
Bombshell (12/20)
Cats (12/20)
1917 (12/25)
Just Mercy (12/25)
Little Women (12/25)
Clemency (12/27)
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