Cineroom's top films of 2019.

By Adam Ray Palmer
 
It's a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new year for us… and we’re feeling good. Well, the makers of the below movies will certainly feel good if they care about Cineroom’s validation!
 
It’s 2020, and that means one thing… we can now judge 2019! We don’t like to be mean on Cineroom, so this is just a feelgood article highlighting some of 2019’s best films.
 
If you agree, great. If you don’t, let us know your favourites…

FILM #5: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
A faded television actor and his stunt double strive to achieve fame and success in the film industry during the final years of Hollywood's Golden Age in 1969 Los Angeles.
 
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Writer: Quentin Tarantino
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie
 
Our verdict:
When a Tarantino movie debuts at the theatre, it’s a spectacle. As a cinemagoer, I am always there opening night to marvel at the next picture that comes out of the genius’ mind. With Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, it hit all the right notes with me. Its majestic storytelling backed up with masterful direction. Pitt, Robbie and DiCaprio are on top form. The climax to this epic is pure cinema.
 
Read our review of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood here.

FILM #4: Apollo 11
A look at the Apollo 11 mission to land on the moon led by commander Neil Armstrong and pilots Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.
Director: Todd Douglas Miller
Stars: Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin
 
Our verdict:
One of the best documentaries we have seen in the last five years. It’s visceral, heart-pumping and the payoff is brilliant. It’s a story we all know, but the level of details is like nothing you have seen before. Make sure you seek it out.
 
Read our review of Apollo 11 here.

FILM #3: Ad Astra
Astronaut Roy McBride undertakes a mission across an unforgiving solar system to uncover the truth about his missing father and his doomed expedition that now, 30 years later, threatens the universe.
Director: James Gray
Writers: James Gray, Ethan Gross
Stars: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga
 
Our verdict:
It’s rare we ever do a ‘top film list’ and not include a sci-fi movie, and 2019 is no different! Ad Astra is a peach of a movie. Brad Pitt turns in one of his best performances of his career. James Gray’s direction is whimsical with set pieces to watch again and again. It’s a slick script that packs an emotional punch. Give this movie five years, people have been sleeping on it.
 
Read our review of Ad Astra here.

FILM #2: Marriage Story
Noah Baumbach's incisive and compassionate look at a marriage breaking up and a family staying together.
Director: Noah Baumbach
Writer: Noah Baumbach
Stars: Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Julia Greer
 
Our verdict:
What a rollercoaster. Johansson and Driver are masterful in their roles. An intelligent script supported by warm yet claustrophobic directing from Noah Baumbach. Noah’s back catalogue is growing into an incredible collection and Marriage Story just about tops it. You’ll laugh, cry, be silent and yell. This movie is a powerhouse.
 
Read our review of Marriage Story here.

FILM #1: Joker
In Gotham City, mentally troubled comedian Arthur Fleck is disregarded and mistreated by society. He then embarks on a downward spiral of revolution and bloody crime. This path brings him face-to-face with his alter-ego: The Joker.
Director: Todd Phillips
Writers: Todd Phillips, Scott Silver
Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz
 
Our verdict:
Our film of the year has to be Joker. Having watched this movie multiple times now, it still hits me like a concrete wall every time. It’s haunting, intricate and just simply a masterpiece. It has its critics, but it has so much more acclaim too. The score, Phoenix’s performance and the hallucinogenic editing are all astonishing. When put together over two hours, you have a movie decked out with cult scenes that will live on for decades. What a film.
 
Read our review of Joker here.

Honourable Mentions:
The Irishman
Midsommar
Toy Story 4
The Souvenir
Us
Rocketman
 
Do you agree with our top five movies? Would you have some of our honourable mentions in the top tier? Give us your top five below or tweet us. We want to know!