Movie Enthusiast Issue 71: 2019 Markatos Oscars
I only saw 45 new releases this year (technically fewer in the actual 2019 calendar year, as I’m counting 10 movies from film festivals I went to in 2018 as 2019 releases). That feels a little too low to be able to cobble together a respectable list of Oscars-style nominees, but nevertheless I’m glad my annual list of favorites ended up being as diversified as it is. Two movies towered over all the rest for me this year, and for once the real Oscars gave my own favorites their appropriate dues. Now if only they hadn’t lavished so much attention on Joker…
Winners in bold!
Best Picture
3 Faces
Atlantics
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Grass
The Irishman
Knife + Heart
Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
Parasite
Synonyms
The Wild Pear Tree
Best Director
Nuri Bilge Ceylan, The Wild Pear Tree
Marielle Heller, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Bong Joon-Ho, Parasite
Nadav Lapid, Synonyms
Martin Scorsese, The Irishman
Best Actor
Robert De Niro, The Irishman
Adam Driver, Marriage Story
Tom Mercier, Synonyms
Théodore Pellerin, Genèse
Franz Rogowski, Transit
Best Actress
Andra Guti, Alice T.
Adèle Haenel, Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Ioana Iacob, “I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians”
Lupita Nyong’o, Us
Zhao Tao, Ash Is Purest White
Best Supporting Actor
Willem Defoe, The Lighthouse
Pierre Deladonchamps, Sorry Angel
Quentin Dolmaire, Synonyms
Nicolas Maury, Knife + Heart
Joe Pesci, The Irishman
Best Supporting Actress
Julia Butters, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
Anabela and Margarida Moreira, Diamantino
Florence Pugh, Little Women
Zhao Shuzhen, The Farewell
Cho Yeo-jeong, Parasite
Best Original Screenplay
Atlantics
Marriage Story
Parasite
Synonyms
The Wild Pear Tree
Best Adapted Screenplay
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
The Farewell
The Irishman
Little Women
Transit
Best Cinematography
Ad Astra
The Irishman
Knife + Heart
Marriage Story
Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
Best Editing
The Irishman
Knife + Heart
Marriage Story
Parasite
Synonyms
Best Original Score
Atlantics
Harriet
A Hidden Life
Little Women
Shadow
Best Adapted Score
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Ash Is Purest White
The Irishman
Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Best Production Design
The Irishman
The Lighthouse
Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
Parasite
Shadow
Best Costume Design
Harriet
Knife + Heart
Little Women
Shadow
Synonyms
Best Foreign Language Film other than the ones I nominated for Best Picture
End of the Century
“I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians”
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Shadow
Transit
Best Animal (big year for birds!)
The blind crow, Knife + Heart
The bird that flies in through the window, The Farewell
My memory’s kind of faulty but I think there’s a goat or something that ruins his crops? Anyway there are definitely animals in this movie, I nominate them, In My Room
The giant fluffy dogs, Diamantino
That poor seagull (R.I.P.), The Lighthouse
Best Ensemble
Parasite
The Irishman
Little Women
Marriage Story
Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
Honorary Best Good Movie I Can’t Accurately Remember or Evaluate Because of Extenuating Health-Related Circumstances Award
The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Best Queer French Movie
Knife + Heart
Worst Queer French Movie
Genèse
I am ashamed to admit that I only watched one documentary in 2019 (Amazing Grace). I’ll try to see more next year.
(Conversely, I am not especially ashamed to admit that I didn’t watch any animated films.)
Scenes of the Year
Anna Paquin at the bank, The Irishman
YMCA, Ash Is Purest White
Salvador gets a visit from an old friend, Pain and Glory
The last shot, Portrait of a Lady on Fire
At the Chinese restaurant, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Rick messing up all his lines and facing obsolescence, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
Meeting under the trees, The Wild Pear Tree
The rack focus shot, Grass
“…but I’m so lonely,” Little Women
For those who haven’t seen yet, I also compiled a list of my favorite movies of the decade (minus 2019 releases) over on Letterboxd. My plan for the next issue of this newsletter is to write a bit more about my choices and reflect on what the last ten years of moviegoing meant to me.