All of the new releases I saw in 2019 ranked in order from most best to least best:
1. Midsommar
A trip to Sweden
For a summer festival
Hey, what could go wrong?
2. The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Fillmore house, a home
Family, history, here
The past, the future
3. Parasite
A family in need
Scams their way into high life
A surprise downstairs
4. Booksmart
Last night of high school
For two self-secluded friends
Last chance to party
5. Climax
A party, spiked punch
Descends into a nightmare
At least they still dance
6. Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood
My stuntman, my friend
An ode to old Hollywood
Take that, you hippies
7. Waves
Family, injured
Mistakes that can’t be undone
A crisis spirals
8. Monos
Teenage guerrilla
With a cow and a hostage
They live and they fight
9. Capernaum
Boy sues his parents
For the crime of birthing him
Learns his own lesson
10. The Nightingale
A hunt for revenge
Fighting across the outback
Find more than she leaves
11. Us
A family’s worst fear
Has been following us for
Longer than we think
12. Knives Out
A murder most foul
Vast sums on the line for sum
Whodunit this time
13. Queen & Slim
A subpar first date
Takes an unexpected turn
The chase, the symbols
14. Tel Aviv on Fire
Stuck at a checkpoint
Unlikely writing partners
A whole soap opera
15. First Love
One night in Japan
Chaos rains down on them all
A drug deal gone wrong
16. Marriage Story
Marriage, then divorce
Two bodies coming apart
Not always nicely
17. Honeyland
Bees in the mountains
Overwhelmed by new neighbors
Leave the bees to be
18. The Farewell
Visiting Grandma
Celebration, a goodbye
Together, apart
19. Uncut Gems
A rock most precious
Inspires reckless betting
Then things get messy
20. Little Women
Four sisters grow up
Strive to make their own stories
Be their own women
21. The Lighthouse
Two men on a rock
At odds over the lighthouse
Then comes the big storm
22. Little Joe
To make us happy
What if we could have some help
But then who helps who
23. Jojo Rabbit
A young Nazi finds
That he has had it all wrong
A surprise upstairs
24. Hustlers
Women overlooked
Taking money from the rich
And then keeping it
25. Cats
Look at all those cats
They sing, they dance, they seduce
Oddly sexy cats
26. Wandering Earth
Our light is no more
Embark on a long voyage
To find a new sun
27. Avengers: Endgame
Finally the “end”
(Spoiler) All the dead come back
And guess what they win
28. Alita: Battle Angle
A cyborg daughter
Destroys all those in her path
And plays roboball
29. Rocketman
A fun biopic
Sex, drugs, rock and roll, more drugs
And some damn good songs
30. Honey Boy
A boy and his Dad
Raising him to be a star
For what and for who
31. 21 Bridges
A drug Heist gone wrong
Killer cop kills cop killer
Shut down the Island
32. Luce
A young man shines bright
But a teacher has concerns
And things don’t go well
33. High Life
Outcasts sent to space
Living, loving for science
Lots of Space Fluids
34. Lucy in the Sky
She goes into space
Comes back with new perspective
Not in a good way
35. Long Day’s Journey Into Night
A man going home
Goes far in body and mind
Haunted by lost love
36. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
A Jedi returns
They hunt for a bunch of ships
Pew! Pew! Ships go boom
37. Joker
A man beaten down
By the world and his illness
Goes a bit too far
38. The Upside
An okay remake
But a good Kevin Hart role
See the French version
39. Greta
A new friend she makes
Unlikely in age difference
Uh oh, she’s crazy
40. Zombieland: Double Tap
Just like the first one
With some trite, new characters
And stronger zombies
41. Long Shot
He’s a shlub and she’s
Trying to conquer the world
They help each other
42. Ash is the Purest White
She loves a mobster
He goes away and she thrives
Together, apart
43. Petta
A dorm cleaned up
By a mysterious man
Then, Bollywood dance
44. Serenity
This man wants a fish
A plot to right a past wrong
But is it all real?
45. Stan and Ollie
Two men make us laugh
Or at least they did before
A final hurrah
46. The Beach Bum
A bum on a beach
Might be your high-drunk hero
If you’re a teen boy
Slam Zuckert is a municipal bureaucrat. He sees a lot of movies and reads a lot of books and sometimes writes about them. His favorite movie is There Will Be Blood, his favorite mathematician is Georg Cantor, and his least favorite mathematician is Leopold Kronecker.
Keep it Going Louder 