The State of the Art: Movies 2019

If there's a main criticism I have of myself when it comes to movies, it's that in the past few years, the majority of ones I see in the year they're released are superhero flicks. Not that there's anything inherently wrong with those, but I want to have a broader spectrum of the year's offerings come December. Happily, I did pretty well with that in 2019, though a lot of the credit has to go to streaming services, which allowed me to see new or original content without having to get out of my pajamas or deal with the dreaded public. When you mix in the non-2019 movies I watched, there's a healthy mix of genres, and a wide spectrum from critical darlings to popular-with-the-masses to utter garbage. (Listen, I have friends who love nothing more than loading up on snacks and riffing through the worst things Amazon/Netflix/Hulu have to offer, and I am here for it.) Goodbye, 2019! It's time to kick off a new decade of cinema. Let's hope it's a good one.

Knives Out (A)
Jojo Rabbit (A-)
The Farewell (A-)
Booksmart (B+)
Lego Movie 2 (B+)
Avengers: Endgame (B)
Happy Death Day 2U (B)
Always Be My Maybe (B)
Captain Marvel (B)
Spider-Man: Far From Home (B)
The Perfect Date (B-)
Isn't It Romantic (C+)
Wine Country (C+)

And the ranking of all the pre-2019 movies I caught up on:

The Favourite (2018) (A-)
Paddington 2 (2018) (B+)
Roma (2018) (B+)
A Simple Favor (2018) (B+)
The Little Prince (2015) (B+)
Blockers (2018) (B+)
Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) (B)
Incredibles 2 (2018) (B)
Mary Poppins Returns (2018) (B-)
Tea with the Dames (2018) (B-)
50 First Dates (2004) (B-)
Aquaman (2018) (C+)
Never Been Kissed (1999) (C+)
Mini Witch (2010) (C+)
Like Father (2018) (C+)
April and the Extraordinary World (2015) (C)
Avengers Grimm: Time Wars (2018) (F)
Oh My Ghost 2 (2011) (F)

I've said this for essentially every area of pop culture, but picking a favorite movie of the decade was extremely difficult. Not only are there too many great movies to choose from, but I'll have had a favorite comedy, a favorite drama, a favorite documentary, a favorite musical, and on and on and on. So, I went for one that made my jaw drop with happiness in the theater, and still delights me to this day. I post GIFs of it. I quote it. I'm always in the mood for it. From Knives Out to Knives Chau, it's...

Scott Pilgrim vs.the World (2010)

This movie is almost tailor-made to my tastes. I know there are more highbrow movies out there, drowning in Oscars. I know there are more crowd-pleasing movies out there, earning huge box office numbers. But when it comes to the movie that filled me with the most joy this decade, it had to be this.