(10) Judy: Directed by Rupert Goold tells the story of Judy Garland’s (Renee Zellweger) downhill spiral contributed to years of substance abuse that eventually led to her death in London in 1969.
(9) Hustlers, staring Jennifer Lopez as a dancer who takes a few other dancers under her guidance to give them strip club dance lessons. All this to get even with the corrupt Wall Street men who inflicted greed on other dancers.
(8) Avengers: Endgame With the Russo brothers in the drivers seat the Avengers saga comes to an end with all the Marvelous superheros bringing down Thanos including Captain Marvel pitching in. Is Tony Stark finished? Honestly, money talks. Just ask the MCU as they may have other tricks up their sleeves.
(7) A Hidden Life A war movie that presents itself as the total opposite stars Valerie Pacher and August Diehlo as a quiet farming, church going couple taking place in 1943 Germany when the husband (Diehlo) is called to duty but objects and pays dearly for it. Directed by Terrence Malick this is a wonderful film that deserves a spot in the top ten.
(6) 1917 Tells the story of two Lance corporals in a race against time delivering a message on foot in 24 hours across war-torn terrain to save the lives of 1600 soldiers in this WWI epic directed by Sam Mandes. Shooting this movie with a single shot camera made this film look very realistic.
(5) Harriet directed by Kasi Lemmons is a powerful story of Harriet Tubman (Cynthia Eriva), a political activist who vigoursously traveled hundreds of miles to free all the slaves she could gather up in pre-civil war era 1861 repeating her mission numerous times.
(4) Joker Staring Joaquin Phoenix as failed comedian Authur Fleck and rated ‘R’ who paints on a face mask in a futile attempt to blend with society. After being bullied he paints a different mask to become a criminal mastermind known as the Joker. We will see more of him. This character by Warner Bros might re-kick start the DC industry. It’s directed by Todd Phillips and killed it at the box office.
(3) Uncut Gems Directors Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie will have you going for a double shot of your favorite poison after witnessing this dark anxiety, endlessly tense movie staring Adam Sandler who operates an appointment-only New York jewelry store in circa 2012. He dis-honors his wife, gambles and dumbly loans out a rare Nigerian gem. This breathtaking thriller of a journey rewards Sandler with his best work to date. This film will wear you thin thanks to cinematographer Darius Khondji twitchy hand.
(2) Knives Out Staring Daniel Craig and Chris Evans in a Rian Johnson cleaverly crafted all-star cast whodunnit mystery with Craig playing the cooky investigator trying to uncover the murder of a wealthy patriarch in which the deceased (Christopher Plummer) held a knife in his hand that turns to hit and miss clues. This film is full of more twists than a bakery and everyone is a suspect. Think you have the murder solved? Think again. The ending is the answer.
(1) Toy Story 4 reunites Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the rest of the crew for a road trip directed by Josh Cooley. A unexpected detour steers them in a different direction with a new toy named Forky while Woody runs into a long-lost friend, Bo Peep. Disney made a box office bonanza this year and with the release of Frozen 2 the deal was sealed.
