I’ve never done a favorite movies list before, but this year I’ve watched more movies than I’ve seen in years. That and I finally started actively tracking what I watched via Letterboxd. I had fun looking back on everything.

Just like with my music and book lists, these are movies I watched this year. I don’t care what year they were released.

 

10. Fear Street

Technically Fear Street was three movies, but they added up to a movie experience that defied all of my expectations. I also had a lot of fun reviewing the movies for Geeks OUT and interviewing the writer and director. It’s been a great year for queer horror.

 

9. Barb & Star go to Vista del Mar

Is this a 5-star movie? For me it is. I love the way it made no apologies for being exactly the movie it was. It had me cackling throughout.

 

8. Queen and Slim

Queen and Slim was really powerful, even if it was a tad unbelievable at times. I appreciated the way the story focused on the personal narrative and dynamics of the two protagonists.

 

7. Dune

I absolutely loved the soundtrack. The whole movie really embodied this otherworldly experience. There were some impressive action scenes and excellent visuals. It still only felt like half of a story (because it was) but it was an excellent kick-off.  They really nailed this adaptation.

 

6. The Ritual

The Ritual delivered on all the things I want to see in a horror movie. It didn’t offer any real surprises. It did a great job of building tension and had some truly excellent visuals.

 

5. Other People

This movie hit home on so many levels. It didn’t blow me away but it succeeded in all of the ways I needed it to. And I cried a lot, but that’s not exactly surprising.

 

4. Halloween

It’s so simple but so effective. The silence of the killer, the immediacy of the opening, the slow and steady building of tension throughout. There’s an asshole part of me that wants to say it’s not as good as Rob Zombies remake just to piss people off. But I honestly don’t remember much of the remake.

 

3. Soul

Another top-notch entry from Pixar. RIght up there with Coco, Up, and The Incredibles.

 

2. Candyman

I went into this expecting to like it but ended up loving it. I liked the characters and the themes it played with. I liked how it opened with the upside-down city in the fog. I like how they built off of the original movie and added depth to the lore. I love the lingering question of who the real villain is.

 

1. Pig

Pig was weird and sad and funny and surprisingly powerful. I’m loving Nicholas Cage’s recent choices in acting roles. I was engaged from the first shot. Anyone who’s ever loved a pet will get it. That scene with him in the stupid fancy restaurant was poetry. “We don’t get a lot of things to really care about.”

 

Honorable Mentions:

It was really hard to pick just 10. I’ve also realized that I’m starting to prefer “weird and interesting” to more conventionally “certified fresh” movies. That shows up the most here, with a lot of 4-star movies that I just really enjoyed in spite of finding flaws.

 

To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar

Marriage Story

Inside

Invisible Man

Zootopia

Honeymoon

 

Rediscovered Gems:

Started an old movies club with some friends. it’s basically a book club but with movies, and our definition of “old” is closer to “not current.” Anyway, It made for some fun re-watches. These are the movies I had the most fun revisiting this year, through movie club and on my own.

 

Mad Max: Fury Road

Nightmare on Elm Street

The Matrix

Scream

Jackie Brown

Galaxy Quest

 

 

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