With October 2019 drawing to a close and the decade of the 2010's not far behind it, I was inspired take a look back at some of the great horror offerings (thanks Baconsale) of the decade and admire what a great time it is for the genre. 10. IT: CHAPTER ONE I always had fond memories of the 90's miniseries version of It growing up, but watching it nowadays, it doesn't really hold up. Luckily the 2017 version focuses entirely on what was the best part of the 90's version: the Loser's Club in their youth. The movie does a great job of balancing horror & comedy, even if sometimes it leans a little harder on the funny side. But the young cast is all awesome and perfectly inhabits their characters, while Bill Skarsgard is absolutely terrific as Pennywise (bringing a totally different, but arguably equally great take as Tim Curry's version.) 9. A QUIET PLACE John Krasinski directs and stars along side his wife Emily Blunt in this horror thriller that's very reminiscent of golden era Shyamalan. In a world where alien creatures detect and hunt down their prey by sound, a young family must learn to live in complete silence if they're going to survive. Seeing this film in the theater was an unforgettable experience because during the entirety of the film it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop (or rather, the munching of theater snacks,) as well as the collective gasps and sighs of relief that the audience as a whole would release. The film isn't too scary, so it's the perfect movie to recommend to those who aren't too acquainted with the horror genre. 8. SINISTER True crime journalist Ellison (Ethan Hawke) moves into real life murder houses to study and write about the gruesome crimes committed there. One night, exploring his new home's attic, Ellison discovers some gruesome home movies of families killing themselves. I watched Sinister by myself one late October night on a projector in my theater room. This movie scared me so much, I didn't even know if I could finish it. Each video Ellison watches manages to be more horrific and unsettling than the last. The film would have scored much higher on my list if it wasn't for its disappointing ending, which took me out of the film a little bit, but luckily doesn't ruin it as a whole. 7. GET OUT Get Out took critics and audiences by storm in 2017. Previously known only for his comedic chops shown in Key & Peele, Jordan Peele announced himself as a director to watch with his debut film Get Out. An interracial couple, Rose and Chris (Allison Williams and Daniel Kaluuya,) spend the weekend together as Rose decides to introduce her black boyfriend to her white family. The film makes some fascinating social commentary on race, particularly as the plot begins to unravel and the audience starts to learn what's really going on underneath the surface niceties. The film is incredibly clever and layered; it's the type of film that absolutely lends itself to repeat viewings. 6. THE BABADOOK The Babadook follows the tale of a widow who is haunted with grief and her son who just might drive her crazy. One day an evil children's book called The Babadook appears out of nowhere in their home and tells the tale of their gruesome fate. Together, they must find a way to prevent the story in the book from coming true. Essie Davis turns in a powerhouse performance as Amelia, while Noah Wiseman joins the hall of fame of annoying kid characters in cinema. In the end, the film becomes a powerful allegory of the effects of dealing with trauma and grief which makes it feel a bit more substantial than your typical fright fest. 5. THE CONJURING James Wan delivers the perfect haunted house movie with The Conjuring. I vividly remember the first time I saw the teaser trailer for this film and was in awe of how scared it made me just in those few short minutes. What sets it apart from all other haunted house movies is that it's based on a real life paranormal investigating couple named Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga.) The film is said to be based on one of their most horrific cases and James Wan certainly depicts that here. The Conjuring became a bonafide hit that has already inspired countless sequels and spinoffs, but none reach the heights of the film that started it all. 4. MIDSOMMAR After an unspeakable family tragedy, Dani tags along on her boyfriend's guys trip to Sweden. There, he and his roommate hope to study a small community and their midsummer traditions. But soon they discover that these people are not all that they seem. Midsommar gave me one of the most unique horror viewing experiences I've ever had. While it didn't scare me much at all, it filled me with a feeling of absolute dread all throughout, and even hours after the film had actually ended. This movie literally gave me a physical reaction of a pit in my stomach for hours that I could not shake. Unlike most horror films, it takes place almost exclusively in the daytime, so there aren't the usual things that go bump in the night, which makes it all the more impressive how effective it is at creating such intense feelings in its audience. Seeing the end where such pure human emotions (like the need for empathy and acceptance) are twisted into something ugly, unnatural and horrific was honestly mind blowing to me. The first viewing I definitely felt the length of the film, but after a second time watching the even longer director's cut I was absolutely enthralled from start to finish. Also it must be said that in Ari Aster's sophomore feature he once again brings out an unforgettably fantastic performance from his lead actress. Florence Pugh is incredible and raw in her portrayal of Dani and her performance joins the ranks of the all-time greats in the horror hall of fame. 3. DON'T BREATHE Three burglars get more than they bargain for when they rob the house of a blind man, who is not as helpless as he appears. Don't Breathe is an absolute thrill ride and adrenalin rush. The title happens to be completely fitting as the audience barely has a chance to catch their breath the whole film as the characters are being hunted nonstop. It's an absolute blast of a film that I can't really find a single fault with. 2. THE WITCH In the 1600's young Thomasin and her family is banished from their village and settle in the woods where an evil presence looms. The Witch will always be one of my favorite Sundance memories. Going into this movie I had no idea what to expect because it wasn't listed in the horror section. But surely I thought a movie titled The Witch might possibly have a horror element right? But then again, maybe it was just a drama about The Salem Witch Trials. Luckily it wouldn't be long before I found out that this movie was in fact a horror film, even if not a jump scare filled one. The Witch is a pure slow burn horror story that ends with one of the most disturbing and haunting endings I've ever seen put to film. 1. HEREDITARY Hereditary follows Annie (Toni Collette,) a woman who just lost her mother, a woman she was never really close to. Soon after her death, some strange occurrences start happening to Annie and her family. Sundance reallly knows how to pick them! No other movie scared or surprised me this decade quite like Hereditary. I thought I had this film figured out early on, and then I had my expectations subverted in such a way that I had no choice but to let the movie take me on its journey even though I had no idea where we were going to go. For a horror movie, nothing is more terrifying and thrilling than the pure surprise of heading into the complete unknown. Toni Collette gives the performance of her career as Annie and you can't take your eyes off of everything she's doing in every scene. She's absolutely electric. Hereditary shocks you early on and never lets up. While some may take issue with its finale, it's as horror movie as they come. But wait! There's more! I would be remiss if I did not honor the three best horror comedies of the decade as well.... BONUS: THE BEST HORROR-COMEDIES 3. WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS What We Do in the Shadows is a mockumentary that focuses on three Vampire roommates as they navigate life in the 21st century. The comedy here is very dry, but if you're like me and you loved Flight of the Conchords, you'll find the majority of this to be very hilarious. 2. CABIN IN THE WOODS Five friends spend the weekend in a secluded cabin in the woods where spooky things start to happen. Little do they know there's someone else trying to control their fates. Cabin In the Woods is a treasure trove for fans of the horror genre. The film is packed with so many easter eggs and hidden gags that you can practically find something new every time you watch. While the ending leaves a lot to be desired, I've come to appreciate over the years for the metaphor it tries to spell out. 1. TUCKER & DALE VS EVIL In Tucker and Dale vs Evil, a group of college kids on Spring Break mistake an innocent pair of hillbillies for mass murdering psychopaths. Tucker and Dale is a flat out hilarious film and made me laugh harder than I can even remember. The film turns the horror genre on its head as it subverts all the common tropes we've come to expect in our slasher films. Both brilliant and hysterical it is a must for lovers of the horror genre.

When I saw the trailer for Last Christmas I was both surprised and delighted to see a big budget rom-com headed to the big screen. Finding these movies in theaters seems about as likely to spot a unicorn in the wild. It's a long dead genre that now only seems to exist on Netflix or worse: The Hallmark Channel. There wasn't anything in particular that made Last Christmas look in any way particularly distinctive, but it looked like comfort movie food all the same. To its favor, it does have Paul Feig at the helm (Bridesmaids) and the always winsome Emilia Clarke in the lead role. Clarke stars as Kate, a selfish girl whose life is in perpetual chaos. She works in a year-round Holiday store by day, and aspires to be an actress by night. She most decidedly does not have her life together and uses everybody around her just to get through each day. In short, she's a hard character to root for and one who has quite a lot of growing up to do. Luckily she soon meets the too good to be true Tom (Henry Golding) who helps her learn how to bring out the best in herself. The laughs in Last Christmas aren't exactly of the refined variety, but I have to admit that I did in fact laugh. Now admittedly there's not much here that's too different than your standard Hallmark holiday romance; this movie's plot easily feels at home among the like (in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this exact movie has already been made by them before...) Nevertheless, for what the movie is I found enjoyment to be had. Yes the climax of the film is pretty dumb (my first thought *mild spoilers* was "wow they really took that song literally didn't they??") but I can't say I didn't have a fun time with the movie. Sometimes, especially these days, you'll just take whatever rom-com you can get. RATING: 6/10

Martin Scorsese's grand epic The Irishman is available on Netflix now. The film spans decades as it follows the recollections of a lifelong career of an established mob man, Frank Sheeran. The film is three and a half hours long and doesn't exactly move at a brisk pace; in short it's not a movie for the faint of heart. It requires a lot of patience, but it's very worthwhile. The fact that The Irishman works so well is that it rests on the shoulders of three really fantastic performances: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci. Each performance is so different and so vital to the film. De Niro's is the least flashy and most subtle, so I really hope he doesn't get overlooked when awards season comes. Pesci came out of retirement to be a part of this film and I'm so glad he did. Al Pacino plays Jimmy Buffet as a larger than life personality and seems to be having the best time in years playing this role. All men play themselves at all ages of their lives depending on some CGI de-aging technology, some at which feels a little distracting at first. Robert De Niro's in particular didn't always look perfect, but Joe Pesci's always had me convinced. All in all the special effects were an impressive effort, even if sometimes they couldn't cover up the way these old men moved. While it definitely takes awhile to see where the film is ultimately headed, I didn't have a problem with the meandering pace. It really felt like a grand life being personally recapped to me. With The Irishman Scorsese gives a window into a world we all try not to think about existing: the world of organized crime. We see firsthand how important loyalty to that family is and the dangers of stepping out of line. While it's certainly an investment of your time, it is very much worth it. RATING: 8.5/10

After a tidy happily ever after at the end of 2013's Frozen, where exactly did that leave the story to go with a sequel? The answer to that of course is only places that are completely unnecessary...however if there's one thing we know about Hollywood it's that money talks and a sequel to a movie that makes a billion dollars is inevitable. So here we are six years later with Frozen II. The film begins with Anna and Olaf cheerily singing a song about the constant dependable things in life, which immediately cues the audience that all their fortunes are about to change. Meanwhile, little does Anna know Kristoff is working up the courage to propose, but just can't seem to find the right moment. But soon Elsa hears a call to adventure that she just can't ignore, where the two sisters will learn more about their past and their parents. Frozen II is a completely unnecessary sequel. Its sole purpose for existing is to create more costumes for Elsa to be sold to millions of little adoring girls everywhere. The film feels cobbled together of 3-4 ideas the writers came up with for a sequel and threw them all into the same script. That's not to say the film isn't watchable. It's very entertaining and a lot better than most animated films out there, it's just not very memorable. The animation itself is fantastic and beautiful just to watch. The music is good, but none of it ever matches anything from the first movie, which is really the sequel's main problem overall: it never surpasses the height of the original, let alone reaches them. BOTTOM LINE: Overall Frozen II really doesn't need to exist, but you could certainly do worse in terms of children's entertainment. At least it's pretty to look at and the familiar characters are fun to spend time with again. RATING: 7/10

After dividing audiences with Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Rian Johnson is out with a new wholly original film Knives Out. For his follow up to the mega popular space franchise, Johnson gathered a hugely talented ensemble cast for a love letter to the whodunnit murder mystery. Can this film win back those who had a sour taste left in their mouths from The Last Jedi? Wealthy patriarch Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead in his home one morning by one of his servants in an apparent suicide. The case seems open and shut until someone mysteriously hires famous detective Benoit Blanc to investigate the death more closely. Once he's on the case he discovers that nearly everyone in the family had a positive motive and things aren't what they seem. Unsurprisingly, the best asset Johnson has here is his stellar cast. But unfortunately midway through some of them kind of fall to the wayside as the film focuses more and more on the character of Thrombey's nurse, Marta (Ana de Armas, who does a lot of heavy lifting here and is excellent.) She's excellent, but it leaves great character actors like Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette and Michael Shannon with little to do for much of the film. MILD VAGUE SPOILERS: In somewhat of a twist, or rather subverted expectation as Johnson would love to say, they reveal things quite early on which I had some mixed feelings about. On the one hand it shook things up and made the movie less of a mystery and more of a survival. But it did also take away some of the intrigue and made some things a little predictable, even though the goal was to make it unpredictable. On its surface, Knives Out is an entertaining and enjoyable ode to the stories of Agatha Christie. And on that level, I did find myself enjoying it. However, when I looked a bit more closely beneath the layers of what Johnson was getting at the film certainly becomes a whole lot more self righteous. In interviews Johnson stated that he wrote this film as a response to the haters of The Last Jedi and when you look at the film with Marta as a place holder for Johnson himself, and the family representing the general views of the internet as a whole, it's hard to unsee and hard not to roll your eyes at. Bottom line: if you shut off your brain and don't look at the deeper metaphor underneath, Knives Out is a harmless fun whodunnit, if not a little predictable. But when you look a little closer it seems more like a pretentious exercise from a director who can't really handle criticism. RATING: 7/10

I'm basing this post on a popular tweet template making the rounds where everyone picks their favorite films of the decade by the year. I still plan to make a more comprehensive best films of the decade ranked, but I still thought it'd be fun to take a look back and see all the films that topped my best list for their respective year. 2010: INCEPTION (Runners Up: The Social Network, Scott Pilgrim vs The World) 2010 was a really solid year for film with five of the movies on this list being totally worthy of the top spot. In the end, it has to go to one of the most creative and inventive blockbusters ever made and my absolute favorite film of Christopher Nolan’s: Inception. Check out my 2010 list HERE 2011: 50/50 (Runner up: Melancholia) 2011 on the other hand, was a pretty weak year and going back and reading my top ten, I think I’d rank some things very differently while leaving others completely off my list. But at least my top pick 50/50, the cancer drama comedy still holds up. The fact it is able to pull the heart strings while simultaneously making you laugh is quite the feat and makes it stand out among everything. Check out my 2011 list HERE 2012: The Impossible (Runner Up: Life of Pi) This true story of a family vacationing in Thailand who becomes separated when a gigantic tsunami hits their resort. This movie is not only physically brutal to watch but also completely heart wrenching. I ugly cried several times. Check out my 2012 list HERE 2013: The Way Way Back (Runner Up: About Time) 2013 gave me one of my favorite coming of age films of the decade in The Way Way Back. This movie is both funny and poignant; the ending gets me every time. Check out my 2013 list HERE 2014 Interstellar (Runner Up: Whiplash) 2014 was another really strong year for cinema with many worthy options of the top spot (including Boyhood, Whiplash & Gone Girl) but I had to go with the film which provided the most amazing cinematic experience: Interstellar. On a big screen, the visuals here are spectacular and the score is incredible. This movie just filled me with so much wonder and was unforgettable. Check out my 2014 list HERE 2015 Room (Runner Up: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) No movie made me feel as much in 2015 as Room. Jacob Tremblay gives such a genuine performance as a small boy whose mother (Brie Larson, also giving the best performance of her career) was kidnapped when she was a teenager. He's only ever known a life in captivity, until he's given the chance to see finally discover everything the world has to offer. This film is both touching and thrilling. Easily the best movie of 2015. Check out my 2015 list HERE 2016 Sing Street (Runner up: La La Land) This was one of the closest races to call of all the years for the top spot. In January 2016 I saw I saw Sing Street at Sundance and fell in love. The whole year, nothing could beat it until La La Land, and at the last minute my love for Sing Street prevailed. Both musicals are whimsical and wonderful. Sing Street doesn't have the same artistry as La La Land, but it has so much heart. Check out my 2016 list HERE 2017 Baby Driver (Runner Up: The Big Sick) After an incredibly strong year of endlessly great films in 2016, 2017 felt like a year that didn't have nearly as many great films. My favorite came midway through the year and nothing really ever managed to top it, even when Oscar bait season. Baby Driver was a thrilling action picture and an editor's dream film. I loved how stylish it was and I came out of the theater on a total high. Check out my 2017 list HERE 2018 Hereditary (Runner Up: A Star Is Born) In 2018 I saw my favorite movie of the year in January at the Sundance Film Festival, and all year long nothing managed to top it. Usually horror films, as much as I adore them, don't usually manage to grab the top spot of the year when they come out, but Hereditary was THAT good. Toni Collette is amazing and I love that this film grabbed my attention, threw out my expectations and took me on a wild ride. Check my 2018 list HERE 2019 Parasite (Runner Up: Midsommar) Parasite had a LOT of hype when it came out and thus had quite a lot to live up to. To be honest, I thought there was no way it could be as great as everyone was claiming it was... and yet it totally was. It's a hard movie to talk about, because you want to recommend it to everyone, while still saying nothing about it to preserve expectations and keep things mysterious. So honestly, I won't say much here... just trust me, this movie is so worth seeing. I still have a few films to catch up on the rest of the year, so it's possible this one might get knocked off... but I have a hard time picturing it. And there we have our decade in review, but please stay tuned as I promise to do a proper ranking of ALL of my favorite films of the decade, as well as my best of list for 2019.

Arriving today on Netflix is the much anticipated semi-autobiographical film by Noah Baumbach called Marriage Story. The film has had Oscar buzz for months, for not only the film but the lead performances by Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver. Contrary to what the title suggests, it doesn't follow the story of a marriage, so much as it follows the dissolution of one. By the time the film begins, the titular marriage of Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) is past saving and both wish to move forward with their lives. What the film actually chronicles is their messy bi-coastal divorce and their fight for custody of their only child, Henry. Hoping for a quick resolution, Nicole hires a savvy divorce lawyer named Nora (Laura Dern,) and before Charlie knows it his life is a living hell spiraling out of control. Forced to lawyer up, Charlie soon learns you have to fight dirty to get what you want. The film certainly pulls no punches in portraying how ugly divorce can be from a legal standpoint alone. As a child of divorce, this was not an easy film to watch! I found myself feeling surprisingly emotional at different points in the story as I witnessed their legal and emotional nightmare. But while I found it a hard watch, it was still extremely worthwhile and well-made. Though heartbreaking, the end gave the glimmer of hope and normalcy that life does go on. Adam Driver is always solid and was really great here, but I have to say how nice it was to see Scarlett Johansson in a role that really requires something of her. She hasn't displayed this much heart in sometime and it was really great to see. Bottom line: Though heart wrenching to watch, Marriage Story still manages to be worthwhile and cathartic. It's one of the best movies of the year. RATING: 9/10

Two years ago Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle proved it is never too late to jumpstart a dormant property into a bonafide franchise. The film acted as a 22 years-later sequel to 1995's Jumanji (based on the Chris Van Allsburg book,) while also completely reimagining the concept. Instead of a board game invading the real world, our players are sucked into the world of the game, but this time it's a video game world. The film was a huge success and naturally a sequel was immediately greenlit. Which brings us to Jumanji: The Next Level. Home for the holidays, Spencer (Alex Wolff) finds himself feeling anxiety in reuniting with his former Jumanji video game teammates. For basically the sake of the movie to happen, Spencer decides to play the game again which forces his friends to come and rescue him. Except this time things don't go as planned when Spencer's crotchety old Grandpa (Danny DeVito) and his former business partner (Danny Glover) get sucked in as well. With two old men that have no experience with video games cramping the other players' style, they discover they have an extra challenge as they have dead weight to carry with them from level to level. The hard part about making a sequel though to Welcome to the Jungle and trying to recapture its same magic, is that each of the main cast was tasked with portraying a persona completely contrary to what their physical self or game avatar represents. Dwayne Johnson had to play a geeky kid who was obsessed with video games, Jack Black played a social media obsessed girly girl, Kevin Hart played an athletic jock, and Karen Gillan played a shy wallflower. It was always going to be a stretch bringing this cast back playing these specific personas and so the filmmakers decided this go-round to shake it up...unfortunately with varying results. This time, the characters are chosen at random with the new additions of the prickly, feuding old men personalities being portrayed by Kevin Hart (doing his best Danny Glover impression) and Dwayne Johnson (somehow convincing SOMEONE he could pull off Danny DeVito.) The results are an incredibly mixed bag. Johnson is absolutely terrible with his DeVito, while Hart is surprisingly good channeling Glover. This time Jack Black switches it up by playing the macho athlete and unfortunately it's not nearly as much fun as his take on a shallow bubbly teenage girl from the first film. Karen Gillan and Joe Jonas also return and don't really get to do anything vastly different than their first go around. Awkwafina also joins the proceedings as a new video game character and seems to be having fun. Thankfully she has a much better DeVito impression when its called upon. BOTTOM LINE: Ultimately the sequel feels a bit thin. It certainly has a few really great sequences, but sadly never manages to be as fun, funny or exciting as its predecessor. RATING: 6/10

Lots to look forward to in 2020! Let's take a look at the movies I'm most interested in. (Sorry in advance for the Marvel bias, but I'm not really excited for their offerings this year so don't expect to find them on this list!) 15. A QUIET PLACE II I really loved 2018's The Quiet Place. It was like a golden age Shyamalan film. I don't think a sequel was necessary at all as the film was tied up perfectly already, but I'm open to seeing what Krasinski has up his sleeve a second time around. 14. SOUL Over the last several years Pixar, the studio that once churned out animated masterpiece after animated masterpiece has become quite a bit more hit or miss. One of their best films of the last decade was Inside Out and this new movie coming out this summer called Soul, looks to be a spiritual sibling of it (pun probably intended.) Instead of tackling with our inner feelings, this time Pixar takes on what makes a soul. Let's see if they strike gold twice. 13. JUNGLE CRUISE So again, Disney's track record with rides adapted to movies is definitely a mixed bag. On the one hand you've got the excellent Pirates of the Caribbean (though only the first one was anything to write home about,) to the terrifyingly bad Haunted Mansion. Or you've got a movie based on a whole theme park land: Tomorrowland, which was the definition of all over the place. So Jungle Cruise could certainly go either way. But it looks like a lot of fun and boasts two of the most charismatic people working today as its leads. 12. NO TIME TO DIE I've never been a huge Bond fan, though Casino Royale finally made me interested in the franchise. What has followed ever since then has varied from instantly forgettable to entertaining but ultimately forgettable. Will Daniel Craig finally recapture the magic of his first Bond film in time for his sendoff? Only time will tell! 11. GODZILLA V KONG While Godzilla movies are currently 0-2 for me and the recent Kong movie was entertaining but ridiculous why does this movie get a spot on my list? Well it's a big event to see these two epic cinema monsters battle and let's just see what they got. Expectations are currently very low. 10. GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE I wasn't a huge fan (or necessarily hater) of 2016's Ghostbuster's reboot, and found it hugely unnecessary. I also don't think this film is necessary either, nor do I think this movie matches the tone of what Ghostbusters is. In fact, I think it'd be better if filmmakers stepped away from this franchise and realized that "You know what? Sometimes you can't catch lightning in a bottle twice." As a sequel, Afterlife looks to be almost a totally different genre than the Ghosbusters films. It's majorly channeling the likes of Stranger Things in its reverential reference to nostalgia. It might pay off. I'm not sure if the answer to 2016's film was to do a take with as straight a face as possible, but I'm willing to try to keep an open mind. 9. BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC Am I so sick of unnecessary cash grab sequels that bank on our nostalgia? Yes. Will I miss the latest entry in the Keanussaince because of this? No. Look Bill & Ted is one of my definite '80s guilty pleasures so I'll be checking it out. How good it will be remains to be seen, but it's clear Reeves and Winter love these roles so at the very least we'll see the two having some fun again. 8. HALLOWEEN KILLS I enjoyed 2018's Halloween sequel redux and while I don't think a sequel was needed as the last film concluded just fine (geez I'm starting to see a pattern here with this list...) I'm excited to see where these next movies go. 7. MULAN Few of the Disney live action remakes have actually been worthy enough to have a live action re-telling, and from the get-go it seemed pretty clear that Mulan was one of the rare exceptions that could have a really great live action story told. From the trailers it looks like that assumption was right on the money as this looks poised to be one of the best live action remakes Disney has done. 6. THE CONJURING III Patrick Wilson & Vera Farmiga are back for a third installment of The Conjuring. I liked the second film, though it pales a bit to the first. I'm sad James Wan isn't returning for this one so my expectations are a little down, but I'm always good to spend some cinematic quality time with Ed & Lorraine Warren. 5. MALIGNANT Instead of helming the third Conjuring film, James Wan is making this movie instead. I'm all for original horror films so I can't wait to see what he's cooking up. 4. LAST NIGHT IN SOHO With Scott Pilgrim vs the World and Baby Driver, Edgar Wright is one of my favorite directors working today. And now he's assembled a fantastic cast to do a horror film? Count me in!! 3. WONDER WOMAN 1984 Gal Gadot was utterly charming in the first Wonder Woman and it was one of the funnest blockbusters in years, just hope the sequel can be nearly as good as the first if not better. 2. DUNE Denis Villeneuve is one of the best directors working today and he's assembled an all-star cast for his adaptation of Dune. This big screen epic will no doubt be one of the most ambitious films of the year and I can't wait to see him pull it off (after all, if he can make Arrival work I think he can make anything work.) 1.TENET While I wasn't overly wowed by Dunkirk, I've loved every other Nolan film to this point and his movies are simply not to be missed. This looks to be the most ambitious film he's done since Interstellar or Inception and the bigger Nolan goes, the more excited I get. This is the can't miss film of 2020!

10. THE FAREWELL I wasn't able to catch this one at last year's Sundance Film Festival, but heard such glowing reviews that I regretted missing it all year. I expected much more of a full blown, light hearted comedy, akin to My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but what I got was so much more deeper and heartfelt. The Farewell takes its time and delights in showing the characters and their culture. It was not what the light and fluffy movie I expected, but instead was something that really stayed with me. 9. JOJO RABBIT I expected Jojo Rabbit to be quirky to the point of irritation (which, to be honest with you is pretty much how I'd describe the works of Wes Anderson,) but to my surprise I found it to be equally delightful and poignant. The film wouldn't work without its young star Roman Griffin Davis who gives such a winsome performance and just feels like a genuine kid, with genuine kid observations. Scarlett Johansson too gives one of her best performances as well and Thomasin McKenzie is solid as well. The one weak link to me was actually Taika Waititi himself whose Adolf Hitler could probably have been in less scenes so the audience didn't feel quite so much hit over the head like we needed to get the idea of what he was going for. 8. THE IRISHMAN The Irishman certainly requires patience of its audience, but gives back a reward for those that have it. While I think it could maybe have used a trim or so, once things really get going the intrigue keeps coming and coming like an unstoppable force. You really get invested in these characters and what's going to happen next. Everyone gives fantastic performances, but it's really fun to see Joe Pesci in particular shine again. The much talked about CGI in some scenes was flawless, while others felt distracting, but overall it was cool to see these same actors play characters that span a lifetime. 7. LITTLE WOMEN Look I'm a sucker for a gorgeous looking adaptation of a literary classic. I'll be honest, I was really skeptical of the need of another iteration of Little Women, since I happen to really enjoy the Winona Ryder & Christian Bale version. That said, Saoirse Ronan makes for a fantastic Jo and while Timothee Chalamet has a long way to go to reach the heartthrob status that Bale achieved as Laurie (sorry Chalamet fans, he still just looks like a gawky teen to me...) he brings something really different to the role that was refreshing. But the real standout that made this adaptation a game changer was Florence Pugh as Amy. This movie really humanizes her more than any other adaptation and almost makes the story just as much hers as it is Jo's, and as such validates the Amy and Laurie relationship. While there are certainly moments that may not appeal to purists (especially that revisionist ending,) I actually enjoyed some of the departures and respected Gerwig's decision to honor what may have been Louisa May Alcott's true wishes for her characters and their story. 6. 1917 From a filmmaking standpoint, 1917 is one of the most impressive movies I've seen this year. In fact, it's absolutely stunning. The cinematography is so incredible it is literally hard to take your eyes off the screen and as such it's a movie that begs to be seen in a theater. So much care went into all of these continuous shots, and in the editing as well to make the cuts so seamless. The story, while simple is also beautiful in showing the difference just one person can make in the grand scheme of things. 5. JOKER An awful lot of fuss was made over Joker this past fall both by people who despised the movie (some without having seen it,) and by others who proclaimed it to be a comic book masterpiece. While I think that perhaps the reactions on both sides was a little overblown, the film is definitely on the good side especially because of Joaquin Phoenix's magnetic performance. Following up Ledger's iconic performance is no walk in the park (I mean...just ask Jared Leto,) but Phoenix proves here that he was just the man for a job and makes the role entirely his own. In a movie landscape so oversaturated with comic book movies, I really appreciated how fresh this one felt. 4. ONCE UPON A TIME IN... HOLLYWOOD Okay is it possible to put a movie in your top ten just for the last 15 minutes or so? Asking for a friend. Just kidding, I enjoyed the movie as a whole before the ending, but the ending really made it come alive in defining what the movie was. Hollywood does kind of feel quite a bit meandering for much of its runtime in what the film is actually going to be about, but that said Leonardo DiCaprio seems to be having the time of his life playing Rick Dalton. He and Brad Pitt make such a natural pair in how they play off each other, it's a wonder that they've never co-starred together before this. The cinematography is also excellent, and several moments really have that iconic cinema feel. 3. MARRIAGE STORY Long time readers will know that some of my favorite movies are ones that examine really realistic relationships. In Marriage Story, it's all about the aftermath of one and how the two go about to legally dissolve it. Things here get really ugly, and as a child of divorce this film really resonated with me a lot and during many moments was very hard to watch. Both Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson are giving career best performances here and do an incredible job of letting you see each characters side and motivations. Neither of them are the bad guys here as they each share some of the blame in the actions that led to the relationships breaking point and the aftermath that followed. Its final message that's simultaneously sad and hopeful is that life moves on and this too shall pass. 2. MIDSOMMAR Ari Aster totally swung hard with his sophomore effort following his masterpiece Hereditary and somehow managed to create another wildly unforgettable and iconic horror film. While Hereditary is undoubtedly scarier, Midsommar fills you with a sense of dread that you just cannot shake. I legitimately felt a pit in my stomach that did not even go away for hours after viewing it. It takes a lot for a movie to physically affect me, so the fact that Midsommar was able to I must tip my hat to Aster once again. Aster creates a living nightmare that hardly ever happens to take place at night. Horror movies almost all rely on the rule that the scares come at night, but Aster removes that crutch and aims for something higher in his bright, sunny pastoral Swedish commune setting. But perhaps the best thing about Midsommar is Florence Pugh, who gives a truly Oscar worthy performance and really captures pure grief in her performance. Unfortunately the Academy Awards doesn't care too much about amazing horror performances...just ask Toni Collette. 1. PARASITE I just love this movie so much. This movie takes you on a ride. You cannot label or pigeonhole it to be any one genre of movie, because it honestly takes turns being all of them. If there's one thing I truly admire in a movie it's the ability to surprise when so many movies these days are so formulaic. Parasite kept me on the edge of my seat with every twist and turn because I just couldn't wait to see what happened next. That said, its unpredictability is far from the only thing the movie has going for it. Its deeper meaning and commentary on class is incredibly poignant and never more relevant. HONORABLE MENTIONS: FORD V FERRARI, UNCUT GEMS, CRAWL, SHAZAM, BOOKSMART THE LIGHTHOUSE, BOMBSHELL, AD ASTRA, DR. SLEEP, READY OR NOT, A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD,