1. Parasite – Bong Joon Ho and Jin Wan Han (original)
A transcendent crime story that balances the books on the inherently corrupt capitalist/class system. With elements that go back as far as Crime and Punishment and High and Low, this film uses a structural sequence similar to the old proverb, “For want of a nail the shoe was lost…” What is unique here is not the crime or the punishment, but how weird the karmic trip is to get to the punishment. The real crime will be if the Parasite script loses Best Screenplay to Marriage Story, 1917, or Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, which aren’t in the same league as this original work.
2. Jojo Rabbit – Taika Waititi (adapted)
A black comedy/satire about a ten-year-old Nazi youth whose imaginary friend is Hitler. It’s Moonrise Kingdom in Nazi Germany, and that’s what makes it work so well. Some will feel that you can’t make light of the Nazis and especially not of Hitler. But by showing the phenomenon through the eyes of a young believer, Waititi has given us an emotional understanding of how ideology corrupts a mind and how encountering the Other in the flesh can defeat it.
3. Brittany Runs A Marathon – Paul Downs Calaizzo (original)
Don’t be fooled. This isn’t an addiction story. The surprising character work makes all characters both likeable and unlikeable, with witty dialogue and a big emotional payoff. That alone makes the plot more interesting than better known bloated epics that hit the same beat for 3 ½ hours. The sleeper picture of the year.
4. Bombshell – Charles Randolph (original, based on a true story)
This hard-hitting and surprisingly funny exposé tracks Roger Ailes’s sexual harassment of three women at Fox News. If you didn’t already know that Ailes was one of the most despicable and destructive human beings in the history of the United States – which suggests you must have been a captive of Planet Fox News – this gives detailed proof. It also shows the depth of moral corruption of Ailes’s minions, including a number of female enablers like his executive secretary and his wife. The worst part of the film is that it makes Megyn Kelly too heroic, with only a brief attack on her for her years of silence while this bastard continued abusing women. The best part of the film is that it shows that sexual harassment isn’t just something women have to get over, or it only happens to attractive women, though all three of these actresses are. It cripples and destroys women’s lives, and I don’t know a single woman who hasn’t experienced it. Men like Roger Ailes are cowards, liars, bullies, and killers of souls and they should all go to jail for a long, long time.
5. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood – Tom Junod, Noah Harpster, Micah Fitzerman-Blue (adapted)
A film with one of the more bizarre and creative story structures I’ve seen in years packs great cumulative emotional power. It’s really a traveling angel story with Mr. Rogers as the angel. And he’s a lot more complex than you might think.
7. Knives Out – Rian Johnson (original)
Television is built on the detective genre and does it extremely well. So Knives Out had to meet a high standard. It does, flipping the form in a number of ways, some brilliantly, others not. But it’s enough to make this one of the few true detective stories to get to the big screen since LA Confidential. If you love the form, you should see this. If not, it will come across as a lot of convoluted sound and fury, signifying nothing.
7. Little Women – Greta Gerwig (adapted)
An actor’s version of the classic that puts a premium on grand gestures. This film is structured around a series of buzzing household moments and girls hugging. It begins with a confusing framing device and meanders on two separate time lines. About halfway through, it funnels to the love story and catches fire. The ending is quite moving. I could have done without the meta moment, but this is a real achievement for Greta Gerwig as a writer. As an aside, I find it fascinating how much Louisa May Alcott was influenced by Jane Austen. Aren’t we all.
8. The Irishman – Steve Zaillian (adapted)
The Irishman hits the same beats, ad infinitum, as Scorcese’s past gangster stuff, but it doesn’t compare to Goodfellas in depicting the process of people being sucked into crime and slavery. Why? For one thing, Goodfellas is a screenwriting masterpiece. This is not. The moral investigation in The Irishman is not compelling because from the beginning this guy has no moral problem with murder. Therefore, his self-questioning at the end has little emotional resonance. If you kill people for a living, eventually you are going to feel bad when you have to kill someone you care about. The daughter’s moral attack has almost no effect because she is rarely seen throughout the story. Had the writer (and director, since he gets all the credit anyway) spent less time hitting the same beat of Jimmy Hoffa vs. the mob and more on the costs to the hero and his family, the moral accounting could have paid off big time.
9. Once Upon A Time in Hollywood – Quentin Tarantino (original)
A movie combining a fake western and a real western, a fake hero and a real hero. Which sounds intriguing, except that it’s not played out dramatically. With so much time spent driving around town, watching movies, hanging out in backstage Hollywood, the episodic first half is a snore. It gets interesting when Brad goes to the ranch, funneling to the final obligatory Tarantino gore in the showdown. But even the good stuff is not that good. What’s the point? Though I could say the same thing about most Tarantino movies, especially the last few. I guess it’s just fun being back in 1969.
10. Joker – Todd Phillips and Scott Silver (adapted)
An anti-superhero movie that ties in nicely with the Batman origin story. It tracks the creation of a serial killer and makes it emotionally believable. But it’s one scene after another establishing the character’s weakness-need. I get it. The guy is screwed and screwed up. A bit more plot with the character work, please.
11. Two Popes – Anthony McCarten (adapted)
My Dinner with Andre in the Vatican, but without the dinner and without the wit. It’s a long but surprisingly engaging conversation between a conservative pope and the liberal cardinal who may replace him. Two Popes is more watchable than you might think, partly because the conservative realizes the liberal is right. Yes, it’s a fantasy film.
12. Booksmart – Emily Halpern & Sarah Haskins and Susanna Fogel and Katie Silberman – (original)
Amusing, but not the treat it’s supposed to be. The set up is absurd: after finding out their deadbeat friends have also gotten into Ivy League schools (apparently it’s surprisingly easy), two nerdy girls decide to make up for their straight arrow existence in one night of fun. Yeah, that should do it. A string of hilarious hijinks ensues. Except that they aren’t hilarious and they’re all the same beat. This was pitched as a fresh take on the high school experience, but with so many elements from Romy and Michelle and Fast Times, I didn’t see it. These girls are trying really hard to be quirky, but their buddy shtick goes on so long they just come across as annoying. It really lost me when the teacher joins the party.
13. Judy – Tom Edge and Peter Quilter (adapted)
Judy Garland at the bottom of her life, taking her last shot. This film is deeply depressing as you watch one of the great talents of the 20th century fall from the accumulation of assaults she suffered since she was a child. Yes, she makes more than her share of mistakes. But she comes across as a hero fighting the unwinnable fight. Judy is hard to get through, but if you hold on you will see the most powerful emotional scene of the year. If you don’t cry in that scene, have them put you out of your misery. Because you’re already dead. I don’t see how anyone beats Renée Zellweger for Best Actress.
14. 1917 – Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns (original)
Spare me from cinematic experiments like this one where we walk though the trenches and across no man’s land in real time in what appears to be a single take (it’s not). There’s a reason the cut is the key technique in film. It gets rid of the boring parts. This is Saving Private Ryan goes to WW I (which was Seven Samurai goes to WW II), but without the plot. Did anyone not know what was going to happen from the original setup? A life and death obstacle course/video game with more than a few unbelievable moments. I know this is supposed to be an immersive experience. But beware of the fallacy of creating a boring experience to show the boredom and stupidity of war. This is the most overrated screenplay of the year.
15. The Rise of Skywalker – J.J. Abrams & Chris Terrio, Derek Connolly & Colin Treverrow (completely unoriginal)
The Rise of Skywalker was never going to be an Oscar contender, but this bloated mess marks the sad end (we hope) of what was once a great series. It’s not as bad as Rian Johnson’s embarrassing The Last Jedi. But that’s only because J.J. Abrams et al. throw everything at you so fast you don’t have time to realize how stupid it is. The worst part about the film isn’t the massive plot holes or the repetition of the same beats we’ve seen a thousand times before. It’s that the character beats and the attempts at real emotion come across as totally phony and unbelievable. No, I take that back. The worst part is that there are more resurrections than a Holy Rollers convention and Luke looks like a bobblehead doll.
16. Marriage Story – Noah Bumbach (original)
Cinema as dental drilling. This is lawyer story, not marriage story. She comes across as the heavy from the beginning when she decides to use a lawyer after they agreed not to. She also seems like a dummy for falling for the bullshit from her smarmy lawyer. A talking heads movie that hits the same beat forever and makes The Irishman seem like a short film. It also leaves the false impression that women end up better off from divorce when the reality is they usually end up totally screwed.
17. Hustlers – Lorene Scafaria, Jessica Pressler (adapted)
A group of strippers drug Wall Street guys and steal their money. That describes the whole movie and the only plot beat in the movie. This film achieves the impossible of making you feel bad for Wall Street guys.
18. Dolemite Is My Name – Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski (original)
Until I saw Uncut Gems, this was the worst movie I saw this year. There’s no story. The hero faces zero obstacles in gaining success. It’s not funny. Yet some reviewers say it’s one of the best movies of the year. Incomprehensible.
19. Uncut Gems – Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie & Benny Safdie (original)
A self-professed fuck-up makes a colossally stupid move to start the film and then somehow gets dumber. What a waste of two hours of my life.
Hey John, writing as a big fan of your book ‘Anatomy of Story’ that has helped me immensely with my own writing, I gotta write a response to this one. I really disagree with you here. I’m gonna list why though I haven’t seen all the movies on this list. I have a slight issue with your criteria for grading movies. Here we go.
19-17. Uncut Gems/Dolemite/Hustlers
Haven’t seen them. But protagonists making stupid decisions or doing bad things doesn’t bother me as long as the story is engaging. As long as it’s grounded in a realistic character flaw that the movie acknowledges (like Walter White with his pride or Anakin Skywalker with his desire to cheat the natural order of death) I don’t mind.
16. Marriage Story
This was one of the most emotionally devastating movies of the year for me, the movie makes it clear in the quote that “a criminal lawyer sees their clients at the best, a divorce lawyer at their worst.” It’s the story of a marriage falling apart that portrays a realistic divorce; lawyers, arguments, tragedy. It sets up Nicole as the opponent yeah because it’s her that initiates the separation but Charlie is no saint either. Charlie is characterised as a bit of a control freak who can’t see past his own perspective and doesn’t take his wife’s hopes into account. I felt the pain of both sides equally but also a slight hope that they would get together again if they weren’t so damn stubborn. The main argument they share is absolutely captivating and both actors drag their characters to the emotional depths in the service of airing their grievances with each other. A movie that can make me feel that intensity of emotion can’t quality as “dental drilling cinema” in my book.
15. The Rise of Skywalker
Agreed, that movie is trash. However I disagree with you on The Last Jedi being an embarrassment. That movie wasn’t perfect, but it actually focused on the arcs and journeys of it’s characters and tried to movie the franchise in a new direction. Watch the take on the movie by popular YouTube video essayist Just Write on the movie: “The Last Jedi and the 7 Basic Questions of Narrative Drama” because it actually uses YOUR thesis on effective storytelling as outlined in The Anatomy of Story to explain why that movie was good. Hope it changes your mind on it.
14. 1917
This is the one that got me. This was the best war movie I’ve seen since Saving Private Ryan. Not discounting that the movie as a technical masterpiece with flawless cinematography, acting and music, the movie is also a captivating war film. It’s one take because it portrays the almost dream-like scenario of going on a dangerous time-sensitive mission with barely a minute to spare. There was never a moment in this movie that I was bored, something is always going wrong for our protagonists; be it a tripwire, a cave in, a stab wound, barbed wire, the tension of going over no-man’s land, a muddy ditch stopping a truck, a sniper or getting spotted by a drunk enemy soldier. Our characters are not invincible action heroes, they face real problems a soldier in WW1 would’ve faced. I felt as if I was following them through the muck, feeling their pain, fear and struggle. In between moments of tension we have idle conversation to flesh out our characters. Our protagonist Schofeld is at first jaded, unidealistic and pissed off at being dragged into this by the determined and hopeful Blake. He traded his medal for booze to Blake’s shock. Character’s are defined by their actions most of all though. When confronted with a wounded pilot, both show compassion in different ways; Blake (the less experienced) wants to get him water without taking into account what to do with the pilot after saving him as they’re on a mission whereas Schofeld is more practical and wants to put him out of his misery. It’s Blake’s death that motivates Schofeld to push forward. Blake saved him from certain death in the cave in and Schofeld wants to honour his friend and save those lives. He leaves a beautiful woman and her child to continue his task, he braves countless dangers for his quest. As he reaches the singing group his exhaustion is palpable and he’s broken because he thinks he’s too late. But upon learning their is still time the movie reaches a fever pitch, he gives everything he has to race past a charging army to save them. As 1500 soldiers unknowingly march to their deaths, Schofeld must give everything he has to charge past No-Man’s Land to save them, it all rests on him. MacKay gives it his all as an actor as he portrays Schofeld sprinting, tripping and pushing past ignorant guards to finally deliver the damn message to a hothead Colonel. He did it. He delivers the news of his friends death to Lieutenant Blake, and sits back down to finally rest, the mission at last over. And when he relaxes, you relax too. No more danger, no more pressure, it’s over. This is a simple story told perfectly. A movie this captivating, well-crafted, well written, well acted and emotional is anything but overrated.
13-11. Judy/Booksmart/Two Popes
Haven’t seen them. And I though you deserved a breather after the previous PHD, much like Schofeld.
10. Joker
Agreed, Joker was great but not perfect. It was quite predicable but effective as a character study of a beaten dog biting back. I wish more superhero movies had the guts this one did.
9. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
I actually completely agree with you on this one. The movie was enjoyable, but without much tension or plot to drive the damn thing forward.
8. The Irishman
Haven’t seen it. I think it’s also amusing your take implies the movie didn’t work but it’s placement on your list implies you liked it.
7. Little Women
Haven’t seen it. I have to though because Florence Pugh is a treasure and I love her.
6. Knives Out
Agreed, the movie was great. And people say Ryan Johnson is a bad writer/director!
5. A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood
Haven’t seen it, probably because I don’t watch too many biopics.
4. Bombshell
Haven’t seen it, but it’s on my list because anything exposing the human equivalent of Jabba the Hutt deserves my money.
3. Brittney Runs a Marathon
Haven’t even heard of it, but it sounds interesting based on what you’ve said.
2. JoJo Rabbit
Agreed, I LOVED this movie. So many ways it could’ve gone wrong and it doesn’t. It’s smart, funny and touching. It gets to some surprisingly dark places towards the last third of the movie and I think Taika nailed it.
1. Parasite
Haven’t seen it but I really mean to. A movie that unites both critics and audiences in saying it’s amazing is something that always puts a movie on my list.
Anyways that’s the end. Thanks for reading this far John. I just wanna conclude that I’ve followed your website and Oscar rankings for a while and I think that while your ideas as outlined in The Anatomy of Story are great I feel as if your criteria for ranking movies depends solely on if they follow it. Movies like Uncut Gems, 1917, Marriage Story and Dolemite are automatically bad because they don’t fit that structure. I feel like in your view things like acting, cinematography, tension, pacing, score, innovation and cultural impact don’t matter because if it doesn’t fit your narrow criteria of “Does it follow the Anatomy of Story formula? If the answer is no it’s BAD!” discount the countless things that cinema can be. It would be like judging every meal solely based on whether it includes meat, meat may be great, but it alone doesn’t define a meal and something delicious CAN be made without it. Just remember that I’m still a huge fan and we can disagree on things without attacking each other. I wanted to get my perspective out and I did, have a lovely day!
Reading your “reviews” completely obliterated the image and respect I had form about you. You clearly dont understand cinema and only see character “beats”.
Oh No, I can’t believe you didn’t like Dolemite is my Name. That movie was so lovely. It might be a movie that speaks more to the African-American community. I loved that this movie wasn’t about “Black pain” and didn’t have any sad moments where the culture had to come up from the bottom do to something that white people did to us or some other nonsense.
I absolutely love that it was focused more on Dolemite’s internal battle with succeeding no matter what odds he found himself in. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and thought something was going to happen that would bring in racism or “Black on Black crime” or something like that because most movies do. But this movie did none of that which was very refreshing.
Dolemite really showcased the strength of a community and a people all coming together to enjoy something in our community as a community. It is a really uplifting film. I also love that it showcased a ton of Black talent and put a spotlight on the origins of rap. It was so great, I just loved it so much, so it is a big surprise to hear that you hated it.
I wanted to leave a comment to anyone that reads the comments to say that Dolmite Is My Name is not a horrible movie, to me. It is a wonderful one and super funny to boot!
I love your reviews! Love Anatomy of Story as well as your classes. You’re a genius in my book. Can’t wait to read your next reviews for this coming Oscar season!