2019 Movie Rankings: 40 through 31

Jeff D Lowe2/05/2020 12:00 AM

Day 15 of the 2019 Movie Rankings Countdown has arrived! Throughout the rest of the week, leading up to the 92nd edition of The Academy Awards, I will be revealing my rankings for all 185 new movies I watched this year.

RANKINGS SO FAR:
Bottom 15 (171-185)
170-161
160-151
150-141
140-131
130-121
120-111
110-101
100-91
90-81
80-71
70-61
60-51
50-41

A few Oscar-worthy performances are peppered into this group of 10 movies, but the storyline today has to be movies that flew under the radar. These releases weren't all "small," but I'd venture to guess that people will be surprised to learn that a few of these movies were really good. Without further ado, here are movies 40 through 31...

40) The Report (84/100): This movie digs very deep into its subject matter and manages to stay incredibly engaging and interesting in the process...

One of a million Adam Driver movies from 2019, 'The Report' takes on a very heavy subject matter but avoids ever falling into the trap of being a "drone-on" political thriller. A big reason for the consistent intrigue lands on the shoulders of Driver, as well as Annette Bening, who also turns in a fantastic performance.

39) Hotel Mumbai (84/100): Another incredible intense movie based on true events, 'Hotel Mumbai' is a gripping drama and flew completely under the radar in 2019...

The movie dramatizes the real events, which seems to be a sticking point for many who saw the movie, but I still found this to be an incredibly well-made movie. 'Hotel Mumbai' is a pretty brutal thriller, but that's what makes it so captivating. It's a tough watch in many parts, but one worth diving into.

38) Good Boys (84/100): There has been a very obvious lull in classic comedy movies over the last 10 years, so it was great to see 'Good Boys' breakthrough the muck and deliver a hilarious movie.

Not all of the jokes land and, despite the comparisons, it doesn't quite have the timeless feel that 'Superbad' did right from the start, but there are plenty of hilarious moments. I would've given this movie an even higher score had they focused a touch less on the odd drone subplot that felt fairly unnecessary. Making young kids cursing funny and not cheap is no easy task, so I commend everyone involved with making a naturally funny movie.

37) Long Shot (84/100): It's hard to go wrong with both Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron…

It might be a bit of a familiar concept, with the "loser guy" chasing the "gorgeous successful woman," but the chemistry between Rogen and Theron is what makes the movie work so well. The writing is smart and effortless and stays fairly consistent, even if it tapers off in quality a bit at the end.

36) Richard Jewell (85/100): This movie was damn close to being one of the years best, but I felt as though Clint Eastwood held back a bit…

I am not one to get all bent out of shape over the political messages in movies, whether I agree with them or not, so I don't take the same issues with this movie as some folks do. Do I think Eastwood could have focused his efforts a little more centrally on Richard Jewell himself? Yes, for sure. They could have gone much deeper into the horrors of what Jewell had to endure. Pulling punches in a biopic, as I have noted in these rankings, will always be a large gripe of mine. The acting makes up for its shortcomings, though, as Paul Walter Hauser turned in a stunning portrayal of Jewell while Kathy Bates and Sam Rockwell (man, he fucking rules) were dynamite as usual.

35) Always Be My Maybe (85/100): Netflix is a volume shooter at this point, but man do they put out a few gems now and then…

It's an infectious rom-com supported by the due of Randall Park and Ali Wong and, of course, a little Keanu Reeves sprinkled in.

This genre can feel stale and overplayed so often, but there was a hilariously fresh vibe throughout with 'Always Be My Maybe'.

34) Crawl (85/100): I will go as far as to say that 'Crawl' was the biggest surprise movie of the year for me…

The tense, claustrophobic feel to the movie is what makes it so damn successful. You never feel safe in this movie as a viewer, it always feels as though some shit is about to go down. The constant edge-of-your-seat pacing of this movie is a fucking delight in comparison to the usual duds in the monster movie genre. 'Crawl' knows what it is, isn't afraid to be bold and is an absolute must-watch popcorn movie from 2019.

33) Hustlers (85/100): This movie is a crazy mix between 'Ocean's Eleven' and 'The Big Short' with strippers thrown in…

The strength of this movie is with its performances, but the one that sticks out the most is from the legendary Jennifer Lopez. She was absolutely robbed of an Oscars nomination and the chance for a bit of shine over a performance that should define her acting career.

32) Pain & Glory (86/100): In a year where 'Parasite' has (rightfully) stolen all of the headlines for international films, 'Pain and Glory' deserves some more spotlight…

A fantastic drama, 'Pain and Glory' is highlighted by an Oscar-nominated performance from Antonio Banderas. It's a performance that has even garnered comments from audiences stating that this is the best one of his career.

31) Fighting with My Family (83/100): This intense drama about a duo on the run is one of the most visually stunning movies of the year…

The movie has an edge to it that will cut right into your emotions, as well as a great cast led by Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith (and Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers!). 'Queen & Slim' will have your heart racing as it plays out, all while it toys with you in gut-punching and upsetting ways.

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Here are the rankings so far in picture form…

There were over 20 movies this past year that I would call "great," which means we finally get to dive into some of them tomorrow. The final leg of this countdown begins with movies 30 through 21, a group of 10 that features some action, comic book movies, comedies, and a few of the year's top hidden gems. While you wait, you can still rate all of the movies released on a scale of 0-100 below. Make sure to subscribe (click here) to Lights Camera Barstool to enjoy our twice-a-week movie podcast…

Give your rating for all 2019 movies:
January: https://goo.gl/forms/tyUaQnv8QgMyHfcf1
February: https://goo.gl/forms/N98XcvIy3SukhrIw2
March: https://goo.gl/forms/4QbmSMj6wK0feMZ13
April: https://forms.gle/uRUg5xPyfsE8bk9B6
May: https://forms.gle/cdBDBdjNcHZ93sog6
June: https://forms.gle/z3cK9LSRCzNCwxYS8
July: https://forms.gle/8i1B8dMgSADefyU5A
August: https://forms.gle/4ywzQC6BNR818YDU9
September: https://forms.gle/an7c9p5dV1TZHwNK9
October: https://forms.gle/wjyrNUxbX8MYVLHUA
November: https://forms.gle/yVJjxeuNspX2GNjSA
December: https://forms.gle/uCYmh7uMtxE99Vj88