Category: Top 10 Lists

The Best Movies of 2019

Putting this list together this year was tougher than in recent years, and I’m not entirely sure why. But I will say that the things I loved this year, I loved. Movies were a huge comfort to me this year, and I found a lot of love and happiness in the things I saw this year. From the beautiful depiction of friendship between Jennifer Lopez’s and Constance Wu’s characters from Hustlers (Hustlers in general for that matter), the striking cinematography of Portrait of a Lady on Fire, the overall weirdness of Midsommer and the love bursting in each frame of Little Women. It’s a shame that this year’s Oscar races are turning out to be some of the least inspired and dull in the last few years, if they even bothered to think outside the box a little this year, they’d find some truly wonderful work in some amazing films. 

And yet, I found it so hard to actually sit down and write this list. I keep promising myself year after year that I’ll get better at updating this blog. Maybe this year is the year I’ll actually make this promise (no promises though).

Without further adieu, my favorite movies of 2019.

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The Best Movies of 2018

2018  was one of the most grueling experiences in recent memory and as a result I’ve unfortunately been neglecting this blog. It was something that used to give me a lot of joy, and through personal and professional setbacks I have to admit that finding the drive to do anything outside of my day to day demands has been seemingly impossible. But one thing that has continued to give me joy, however, has been film. Without film and escapism, I’m not sure I would have made it through such an emotionally taxing year. Like a warm hug on the coldest, most bitter day, I knew I could always just take myself to the movies and forget my troubles for a few hours. I feel like I say that every year, but it has not stopped being true. 

Recently I’ve been re-discovering the joy in things I had thought I had lost, writing being one of them. It’s a chore I’ve avoided for too long, both recreationally and professionally.  I’m in a much better headspace than I was last year, with a renewed drive to continue to pursue things that give me joy. Let this be a promise that I hold myself to throughout 2019, that I push myself not only to continue the upkeep with this little blog of mine, but in the other endeavors I’ve been ignoring.

So, without further adieu, my favorite movies of 2018. 

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The Best Movies of 2017

Without movies, I’m not sure I would have survived 2017. With each new terrible tweet sent from our president’s (shudders) account, a daily barrage of demoralizing and horrifying news updates about/caused by said president and a flurry of personal setbacks this year was rough. To hold onto my sanity, I sought refuge at my local movie theater and spent more money seeing movies this year than any year in recent memory. During my extensive viewings, I laughed, I cried, I laughed until I cried, I had my heart broken and I was transported; some of my brightest memories from this year took place in front of the big screen. 

So, without further adieu, my favorite movies of 2017.
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The 10 Best Movies Of 2015

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There was a lot to see this year at the movies, and looking back at everything I’ve seen, it’s a fool’s errand to try and list 10 of the best films. Even some of the ones I wasn’t crazy about had some absolutely amazing aspects that left me stunned. From Charlize Theron completely owning every bit of the amazingly crazy Mad Max: Fury Road, to Saoirse Ronan’s growing into a leading lady before our very eyes in Brooklyn, and of course the immaculately constructed “Carol” (Is there anything Cate Blanchett can’t do?). The Martian came close to dismantling the record Gravity set just 2 years ago, while Johnny Depp found his way back to critical acclaim, and the Rocky franchise found new life in director Ryan Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan. Oh, yeah, maybe you heard about that little indie movie called Star Wars: The Force Awakens that broke a dozen box office records.

So what films made the cut? And which films came close? Let’s take a look.

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The 10 Best Albums Of The Year (2015)

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Many will look back on this past year and think of only Adele’s earth-shattering album sales. But to be honest, 2015 was an incredibly kind year in the world of music. A wealth of riches everywhere you turned; Drawing up this list was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. You could make a case for just about every album’s inclusion.

There were so many albums released this year that were just that: Complete works rather than a few singles with some B-sides thrown in for good measure. In a marketplace where radio-ready defines success, that’s incredibly rare, and even more important.

But enough talk, let’s get into it.

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