20 Best Movies Of 2019

1. Marriage Story

The crowning moment of the year wasn't the snap, it wasn't a Star Wars hero's big moment, it wasn't Arthur's transformation into the Joker on live TV... it was a man broken by the ravages of divorce and suddenly, painfully aware of his own part in the breakdown of his marriage singing a song about loneliness.

Step forward Adam Driver, who might be the best working actor at the moment and who had a huge year, playing Charlie Barber in Noah Baumbach's haunting rumination on love told backwards. Opposite him, Scarlett Johansson is just as incredible in a dynamic that challenges you NOT to choose a side entirely.

Marriage Story is a slight story, but one that is incredibly well-crafted. It feels like a stage play, but with the kind of directing choices that make you really appreciate the power of great directing and while it can feel improvised at times, it's all intricately, intimately crafted, which is why Baumbach ought to win the Best Director Oscar on the back of it.

Nods should also go to Driver and Johansson at the Academy Awards too, and while the latter might have a clearer shot, the idea of the former and Phoenix going head-to-head is a compelling one for early 2020.

What's your top three movies of the year? Share your picks below in the comments thread.