Ranking February 2019's Movies From Worst To Best

2. If Beale Street Could Talk

If Beale Street Could Talk
Annapurna

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94% (8.62/10)

Box Office: Despite the pedigree of director Barry Jenkins (Moonlight), his latest drama failed to catch fire with either the Academy or audiences, and has grossed around $17 million against a $12 million budget.

Disappointing given Moonlight's $65.2 million final cume, even if it did have the benefit of a Best Picture nomination (which it eventually won) behind it.

Verdict: If not quite hitting the euphoric highs of Moonlight, Jenkins' follow-up is nevertheless a deeply-felt period drama with excellent performances from KiKi Layne, Stephan James and Regina King in particular.

Beautifully shot by James Laxton and wonderfully scored by Nicholas Britell - both of whom also worked on Moonlight - this is a rich, textured adaptation of James Baldwin's 1974 novel, and its omission from this year's Best Picture nominations is absolutely maddening.

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.