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2019: World Premieres
2019: U.S. Releases
2019: My Oscar Ballot
2019: Cannes Festival
2019: Chicago Festival

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The Movies of 2019: U.S. Releases
 By Title // By Grade // By VOR Rating

Full Listing of Films Screened

⑤  Indispensable to film fans, even if it's flawed

American Factory Dirs. Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert. Documentary A–
Ash Is Purest White Dir. Jia Zhangke. Zhao Tao, Liao Fan, Diao Yinan B+
Atlantics Dir. Mati Diop. Mame Bineta Sane, Ibrahima Traoré, Babacar Sylla A
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood Dir. Marielle Heller. Matthew Rhys A
Black Mother Dir. Khalid Allah. Documentary about contemporary Jamaica A
The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open Dirs. Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers,
      Kathleen Hepburn. Violet Nelson, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers A–
Burning Cane Dir. Phillip Youmans. Karen Kaia Livers, Wendell Pierce B+
By the Grace of God Dir. François Ozon. Melvil Poupaud, Denis Ménochet A–
The Cave Dir. Feras Fayyad. Documentary about underground Syrian hospital A
The Edge of Democracy Dir. Petra Costa. Documentary about Brazilian politics B+
An Elephant Sitting Still Dir. Hu Bo. Peng Yuchang, Zhang Yu, Wang Yuwen B+
End of the Century Dir. Lucio Castro. Juan Barberini, Roman Pujol, Mía Maestro A–
For Sama Dirs. Waad Al-Khateab, Edward Watts. Documentary about Syria A–
High Life Dir. Claire Denis. Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, Mia Goth A–
Honeyland Dirs. Tamara Kotevska, Ljubomir Stefanov. Documentary A–
The Image Book Dir. Jean-Luc Godard. Images and texts evoking modern chaos A–
The Irishman Dir. Martin Scorsese. Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci A–
Little Women Dir. Greta Gerwig. Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Emma Watson B+
Long Day's Journey into Night Dir. Bi Gan. Huang Jue, Tang Wei, Li Meng B
Midnight Traveler Dir. Hassan Fazili. Documentary about filmmaker in exile A–
Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood Dir. Quentin Tarantino. Leonardo DiCaprio B–
Pain & Glory Dir. Pedro Almodóvar. Antonio Banderas, Asier Flores B+
Parasite Dir. Bong Joon-ho. Choi Woo-sik, Park So-dam, Song Kang-ho A–
Peterloo Dir. Mike Leigh. David Moorst, Neil Bell, Rory Kinnear, Philip Jackson A–
Portrait of a Lady on Fire Dir. Céline Sciamma. Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel A–
Ray & Liz Dir. Richard Billingham. Patrick Romer, Ella Smith, Justin Salinger A–
Synonyms Dir. Nadav Lapid. Tom Mercier, Louise Chevillotte, Quentin Dolmaire B+
Waves Dir. Trey Edward Shults. Kelvin Harrison Jr., Taylor Russell A–

④  Good or bad, this is risky and original work

3 Faces Dir. Jafar Panahi. Behnaz Jafari, Jafar Panahi, Marziyeh Rezaei B+
5B Dir. Paul Haggis, Dan Krauss. Documentary about first AIDS hospital ward B+
Ad Astra Dir. James Gray. Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland B+
América Dirs. Erick Stoll, Chase Whiteside. Documentary about elderly caretaking B+
ANIARA Dirs. Pella Kågerman, Hugo Lilja. Emelie Jonsson, Arvin Kananian B+
At War Dir. Stéphane Brizé. Vincent Lindon, Mélanie Rover, Jean Grosset B+
Birds of Passage Dirs. Cristina Gallego, Ciro Guerra. Natalia Reyes, José Acosta B
The Burial of Kojo Dir. Blitz Bazawule. Cynthia Dankwa, Joseph Otsiman B
The Chambermaid Dir. Lila Avilés. Gabriela Cartol, Teresa Sánchez B
Clemency Dir. Chinonye Chukwu. Alfre Woodard, Aldis Hodge, Wendell Pierce B+
Dark Waters Dir. Todd Haynes. Mark Ruffalo, Bill Camp, Anne Hathaway A–
Diane Dir. Kent Jones. Mary Kay Place, Jake Lacy, Andrea Martin A–
Ernie & Joe: Crisis Cops Dir. Jenifer McShane. Documentary about retraining B+
Feast of the Epiphany Dir. Michael Koresky, Jeff Reichert, Farihah Zaman B+
The Gospel of Eureka Dirs. Michael Palmieri, Donal Mosher. Documentary B+
Her Smell Dir. Alex Ross Perry. Elisabeth Moss, Agyness Deyn, Gayle Rankin C+
A Hidden Life Dir. Terrence Malick. August Diehl, Valerie Pachner C+
High Flying Bird Dir. Steven Soderbergh. André Holland, Zazi Beetz, Melvin Gregg B
Honey Boy Dir. Alma Har'el. Noah Jupe, Shia LaBeouf, Lucas Hedges B
Hustlers Dir. Lorene Scafaria. Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez, Keke Palmer B+
I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians Dir. Radu Jude B
In My Room Dir. Ulrich Köhler. Hans Löw, Elena Radonicich, Michael Wittenborn B+
Joker Dir. Todd Phillips. Joaquin Phoenix, Frances Conroy, Robert De Niro B
The Last Black Man in San Francisco Dir. Joe Talbot. Jimmie Fails B+
The Lighthouse Dir. Robert Eggers. Robert Pattinson, Willem Dafoe B–
Monos Dir. Alejandro Landes. Sofia Buenaventura, Julian Giraldo, Moisés Arias B
The Nightingale Dir. Jennifer Kent. Aisling Franciosi, Baykali Ganambarr B–
One Child Nation Dirs. Nanfu Wang, Jialing Zhang. Documentary about China B
Queen & Slim Dir. Melina Matsoukas. Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith B
Rafiki Dir. Wanuri Kahiu. Samantha Mugatsia, Sheila Munyiva, Jimmy Gathu B–
Rojo Dir. Benjamin Naishtat. Darío Grandinetti, Alfredo Castro, Diego Cremonesi B+
The Souvenir Dir. Joanna Hogg. Honor Swinton Byrne, Tom Burke, Tilda Swinton B
Styx Dir. Wolfgang Fischer. Susanne Wolff, Gedion Oduor Wekesa B+
Sunset Dir. László Nemes. Juli Jakab, Vlad Ivanov, Levenete Molnár B–
The Third Wife Dir. Ash Mayfair. Nguyễn Phương Trà My, Mai Thu Hường B+
Too Late to Die Young Dir. Dominga Sotomayor. Demian Hernández B+
Transit Dir. Christian Petzold. Franz Rogowski, Paula Beer, Godehard Giese B–
Tremors Dir. Jayro Bustamante. Juan Pablo Olyslager, Mauricio Armas Zebadúa B+
Us Dir. Jordan Peele. Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph B
What You Gonna Do When the World's on Fire? Dir. Roberto Minervini A–
The Wild Pear Tree Dir. Nuri Bilge Ceylan. Doğu Demirkol, Murat Cemcir B
Woman at War Dir. Benedikt Erlingsson. Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir A–

③  Try to make time, but don't cry if you miss it

Abducted in Plain Sight Dir. Skye Borgman. Documentary about child abduction B
American Woman Dir. Jake Scott. Sienna Miller, Aidan McGraw, Aidan Fiske B
Angels Are Made of Light Dir. James Longley. Documentary about Afghanistan B
Asako I & II Dir. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi. Erika Karata, Masahiro Higashide, Sairi Itô B
The Blonde One Dir. Marco Berger. Gaston Re, Alfonso Barón, Melissa Falter B+
Diamantino Dirs. Gabriel Abrantes, Daniel Schmidt. Carloto Cotta, Cleo Tavares B–
Dolemite Is My Name Dir. Craig Brewer. Eddie Murphy, Mike Epps, Craig Robinson B
The Farewell Dir. Lulu Wang. Awkwafina, Zhao Shuzhen, Diana Lin, Tzi Ma, Chen Han C+
Fast Color Dir. Julia Hart. Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Lorraine Toussaint, Saniyya Sidney B–
Gay Chorus Deep South Dir. David Charles Rodrigues. Documentary B–
Girls of the Sun Dir. Eva Husson. Golshifteh Farahani, Emmanuelle Bercot C+
Gloria Bell Dir. Sebastián Lelio. Julianne Moore, John Turturro, Caren Pistorius B
Harriet Dir. Kasi Lemmons. Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., Joe Alwyn, Janelle Monaé C+
Hotel by the River Dir. Hong Sang-soo. Ki Joo-bong, Kwon Hae-hyo, Yoo Joon-sang C–
I Lost My Body Dir. Jérémy Clapin. Voices of Hakim Faris, Victoire Du Bois C+
Judy Dir. Rupert Goold. Renée Zellweger, Darci Shaw, Jessie Buckley, Finn Wittrock C–
The Kingmaker Dir. Lauren Greenfield. Documentary about Imelda Marcos C+
Knives Out Dir. Rian Johnson. Ana de Armas, Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer B
The Laundromat Dir. Steven Soderbergh. Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman, Antonio Banderas C
Long Shot Dir. Jonathan Levine. Charlize Theron, Seth Rogen, June Diane Raphael B–
Ma Dir. Tate Taylor. Octavia Spencer, Diana Silvers, Juliette Lewis, McKaley Miller B–
Maiden Dir. Alex Holmes. Documentary about all-female crew sailing around the world B
Marriage Story Dir. Noah Baumbach. Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, Laura Dern C
Midnight Family Dir. Luke Lorentzen. Documentary about Mexican ambulance crew B
Midsommar Dir. Ari Aster. Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Vilhelm Blomgren C
Les Misérables Dir. Ladj Ly. Damien Bonnard, Alexis Manenti, Djibril Zonga B
Richard Jewell Dir. Clint Eastwood. Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates B–
Sauvage Dir. Camille Vidal-Naquet. Félix Maritaud, Éric Bernard, Nicolas Dibla B
Sorry Angel Dir. Christophe Honoré. Pierre Deladonchamps, Vincent Lacoste B
Touch Me Not Dir. Adina Pintilie. Laura Benson, Tómas Lemarquis, Hanna Hofmann B
Toy Story 4 Dir. Josh Cooley. Voices of Tom Hanks, Annie Potts, Christina Hendricks B
Uncut Gems Dirs. Josh and Benny Safdie. Adam Sandler, Julia Fox, LaKeith Stanfield C+
Under the Silver Lake Dir. David Robert Mitchell. Andrew Garfield, Riley Keough D+
Where'd You Go, Bernadette Dir. Richard Linklater. Cate Blanchett, Emma Nelson C

②  Even if it's good, it's hardly groundbreaking

1917 Dir. Sam Mendes. George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Colin Firth C+
The Beach Bum Dir. Harmony Korine. Matthew McConaughey, Snoop Dogg, Isla Fisher C
The Biggest Little Farm Dir. Don Chester. Documentary about a California farm B
Bombshell Dir. Jay Roach. Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie, Nicole Kidman C
Booksmart Dir. Olivia Wilde. Beanie Feldstein, Kaitlyn Dever, Skyler Gisondo C+
Climax Dir. Gaspar Noé. Sofia Boutella, Romain Guillermic, Souheila Yacoub C+
The Dead Don't Die Dir. Jim Jarmusch. Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Chloë Sevigny C–
Ford v Ferrari Dir. James Mangold. Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Josh Lucas, Tracy Letts C+
Frankie Dir. Ira Sachs. Isabelle Huppert, Brendan Gleeson, Marisa Tomei, Jérémie Renier C
Holiday Dir. Isabella Eklöf. Victoria Carmen Sonne, Lai Yde, Thijs Römer, Yuval Segal B–
The Hottest August Dir. Brett Story. Documentary about modern New Yorkers C+
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Dir. Dean DeBlois B–
In Fabric Dir. Peter Strickland. Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Jaygann Ayeh C–
Jojo Rabbit Dir. Taika Waititi. Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie D+
Just Mercy Dir. Destin Daniel Cretton. Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Rafe Spall C–
Karuppudurai Dir. Madhumita Sundararaman. Mu Ramaswamy, Nagavishal, Badava Gopi C+
Knife + Heart Dir. Yann Gonzalez. Vanessa Paradis, Kate Moran, Jonathan Genet D+
Late Night Dir. Nisha Ganatra. Mindy Kaling, Emma Thompson, Reid Scott C–
Little Dir. Tina Gordon. Issa Rae, Marsai Martin, Regina Hall, Tone Bell, Justin Hartley C+
Little Joe Dir. Jessica Hausner. Emily Beecham, Kit Connor, Ben Whishaw, Kerry Fox D
Little Woods Dir. Nia DaCosta. Tessa Thompson, Lily James, James Badge Dale C
Luce Dir. Julius Onah. Kelvin Harrison Jr., Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer, Tim Roth D+
Missing Link Dir. Chris Butler. Voices of Hugh Jackman, Zach Galifianakis B–
Motherless Brooklyn Dir. Edward Norton. Edward Norton, Gugu Mbatha-Raw D–
The Mustang Dir. Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre. Matthias Schoenaerts, Bruce Dern C+
Non-Fiction Dir. Olivier Assayas. Guillaume Canet, Vincent Macaigne C
Our Time Dir. Carlos Reygadas. Carlos Reygadas, Natalia López, Phil Burgers D+
The Raft Dir. Marcus Lindeen. Documentary about maritime anthropology experiment B–
Redoubt Dir. Matthew Barney. Anette Wachter, Matthew Barney, K.J. Holmes C+
The Report Dir. Scott Z. Burns. Adam Driver, Annette Bening, Jon Hamm D+
Rocketman Dir. Dexter Fletcher. Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden C+
Serenity Dir. Steven Knight. Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong F
Star Wars, Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker Dir. J.J. Abrams. Daisy Ridley C+
This Changes Everything Dir. Tom Donahue. Documentary about Hollywood sexism B–
Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am Dir. Timothy Greenfield-Sanders. Documentary B–
The Two Popes Dir. Fernando Meirelles. Jonathan Pryce, Anthony Hopkins C–
The White Crow Dir. Ralph Fiennes. Oleg Ivenko, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Ralph Fiennes C+
Wild Rose Dir. Tom Harper. Jessie Buckley, Julie Walters, Sophie Okonedo C

①  Low ambition, little originality, easy to forget

The Aspern Papers Dir. Julien Landais. Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Joely Richardson D
Cats Dir. Tom Hooper. Francesca Hayward, Robbie Fairchild, Judi Dench, Idris Elba F
Klaus Dir. Sergio Pablos. Voices of Jason Schwartzman, J.K. Simmons, Rashida Jones C–
Tyler Perry's A Madea Family Funeral Dir. Tyler Perry. Tyler Perry D
The Wind Dir. Emma Tammi. Caitlin Gerard, Ashley Zukerman, Julia Goldani Telles C–