Best & worst of 2019

It's been a fine year in the cinema. Some of the bigger films films may have disappointed but so many of them hit the spot.

My top 10

Deadwood

A perfect film finish to a perfect tv show. So much better than I ever expected. Emotional, brutal, genuinely upsetting and very cathartic with a final line of dialogue for the ages.

Wild Rose

A young woman in Glasgow wants to be a famous singer. We go along for the ride with her. Jessie Buckley is mindblowing here. A good, old fashioned rags to riches story with a nice edge to it.

The Sisters Brothers

The best western I've seen in years. One of the most beautiful too. Who would have thought a simple smile across a table between 2 brothers would be one of the best moments of the year.

Extra Ordinary

The Irish horror/comedy we never knew we needed. The funniest 94 minutes of the year. Terror, gore, proper belly laughs, potholes, ectoplasm, just the tip and a brilliant Maeve Higgins in the lead.

Border

Tina's a Swedish customs agent with a difference. She can smell bad people. A modern day fairytale but not a family friendly one. Far from it. A hard film to take about without spoiling it. Eva Melander is amazing in the lead.

Fighting With My Family

The story of Paige, the WWE wrestler who deserved and achieved her dreams. Stephen Merchant's comedy drama hit the spot with it's blend of humour, pathos and metal chairs across the face. 

Stan & Ollie

Watching this was like being knocked over by a wave of nostalgia. A beautiful and heartwarming biopic done just right. Steve Coogan's Stan steals the show.

The Peanut Butter Falcon

This modern take on the story of Jack Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn lived up to its roots. 2 friends go on and adventure together and we get to go along for the ride. Zack Gottsagen should be a star.

The Irishman

Scorsese had us fearing the worst but this elegiac ode to aging was an amazing return to gangster cinema. That scene of Pesci and De Niro breaking bread together. Just sublime.

Lords Of Chaos

The story I'd waited 20+ years to see on screen did not disappoint. Murder, mayhem, anarchy. A gut wrenching and blackly funny look at the stupid things people will do to feel legitimate. Best film of the year for me.

Also rans

I Lost My Body
Little Women
The Nightingale
The Dig
The Highwaymen
For Sama
Booksmart
Shazam
Crawl
One Cut Of The Dead
Hustlers
Diego Maradona

The best death scene

Midsommar. Ättestupa. Shudder.

Best musical outburst

Blinded By The Light. The market stall Thunder Road singalong.

Biggest scare

All of Brightburn. A genuinely unsettling watch that everyone ignored.

Star of the year

Florence Pugh. No question.

Best audience reaction

Cliff fights back. Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.

Jaw dropping moment of the year

The opening 5 minutes of The Dirt

Best moment when men claim to get dust in their eye

Cap's dance in Endgame/the end of Departures

Best ride

Extra Ordinary. A life saving shag. Literally.

Best laugh

Spiderman : Far From Home. Mr Harrington's wife and her snap experience.

Best baddie

Pat Shortt in Dark Lies The Island. A venal, life shattering bastard.

Biggest disappointment

The Kitchen. Melissa McCarthy. Elisabeth Moss. Domhnall Gleeson. Gangsters and gun. Laughable.

Most unintentionally funny

The big death in X-Men : Dark Phoenix. An insult to a once fine series.

Worst films of the year

Welcome To Marwen. Septic.
Jay And Silent Bob Reboot. Putrid.
Polar. Vomitous.
Men In Black International. Nauseating.
Holmes & Watson. I'd rather go blind than see this again.
Thank You Come Again. Made me feel ashamed to be Irish.