Ranking the Films of 2019: Part One

Portrait of a Lady on Fire, the last straggler from 2019, has finally found its way to theaters, making this first week of March 2020 a fine time to look back on the movie year that was. Per tradition, every feature I watched in 2019 will get some attention, chronicling a year where mainstream offerings far outpaced the indies at the halfway mark, only to see arthouse gems overtake them in the subsequent months.

I've split the 219 new releases I saw over that span — down 13 from last year…hmm…too many music festivals? — into five groups, sorted chronologically from worst to best, and will continue the countdown each day this week until we reach #1. If you're so moved (especially seeing as many critics have one of the first titles mentioned here in their Top 10 lists), please comment at the end of the post and I'll be glad to discuss my rankings with you there.

219. Black Christmas

218. Pokémon: Detective Pikachu

217. The Curse of La Llorona

216. The Prodigy

215. Miss Bala

214. The Souvenir

213. Men in Black: International

212. Annabelle Comes Home

211. Rambo: Last Blood

Chicuarotes (Pulse Films)

210. Chicuarotes

209. Replicas

208. Midway

207. The Lady and the Tramp

206. A Madea Family Funeral

205. Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase

204. Aladdin

203. Angel Has Fallen

202. Dumbo

201. Hotel Mumbai

(Photo: Universal Pictures)