My Personal Ballot: Reflecting on One of the Decade’s Best Years of Cinema

Kicking off 2020 has left little to be desired in the medium of film. Up till now I’ve only seen two movies and only enjoyed one of them. (Thank you, Birds of Prey) It’s become increasingly clear that 2019 was one of the best years in cinema since the fantastic offerings brought to us in 2015. Thus, following my top ten of the year a few years ago, I thought I would take a look at what would be on my personal awards ballot if I made one. I took some liberties and made my own categories I wanted to include. Why? BECAUSE I CAN! Anyways, without further ado, here’s my personal favorites from the last year of the 2010s.

BEST SCENE:

• “Phone Conversation” – Honey Boy (RUNNER-UP)
• “Goh” – Knives Out
• “Beth Dies” – Little Women
• “The Ghost” – Parasite (WINNER)
• “Fishing” – Waves

Honorable Mentions: “Avengers Assemble” from Avengers: Endgame brought thousands of screaming people to their feet while the “Bennie and the Jets” drug trip was hallucinating and brought Rocketman to new depths.

BEST STUNTS:

• Ad Astra
• Avengers: Endgame
• Ford v Ferrari (RUNNER-UP)
• John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (WINNER)
• Spider-Man: Far From Home

Honorable Mentions: In a weak year for stuntwork, I have to highlight the impressive achievements made by 1917 and Captain Marvel.

BEST ACTION PERFORMANCE:

• Halle Berry – John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum
• Adam Driver – Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
• Chris Evans – Avengers: Endgame (RUNNER-UP)
• Florence Pugh – Fighting with My Family
• Keanu Reeves – John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (WINNER)

Honorable Mentions: Daisy Ridley continued to make the most of her Jedi training in The Rise of Skywalker while Marc Dacascos oozed action and charm in Parabellum

BEST ACTION FILM:

• Avengers: Endgame (RUNNER-UP)
• Ford v. Ferrari
• John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (WINNER)
• Spider-Man: Far From Home
• Shazam!

Honorable Mentions: Despite being the least popular Marvel offering this year, Captain Marvel proved the studio was still supreme while The Rise of Skywalker offered a bombastic action-packed conclusion to the saga.

BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE:

• Jillian Bell – Brittany Runs a Marathon
• Daniel Craig – Knives Out (RUNNER-UP)
• Maya Erskine – Plus One (WINNER)
• Eddie Murphy – Dolemite is My Name
• Jack Quaid – Plus One

Honorable Mentions: Chris Evans earned a new group of fans thanks to his smarmy, humorous turn in Knives Out. Tony Hale had everyone rolling in the aisles with his innocently naive role in Toy Story 4.

BEST COMEDY:

• Booksmart
• Brittany Runs a Marathon
• Dolemite is My Name
• Knives Out (RUNNER-UP)
• Plus One (WINNER)

Honorable Mentions: Jojo Rabbit brought the field of satire to new heights and audiences, while Little Monsters emulated the best that horror-comedy has to offer.

BEST YOUTH PERFORMANCE:

• Roman Griffin Davis – Jojo Rabbit (RUNNER-UP)
• Shahadi Wright Joseph – Us
• Noah Jupe – Honey Boy (WINNER)
• Thomasin McKenzie – Jojo Rabbit
• Saniyya Sidney – Fast Color

Honorable Mentions: Evan Alex haunted and impressed as the youngest of both families in Us. Archie Yates became the scene-stealer of the year in Jojo Rabbit.

BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE:

• Maya Erskine – Plus One (RUNNER-UP)
• Julia Fox – Uncut Gems
• Roman Griffin Davis – Jojo Rabbit
• So-Dam Park – Parasite
• Taylor Russell – Waves (WINNER)

Honorable Mentions: Despite being on the scene for a few years, Kelvin Harrison Jr. broke through with audiences in a major way with two shining performances in Luce and Waves. Ally Maki rose above a stellar voice cast as Giggle in Toy Story 4.

BEST VOICE/MOTION-CAPTURE PERFORMANCE:

• Josh Brolin – Avengers: Endgame
• Tony Hale – Toy Story 4
• Idina Menzel – Frozen II (RUNNER-UP)
• Annie Potts – Toy Story 4 (WINNER)
• Jason Schwartzman – Klaus

Honorable Mentions: Dev Patel gave subtle yet moving work in the English dub of I Lost My Body, while Chloe Bennett rose above Abominable‘s simplistic story.

BEST ENSEMBLE:

• Avengers: Endgame
• Knives Out (WINNER)
• Little Women
• Parasite
• Waves (RUNNER-UP)

Honorable Mentions: Marriage Story would be absolutely nothing without it’s eclectic array of lead and cameo performances. The women of Hustlers band together in one of the years most surprising, yet effective, ensemble performances.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG:

• “Lost in the Woods” – Frozen II
• “Show Yourself” – Frozen II (RUNNER-UP)
• “Jessica, Only Child” – Parasite
• “I’m Gonna Love Me Again” – Rocketman
• “Glasgow (No Place Like Home)” – Wild Rose (WINNER)

Honorable Mentions: A pretty disappointing year for original songs on the whole, aside from Mary Steenburgen’s fantastic finale song in Wild Rose, though Disney cornered the market with catchy tunes like Frozen II‘s “Into the Unknown,” and Toy Story 4‘s “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away.”

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:

• Ad Astra
• Fast Color
• Little Women (WINNER)
• Marriage Story (RUNNER-UP)
• Waves

Honorable Mentions: Alan Silvestri’s iconic themes blended nicely in Avengers: Endgame while Hildur Guðnadóttir broke out in a huge way with Joker‘s haunting melodies.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:

• Ad Astra (RUNNER-UP)
• The Aeronauts
• Avengers: Endgame (WINNER)
• The Irishman
• Spider-Man: Far From Home

Honorable Mentions: 1917 brought their effects down to a tangible realism, while intergalactic darkness and color was rendered perfectly in Captain Marvel.

BEST SOUND DESIGN:

• Ad Astra (RUNNER-UP)
• Avengers: Endgame
• Ford v Ferrari
• The Lighthouse (WINNER)
• Rocketman

HONORABLE MENTIONS: The team behind Parasite created unnervingly accurate sounds and noises that brought the action alive. 1917 pulled no punches on the disgusting brutalities of WW1, especially how grotesque they sounded.

BEST EDITING:

• The Irishman
• Knives Out
• Parasite (WINNER)
• The Two Popes
• Uncut Gems (RUNNER-UP)

Honorable Mentions: The fluidity of Waves would’ve been choppy and static without the vision and talents of Isaac Hagy and Trey Edward Shults. The Biggest Little Farm, thanks to fantastic editing, turns years of footage into a quick, well-paced documentary for crowds of all ages.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:

• Frozen II
• How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (RUNNER-UP)
• I Lost My Body
• Klaus (WINNER)
• Toy Story 4

Honorable Mentions: Laika’s Missing Link brought the studio to new highs of aesthetic and detail, while Dreamworks’ Abominable captured a magic emulative of the studio’s early days.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN:

• Dolemite is My Name
• Frozen II (RUNNER-UP)
• Hustlers
• Little Women
• Rocketman (WINNER)

Honorable Mentions: Few ensembles this year were better dressed then the cutthroat Thrombey clan of Knives Out. I’m not afraid to say it, Shazam! had the costumes I wanted most in my closet this year.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN:

• John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum
• Knives Out (RUNNER-UP)
• Little Women
• Parasite (WINNER)
• Rocketman

Honorable Mentions: The 60’s were alive, well, and beautifully constructed in the otherwise dull Once Upon a time in…Hollywood. Ad Astra gave us a tangible reality of what the future of space travel could look like. (Bonus points: Moon Airport!)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:

• Ad Astra (WINNER)
• The Biggest Little Farm (RUNNER-UP)
• The Lighthouse
• Parasite
• Waves

Honorable Mentions: Little Women captured the undeniable beauty of Massachusetts’ fall colors, and I’m proud! In the field of animation, one can’t help but marvel at all the perfect shots I Lost My Body produced.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

• A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (RUNNER-UP)
• Avengers: Endgame
• Hustlers
• Luce
• Little Women (WINNER)

Honorable Mentions: The Irishman, as slow as it was, deserves credit for adapting such a mammoth piece of work. However, the most undersung script goes to biopic legend Anthony McCarten’s beautiful writing work on The Two Popes.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

• The Farewell
• Honey Boy
• Knives Out (WINNER)
• Parasite (RUNNER-UP)
• Plus One

Honorable Mentions: Waves had some of the best dialogue I’ve seen in films this year, which raised Shults’ talents to a new, higher standard. The premise, execution, and back-and-forth in Uncut Gems was thoroughly entertaining, completely engrossing, and the true definition of what an original screenplay is.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

• Sterling K. Brown – Waves
• Daniel Craig – Knives Out (RUNNER-UP)
• Willem Dafoe – The Lighthouse
• Kevin Garnett – Uncut Gems
• Shia LaBeouf – Honey Boy (WINNER)

Honorable Mentions: Tom Hanks came bursting onto the scene again this year with a masterfully humble turn in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Jack Lowden brought gravitas and humor to what might’ve been a lesser role in the underseen gem Fighting With My Family. Lucas Hedges geeks us out with his adorable self in Waves.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

• Renee Elise Goldsberry – Waves
• Jennifer Lopez – Hustlers (RUNNER-UP)
• Florence Pugh – Little Women
• Taylor Russell – Waves (WINNER)
• Zhao Shuzhen – The Farewell

In a year full of great breakthroughs and diverse performances (thank you Taylor Russell!) one can’s forget Julia Fox’s larger-than-life debut in Uncut Gems, Eliza Scanlen’s memorable take on Little Women‘s Beth March, Octavia Spencer’s fierce tenacity in Luce, and dynamite work from both Yeo-Jeong Jo and So-Dam Park in Parasite. Such a good category this year!

BEST ACTOR:

• Adam Driver – Marriage Story
• Taron Egerton – Rocketman (WINNER)
• Kelvin Harrison Jr. – Luce (RUNNER-UP)
• Noah Jupe – Honey Boy
• Adam Sandler – Uncut Gems

Honorable Mentions: Robert Pattinson raised his career to a new level of craftsmanship with The Lighthouse. Robert Downey Jr. capitalized on a decade’s worth of amazing work with a career defining performance in Avengers: Endgame. Jack Quaid brought humor and heart to his first leading role in Plus One. In one of the Academy’s worst oversights, Brad Pitt won for his basic work in Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood while being unjustly overlooked for his internally melancholic work in Ad Astra.

BEST ACTRESS:

• Awkwafina – The Farewell
• Ana De Armas – Knives Out (RUNNER-UP)
• Maya Erskine – Plus One
• Gugu Mbatha-Raw – Fast Color
• Lupita Nyong’o – Us (WINNER)

Honorable Mentions: One half of a leading duo is not complete without the other, and Scarlett Johannson rose to the occasion to meet and supersede Adam Driver’s performance in Marriage Story. Constance Wu offered up some conflicted emotions that kept Hustlers grounded always. Saorise Ronan delivered a fresh, memorable take on classic literature in Little Women. Lastly, Florence Pugh continued her reign of 2019 with a surprisingly emotional biopic performance in Fighting With My Family.

BEST DIRECTOR:

• Greta Gerwig – Little Women
• Alma Har’el – Honey Boy (WINNER)
• Rian Johnson – Knives Out
• Bong Joon-Ho – Parasite (RUNNER-UP)
• Lulu Wang – The Farewell

In an amazing year for female directors, it would be horrible of us to neglect Marielle Heller’s astonishing work in the genre-redefining biopic A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, as well as Lorene Scafaria’s sly and stylish flair in the modern-day swindler extravaganza that was Hustlers. Bonus points to Ad Astra‘s James Gray for making a wholly original and jawdropping space-travel film!

BEST PICTURE:

• The Biggest Little Farm
• The Farewell
• Honey Boy
• Knives Out (WINNER)
• Little Women
• Marriage Story
• Parasite (RUNNER-UP)
• Plus One
• Rocketman
• Waves

Honorable Mentions: In a banner year for cinema, many films ranked among the cream of the crop, making this top ten completely vulnerable to change until the final decision. Among those that missed the cut that deserved recognition: the epic sea-shanty of The Lighthouse, the duality-themed horror of Us, a new crime epic for the post-recession world in Hustlers, the zany drug-induced anxiety trip of Uncut Gems, a finale for the ages in Avengers: Endgame, a beautifully magical reinvention of classic 2D-animation in Klaus, an ode to fatherhood and sci-fi classics in Ad Astra, an emotionally resonant conclusion in How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, a sleek and dedicated action bonanza in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, and the Shakespearean-esque tale of conflicting accounts in Luce.

That concludes my year of cinema! I hope you’ve all enjoyed reading and I encourage you to share your own thoughts on the year! Best wishes!

NOMINATION TALLIES:

• Knives Out—11 (3 Wins, 5 Runner-Ups)
• Parasite—10 (3 Wins, 3 Runner-Ups)
• Little Women—9 (2 Wins)
• Waves—9 (2 Wins, 1 Runner-Up)
• Avengers: Endgame—8 (1 Win, 2 Runner-Ups)
• Honey Boy—7 (3 Wins, 1 Runner-Up)
• Plus One—7 (2 Wins, 1 Runner-Up)
• Rocketman—6 (2 Wins)
• Ad Astra—5 (1 Win, 2 Runner-Ups)
• The Farewell—5
• Frozen II—5 (3 Runner-Ups)
• John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum—5 (3 Wins)
• Uncut Gems—4 (1 Runner-Up)
• Dolemite is My Name—3
• Fast Color—3
• Ford v Ferrari—3 (1 Runner-Up)
• Hustlers—3 (1 Runner-Up)
• Jojo Rabbit—3 (1 Runner-Up)
• The Lighthouse—3 (1 Win)
• Marriage Story—3 (1 Runner-Up)
• Spider-Man: Far From Home—3
• Toy Story 4–3 (1 Win)
• The Biggest Little Farm—2 (1 Runner-Up)
• Brittany Runs a Marathon—2
• The Irishman—2
• Klaus—2 (1 Win)
• Luce—2 (1 Runner-Up)
• Us—2 (1 Win)
• A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood—1 (1 Runner-Up)
• The Aeronauts—1
• Booksmart—1
• Fighting With My Family—1
• How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World—1 (1 Runner-Up)
• I Lost My Body—1
• Shazam!—1
• Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker—1
• The Two Popes—1
• Wild Rose—1 (1 Win)