Our Top 10 Movies of 2019 (So Far)

Hope everyone had a great Independence Day this past week! (without an alien invasion) Now that the year has officially rolled into it’s latter half, it’s time to take a look back at the movies we’ve seen so far and found the greatest enjoyment with. Both John DiBiase and myself (John Underdown) put together our top 5 favorite films and why we liked them. There is some overlap, but our lists are diverse enough to give you some movies to catch up on in case you missed any. Feel free to let us know your favorites in the comments below!

John DiBiase’s Top 5

1. Avengers: Endgame — More than a movie, this was an experience. It’s one of the few movies I feel like I can watch many times in the theater and see something new each time. It’s not a perfect film by any means, but it’s no less a major achievement.

2. Shazam! — I was a fan of Zachary Levi from his days in TV’s Chuck, and it’s a blast to see him make the transition to superhero in Shazam.

3. Toy Story 4 — While I’m still not in love with how the film concludes, Toy Story 4 is a trip down memory lane and a delight to get to see these characters again.

4. How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World — 2019 is a year for goodbyes, and the finale of the highly underrated “How To Train Your Dragon” series is an excellent one. It’s a bittersweet adventure to the end.

5. Spider-Man: Far From Home — I realize all of my choices are popcorn blockbusters, but I do feel that many of these films go beyond just entertainment for entertainment’s sake and often still deliver great performances and have something to say. This emotional and surprising entry into the Spider-Man franchise may not be even one of the better Spider-Man entries, but it’s a great follow-up to Endgame and a fun summer film.

John Underdown’s Top 5

1. Shazam! — I’ll go ahead and admit here that I’ve only seen 6 movies so far and Endgame was not one of them. Otherwise, this list might look very different. But a superhero flick was still the highlight among what I have seen. Outside of that off-tone “boardroom scene”, I found this flick an enjoyable and heartfelt romp.
2. The Kid Who Would Be King — I’m a sucker for a good, thrilling family movie and this film is a great throwback to such works of yore (i.e. the ’80s or ’90s). Is it kinda cheesy and predictable? Sure. But it was still entertaining and inspiring in its own way.
3. Toy Story 4 — Like John, I didn’t care for the ending. I also didn’t think this movie was necessary. Still, I can’t deny it was well-executed and beautifully animated. It’s more of a coda to the first three movies and less of a continuation of the story, but still deserves some recognition.
4. The Upside — The drama/comedy proved to be a humorous, feel-good movie about friendship and moving forward. The chemistry between Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart was a effective and I’m kinda surprised this film hasn’t received more attention than it has.
5. The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part — Doesn’t land quite as well as its predecessor, but it does carry on its unique brand of whacky humor mixed with real-life lessons.